So, What Is the Benghazi Cover-Up All About?  —  Shortly after the Benghazi debacle in September 2012, it was rumored that the terrorist attack occurred in the context of a CIA operation whereby Libyan arms, which presumably were either purchased or scooped up by the Agency in the wake of Gaddafi's overthrow …

Pay-up time for Brawley: '87 rape-hoaxer finally shells out for slander  —  Just $431,000 to go  —  Twenty-five years after accusing an innocent man of rape, Tawana Brawley is finally paying for her lies.  —  Last week, 10 checks totaling $3,764.61 were delivered to ex-prosecutor Steven Pagones …

Source: Terrorists behind embassy threat in place  —  PLAY CBS NEWS VIDEO  —  The terror threat prompting the U.S. government to close nearly two dozen embassies and consulates Sunday is the most specific, credible threat information in years, CBS News senior correspondent John Miller reports.

Schumer calls Putin a ‘school yard bully’  —  Russian President Vladimir Putin is nothing more than a “school yard bully,” and President Barack Obama should cancel their meeting in Moscow next month, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D.N.Y.) said Sunday.  —  Last week, Putin granted National Security …

Unknown Republican blocks bill requiring email search warrants  —  An anonymous Republican senator has delayed a vote on legislation that would require police to obtain a warrant before accessing emails and other online messages.  —  Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) …

Members of Congress denied access to basic information about NSA  —  Documents provided by two House members demonstrate how they are blocked from exercising any oversight over domestic surveillance  —  • Morgan Griffith's requests for NSA information  —  • Alan Grayson's requests for NSA information

Democracy in Action (Missouri Edition)  —  ProPublica's The Payday Playbook: How High Cost Lenders Fight to Stay Legal is a little different from what they teach in high school civics classes. … Someone raised $2.8 million to fight the initiative.  We don't get know exactly who:

Beyond Grades  —  Testing firms are offering new ways to measure what students learn in college.  Their next generation of assessments is billed as an add-on - rather than a replacement - to the college degree.  But the tests also give graduates something besides a transcript to send to a potential employer.

Martin O'Malley Putting Together “Framework” For Presidential Bid  —  The Maryland governor is openly making preparations for a White House run.  “I think we're on course to have a body of work that lays the framework of a candidacy for 2016,” says O'Malley.  —  Image by Charlie Neibergall, File / AP