Something Is Rotten in the Secret Service  —  And Obama's life is in danger because of it.  —  Behind the rotten culture is arrogance.  After uniformed officers failed to take out 42-year-old Omar J. Gonzalez when he hopped over the fence and ran into the White House …

New York Times Plans Cutbacks in Newsroom Staff  —  The New York Times plans to eliminate about 100 newsroom jobs, as well as a smaller number of positions from its editorial and business operations, offering buyouts and resorting to layoffs if enough people do not leave voluntarily, the newspaper announced on Wednesday.

Are Liberals Fund-Raising Hypocrites?  —  Let's imagine that Republicans swept the 2012 elections and were now in control not merely of the House but of the presidency and the Senate, too.  —  Now let's take it one step further and say that by using the filibuster the Democratic minority …

On Hobby Lobby, Ginsburg Was Right  —  The great Oliver Wendell Holmes once observed that important Supreme Court decisions “exercise a kind of hydraulic effect.”  Even if the authors of such decisions assert that their rulings will have limited impact, these cases invariably have a profound influence.

WH huddles as ISIS advances toward Turkey  —  President Obama met Tuesday evening with his national security team amid reports that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) was advancing toward toward the predominantly Kurdish town of Kobani on the border between Turkey and Syria.

35,000 Walrus Converge On Alaska Beach As Sea Ice Retreats  —  In this aerial photo taken on Sept. 27, 2014, and provided by NOAA, some 35,000 walrus gather on shore near Point Lay, Alaska.  Pacific walrus looking for places to rest in the absence of sea ice are coming to shore in record numbers on Alaska's northwest coast.

White House to Media: Sit Down and Don't Interview  —  Even though Barack Obama rode into office in 2008 on a wave of media adulation, the Obama administration has exhibited a fiercely hostile attitude towards reporters.  It has vigorously prosecuted low-level national-security leakers …

Democrats make risky bet against GOP Leader Mitch McConnell  —  Democrats in Washington are taking a risky bet by quadrupling their investment in Alison Lundergan Grimes, a young and largely unproven challenger, who is running against Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.).

Ebola Is Diagnosed in Texas, First Case Found in the U.S.  —  A man who took a commercial flight from Liberia that landed in Dallas on Sept. 20 has been found to have the Ebola virus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Tuesday.  He is the first traveler to have brought …

College GOP: Democrats Are Like a Bad Wedding Dress  —  The College Republican National Committee launched on Wednesday a nearly $1 million digital ad campaign across 16 states, aiming to draw young voters to the GOP with what the group's chief calls “culturally relevant” ad campaigns.

Boehner: Bush has real shot in 2016 election  —  WASHINGTON — House Speaker John Boehner said Tuesday the driving issue of the 2016 election will be “competence” and if Jeb Bush decides to run, “he's got a real shot” at winning because of his record as the one-time governor of Florida.

Vandalia teen accidentally shoots herself and father  —  VANDALIA —  A 14-year-old girl accidentally shot herself and her father tonight while learning to use a handgun.  —  It happened while the two were on the back deck of their home in the 9200 block of Dog Leg Road.

GAO says Obama administration can't bail out insurers without Congress  —  BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL OBAMACARE HEALTH CARE JEFF SESSIONS GAO CMS LAW FRED UPTON HHS RISK CORRIDORS  —  The Department of Health and Human Services cannot legally bail out the insurance industry for excessive losses …

BREAKING: Leslie Rutledge's Voter Registration Canceled; Candidacy Now In Question  —  And you thought the DHS rumors were troubling.  —  According to multiple reports — the veracity of which I have no reason to doubt, but the confirmation of which I will have to wait until 8am tomorrow to confirm …

When Corporate Sponsors Leave ALEC and Rush.  What We Learn by @spockosbrain  —  When Corporate Sponsors Leave ALEC and Rush.  What We Learn by Spocko  —  The other day Google announced it will be leaving ALEC.  “Google becomes latest company to abandon right-wing ALEC.”  —  This is a big deal.

Mayor of Bell Gardens Fatally Shot in Domestic Dispute; Wife Questioned and Released  —  The mayor of Bell Gardens was fatally shot Tuesday afternoon in a dispute with his wife, who was briefly detained, authorities said.  —  A family photograph of Daniel Crespo and his wife, Levette.