8-year-old Westport boy on trial for exuberance  —  BRIDGEPORT — New York woman wants a jury to hold her 8-year-old nephew accountable for his youthful exuberance during his birthday party.  —  Jennifer Connell claims the boy, Sean Tarala of Westport, acted unreasonable when he leaped into her arms …

A ‘Cancer’ on the Clinton Candidacy  —  <p>Halfway through her long and humbling summer, Hillary Clinton ran into an old friend who wanted to know how she was bearing up under the pressure of near-daily revelations about the use of her private email server during her time in the State Department.

Sources: McConnell floats entitlement changes in high-stakes fiscal talks  —  Ben Carson struggles to explain debt limit stance  —  (CNN)Mitch McConnell privately wants the White House to pay this price to enact a major budget deal: Significant changes to Social Security and Medicare …

The Gorgeous Balance of Emilia Clarke, Sexiest Woman Alive 2015  —  Friendly and fierce.  Kid sister and killer.  Movie star and girl next door.  —  VINCENT PETERS + ESQUIRE  —  Years ago, when I was a grad student, I worked at an ice cream shop in Oxford called George & Davis'.

The Republicans' Incompetence Caucus  —  The House Republican caucus is close to ungovernable these days.  How did this situation come about?  —  This was not just the work of the Freedom Caucus or Ted Cruz or one month's activity.  The Republican Party's capacity for effective self …

Busted !  CNN Uses Jeb Bush Staffer Planted In Audience To Frame Donald Trump Narrative/Hit Job....  During an appearance at a Jon Huntsman “No Labels” event, a female audience member named Lauren Batchelder played the role of a female antagonist toward candidate Donald Trump.

Gut Test For Sanders  —  Most of the talk about tonight's first Democratic debate has revolved around Hillary Clinton and her need to be “likable” or “personable” or “authentic” or what have you, and the “also run” candidates like O'Malley and Webb who have an opportunity for massive publicity …

Planned Parenthood Stops Taking Reimbursements for Fetal Tissue  —  Affiliates will no longer accept any reimbursements for costs associated with procuring tissue from abortions  —  Planned Parenthood Federation of America said it is immediately stopping taking reimbursements …

Nudes Are Old News at Playboy  —  Last month, Cory Jones, a top editor at Playboy, went to see its founder Hugh Hefner at the Playboy Mansion.  —  In a wood-paneled dining room, with Picasso and de Kooning prints on the walls, Mr. Jones nervously presented a radical suggestion: the magazine …

Levin Staffer Arrested for Allegedly Beating Lover With Shovel  —  Baltimore City Police arrested an aide to Rep. Sander M. Levin, D-Mich., at around 2:30 a.m. on Oct. 8 for criminal domestic violence charges.  —  Tim Foster, a native of Henderson, Ky., brutally beat his male lover …

Gun owner speaks out after toddler shoots grandmother  —  ROCK HILL, S.C. — The woman who owned the gun that a local toddler got his hands on and was able to fire and hit his grandmother, is speaking out, calling the storage of the weapon inside her vehicle a mistake.

Donald Trump to Host ‘SNL’ November 7  —  Live from New York, it's Donald Trump!  —  The GOP presidential frontrunner and real estate magnate will host NBC's “Saturday Night Live” on November 7, the show announced Tuesday.  —  His appearance comes almost exactly a year before Election Day, which will fall on November 8, 2016.

AP Exclusive: Clinton server's software had hacking risk  —  1 photo  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The private email server running in Hillary Rodham Clinton's home basement when she was secretary of state was connected to the Internet in ways that made it more vulnerable to hackers …

CNN Debate Moderator Was Member of Clinton Global Initiative  —  CNN host Anderson Cooper, who is set to moderate tonight's Democratic debate, was listed as a “notable past member” the Clinton Global Initiative's website along with a number of other big name journalists:

Julianne Moore Launches Gun Safety Campaign: ‘This Is My Responsibility As a Parent’  —  Like many parents, Oscar-winner Julianne Moore was deeply affected by the horrific shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., in December 2012.  —  “I remember my daughter [Liv, 12] came to work with me that day.

Latest Unease on Right: Ryan Is Too Far Left  —  WASHINGTON — Far-right media figures, relatively small in number but potent in their influence, have embarked on a furious Internet expedition to cover Representative Paul D. Ryan in political silt.  —  In 2012 when Mitt Romney picked Mr. Ryan …

Rapper T.I.: 'World ain't ready' for female president  —  Rapper T.I. won't be picking a female White House hopeful for president, saying he “can't vote for the leader of the free world to be a woman,” though he later walked back the remarks.  —  In a recent interview with DJ Whoo Kid …

The Gonzo Vision of Quentin Tarantino  —  In the darkening light of the Hollywood Hills, Bret Easton Ellis bonds with the pulp filmmaker over their shared love of cinema and his crusade to continue telling stories that are both forward-thinking and timeless.

Rift in Obama administration over Putin  —  <p>Vladimir Putin's intervention in Syria is creating new rifts inside an exhausted and in some cases demoralized Obama national security team, where officials pushing for bolder action see the president as stubbornly unwilling to assume new risk …

Luke Gatti, UConn ‘Mac And Cheese’ Student, Offers Apology Via YouTube … The University of Connecticut student whose obscenity-laced tirade about wanting bacon jalapeno macaroni and cheese at the Student Union went viral a week ago has posted an apology on YouTube.