NSA gathered thousands of Americans' e-mails before court struck down program  —  The National Security Agency unlawfully gathered as many as tens of thousands of e-mails and other electronic communications between Americans as part of a now-discontinued collection program, according to a 2011 secret court opinion.

Jindal plummets and other notes from Louisiana  —  Three years ago in August PPP declared Bobby Jindal to be the most popular Governor in the country.  58% of voters approved of him to only 34% who disapproved.  Jindal's fortunes have seen an amazing shift since that time though …

Breaking news: Cheney pays $220 for fishing license ticket  —  Angus M. Thuermer Jr., Jackson Hole News&Guide  —  U.S. Senate candidate Elizabeth Lynne Cheney posted a $220 bond in Ninth Circuit Court in Teton County on Monday on a charge of making a false statement to procure a fishing license.

The anti-Clinton media — here we go again  —  Not everyone is as apparently obsessed with writing vitriol about the Clintons as Maureen Dowd, the New York Times's op-ed columnist.  For example, last Saturday, Dowd compared the Clintons to the self-destructive cartoon character Wile E. Coyote.

Wentworth Miller rejects Russian film festival invitation; ‘As a gay man, I must decline’  —  Actor and screenwriter Wentworth Miller today rejected an invitation to attend the St. Petersburg International Film Festival, citing Russia's anti-LGBT laws.  In a letter to the Festival's Director …

White House eyes ‘gun trust’ loophole  —  The Obama administration is working to close a loophole in the nation's gun laws that allows for some machine guns and sawed-off shotguns to be sold without the buyer submitting fingerprints or photographs.  —  The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco …

Statement by Principal Deputy Press Secretary Josh Earnest on Allegations of Chemical Weapons Use in Syria  —  The United States is deeply concerned by reports that hundreds of Syrian civilians have been killed in an attack by Syrian government forces, including by the use of chemical weapons, near Damascus earlier today.

Brown opts out of run for Mass. governor  —  Former Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) said Wednesday night he will not run for Massachusetts governor in 2014.  —  Brown said he wanted to remain in the private sector, noting that another run for public office would take a lot of “thought, analysis, money and sometimes personal sacrifice.”

Egypt's Coptic Christians face unprecedented reprisals from the Muslim Brotherhood  —  CAIRO — Islamist mobs have torched schools and businesses owned by Christians, looted churches and even paraded captive nuns through the streets of a city south of Cairo in a display of rage unseen in Egypt's recent history.

Sparks fly after Sen. Marble's ‘chicken’ comment in poverty hearing  —  DENVER — Democratic lawmakers couldn't believe their ears as they listened to Sen. Vicki Marble, R-Fort Collins, deliver a long soliloquy explaining that more blacks and Hispanics live in poverty, in part, because of fried chicken.

NSA scandal looms large in German election  —  ‘Germany is not a nation of surveillance.  Germany is a nation of freedom,’ Merkel says.  AP Photo  —  Close  —  BERLIN — It's election season in Germany and there's one campaign issue that won't go away: the NSA surveillance scandal.

Feds running out of wildfire money  —  Running out of money to fight wildfires at the peak of the season, the U.S. Forest Service is diverting $600 million from timber, recreation and other areas to fill the gap.  —  The nation's top wildfire-fighting agency was down to $50 million …

Man who dobbed in suspects accused of murdering Melbourne baseball player Chris Lane says his son was next  — I love you so much: Girlfriend's moving tribute  —  THE teenagers accused of murdering Melbourne baseball player Chris Lane were dobbed in by a local who claims his son was the trio's next target.

Accepting Scalia's Offer, Arizona Sues Obama Administration On Voting Rights  —  Arizona and Kansas have taken Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia's suggestion and sued the Obama administration in a continuing effort by both states to require proof of citizenship in order to register to vote.

The text of U.S. Army Pfc. Bradley Manning's statement that will be sent to the president, as read by defense attorney David Coombs following Manning's sentencing Wednesday:  —  The decisions that I made in 2010 were made out of a concern for my country and the world that we live in.