Irving 9th-grader arrested after taking homemade clock to school: ‘So you tried to make a bomb?’  —  IRVING — Ahmed Mohamed — who makes his own radios and repairs his own go-kart — hoped to impress his teachers when he brought a homemade clock to MacArthur High on Monday.

The Note: Debate Expectations, Reagan Library Edition  — Shares-  —  Play

House conservatives warm to McCarthy as Speaker  —  With Speaker John Boehner's (R-Ohio) job in doubt, House conservatives have been holding internal talks about a new leadership coalition that could include Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as Speaker and more conservative members occupying lower rungs on the leadership ladder.

Former Romney Adviser Stuart Stevens on Loss, the GOP's Race Problem, and Why Trump Won't Win  —  “For Donald Trump to win, everything we know about politics has to be wrong.  And I don’t think it is.”  —  Shares  —  Stuart Stevens is the type of Renaissance man seemingly conjured …

Steve Rannazzisi, Comedian Who Told of 9/11 Escape, Admits He Lied  —  When the comedian Steve Rannazzisi has explained his success, which includes seven seasons starring on a popular TV show, “The League,” and a one-hour special this Saturday on Comedy Central, he has frequently attributed …

Conservatives need to say what we are thinking: Donald Trump is a madman who must be stopped.  Failure to speak out against Trump is an endorsement of Clinton.  —  We do need to Make America Great Again.  We do need to burn down Washington.  We do need to eradicate political correctness.

Watchdog says DHS networks vulnerable to hackers  —  The government agency responsible for defending federal networks from hackers needs to better secure its own internal systems, a government watchdog report released Tuesday concluded.  —  The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) …

The Truth about Mass Incarceration  —  From the September 21, 2015, issue of NR  —  America has the highest incarceration rate in the world, outstripping even Russia, Cuba, Rwanda, Belarus, and Kazakhstan.  Though America is home to only about one-twentieth of the world's population …

Analysts Detail Claims That Reports on ISIS Were Distorted  —  WASHINGTON — A group of intelligence analysts have provided investigators with documents they say show that senior military officers manipulated the conclusions of reports on the war against the Islamic State …

Cable TV News Binges on Trump Coverage  —  CNN, more than rivals, focuses on the candidate; all get a ratings boost  —  Cable news can't get enough of Donald Trump.  —  Since announcing his run for president in June, the real-estate developer and reality-TV star has dominated coverage of the 2016 race …

POLITICO Playbook, presented by Qualcomm - GAME DAY!  We're all watching Jeb v. Trump - RAND to pummel Trump as ‘a fake conservative’ - Will Carly rise?  - Can Walker, Christie break through?  - ROB O'DONNELL to White House - AN APP TO TRY: Sidewire  —  Good Wednesday morning.