‘I am Batman,’ Trump tells boy on helicopter ride  —  Des Moines, Iowa (CNN)A helicopter landed here just after noon on Saturday, causing a short but violent windstorm.  Large trees shivered; small ones bent nearly sideways.  Dust swirled up from the parking lot, stinging the eyes of the onlookers.

Boxing out Biden  —  At fundraiser, Clinton and Obama supporters revel in unity and hope the vice president will take a pass.  —  Getty  —  EDGARTOWN, Mass. - As Joe Biden considers a possible run for president, the donors he'd need to be viable appear to be ruling him out.

Lord Mandelson's failed ‘mass resignation’ bid to attempt to stop Jeremy Corbyn winning Labour leadership  —  It also emerged that Liz Kendall urged Yvette Cooper to stand down because Andy Burnham is the only candidate who can win - but Miss Cooper refused.

With High-Profile Help, Obama Plots Life After Presidency  —  WASHINGTON — The dinner in the private upstairs dining room of the White House went so late that Reid Hoffman, the LinkedIn billionaire, finally suggested around midnight that President Obama might like to go to bed.

Chris Christie's presidential run: Time to call it a day, Guv |  Mulshine  —  President Obama and Chris Christie after Hurricane Sandy in 2012 - and right before Obama's re-election: Rand Paul reminded voters of this moment during the first debate.  It's as close to president as Christie will ever get.

An Amazonian's response to “Inside Amazon: Wrestling Big Ideas in a Bruising Workplace”  —  Disclaimer and proviso: “The postings on this site are my own and don't represent Amazon's position in any way whatsoever”.  —  Update: I really appreciate the notes of thanks this post has received, here and on other social media avenues.

How Trump Is Winning Over Conservatives Without the Bona Fides  —  No one plays the music of conservatism better than Trump, which allows him to make crowds go wild without mentioning issues like taxes, the deficit, profligate spending, or abortion.  —  “Keep dropping the truth bomb!” …

Hillary Clinton Seeks to Connect With Iowans, but Celebrity Gets in Way  —  DES MOINES — On a sunny Saturday afternoon at the Iowa State Fair, Tom Harkin, a former senator and a popular political figure here, reaffirmed his support for his “great friend for almost 25 years,” Hillary Rodham Clinton …

Obama Administration Warns Beijing About Covert Agents Operating in U.S.  —  WASHINGTON — The Obama administration has delivered a warning to Beijing about the presence of Chinese government agents operating secretly in the United States to pressure prominent expatriates …

Price for TSA's failed body scanners: $160 million  —  How bad are the machines at catching threats?  So bad that Sen. Ron Johnson suggests adding metal detectors.  —  Getty  —  It's now becoming clear exactly how many tens of millions of dollars the TSA spent on body scanners …

Man stabs ex-girlfriend to death on sidewalk  —  Police at the scene of the stabbing.  —  A man stabbed his ex-girlfriend to death on a Manhattan sidewalk early Sunday, police said.  —  Edena Hines, 33, was stabbed several times in front of W. 162nd St. near St. Nicholas Avenue in Washington Heights just before 3 a.m., cops said.