Confirmation battles are back  —  Prepare for the return of the confirmation fight.  —  If Republicans capture the Senate majority in November, their sway over prominent judgeships and Cabinet vacancies — potentially including a new attorney general — will become one of the GOP's primary leverage points …

Obama expands 'My Brother's Keeper'  —  The White House is partnering with mayors and community leaders to develop a “cradle to college and career strategy” for young men of color, President Obama is set to announce at Saturday's Congressional Black Caucus Foundation awards dinner.

Crackdown on Protests by Hong Kong Police Draws More to the Streets  —  HONG KONG — Downtown Hong Kong turned into a battlefield of tear gas and seething crowds on Sunday after the police moved against a student democracy protest, inciting public fury that brought tens of thousands of people onto …

Fired Oklahoma City nursing home worker threatened beheading, police say  —  Jacob Mugambi Muriithi, a native of Kenya, was arrested Friday in Oklahoma City on a terrorism complaint.  —  In a bizarre coincidence, a fired Oklahoma City nursing home employee was arrested Friday …

The Cult Deficit  —  LIKE most children of the Reagan era, I grew up with a steady diet of media warnings about the perils of religious cults — the gurus who lurked in wait for the unwary and confused, offering absolute certainty with the aftertaste of poisoned Kool-Aid.

U.S. Troops Battling Ebola Get Off to Slow Start in Africa  —  Rare Military Effort Comes as Concerns Mount Over Epidemic's Expansion  —  The number of people infected with Ebola could hit 1.4 million by mid-January.  What is the world doing about it?  WSJ's Jason Bellini has #TheShortAnswer.

We need a new constitution: Here's how we save American democracy from charlatans, loudmouths and the 1 percent  —  The most recent NBC/Wall Street Journal poll says that a clear-cut majority is disgusted with the present political scene and retains little hope that future generations will fare as well as we have.

Woman is heard screaming from her coffin after being ‘buried alive’  —  Screaming could be heard coming from the coffin (not pictured) after it was buried (Picture: Getty)  —  A cemetery worker got the fright of his life when he heard a woman screaming from inside her buried coffin.

Court to Weigh Political-Contribution Ban for Government Contractors  —  Challengers Say Restriction Is Too Broad, Preventing Donations to Independent Political Committees  —  A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday will consider a fresh challenge to campaign-finance rules, this time a 74-year-old …

Mostly Black Cities, Mostly White City Halls  —  CONYERS, Ga. — Since moving to this small city on the eastern flank of Atlanta's suburban sprawl, Lorna Francis, a hairdresser and a single mother, has found a handsome brick house to rent on a well-groomed cul-de-sac.

Vatican Paedophilia Scandal: Archbishop Jozef Wesolowski Stored Over 100,000 Child Porn Videos  —  A former Vatican archbishop accused of paedophilia stored tens of thousands of child porn videos and photos on a computer in his office at the Holy See diplomatic compound in the Dominican Republic, it has emerged.

Ferguson police officer shot in arm after chasing suspect  —  (KMOV.com) - Authorities responded to a call for an officer shot in north St. Louis County late Saturday night.  —  St. Louis County Police reported a male police officer from Ferguson was doing routine patrol around 9:10 p.m …