Hundreds protest Obama outside Phoenix high school  —  FONT:  —  Hundreds of protesters wielded signs, chanted slogans and argued with each other Tuesday outside Desert Vista High School in Phoenix, while President Barack Obama spoke about housing and the economy inside.

Veteran civil rights campaigner praises Snowden's act of ‘civil disobedience’  —  John Lewis, one of America's most revered civil rights leaders, says the NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden was continuing the tradition of civil disobedience by revealing details of classified US surveillance programs.

Exclusive: IRS manual detailed DEA's use of hidden intel evidence  —  (Reuters) - Details of a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration program that feeds tips to federal agents and then instructs them to alter the investigative trail were published in a manual used by agents of the Internal Revenue Service for two years.

Al Qaeda Conference Call Intercepted by U.S. Officials Sparked Alerts  —  It wasn't just any terrorist message that triggered U.S. terror alerts and embassy closures—but a conference call of more than 20 far-flung al Qaeda operatives, Eli Lake and Josh Rogin report.

Texas Tea Partiers Gunning For Gohmert to Primary Cornyn  —  Louie Gohmert for Senate?  That's what a number of Texas tea-party activists are hoping for.  They're not happy with Senator John Cornyn, and Katrina Pierson, who serves on the Texas Tea Party Caucus Advisory Board …

Jeff Bezos's Tool Kit for the Post  —  Amazon Founder Brings Skills in Data Gathering, Software, E-Commerce  —  By - KEACH HAGEY and - GREG BENSINGER -  —  As owner of the Washington Post, Jeff Bezos will have an opportunity to transform how the money-losing newspaper generates revenue …

GreenTech courted Obama's Solyndra aide  —  ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Virginia gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe and three top GreenTech advisers met with the key White House aide responsible for helping bankrupt solar-panel maker Solyndra win federal loans and high-profile presidential support, a Watchdog investigation has revealed.

Rick Santorum: Liberals ‘Make It Uncomfortable For Students’ To Shower At The Gym  —  Next time you feel uncomfortable showering at the gym, blame it on liberals and their abortion rights agenda.  Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum (R) does.  —  Speaking to anti-abortion group Students …

How to win the war over Obamacare  —  The battle over Obamacare may rage on for years, and it will certainly play a major role in next year's House races.  Republicans say that since the law is unpopular, their repeal message must be a winner for them.  Dems allow the law is unpopular …

Members, staff will keep health-care subsidies under Obamacare  —  Members of Congress and Hill staffers will not lose their health-care subsidies from the government when Obamacare is implemented because of an exception proposed Wednesday by the Office of Personnel Management.

Christie Is Candidate GOP Voters Want Least As Their 2016 Nominee  —  New Jersey Governor Chris Christie holds a narrow lead among Republicans for the party's 2016 presidential nomination, but even more GOP voters say he's the candidate they least want to see nominated.

U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin: Southern senator called President Obama ‘exotic’ in closed-door meeting  —  U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin provided some behind-the-scenes insight into the partisan animosity that continues to follow Barack Obama in his second term as president.  —  Harkin, a Democrat …

White House Seeks a Return to the Housing Status Quo  —  I think the most important part of today's presidential address on housing is, in some ways, this graphic that the White House pushed out on social media today.  Not so much for anything the chart says as for the fact that this is the message the administration wants to push.

Lapdogs at AP dutifully bury Obama's geography gaffe  —  Dude.  Dude.  —  As Twitchy reported, President Barack “57 States” Obama showed off his mad geography skillz last night when he informed Jay Leno that Savannah, Charleston, and Jacksonville are, in fact, Gulf Coast ports.

The Times Isn't for Sale, Its Publisher Declares  —  After a week in which both The Boston Globe and The Washington Post were purchased by new owners, the publisher of The New York Times emphatically declared Wednesday night that the publication was not for sale.

The Top 10 Lawmakers Who Could Lose a Primary Next Year  —  The list includes a Santa Claus impersonator-turned congressman and a doctor who slept with his patients.  —  Incumbency in Congress is a fortress rarely breached, particularly in primaries.  In the 2012 elections …

Steve King: Belief In Climate Change Is A ‘Religion,’ ‘Not Science’  —  Despite the fact that 97 percent of scientists agree that climate change is real, Rep. Steve King (R-IA) is insistent that it is “not science” and that environmentalists are missing the potential upsides.

CNN boss' son quits Cory Booker's startup  —  Why did a tech startup hire the teenage son of a cable news boss?  —  FORTUNE — New Jersey senatorial candidate Cory Booker was “not involved at all” in the addition of Andrew Zucker to the advisory board of a tech startup that Booker co-founded, according to a company spokesperson.

Castle Rock apartment tenants told they must get rid of their guns  —  His apartment complex, the Oakwood Apartments in Castle Rock, sent out a notice telling all residents to get rid of their guns.  —  The 77-year-old retired US Marine Corps veteran sent a newstip to 9Wants …

Eric Cantor, Paul Ryan headline Koch summit  —  Rep. Paul Ryan, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez secretly spoke to wealthy donors at the Koch brothers' recently concluded summer gathering on the outskirts of Albuquerque.  —  The 2012 vice presidential candidate …