Intelligence community investigating covert Russian influence operations in the United States  —  U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies are probing what they see as a broad covert Russian operation in the United States to sow public distrust in the upcoming presidential election …

Mexicans gave Donald Trump the hostile welcome he deserved  —  After all his lies and poisonous rhetoric about us, he came to Mexico to try to be civil.  But it's too late for that, Donald  —  exico was the focus of the global lens last week thanks to an unexpected and dreadful event …

Duterte tells Obama not to question him about killings  —  MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte warned President Barack Obama on Monday not to question him about extrajudicial killings, or “son of a bitch I will swear at you” when they meet in Laos during a regional summit.

Diddy Urges ‘Hold’ on Black Vote: Hillary Needs to ‘Talk to the Black Community’  —  In an interview with Al Sharpton on Sunday, rap and fashion mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs urged the African-American community to “turn up the heat” on Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, because their issues …

Jim Sleeper Gets It Wrong in ‘The New York Times’  —  This morning, readers across the country woke up to a New York Times op-ed by Yale University lecturer Jim Sleeper that contains patently false charges about FIRE and me.  —  I've deliberately ignored Sleeper's multiple screeds over the past year.

What Follows From a Presidential Campaign of So Many Negative ‘Firsts’  —  Matthew J. Dowd is an independent; chief political analyst for ABC News; and founder of Paradox Capital, a social-impact venture fund.  He was chief strategist of President George W. Bush's 2004 campaign.  He is on Twitter: @MatthewJDowd.

Obama: Kaepernick's national anthem protest a ‘tough thing’ for service members  —  HANGZHOU, China — President Obama said San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is “exercising his constitutional right” to sit out the national anthem, but the president acknowledged that the silent protest is a …

Young Blacks Voice Skepticism on Hillary Clinton, Worrying Democrats  —  WASHINGTON — When a handful of liberal advocacy organizations convened a series of focus groups with young black voters last month, the assessments of Donald J. Trump were predictably unsparing.

This study shows American federalism is a total joke  —  Voting for state legislators is dominated by feelings about the president.  —  Republicans dominate America's state governments — even in some of the country's most liberal states.  —  Wisconsin, Florida, Ohio …

Are baby boomers turning out to be the worst generation?  —  I have seen the best minds of my generation, to steal a phrase from the late Allen Ginsberg, driven to heights of self-absorption, advocating policies that assure the failure of the next.  Nothing so suggests the failure of my generation …

Revolution against ‘rich parasites’ at utopian Burning Man Festival as ‘hooligans’ attack luxury camp  —  It is supposed to be a utopian vision of peace and love but this year's Burning Man Festival has been marred by “hooligans” carrying out a “revolution against rich parasites”.

Lucrative Book Deals Might Finance the Obamas' Post-White House Life  —  WASHINGTON — After he is out of the White House, President Obama has said that he wants to become a venture capitalist, own part of an N.B.A. franchise and avoid taking off his shoes during security screenings at commercial airports.

Is Rudy Giuliani Losing His Mind?  —  All summer long, Rudy Giuliani has acted as if he's in a contest with Donald Trump to prove who the most manic 70-something from the outer boroughs really is.  It started at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, where Giuliani raved and gesticulated …