Donald Trump's shocking disloyalty  —  Trump promised to hire “the best people.”  He has built a White House that will only attract the worst.  —  There are few traits Donald Trump claims to value the way he values loyalty.  In a remarkable passage in The Art of the Deal …

Sen. Jeff Flake says Republican Party has “lost its way”  —  Sen. Jeff Flake says the Republican Party has “lost its way,” and is urging members to turn back to what he calls “traditional conservatism” — after a particularly contentious week in Washington.  —  “We've given in to nativism and protectionism.

NJ gov gets in Cubs fan's face: 'You're a big shot'  —  Brad Joseph says the governor made contact with him with his knee and asked if he wanted to ‘do something’ and ‘start something’  —  HIDE TRANSCRIPT SHOW TRANSCRIPT  —  MILWAUKEE —  New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie paused …

Dem campaign chief vows no litmus test on abortion  —  Democrats will not withhold financial support for candidates who oppose abortion rights, the chairman of the party's campaign arm in the House said in an interview with The Hill.  —  Rep. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) …

RNC Tells Staff To Preserve All Documents Related To 2016 Campaign  —  Republican National Committee employees have been asked to preserve all documents related to last year's presidential campaign — a step RNC lawyers describe as precautionary, but necessary, as investigations continue into Russia's meddling in the election.

Putin's Bet on a Trump Presidency Backfires Spectacularly  —  A little more than a year after the Russian effort to interfere in the American presidential election came to light, the diplomatic fallout — an unraveling of the relationship between Moscow and Washington on a scale not seen in decades — is taking its toll.

Ryan Zinke, Trump's Cowboy Enforcer, Is Ready for His Closeup  —  He raised eyebrows for his threats against Senator Lisa Murkowski after she voted to block the Republican health care bill; he raised ire for slashing Obama-era environmental protections.  And all the while, Ryan Zinke …

McConnell wages war down South  —  Mitch McConnell is unleashing the full force of his political machine in an all-out push to stop two far-right conservatives who threaten to make his life miserable in the Senate.  —  The Republican leader is aiming to thwart Rep. Mo Brooks …

in Politics  —  The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Monday shows that 39% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Trump's job performance.  Sixty-one percent (61%) disapprove.  —  The latest figures for Trump include 26% who Strongly Approve of the way Trump is performing and 49% who Strongly Disapprove.

Drudge shares ‘Trump in a Slump’ headline  —  Conservative media figure Matt Drudge on Monday seemed to take a shot at President Trump, sharing an old newspaper front page featuring the president with the headline “Trump in a Slump.”  —  “Life is a circle,” The Drudge Report founder captioned the image.

The Military Coup Against Donald Trump of 2018, Part 1  —  “We cannot tolerate this any longer,” said the former CIA Director at the head of the table.  “We have to forcibly retake the government from Donald Trump.  It is the only way save our democracy.”  —  His audience nodded solemnly.

Six Hours of Chaos: A Wild Day Inside India's Overrun Courtrooms  —  With 30 million pending cases, the country's dysfunctional legal system is hobbling its emergence as a global economic power  —  ALLAHABAD, India—At India's largest courthouse one recent Thursday, the wheels of justice began their slow grind at 10 a.m.

How the Trump Administration Broke the State Department  —  Morale has hit rock bottom at Foggy Bottom, as American foreign service officers languish and Rex Tillerson builds a mini-empire. … THE OFFICE FURNITURE STARTED APPEARING WEEKS AGO.  —  Employees at the State Department …

Sam Shepard, Pulitzer-Winning Playwright and Actor, Is Dead at 73  —  Sam Shepard, the celebrated avant-garde playwright and Oscar-nominated actor, died on Thursday at his home in Kentucky.  He was 73.  —  A spokesman for the Shepard family said the cause was complications of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease.

Dem redistricting group clocks $10.8 million in first 6 months  —  The National Democratic Redistricting Committee, the group backed by former President Barack Obama and chaired by former Attorney General Eric Holder to make Democrats competitive in redistricting fights …

Who Ate Republicans' Brains?  —  When the tweeter-in-chief castigated Senate Republicans as “total quitters” for failing to repeal the Affordable Care Act, he couldn't have been more wrong.  In fact, they showed zombie-like relentlessness in their determination to take health care away …