'When you put this guy in a cage and think you're controlling him, things like this happen'  —  The Debrief: An occasional series offering a reporter's insights  —  President Trump, left, speaks to reporters at his golf club in Bedminster, N.J., on Aug. 10, as Vice President Pence looks on.

CNN severs ties with Jeffrey Lord  —  CNN severed ties with Jeffrey Lord on Thursday, hours after he ignited controversy by tweeting the words “Sieg Heil!” at a prominent liberal activist.  —  “Nazi salutes are indefensible,” a CNN spokesperson said in a statement.  “Jeffrey Lord is no longer with the network.”

Manafort switching legal team as feds crank up heat on him  —  Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort is changing his attorneys as a federal investigation heats up into his financial transactions, according to people familiar with the matter.  —  Manafort's case will now be handled …

Here's the Memo That Blew Up the NSC  —  Fired White House staffer argued “deep state” attacked Trump administration because the president represents a threat to cultural Marxist memes, globalists, and bankers.  —  The memo at the heart of the latest blowup at the National Security Council paints …

Google CEO Sundar Pichai cancels all-hands meeting about gender controversy due to employee worries of online harassment  —  Doxxing of search company staffers had already started.  —  Google's CEO Sundar Pichai has cancelled its much anticipated meeting to talk about gender issues today.

Trump says he is ‘very thankful’ to Putin for expelling U.S. diplomats from Russia  —  BEDMINSTER, N.J. — President Trump said here Thursday that he is “very thankful” to Russian President Vladimir Putin for expelling hundreds of U.S. diplomats from Russia, because he said it helps him cut the U.S. government's payroll.

Congressional investigators want to question Trump's longtime secretary, Rhona Graff, in Russia probe  —  Congressional investigators want to question President Donald Trump's longtime personal secretary as part of their ongoing probe into a controversial meeting between Trump campaign officials …

The Uncomfortable Truth About Affirmative Action and Asian-Americans  —  The application process for schools, fellowships, and jobs always came with a ritual: a person who had a role in choosing me—an admissions officer, an interviewer—would mention in his congratulations that I was “different” from the other Asians.

Chelsea Manning Changed the Course of History.  Now She's Focusing on Herself  —  “It's not like I'm living in fear or anything,” Manning says.  “I'm so glad to be out and about and walking around.”  Here, Manning in a Norma Kamali swimsuit.  —  Photographed by Annie Leibovitz, Vogue, September 2017

First on CNN: The email Hillary Clinton's pastor sent her the day after the election  —  (CNN)This is the email Hillary Clinton's pastor, the Rev. Bill Shillady, sent her on the morning of November 9, 2016, the day after she lost the presidential election to Donald Trump.