G.O.P. Gains Strength and Obama Gets Low Marks, Poll Finds  —  A New York Times/CBS News poll shows that President Obama's approval ratings are similar to those of President George W. Bush in 2006 when Democrats swept both houses of Congress in the midterm elections.

Joe Biden: I was wrong to say ‘Shylocks’  —  Vice President Joe Biden said Wednesday that it was a “poor choice of words” for him to use the term “Shylocks” in a recent speech.  —  On Tuesday, Anti-Defamation League's national director Abraham Foxman had said the word “Shylocks” promoted an anti-Semitic stereotype.

Robert Gates: Barack Obama ‘traps himself’ on ISIL  —  Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Wednesday said the U.S. will need troops on the ground to fight the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and spoke out against President Barack Obama's contention that the U.S. aims to degrade and destroy the group.

‘Django Unchained’ Actress — We Got the Pictures ... And It Looks Like Sex  —  The “Django Unchained” actress who cried racism against the LAPD ... claiming they harassed and hurt her because she was just making out with making out with her white boyfriend in a car — has some explaining to do …

Troubled Law School Defaults On Its Bonds, May Be Forced To Cease Operations  —  While it's true that things have been spiraling downwards for law schools since the Great Recession, it wasn't until 2011 that things really got out of hand.  That was when the very first class action lawsuit …

Oregon Republican Senate Candidate Plagiarized Economic Plan From Several Sources  —  On the subject of eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse...  Monica For Oregon Facebook / Via Facebook: monicafororegon  —  Large portions of an economic plan released by Oregon Republican Senate candidate Monica Wehby appear …

Too bad it's almost certainly unconstitutional.  —  You are no doubt as excited as I am about the advent of Constitution Day, which explodes into being again Wednesday, Sept. 17, with its customary flurry of greeting cards, traffic-stopping parades, fraught and complicated holiday dinners with the family …

Congress Really Isn't Begging To Vote On Authorizing Obama's Military Operation  —  “It's time to grow up.  You're in Congress.  This is what Congress is for.  It's to vote on things like this,” Rep. Justin Amash says of colleagues' reluctance to vote on authorization of war against ISIS.

ISIS and the Arab World  —  LONDON — An existential struggle is taking place in the Arab world today.  But is it ours or is it theirs?  Before we step up military action in Iraq and Syria, that's the question that needs answering.  —  What concerns me most about President Obama's decision …

Democrats turn on Debbie Wasserman Schultz  —  Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz is in a behind-the-scenes struggle with the White House, congressional Democrats and Washington insiders who have lost confidence in her as both a unifying leader and reliable party spokesperson at a time when they need her most.

Wisc.  GOPer Drops Out Of Race Over ‘F*gs’ And ‘N*ggers’ Tweets  —  A Wisconsin Republican dropped out of the race for a seat on the state assembly on Tuesday after he admitted that he made offensive comments about gay and black people on social media, according to The Gazette.

The Making of a Conservative Superstar  —  Tom Cotton is the ultimate product of today's hard-edged, ideologically driven Republican Party.  Is that what Arkansas voters want?  —  Tom Cotton was born in 1977 in Dardanelle, Arkansas, population less than 4,000, where his family had lived …

For immediate release  —  Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in July suggests that economic activity is expanding at a moderate pace.  On balance, labor market conditions improved somewhat further; however, the unemployment rate is little changed and a range …

‘Security Moms’ Are Back—and That's Bad News for Democrats  —  Suddenly, it feels like 2002.  Democrats got creamed in midterm elections that year because the women voters they had relied on throughout the Clinton years deserted them.  In 2000, women favored Democratic congressional candidates by nine points.

Cruz: Dempsey, Hagel sound like social workers  —  Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said on Tuesday that the U.S. military should not play the role of “social workers” in Iraq.  —  Speaking on Fox News's “Hannity,” Cruz voiced his frustration with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey's responses …

How The FiveThirtyEight Senate Forecast Model Works  —  The FiveThirtyEight Senate forecast model launched earlier this month.  Right now, it shows Republicans with about a 53 percent chance of picking up the Senate next year.  We owe you a lot more detail about how that forecast is calculated …

How many young women can a school legally punish for dress code violations?  —  Singling out female students for humiliation and discipline because of their sex is a blatant violation of federal law  —  Do school administrators think they're more stubborn than teenage girls who are told what they can't wear to school?

Israel's N.S.A. Scandal  —  WASHINGTON — IN Moscow this summer, while reporting a story for Wired magazine, I had the rare opportunity to hang out for three days with Edward J. Snowden.  It gave me a chance to get a deeper understanding of who he is and why, as a National Security Agency contractor …