Democrats gather in Charlotte to kick off convention

By Christopher Rowland

Thousands of festive Democrats converged on North Carolina Monday and prepared to kick off a convention that will focus heavily on persuading middle-class voters that President Obama will look out for their interests if they entrust him with a second term. Often in sports, going second holds an advantage. Democrats hope the same holds true with this campaign season’s back-to-back conventions. Mitt Romney in Tampa, they contend, left ample openings to exploit.

In speech tonight, Patrick may make mark for 2016

By Michael Levenson

At the Democratic National Convention, many will be assessing Governor Patrick and other speakers as potential presidential candidates in 2016.

The Chicago Teachers Union and Chicago schools are in a contract standoff, and officials say more than 26,000 teachers and support staff are prepared to strike.

Negotiations with rebels are over, Syria says

By Bassem Mroue

The vote at the United Nations was a symbolic effort meant to push the deadlocked Security Council into action on stopping the conflict.

By Asif Shahzad

The girl, Rimsha Masih, has been held in jail for over two weeks. She will remain there until at least Friday after her bail hearing was postponed.

Italy hails Cardinal Martini, who wanted church to change

Some 150,000 people passed by Martini’s remains in Milan’s Cathedral to pay tribute to a man who stood out as a rare liberal voice among the church’s top men.

Opinion | Jennifer Graham

Obesity: America’s deepest shame

By Jennifer Graham

The fatter we get, the more we fear and loathe fat people. Go, Nathan, go.

Paul McMorrow

By Paul McMorrow

Men and women who should know better have fed the notion that this White House is un-American and illegitimate.

Sage Stossel

It’s been an unsettling summer. . .

By Sage Stossel

Sage Stossel is articles editor of The Atlantic Online and author of the children’s book “On the Loose in Boston.’’

Points for both sides in who-built-it debate

By Noah Bierman

For months, Scott Brown and Elizabeth Warren have argued over what builds a business, but the answer is more complex than partisans might acknowledge.

Sewing nonprofit teaches refugees self-sufficiency

By Peggy Hernandez

The Stitching Studio in Lowell is a two-year-old program that teaches professional sewing skills to legal refugees and immigrants.

Warm reception for Warren at Labor Day feast

By Bryan Marquard

From the moment Elizabeth Warren stepped into the Imperial Ballroom, she was the focus of the nearly 500 people at the annual Labor Day breakfast.

By Casey Ross

An $18 million renovation that paid low wages to men from a Philadelphia church was rife with violations of tax and labor laws, a state investigation found.

By Todd Wallack

Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co. is fighting several lawsuits accusing the insurer of shorting policyholders on dividends and preventing many of them from voting for directors.

Not much gold in region, but plenty of prospectors

By Todd Wallack

A growing number of amateur prospectors are flocking to the Northeast’s rivers and other remote spots across the country hoping to find gold.

Margery Battin, 85, trailblazer in politics

By Gloria Negri

In Lexington, where Mrs. Battin was the first woman to serve as town moderator, citizens and political colleagues alike marveled at her knowledge of parliamentary procedure.

Michael Clarke Duncan, 54; actor lauded for performance in ‘Green Mile’

By Steve Loeper

Mr. Duncan, the hulking, prolific character actor whose dozens of films included an Oscar-nominated performance as a death row inmate in ‘‘The Green Mile,’’ died Monday at 54.

By Dennis Hevesi

Mr. Herx, who over three decades wrote thousands of movie reviews for Roman Catholic publications, died on Aug. 15 at his home in Ramsey, N.J.

Deutsche Bank Championship

Rory McIlroy captures Deutsche Bank title

By Michael Whitmer

McIlroy validated his current standing in the golf world, shooting a final-round 67 and winning a star-studded Deutsche Bank Championship in comeback fashion.

Christopher L. Gasper

By Christopher L. Gasper

The South African, who is still searching for his first PGA Tour win on American soil, is 0 for 43 after finishing second Monday at the Deutsche Bank Championship.

Phil Mickelson takes fourth with a 5-under

By Amalie Benjamin

After a difficult last few months, Mickelson finally feels like his game is back - just in time for the final two tournaments of the FedEx Cup.

G Cover

This year, daytime talk shows trot out TV veterans in fresh roles

By Sarah Rodman

This year’s new crop of daytime talk shows feature stars like Katie Couric, Ricki Lake, Steve Harvey and Jeff Probst, all looking to shake up a stale medium.

For real celebrity talk, time to turn to podcasts

By Matthew Gilbert

If you want to hear something other than prefabricated nonsense from a celebrity, it’s time to tune in to the world of podcasts.

What do Steve Harvey, Jeff Probst, Ricki Lake, and Katie Couric have to say about their new TV talk shows? Why should viewers bother to tune in? We asked them. Here are their answers.