I will dispense for now from discussion of the moral character of the president's Charlottesville statements.  Whether he intended to or not, what he communicated caused racists to rejoice, minorities to weep, and the vast heart of America to mourn.  His apologists strain to explain that he didn't mean what we heard.

James Murdoch, Rebuking Trump, Pledges $1 Million to Anti-Defamation League  —  BRIDGEWATER, N.J. — James Murdoch, the chief executive of 21st Century Fox and the son of a frequent ally of President Trump's, condemned the president's performance after the violence in Charlottesville, Va. …

Members of White House presidential arts commission resigning to protest Trump's comments  —  The remaining members of a presidential arts and humanities panel resigned on Friday in yet another sign of growing national protest of President Trump's recent comments on the violence in Charlottesville.

The Party of Trump  —  Column: America's new, combustible four-party system  —  On July 18, 2015, about a month into his long-shot campaign for president, Donald Trump famously attacked John McCain.  “He's not a war hero,” he said.  “He was a war hero because he was captured.

Mother of Charlottesville Victim Heather Heyer Says She's Received Death Threats  —  A day after burying her daughter, the mother of a woman killed during Saturday's white nationalist rally in Charlottesville scoffed at President Donald Trump's claim that violence on “both sides” led to her daughter's death.

ACLU Will No Longer Defend Hate Groups Protesting With Firearms  —  Executive director says violence and guns at Charlottesville rally spurred new stance  —  The American Civil Liberties Union, taking a tougher stance on armed protests, will no longer defend hate groups seeking to march with firearms …

White House review nears end: Officials expect Bannon firing  —  A decision is imminent from White House chief of staff John Kelly on whether Steve Bannon will keep his job, according to administration officials with knowledge of the situation:  — Bannon, who has run afoul of Trump in the past …

Taney statue removed from Md. state house grounds overnight  —  Workers dismantled a 145-year-old statue of Supreme Court Justice Roger B. Taney outside the Maryland State House shortly after midnight Friday, the latest ripple effect from last weekend's deadly violence at a rally of white supremacists in Charlottesville.

MSNBC Ranks as No. 1 Cable Network in Total Viewers for First Time Ever  —  MSNBC ranked as the number one network across all of cable in total viewers for the first time in its history, according to Nielsen data.  —  For Wednesday, Aug. 16, MSNBC averaged 1.52 million viewers for the total …

Private prison industry sees boon under Trump administration  —  STORY HIGHLIGHTS  —  Washington (CNN)The private prison industry — one of the most controversial pieces of the US carceral state — has essentially recovered a year after the Obama administration sent a chill down its spine.

The agonizing, 8-page memo on how to chauffeur a congressman  —  Empty his trash.  Always have hand sanitizer and gum at the ready.  And don't bother with “unnecessary conversation” — the congressman doesn't have time for your chitchat.  —  Demanding, high-maintenance bosses are notorious on Capitol Hill.

‘Antifa’ Grows as Left-Wing Faction Set to, Literally, Fight the Far Right  —  OAKLAND, Calif. — Last weekend, when a 27-year-old bike messenger showed up at the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Va., he came ready for battle.  He joined a human chain that stretched in front …

Police: Five suspects killed in Spanish resort hours after Barcelona attack  —  BARCELONA, Spain — Police fatally shot five people wearing fake explosive belts who staged a car attack at a seaside resort in Spain's Catalonia region on Friday, just hours after a van plowed into pedestrians on a busy Barcelona promenade.

Art of the Deal Writer Says Trump Will Resign Before Year's End: Reminds Me of ‘Last Days of Nixon’  —  Author Tony Schwartz spent 18 months with Donald Trump putting together The Art of the Deal — Trump's best-selling book.  And having spent so much time with the man who is now President …

Op-Ed Speech in America is fast, cheap and out of control  —  Alex Jones from infowars.com speaks during the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio on July 18, 2016.  (David Swanson / TNS)  —  The Internet and social media did not create white supremacist movements in the United States …

Armed Group Appears at Council to Oppose Statue's Removal  —  The ongoing controversy surrounding the proposed removal of the Confederate monument in Travis Park was at the center of Wednesday evening's citizens to be heard session in City Council Chambers.  —  As speakers addressed Council members …

As Trump mulls Afghanistan, a former general and fallen Marine's father at his side  —  STORY HIGHLIGHTS  —  Bridgewater, New Jersey (CNN)For months, President Donald Trump has held off a decision on the future of the US military campaign in Afghanistan, rejecting the proposals …

Corker: Trump hasn't demonstrated the stability or competence to be successful  —  STORY HIGHLIGHTS  —  (CNN)Sen. Bob Corker slammed President Donald Trump's handling of the racially motivated protests in Charlottesville, Virginia, charging that the President “has not demonstrated he understands the character of this nation.”

The Republicans who want to legalize running over protesters  —  (Salwan Georges/The Washington Post)  —  Last weekend in Charlottesville, a driver mowed down peaceful protesters and killed 32-year-old Heather Heyer.  The act was reminiscent of recent terrorist attacks across Europe committed …

Dem group puts Trump's words over video of Charlottesville violence  —  A Democratic group is hitting President Trump over his claim that “both sides” were responsible for the violence at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va., over the weekend.  —  A new video from Bridge Project …

McCaskill, Clay and others call for Mo. senator to resign after post hoping for Trump's assassination  —  With five written words Thursday morning, one of Missouri's most controversial state lawmakers spawned a U.S. Secret Service investigation, potentially endangered her own political career …

Fighting Nazis doesn't make ‘antifa’ the good guys  —  MORE FROM: … Fighting Nazis is a good thing, but fighting Nazis doesn't necessarily make you or your cause good.  By my lights this is simply an obvious fact.  —  The greatest Nazi-killer of the 20th century was Josef Stalin.