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 …

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.

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.

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 …

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.

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.

‘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 …

Getting an Edge in the Long Afghan Struggle  —  Trump's early approach holds promise if backed with a sustained, and sustainable, commitment.

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.

Spanish Fort High AP reading list pulled after concerns from residents  —  Posted online, this copy of Spanish Fort High teacher Gene Ponder's summer reading list includes a majority conservative and right-leaning authors, a point that concerned local residents and led to several complaints …

Bloomberg says America should ‘get behind’ Trump because ‘the public has spoken’  —  Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said America should “get behind” President Trump because “the public has spoken, whether you like the results or not,” during an appearance on ABC's “The View.”

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.

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.

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 …

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.

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.

Following Trump voter fraud allegations, claim that 5.7 million noncitizens voted is wrong  —  President Donald Trump's unfounded allegations that millions voted illegally in 2016 is back in the news, with his supporters pointing to a new analysis that claims millions of undocumented immigrants voted in 2008.

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. …

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.”