Swing-state stunner: Trump has edge in key states  —  Did Donald Trump really just surge past Hillary Clinton in two of the election's most important battlegrounds?  —  New swing-state polls released Wednesday by Quinnipiac University show Trump leading Clinton in Florida and Pennsylvania …

Donald Trump Is Right About Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg  —  Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg needs to drop the political punditry and the name-calling.  —  Three times in the past week, Justice Ginsburg has publicly discussed her view of the presidential race, in the sharpest terms.

CNN's Corey Lewandowski Is Still Being Paid By Donald Trump  —  Former Donald Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski is still being paid by the presumptive GOP presidential nominee's campaign while simultaneously drawing a salary as a CNN contributor to discuss the candidate on-air, according to the network.

Luke Russert suddenly departs from NBC News  —  In a surprising announcement, NBC on Wednesday said that Luke Russert is leaving its news division.  —  Russert — the 30-year-old son of the late legendary “Meet the Press” moderator Tim Russert — is departing from political reporting …

Obama Mentions Himself 45 Times During Memorial Speech For Dallas Officers  —  President Obama referred to himself 45 times over the course of the speech he delivered Tuesday at the memorial service for the five police officers killed in Dallas last week.  —  Obama referred to himself twice …

For Whites Sensing Decline, Donald Trump Unleashes Words of Resistance  —  The chant erupts in a college auditorium in Washington, as admirers of a conservative internet personality shout down a black protester.  It echoes around the gym of a central Iowa high school, as white students taunt …

The Daily 202: Mike Pence will be in big trouble if Trump passes him over for vice president  —  THE BIG IDEA:  —  One of the bigger knocks on Mike Pence when he was in the House, whispered privately among some leading lights of the conservative movement, was that he comes across as inauthentic and a little phony.

GOP platform gets Trump-ified  —  is putting his stamp on the official policy platform of the Republican Party.  —  Republican Platform Committee members on Tuesday voted to include language calling for the construction of a wall on the U.S.-Mexico  —  border.

Bernie's Uninspiring Endorsement  —  Bernie Sanders went off for a month to contemplate life after the revolution, and this was the best he could come up with?  “Secretary Clinton has won the Democratic nominating process, and I congratulate her for that.”  —  So said Sanders at a rally …

Administration: ISIS war funding amounts to authorization  —  Congress's funding of the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) amounts to a ratification of the president's authority to pursue the war, the administration argues in a legal brief asking a federal court to dismiss a lawsuit that alleges the war is illegal.

The (G.O.P.) Party's Over  —  This column has argued for a while now that there is only one thing worse than one-party autocracy, and that is one-party democracy.  At least a one-party autocracy can order things to get done.  —  A one-party democracy — that is, a two-party system …

For The Record  —  Let me start by saying that addressing gossip is something I have never done.  I don't like to give energy to the business of lies, but I wanted to participate in a larger conversation that has already begun and needs to continue.  Since I'm not on social media, I decided to put my thoughts here in writing.

The Investigators: New details show eerily similar incident involving Sterling, police  —  The 9News Investigators obtained a police report that details a previous arrest of Alton Sterling that is eerily similar to the incident that ultimately led to his death.

CBS46 producer fired over racist rants about Black Lives Matter on Facebook  —  FTVLive earlier today posted three Facebook rants by an Emmy-winning CBS46 photographer/producer Charles Beau Menefee in which he insulted the Black Lives Matter movement, calling them “unevolved, uncivilized turds” …

An Open Letter on Identity Politics, to and from the Left  —  We, the undersigned, are in the uncomfortable position of reporting on a problem that we are told does not exist.  —  We ask you to consider a few incidents.  —  In 1968, the leftist Shulamith Firestone gives a speech at a conference.

Even at a funeral, dividing the nation is apparently good politics  —  We are never going to be able to meaningfully and effectively address racial issues in this country until we take away the politics and politicians who ultimately benefit from our chaos.  —  Some even instigate it …

9th Circuit: It's a federal crime to visit a website after being told not to visit it  —  The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit has handed down a very important decision on the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, Facebook v. Vachani, which I flagged just last week.

Durbin: Senate Dems will back opioid bill  —  (D-Ill.) on Tuesday said Democrats would support a deal combating the opioid epidemic and send the legislation to President Obama's desk ahead of Congress's seven-week recess.  —  Asked whether the caucus would support the House-passed measure …

Dallas cop shooter Micah Johnson purchased AK-47 in Target parking lot in 2014  —  Micah Johnson never balked at the $600 asking price for an AK-47 assault rifle.  The buy was arranged via Facebook, and consummated in the parking lot of a Target.  —  Seller Colton Crews forgot about the deal until …

Transgender woman arrested for voyeurism at Target  —  A transgender Idaho Falls woman was arrested Tuesday on one count of felony voyeurism for a report that she took pictures of another woman changing clothes in a dressing room at Target in Ammon.  —  Shauna Patricia Smith, 43 …