8-year-old Westport boy on trial for exuberance  —  BRIDGEPORT — New York woman wants a jury to hold her 8-year-old nephew accountable for his youthful exuberance during his birthday party.  —  Jennifer Connell claims the boy, Sean Tarala of Westport, acted unreasonable when he leaped into her arms …

First Democratic debate: Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton set to headline - live  —  Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the first Democratic presidential debate of the 2016 race for the White House.  The Guardian's Sabrina Siddiqui (@sabrinasiddiqui) and Paul Lewis (@PaulLewis) …

Busted !  CNN Uses Jeb Bush Staffer Planted In Audience To Frame Donald Trump Narrative/Hit Job....  During an appearance at a Jon Huntsman “No Labels” event, a female audience member named Lauren Batchelder played the role of a female antagonist toward candidate Donald Trump.

Sources: McConnell floats entitlement changes in high-stakes fiscal talks  —  Ben Carson struggles to explain debt limit stance  —  (CNN)Mitch McConnell privately wants the White House to pay this price to enact a major budget deal: Significant changes to Social Security and Medicare …

A ‘Cancer’ on the Clinton Candidacy  —  <p>Halfway through her long and humbling summer, Hillary Clinton ran into an old friend who wanted to know how she was bearing up under the pressure of near-daily revelations about the use of her private email server during her time in the State Department.

The Gorgeous Balance of Emilia Clarke, Sexiest Woman Alive 2015  —  Friendly and fierce.  Kid sister and killer.  Movie star and girl next door.  —  VINCENT PETERS + ESQUIRE  —  Years ago, when I was a grad student, I worked at an ice cream shop in Oxford called George & Davis'.

Donald Trump to Host ‘SNL’ November 7  —  Live from New York, it's Donald Trump!  —  The GOP presidential frontrunner and real estate magnate will host NBC's “Saturday Night Live” on November 7, the show announced Tuesday.  —  His appearance comes almost exactly a year before Election Day, which will fall on November 8, 2016.

Levin Staffer Arrested for Allegedly Beating Lover With Shovel  —  Baltimore City Police arrested an aide to Rep. Sander M. Levin, D-Mich., at around 2:30 a.m. on Oct. 8 for criminal domestic violence charges.  —  Tim Foster, a native of Henderson, Ky., brutally beat his male lover …

Ethel Kennedy abandoned Bobby Jr. and turned to JFK's gay best friend Lem Billings  —  After Robert F Kennedy was assassinated, Ethel booted her vexatious son Bobby Jr out of their Hickory Hill home..She sent him to boarding schools and entrusted his care to longtime JFK chum Lem Billings..Billings claimed …

The Republicans' Incompetence Caucus  —  The House Republican caucus is close to ungovernable these days.  How did this situation come about?  —  This was not just the work of the Freedom Caucus or Ted Cruz or one month's activity.  The Republican Party's capacity for effective self …

CNN Debate Moderator Was Member of Clinton Global Initiative  —  CNN host Anderson Cooper, who is set to moderate tonight's Democratic debate, was listed as a “notable past member” the Clinton Global Initiative's website along with a number of other big name journalists:

Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 Most Likely Hit by Russian-Made Missile, Inquiry Says  —  PARIS — A 15-month inquiry into the disintegration of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in the skies over eastern Ukraine has concluded that the aircraft was most likely attacked from the ground by a Russian-made missile …

AP Exclusive: Clinton server's software had hacking risk  —  1 photo  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The private email server running in Hillary Rodham Clinton's home basement when she was secretary of state was connected to the Internet in ways that made it more vulnerable to hackers …

Susan Rice Blames Climate Change For Conflict in Syria  —  In her most dramatic speech to date about climate change, National Security Advisor Susan Rice suggests climate change was partially responsible for the conflict in Syria and represents a looming threat to the entire world.

‘Not-Racists’ FURIOUS That MLK Memorial Will Be Built At ‘Confederate Mount Rushmore’ (SCREENSHOTS)  —  Look, by this point, we know conservatives aren't racist.  With every qualifier, preceding or following every statement we might otherwise interpret as bigoted, and sometimes completely randomly …

Dem infighting erupts on eve of first presidential debate  —  Democrats are battling one another offstage ahead of the party's first 2016 debate, with a prominent lawmaker engaged in a fierce war of words with the party chairman.  —  Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii), a vice chairwoman …

Julianne Moore Launches Gun Safety Campaign: ‘This Is My Responsibility As a Parent’  —  Like many parents, Oscar-winner Julianne Moore was deeply affected by the horrific shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., in December 2012.  —  “I remember my daughter [Liv, 12] came to work with me that day.

Gun owner speaks out after toddler shoots grandmother  —  ROCK HILL, S.C. — The woman who owned the gun that a local toddler got his hands on and was able to fire and hit his grandmother, is speaking out, calling the storage of the weapon inside her vehicle a mistake.

WaPo's Ignatius: Obama's Weird ‘I Told You So’ About His Own Failed Syria Policy  —  Share it Tweet it  —  Michelle might want to gently tap the president on the shoulder and remind him “umm, Barack, you're not in the faculty lounge any more.  You're actually, uh, President and Commander-in-Chief.