Republican Shadow Campaign for 2020 Takes Shape as Trump Doubts Grow  —  WASHINGTON — Senators Tom Cotton and Ben Sasse have already been to Iowa this year, Gov. John Kasich is eyeing a return visit to New Hampshire, and Mike Pence's schedule is so full of political events that Republicans joke …

Emanuel: City to sue Trump Justice Department over funding threat  —  Mayor Rahm Emanuel speaks during a naturalization ceremony at the Cultural Center in downtown Chicago on May 5, 2017.  Mayor Rahm Emanuel hosted the ceremony along with Mexico City Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera.  —  Privacy Policy

The Mooch's replacement could be Stephen Miller  —  Stephen Miller, the Trump senior policy adviser who just tangled on-camera with CNN's Jim Acosta, is under consideration for White House communications director, top Trump sources tell me.  —  The effort to find a Mooch successor is still …

Google Employee's Anti-Diversity Manifesto Goes ‘Internally Viral’  —  At least eight Google employees tweeted Friday about a document that was circulated within the company calling for replacing Google's diversity initiatives with policies that encourage “ideological diversity” instead.

AM Joy panel destroys ‘race-baiting’ lawyer Alan Dershowitz for attacking diversity of Trump grand jury  —  Former Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz was accused of being a “race-baiter” on MSNBC on Saturday morning over his comments that the grand jury looking into allegations …

Vladimir Putin gets away from it all in Siberia: in pictures  —  ‘It was a very brief, but very eventful trip,’ according to presidential spokesman.  —  Russian President Vladimir Putin enjoyed a few days of swimming, fishing, sunbathing and more while holidaying in southern Siberia last week.

FBI: ‘Destructive device’ caused explosion at Bloomington mosque … BLOOMINGTON, Minn. - The FBI says preliminary investigation indicates a “destructive device” is to blame for an explosion at an Islamic center Saturday.  —  Police say no one was injured in the blast at Dar Al-farooq Islamic Center at about 5:05 a.m.

The GOP has become the party of the grotesque  —  Southern Gothic is a literary genre and, occasionally, a political style that, like the genre, blends strangeness and irony.  Consider the current primary campaign to pick the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Jeff Sessions.

Far-right Bannon Affiliates Attack McMaster for Being ‘Controlled by Jews’ and ‘Hostile to Israel’  —  Campaign against McMaster intensified after he fired a number of mid-level officials from the National Security Council, who were considered loyal to Bannon and to the former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn

Trump's Fledgling Presidency Has Already Collapsed  —  President Trump's approval rating has dropped by about one percentage point per month and now sits in the mid-30s.  At the current rate, it would hit zero in September 2020.  (A highly unlikely possibility, though with Donald Trump, anything is possible.)

Trump's Trans Military Ban Now Policy  —  President Donald Trump may be on a 17- day vacation but his White House has been scrambling to hand him a “win” by the time he returns.  Trump's tweets last week announcing a ban on transgender individuals serving openly in the U.S. military was turned into a …

Pence on health care: 'It ain't over'  —  Pence: Health care 'ain't over by a long shot'  —  (CNN)Vice President Mike Pence vowed to continue to press for the repeal and replacement of Obamacare on Friday night, telling a group of conservative students in Washington that the effort “ain't over by a long shot.”

Next Slide  —  MUSKEGO - U.S. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan cast doubt Friday on a plan by President Donald Trump to cut legal immigration, saying the American economy needs workers to replace retiring baby boomers.  —  “I just think arbitrary cuts to legal immigration don't take into effect …

31st Marine Expeditionary Unit MV-22 Osprey mishap update 1  —  MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP BUTLER, Okinawa, Japan - Search and rescue operations continue for three U.S. Marines that were aboard an MV-22 Osprey involved in a mishap off of the east coast of Australia around 4:00 p.m. Aug. 5.

Communication Regarding Intent To Withdraw From Paris Agreement  —  Media Note  —  Office of the Spokesperson  —  Washington, DC  —  Today, the United States submitted a communication to the United Nations, in its capacity as depositary for the Paris Agreement, regarding the U.S. intent …

Memo to Mark Zuckerberg: So You Want to Be President ...  You've road tripped to meet with real Americans in a quest to visit all 50 states.  You've hired Barack Obama's pollster along with his first campaign manager to advise your philanthropic fund.  You've given a flat “no” …

Democrats fear Russia probe blowback  —  ALISO VIEJO, Calif. — Democrats are increasingly conflicted about how forcefully to press the issue of possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.  —  Fearful of alienating voters who appear more concerned about the economy and health care …