Strategy: President Obama told NBC’s Chuck Todd he will announce on Wednesday what he plans to do about the terrorist army Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Obama said, “What I’m going to be asking the American people to understand is, number one, this is a serious threat.” And he said, “Number two, we have the capacity to deal with it.”

In the interview recorded Saturday, the president said he plans to send no ground troops, but unnamed White House officials are saying a campaign against ISIS could take years.

NBC’s Todd also got the president to admit what everyone already knew, that political considerations caused the delay of executive action on immigration reform.

The interview ran in Todd’s debut as host of Meet the Press. NBC is touting how their new host landed an “exclusive” with the president. But what this amounts to is, “Please, we’re down in the ratings, launching a re-tooled show and would you please, please, help us by giving Chuck an interview?”

Kidney Pie and Haggis: Shaken by polls that show Scotland tilting toward a vote for independence, British politicians are promising Scotland greater autonomy if they vote “no” on Sept. 18^th. Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne, a close ally of Prime Minister David Cameron, said Scotland could have greater power over its own taxing and spending if it stays within the fold. Fears about the consequences of Scottish independence have driven down the value of the British pound and a vote for independence could also free David Cameron … from his job.

Center Court: Serena Williams beat Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark to win her 18^th Grand Slam title at the US Open. She’s tied now with Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova. Williams won it 6-3, 6-3, a score that doesn’t reflect how she had to work for it. The tournament field was littered with upsets and the 10^th seeded Wozniacki ended up as the highest ranked player Williams faced.

In a match in which neither man was expected to reach the final, Japan’s No. 11 Kei Nishikori today meets No. 14 Marin Cilic from Croatia.

The Ball Bounces: Not long after the LA Clippers were taken from Donald Sterling because of racist comments, Atlanta Hawks co-owner Bruce Levenson said he is selling his controlling interest in the basketball team because of an email he wrote two years ago that he now says was inflammatory and possibly racist.

In a message about low game attendance written to his co-owners, Levenson wrote that one reason was that the black fans were chasing away the white fans. Interestingly, Levenson reported the exchange to the NBA himself and decided to sell.

The Royals: Prince William and his wife Kate are expecting a second child, William’s office announced today. The child will be fourth in line to the throne of England. Kate is suffering a severe form of morning sickness, a condition that caused her to spend some time in the hospital during her first pregnancy.

All Around: Iran’s supreme leader has had prostate surgery. >A small meteorite left a crater near the airport in Managua, Nicaragua. > Japan’s economy shrunk 1.8 percent in the three months from April to June. The drop is blamed in part on a new consumer tax. > Apple computer is expected to introduce a smart watch and two new telephones tomorrow. The smart watch will be a test whether Apple can still boldly go where no man has gone before.

Small Screen: ABC News announced that it has hired Entertainment Tonight co-anchor Rob Marciano, 46, as “Senior Meteorologist.” The announcement says Marciano will join Ginger Zee on ABC’s “Extreme Weather Team.” They open their season this fall against The Record Droughts and The Midwest Blizzards of the National Weather League.

-30-