Mark Memmott

One of this week's most-talked-about stories is The Daily Beast's report that "the crucial intercept that prompted the U.S. government to close embassies in 22 countries was a conference call between al Qaeda's senior leaders and representatives of several of the group's affiliates throughout the region."

Reporters Eli ...

Good morning (and our apologies for being late with this).

Some of our early headlines:

-- Judge Says Nidal Hasan Can Represent Himself In Fort Hood Trial

-- Report: NSA Is Searching 'Vast Amounts' Of Americans' Emails

-- 'Total Disgrace': Jackie Robinson Statue Defaced ...

Responding to speculation that his newspaper would be next, New York Times Publisher and Chairman Arthur Sulzberger Jr. has issued a flat "the Times is not for sale" statement.

Sulzberger's declaration follows this week's announcement that the Graham family is selling The Washington Post to Amazon.com ...

Someone scrawled racial epithets, a swastika and the name "Hitler" on a statue dedicated to the man who broke Major League Baseball's color barrier and his teammate Pee Wee Reese.

There were 333,000 first-time claims for unemployment insurance last week, the Employment and Training Administration says. Claims were up 1.5 percent from the previous week's 328,000 — and basically remained at the lower end of the range where they've stayed for the better part of the last two ...

"The National Security Agency is searching the contents of vast amounts of Americans' e-mail and text communications into and out of the country, hunting for people who mention information about foreigners under surveillance, according to intelligence officials," The New York Times reported Thursday.

The Times report, which has ...

Let's start our day with a feel-good story:

The burglar (or burglars) who broke into the offices of the San Bernardino County (Calif.) Sexual Assault Services on July 31 and stole several computers and monitors apparently had a change of heart after finding out that the people at the agency ...

If you haven't gotten in touch recently with relatives in New Jersey and Minnesota, this might a good time to check on how they're doing.

Three winning tickets for the Powerball lottery's latest big jackpot — $448.4 million — were sold. One was purchased at a still-unknown location ...

When the keepers at the Netherlands' Emmen Zoo opened the night enclosure for 112 baboons on July 29, they expected the animals would be, as usual, eager to get inside.

After all, the baboons knew there was food for them in there.

Instead, biologist and zoo press officer ...

Add this to the list of damages done in recent years to important pieces of art:

"An American tourist in Italy has generated shock and outrage by snapping the finger off a 600-year-old statue at a museum in Florence." (NBC News)

Sky News says the "hapless" ...

We could, but we won't, ignore the annual fuss over Discovery Channel's Shark Week.

First, there's word that even some of the week's biggest fans are upset with what The Atlantic Wire says was Sunday night's "fake documentary" that kicked things off.

We missed the show, ...

President Obama has canceled a one-on-one September summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the White House says.

It's the most dramatic effect so far on U.S.-Russian relations in the wake of Russia's decision to grant "NSA leaker" Edward Snowden temporary asylum while he tries to get safe haven ...

(We updated this post at 11:30 a.m. ET with word that attorneys who are advising Maj. Nidal Hasan want to be excused from the case and at 12:15 p.m. ET with word that the trial had recessed for the day.)

After conceding that "the evidence will ...

Yemen is still the focus of concern as the U.S., its allies and countries across the Middle East and North Africa remain on alert for possible terrorist attacks.

But according to the BBC, Yemeni government spokesman Rajeh Badi says an al-Qaida plot there has been disrupted. The news ...

What does Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos bring to The Washington Post, which he just agreed to buy for $250 million?

Here's how the Post's executive editor, Martin Baron, answered that question Tuesday on Here & Now:

"He's an extraordinary business man, a great entrepreneur and innovator ...

After a nearly 9-week trial, jurors now have the case and are beginning to debate the fate of infamous Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger.

He's accused of 19 murders and racketeering. The trial featured gripping testimony from several of Bulger's accomplices over the years, who told harrowing tales ...

Set this post aside until after lunch if you have a sensitive stomach.

A " 'bus-sized lump' of food fat mixed with wet wipes" has been removed from a southwest London sewer, the BBC says.

The 15-ton behemoth was the largest "congealed lump of lard" ever found in ...

"Former President George W. Bush has successfully undergone a heart procedure after doctors discovered a blockage in an artery," The Associated Press writes.

According to the wire service, "Bush spokesman Freddy Ford says a stent was inserted during a procedure Tuesday at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas. The blockage ...

After Monday's surprising news that Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos is buying The Washington Post for $250 million — a deal that came just days after the Boston Globe was sold for $70 million to Boston Red Sox owner John Henry — a question naturally occurs:

Who's ...

Here's a better look and listen to what it was like Monday night in Chicago when New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez returned to the lineup on the same day he was hit with a 211-game suspension for allegedly using performance-enhancing substances (he can play ...