It's the Loyalty, Stupid  —  WASHINGTON — I talked to Robin Williams once, about breasts.  —  In 1993, when he played a prim British nanny in “Mrs. Doubtfire,” I went to interview him at his Pacific Heights house.  —  “It's great to be this blue-mouthed old lady hitting on somebody,” …

UNEASY NIGHT: A police shooting, more tear gas in Ferguson  —  At about 1 a.m., a St. Louis County Police officer shot and critically wounded a man who police said pointed a handgun at the officer near the intersection of West Florissant and Chambers Road.  —  The shooting happened near Chambers …

PLATON  —  I am staying at the Hotel Metropol, a whimsical sand-colored monument to pre-revolutionary art nouveau.  Built during the time of Czar Nicholas II, it later became the Second House of the Soviets after the Bolsheviks took over in 1917.  In the restaurant, Lenin would harangue …

Hollywood tries to save Senate for Dems  —  Hollywood is pouring money into the midterm elections, with A-listers such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Gwyneth Paltrow, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Barbra Streisand all coughing up blockbuster bucks.  —  The donations are largely aimed at keeping the Senate in Democratic hands.

Lauren Bacall Dies at 89; in a Bygone Hollywood, She Purred Every Word  —  Lauren Bacall, the actress whose provocative glamour elevated her to stardom in Hollywood's golden age and whose lasting mystique put her on a plateau in American culture that few stars reach, died on Tuesday in New York.

The Audacity to Be Authentic: Hillary Clinton's Risky Hedge Against Obama  —  Conventional wisdom says it's smart to attack an unpopular president.  Conventional wisdom may be wrong.  —  The rap against Hillary Clinton is that she's a cynical and conniving public figure who hardly takes …

A charged-up Rick Perry after his Iowa State Fair speech: 'I'm awesome'  —  Rick Perry admits he's preparing to possibly run for president, even if Iowans haven't forgotten his forgetfulness.  —  And at the Iowa State Fair today, the Texas governor couldn't walk 10 feet without someone gunning for his attention.

Exclusive: Sen. Mary Landrieu's campaign flight was charged to taxpayers  —  (CNN) — Sen. Mary Landrieu made headlines last November when she hitched a ride home on Air Force One with President Obama, but chose not to attend his event in New Orleans.  Another lesser-known flight Landrieu took …

EXCLUSIVE: Texas anti-gay leader Jonathan Saenz's ex-wife left him for another woman  —  Mere months before Jonathan Saenz became president of the anti-gay group Texas Values, his wife left him for another woman, according to Hays County district court records obtained by Lone Star Q.

Government, Economy, Immigration Are Top U.S. Problems  —  Most Americans list non-economic problems as most important  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Americans say the government, immigration, and the economy in general are the most important problems currently facing the country.

Childhood Lead Exposure Causes a Lot More Than Just a Rise in Violent Crime  —  Jessica Wolpaw Reyes has a new paper out that investigates the link between childhood lead exposure—mostly via tailpipe emissions of leaded gasoline—and violent crime.  Unsurprisingly, since her previous research …

Watch: Crazed Racist In Ferguson Spews White Rage At Protesters (Updated)  —  Yes, there are racists in Ferguson.  —  This video is NSFW for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the language.  —  YouTube user “Brandon” uploaded it with the following comment: