Mueller Expands Probe to Trump Business Transactions  —  Special counsel examines dealings of Kushner, Manafort, Trump  —  Trump has warned Mueller against going beyond Russia in probe  —  The U.S. special counsel investigating possible ties between the Donald Trump campaign and Russia …

Here's the Chain Reaction Trump Could Set Off by Trying to Fire Mueller  —  Warning on Russia investigation renews speculation of firing  —  Dismissing Mueller ‘not politically survivable,’ Democrat says  —  President Donald Trump's interview with the New York Times on Wednesday …

Inspiring Little Fear in Senators, Trump Struggles to Sell Health Bill  —  WASHINGTON — President Trump thought he could sell balky Republican senators like Ron Johnson of Wisconsin on the Senate health care bill through pleasantries, cajoling and, ultimately, some Oval Office muscle.

Linkin Park Singer Chester Bennington Dead, Commits Suicide by Hanging (UPDATE)  —  12:32 PM PT — Law enforcement sources tell TMZ Bennington was home alone at the time of the suicide.  We're told his family was out of town and he was found upstairs by an employee.

Team Trump Used Obamacare Money to Run PR Effort Against It … The Trump administration has spent taxpayer money meant to encourage enrollment in the Affordable Care Act on a public relations campaign aimed at methodically strangling it.  —  The effort, which involves a multi-pronged social media push …

H.R. 1628, the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017: An Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute  —  CBO and JCT estimate that enacting this legislation would reduce federal deficits by $420 billion over the coming decade and increase the number of people who are uninsured by 22 million in 2026 relative to the number under current law.

During ‘Made in America Week,’ President Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club applies to hire 70 foreign workers  —  President Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida has asked permission to hire 70 foreign workers this fall, attesting — in the middle of the White House's “Made in America Week” …

Interior Dept. ordered Glacier park chief, other climate expert pulled from Zuckerberg tour  —  Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg flew to Glacier National Park on Saturday to tour the melting ice fields that have become the poster child for climate change's effects on Montana's northern Rockies.

Two members of missing Burundi robotics team spotted crossing into Canada, police say  —  Two members of an African robotics team who were reported missing from an international robotics competition in Washington, D.C. were spotted crossing into Canada on Thursday morning, authorities said.

White County Inmates Given Reduced Jail Time If They Get A Vasectomy  —  Inmates in White County, Tennessee have been given credit for their jail time if they voluntarily agree to have a vasectomy or birth control implant, a popular new program that is being called “unconstitutional” by the ACLU.

Column Bill Nye on the terrifying ascendancy of American ‘dingbatitude’  —  From the Emmy-winning “science guy on” the PBS children's television program to the lab-coat crusader who “saves the world” on Netflix, Bill Nye is a longtime science-is-entertaining educator, a onetime mechanical engineer and a perpetual science lover.

An apologetic O.J. Simpson is granted parole, to be released in October  —  After nearly nine years in prison, O.J. Simpson was granted his freedom Thursday by four members of the Nevada Board of Parole Commissioners and will leave prison on or after Oct. 1.

NYC law that makes dog-sitting illegal without kennel license triggers rage from pet lovers  —  Pet lovers are barking mad over a little-known city rule that makes dog-sitting illegal in New York.  —  Health Department rules ban anyone from taking money to care for an animal outside a licensed kennel …

The Democratic Party's Billion-Dollar Mistake  —  The Democratic Party is at risk of repeating the billion-dollar blunder that helped create its devastating losses of 2016.  With its obsessive focus on wooing voters who supported Donald Trump, it is neglecting the cornerstone of its coalition …

Kamala Harris and Rand Paul: To Shrink Jails, Let's Reform Bail  —  Kalief Browder, a 16-year-old New Yorker, was arrested on charges of stealing a backpack in 2010.  To ensure he would show up for trial, and because of a previous offense, the judge set bail at $3,000.  But his family could not afford to pay.

IQ costs Oregon parents their kids, but is that fair?  (Column)  —  Gallery: Redmond couple fights for custody of their children  —  The nursery in Amy Fabbrini and Eric Ziegler's home is filled with unread children's books and unworn baby clothes.  A Winnie the Pooh blanket lies untouched inside …

Since Trump's Election, Increased Attention to Politics - Especially Among Women  —  Most find it stressful to talk politics with those who differ on Trump  —  Following an election that had one of the largest gender gaps in history, women are more likely than men to say they are paying increased attention to politics.

Massive blow to criminal Dark Web activities after globally coordinated operation  —  Takedown of AlphaBay and Hansa will lead to hundreds of new investigations in Europe  —  Months of preparation and coordination have resulted today, 20 July 2017, in the takedown of two of the largest criminal Dark Web markets, AlphaBay and Hansa.

GOP signals infrastructure bill must wait  —  The timing and fate of President Trump's infrastructure plan may depend on whether the GOP enacts major tax reform — a task that could prove challenging amid the struggle to pass a healthcare bill.  —  Republicans are signaling …

One in eight people who voted for Trump having second thoughts - Reuters/Ipsos poll  —  6 MIN READ  —  NEW YORK (Reuters) - About one in eight people who voted for President Donald Trump said they are not sure they would do so again after witnessing Trump's tumultuous first six months in office …

Donald Trump said 414 false things in his first six months.  Here's what we've learned  —  Big lies, needless lies, above all else unrelenting lies.  With some exceptions, this is not sophisticated deceit.  —  The totals in this story have been updated to reflect Trump's Wednesday interview with the New York Times.