House Republicans lack votes to move plan to raise debt ceiling  —  House Republican leaders found themselves struggling to secure the votes on Thursday for a debt ceiling measure they hoped to swiftly pass through the House as the latest salvo in a multi-front fiscal fight.

My State Needs Obamacare.  Now.  —  FRANKFORT, Ky. — SUNDAY morning news programs identify Kentucky as the red state with two high-profile Republican senators who claim their rhetoric represents an electorate that gave President Obama only about a third of its presidential vote in 2012.

Allen West Out At PJ Media  —  Sources say he had an anti-Semitic exchange with a staffer, calling her a “Jewish American princess.”  —  Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images  —  Former Congressman Allen West is leaving his job at Pajamas Media after an altercation with a female staffer …

U.N. Deal on Syrian Arms Is Milestone After Years of Inertia  —  UNITED NATIONS — The five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council have agreed on a resolution that will require Syria to give up its chemical weapons, but there will be no automatic penalties if the Syrians fail to comply, officials said Thursday.

First on CNN: NRSC targets vulnerable Democrats  —  Washington (CNN) - As the Senate begins getting down to the business on Friday of whether to defund the health care law backed by President Barack Obama, a national Republican political committee cautions Democratic incumbents facing tough reelection fights.

Wendy Davis tells Democrats she's in  —  Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis and her advisers have begun informing influential Democrats that she intends to run for governor in 2014, according to multiple sources familiar with Davis's conversations.  —  The Fort Worth legislator made a national name …

Pasta firm Barilla boycotted over ‘classic family’ remarks  —  Chairman Guido Barilla causes outrage in Italy after saying he would not consider using a gay family to advertise his products  —  Gay rights activists in Italy have launched a boycott of the world's leading pasta maker …

The Disconnect  —  There is a real and genuine disconnect between grassroots conservatives and many in Washington.  Let's first concede that, like with many politicians, a cult of personality has started developing around Ted Cruz, though from my vantage point it is not nearly as virulent as among some.

So much for keeping a low profile: George Zimmerman is pulled over for the THIRD time since he was acquitted  —  George Zimmerman was pulled over by police for the third time since his acquittal, it emerged today.  —  Zimmerman was stopped by Florida Highway Patrol troopers in Brevard County on August 19 just after 11am.

U.N. panel delivers landmark climate change report  —  United Nations climate change study says man to blame for Earth's warming.  —  CONNECT  —  Global warming is “unequivocal” and it is “extremely likely” that humans are the primary contributors to this warming, according …

SEIU unionists strike over Obamacare-related cuts  —  BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL BARACK OBAMA OBAMACARE LABOR HEALTH CARE AFL-CIO  —  Members of the Chicago-based Service Employees International Union Local 1 have gone on strike over recent job cuts by a janitorial company called Professional Maintenance.

WHERE THE G.O.P.'S SUICIDE CAUCUS LIVES  —  On August 21st, Congressman Mark Meadows sent a letter to John Boehner.  Meadows is a former restaurant owner and Sunday-school Bible teacher from North Carolina.  He's been in Congress for eight months.  Boehner, who has served in Congress for twenty-two years …

'Eyes gouged out, bodies hanging from hooks, and fingers removed with pliers': Horrific claims of torture emerge as soldiers reveal gory Kenyan mall massacre details  —  Soldiers told of the horrific torture meted out by terrorists in the Nairobi mall massacre yesterday with claims hostages were dismembered …

This Year's SAT Scores Are Out, and They're Grim  —  Fewer than half of the 2013 graduating seniors who took the test got “college-ready” scores.  —  Of the 1.66 million high school students in the class of 2013 who took the SAT, only 43 percent were academically prepared for college-level work …

HEALTH LAW ONLINE SIGN-UP DELAYED FOR SMALL FIRMS  —  You are here  —  Home » United States government » Health law online sign-up delayed for small firms  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Days before the debut of new online insurance markets, a couple of last-minute technical glitches …