Trump shakes up campaign, demotes top adviser  —  Donald Trump, following weeks of gnawing agitation over his advisers' attempts to temper his style, moved late Tuesday to overhaul his struggling campaign by rebuffing those efforts and elevating two longtime associates who have encouraged his combative populism.

Aetna CEO Threatened Obamacare Pullout If Feds Opposed Humana Merger  —  Give us our merger or we'll quit Obamacare, the insurer told Justice Department officials in a July letter.  —  Senior National Correspondent, The Huffington Post  —  The big health care news this week came from Aetna …

Saying Goodbye to John McLaughlin, TV's Original Tough Political Talker  —  A panelist remembers the political priest turned talk-show host who brought strong opinions to Sunday mornings.  —  If there were a Mount Olympus for talk-show hosts, John McLaughlin would be on it.

Giuliani: I want people to think Trump ‘has no organization’  —  Donald Trump's campaign shakeup means nothing more than an expansion, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani said Wednesday, praising the Republican nominee's organization and recent on-message speeches.  —  “More people.

Trump's Stock Drops With Investors in Bloomberg National Poll  —  Those with money in market have less confidence in Republican  —  Clinton gains ground on question of who is best for portfolio  —  U.S. voters with investments in stocks and mutual funds have lost considerable confidence …

Ex-Cruz spokesman: New Trump camp CEO ‘a little controversial’  —  Donald Trump's new campaign CEO Stephen Bannon is “a little controversial,” Ted Cruz's former campaign spokesman Rick Tyler said Wednesday.  —  “You probably hear from a lot of people who have worked with Bannon that he's not the easiest person to get along with.

NSA and the No Good, Very Bad Monday  —  Monday was a tough day for those in the business of computer espionage.  Russia, still using the alias Guccifer2.0, dumped even more DNC documents.  And on Twitter, Mikko Hypponen noted an announcement on Github that had gone overlooked for two days …

An Open Letter to Reince Priebus, Chairman, Republican National Committee  —  In every election cycle, the Republican National Committee (RNC) must make difficult decisions in the closing months about where to allocate its limited resources—money, time, staff, and ads—to ensure the best possible opportunities for the Party's success.

Buildings burn, residents flee as out-of-control brush fire burns 15,000 acres in Cajon Pass  —  Paloma Esquivel, James Queally and Sarah Parvini  —  A brush fire exploded out of control Tuesday in the Cajon Pass, scorching 15,000 acres as walls of flame forced more than 80,000 people …

(2nd LD) Ranking N. Korean diplomat defects to S. Korea: Seoul  —  A high-ranking North Korean diplomat stationed in Britain defected to South Korea, Seoul's unification ministry said Wednesday, in the latest in a series of high-profile defections by the North's elite.

Trump Casinos' Tax Debt Was $30 Million.  Then Christie Took Office.  —  By the time Chris Christie became governor of New Jersey, the state's auditors and lawyers had been battling for several years to collect long-overdue taxes owed by the casinos founded by his friend Donald J. Trump.

Univision is buying Gawker Media for $135 million  —  Sold!  —  Asa Mathat  —  Univision has won the auction for Gawker Media.  —  The TV network and digital publisher has agreed to pay $135 million for the bankrupt blog network, according to a person familiar with the deal.

Perry: Khizr Khan shouldn't have expected ‘free ride’  —  The father of a fallen Muslim-American soldier should not have expected a “free ride” after criticizing Donald Trump  —  at the Democratic National Convention, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry said Tuesday.

Latina Former Bush Treasurer Endorses Clinton, Blasts Trump  —  A top former Bush administration official has endorsed Hillary Clinton, warning that Donald Trump is a “perilous” threat to the country.  —  Rosario Marin, appointed as the first Mexican-born person to serve as United States Treasurer …

Trump accuses Clinton of ‘bigotry’ toward African-Americans  —  Donald Trump made a new and explicit plea for the support of black voters on Tuesday, saying the Democratic Party had “failed and betrayed” them and accusing Hillary Clinton of “bigotry” in the pursuit of minority voters.

Russian Military Forces StagingNear Ukraine  —  The Pentagon has identified eight staging areas in Russia where large numbers of military forces appear to be preparing for incursions into Ukraine, according to U.S. defense officials.  —  As many as 40,000 Russian troops, including tanks …

Trump: I don't trust U.S. intelligence information  —  Donald Trump offered up a blunt explanation for why he wants retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn at his side as he gets his first classified briefing at FBI headquarters on Wednesday — he doesn't trust intelligence information coming from those currently in charge.

Clinton Could Have Cut Her Tax Bill in Half Under Trump's Plan  —  Her proposals would have increased her tax by $224,000 or more  —  Trump's business-tax plan would mean savings for pass-throughs  —  Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton could have cut her 2015 federal tax bill roughly …