NRA Fires Back

Gun rights group to oppose Manchin, Toomey background check bill
Sen. Joe Manchin (D., W.V.) (AP)

The National Rifle Association will oppose the background check bill introduced by Sen. Joe Manchin (D., W.Va.) and Sen. Pat Toomey (R., Pa.) Wednesday, the pro-Second Amendment group told the Washington Free Beacon.

Manufactured Lack of Outrage

Mother Jones releases audio of McConnell staffers having a meeting
Mitch McConnell / AP

Mother Jones released leaked audio Tuesday from a campaign meeting of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) revealing political campaigns actively research and discuss ways to attack their opponents.

Paul McKinley vs. The Machine

GOP nominee in Jesse Jackson’s former district ‘a different kind of scallywag’
Paul McKinley / mckinleyforcongress.com

CHICAGO — Most Chicago politicians wait until after they’re elected to catch a felony charge, so in a sense, GOP congressional candidate Paul McKinley has a leg up on the competition.

Gerrymanders Gone Wild

Dem congressmen oversaw Florida gerrymander, emails reveal
AP

Florida Democrats coordinated with national party organizations and consultants in early 2012 to gerrymander congressional districts despite a state ban on such activities, emails obtained by the Washington Free Beacon show.

License to Illeism

Kentucky Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes is pretty great, says Alison Lundergan Grimes
Alison Lundergan Grimes / AP

With Ashley Judd’s announcement that she will not be running for the U.S. Senate, attention has turned to Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes.

Westeros Playbook

Parody: Mike Allyn's must-read briefing on what's driving the day in King's Landing
Credit: Facebook

WINTER IS COMING, maesters say: “A white raven arrived today from the Citadel in Oldtown, signaling the end of the longest summer in living memory. After meeting to consider the reports and measurements of maesters from around the realm, the Conclave concluded the summer of 10 years, two turns, and 16 days is over. Winter is coming.”

Mr. Tea Party

FEATURE: How a forklift operator became a Tea Party power broker
Dustin Stockton / dustinstockton.com

Like all great modern American sagas, Dustin Stockton’s started with a Google query.

E.P.Delay

EPA likely to miss deadline for anti-coal regulations, experts say
Emissions from a coal power plant / AP

Opposition is growing to the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed regulations on new power plants and the Obama administration is considering revising the rules, according to news reports.

Suing the Gun Grabbers

NRA mulls suing Colorado over gun bills as state think tank announces suit
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper signing gun control legislation (AP)

A conservative Colorado think tank announced it will sue the state over new gun-control legislation signed into law Wednesday, and several law enforcement organizations as well as the National Rifle Association may also join the lawsuit.

IMF to Filmmaker: No Criticism of Russia Allowed

Documentarian backs out of conference after hosts attempt to censor him
Phelim McAleer / AP

The director of a documentary on fracking has withdrawn from a conference hosted by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Oxford University after organizers refused to screen a clip from his film that was critical of Russia.