Our politics are divided.  They have been for a long time.  And while I know that division makes it difficult to listen to Americans with whom we disagree, that's what we need to do today.  —  I recognize that repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act has become a core tenet of the Republican Party.

EXCLUSIVE - James Comey visits The New York Times as President Trump admits he did NOT record their conversations and questions what else ousted FBI director leaked to the press  — The former FBI director was spotted at The New York Times' Times Square office on Thursday He was accompanied …

Johnny Depp slams Donald Trump at Glastonbury and asks: ‘When was the last time an actor assassinated a president?’  —  In a year that he would like to forget, which included his acrimonious divorce to Amber Heard, Johnny Depp appeared at a Q&A at the new Cinemageddon stage at Glastonbury.

Republican Coal King Sues HBO Over John Oliver's Show … A Republican coal baron is suing John Oliver, HBO, Time Warner, and the writers for Oliver's show over the most recent episode of Last Week Tonight.  —  The suit, filed on June 21 in the circuit court of Marshall County, West Virginia …

McConnell's Calculation May Be That He Still Wins by Losing  —  WASHINGTON — When it comes to managing Republicans' best interests, Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader, rarely loses.  So it is possible that Mr. McConnell views the potential failure of a hastily written health care bill as an eventual boon.

All That Stands Between Democrats And A Massive Freakout Is This Man  —  The pressure is on Ralph Northam to score a win in his race for Virginia governor.  Barack Obama is going to come off the sidelines to help.  —  Having lost a series of tantalizingly close congressional elections …

White House-media relations at breaking point as Spicer searches for replacement  —  Five months into Donald Trump's presidency, White House-media relations are hanging by a thread.  —  The White House is facing daily criticism from the news media over its decision to reduce the frequency …

Trump Aides Respond to His Latest Conspiracy Tweets: ‘FML.’ … After a cascading series of controversies created in large part by Donald Trump's Twitter account, the president took to his preferred medium again on Thursday to float another conspiracy theory: the Oval Office itself could be under surveillance.

Trump Told Democrats He Wants To Do Something About Deported Veterans.  His Staff Was Less Open.  —  Sources say Democrats raised the issue of deported veterans in a private dinner last week.  The president expressed support for doing something but his staff quickly told him it was complicated.

Trump's Carrier jobs deal is just not living up to the hype  — Carrier, a division of UTC, will employ about 1,069 people for 10 years in exchange for $7 million in incentives.  But there are crucial details in the fine print.  — State and local governments spend at least $70 billion …

Canadian elite special forces sniper makes record-breaking kill shot in Iraq  —  OTTAWA BUREAU CHIEF — The Globe and Mail (includes correction)  —  A sniper with Canada's elite special forces in Iraq has shattered the world record for the longest confirmed kill shot in military history at a staggering distance of 3,540 metres.

A Message to Trump Voters on the Occasion of This Healthcare Bill  —  You pulled the lever.  This is what you were voting for.  —  Hello, suckers.  —  Yeah, you.  All of you.  All of you people who've been buying what the radicalized Republican party has been selling you since Reagan rode out of Trickledown Gulch back in 1980.

‘How else can a Kenyan creampuff get ahead?’ is just one of the disturbing tweets sent by this Trump Energy Department agency head  —  Before William C. Bradford was appointed by the Trump administration to run the Energy Department's Office of Indian Energy, he tweeted a slew of disparaging remarks …

Exploding cream dispenser kills French fitness blogger  —  A well-known lifestyle blogger in France has been killed by an exploding whipped cream dispenser.  —  Rebecca Burger's death was announced on Facebook in what her family called a “domestic accident”.

Pelosi Strikes Back: 'I Think I'm Worth the Trouble'  —  WASHINGTON — Pushing back on criticism from fellow party members after the Democratic loss in a Georgia special election this week, Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that she's “worth the trouble” as Democrats' leader in the House.

Former CIA officer accused of selling top secret information to China  —  A former CIA officer sold top secret and other classified documents to Chinese intelligence officials, according to charges filed Thursday in Alexandria federal court.  —  Kevin Patrick Mallory, 60, of Leesburg, Va. …

America's Complex Relationship With Guns  —  An in-depth look at the attitudes and experiences of U.S. adults  —  As a nation, the U.S. has a deep and enduring connection to guns.  Integrated into the fabric of American society since the country's earliest days, guns remain a point of pride for many Americans.

Elizabeth Warren on McConnell Bill: ‘These Cuts Are Blood Money... People Will Die’  —  Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) accused Senate Republicans of using “blood money” to give wealthy Americans tax cuts after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) released the draft of the Senate's healthcare bill on Thursday.

NBC's Megyn Kelly Problem (Column)  —  The network's vaunted new hire has whiffed her first opportunities to shine.  Did NBC make a $17.5m mistake?  —  It's still months before Megyn Kelly's new NBC daytime show is set to premiere, but it already feels like the former Fox News anchor has overstayed her welcome.

Alabama residents serve as Bill Cosby spokespeople  —  Birmingham native Andrew Wyatt was on hand with Cosby for the entire trial and acted as a spokesperson for the comedian's family.  Ebonee Benson is also from Birmingham.

Sanders lawyered up in federal probe of Burlington College  —  BURLINGTON — Jane Sanders has hired attorneys to represent her in a Justice Department probe of a land deal she orchestrated while president of the now-defunct Burlington College.  —  A former college employee who coordinated …

Boys at Exeter academy wear skirts in uniform protest  —  Some 30 boys have worn skirts to school in protest at being told they were not allowed to wear shorts.  —  The pupils from ISCA Academy in Exeter asked permission to modify their uniform because of the hot weather.

Census Finds A More Diverse America, As Whites Lag Growth  —  America's diversity remains on the rise, with all racial and ethnic minorities growing faster than whites from 2015 to 2016, the U.S. Census Bureau says in a new snapshot of the national population.  The agency also found the U.S. median age has risen to nearly 38.

WATCH - Pulitzer-Winning Novelist Michael Chabon Expresses ‘Hope’ that Trump Has ‘Massive Stroke’  —  TEL AVIV — Michael Chabon, the Pulitzer Prize winning American novelist, expressed his “hope” that President Donald Trump will have a “massive stroke” and be “carted out of the White House on a gurney.”

Half of Americans want Democrats to control Congress as Trump struggles, poll shows  — Americans now say by 50 percent to 42 percent they want Democrats to control Congress after the 2018 elections, according to a new NBC/WSJ poll.  —  As President Donald Trump continues to struggle …