As Trump ranted and rambled in Phoenix, his crowd slowly thinned  —  PHOENIX — Just before President Trump strolled onto the rally stage on Tuesday evening, four speakers took turns carefully denouncing hate, calling for unity and ever so subtly assuring the audience that the president is not racist.

MSESPN Pulls Asian Announcer Named Robert Lee Off UVa Game To Avoid Offending Idiots  —  UPDATE: ESPN ISSUES OFFICIAL STATEMENT ON MOVING ROBERT LEE FROM VIRGINIA GAME:  —  “We collectively made the decision with Robert to switch games as the tragic events in Charlottesville were unfolding …

Trump and McConnell Locked in a Cold War, Threatening the G.O.P. Agenda  —  The relationship between President Trump and Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, has disintegrated to the point that they have not spoken to each other in weeks, and Mr. McConnell has privately expressed uncertainty …

Arizona GOP uses Margaret Cho sitcom pic to represent Asian Americans  —  Margaret Kim is an Asian American.  She's definitely not a Republican.  She's also not... real.  But that hasn't stopped the Arizona Republican party from using Kim, the 1994 sitcom alter ego of living …

Emails: Breitbart editor pledges to do ‘dirty work’ for Bannon, smears Ivanka  —  A self-described “email prankster” seemingly fooled top editors at Breitbart over the weekend into believing he was Steve Bannon, the fired White House chief strategist who returned to the right-wing website as executive chairman on Friday.

Trump's Approval Rating Dips Below 40% for First Time After Charlottesville  —  Americans are taking a dimmer-than-ever view of President Donald Trump's job performance following his response to the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va., earlier this month, when a woman was killed …

Exclusive: Hillary Clinton in her own words  —  Hillary Clinton reflects on the 2016 campaign in her new book ‘What Happened.’ Morning Joe has an exclusive first look. ...  more Duration: {{video.duration.momentjs}}

U.S. Navy to Relieve Admiral of Command After Collisions  —  Navy tradition of public accountability calls for commanders to be dismissed when superiors lose confidence in their leadership.  —  WASHINGTON—The U.S. Navy plans to remove the commander of the fleet that has suffered four recent collisions …

Missouri governor stays execution of convicted killer amid new DNA evidence  —  (CNN)A Missouri man convicted of murder will not be put to death on Tuesday night after Gov. Eric Greitens issued a stay of execution and ordered a review of his case amid new DNA evidence.

U.S. Has More Troops in Afghanistan Than Publicly Disclosed  —  Pentagon hasn't included 3,500 who slip in and out of theater in force tally  —  WASHINGTON—The Pentagon maintains more than 12,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, defense officials said, currently about 3,500 more than it publicly acknowledges …

12 Days That Stunned a Nation: How Hillary Clinton Lost  —  WASHINGTON — Less than two weeks before Election Day, Hillary Clinton held a clear lead in the polls and it looked like her campaign was trying to run up the score — just as the race was about to turn upside down.

Fake Polls Are A Real Problem  —  Is Kid Rock leading the U.S. Senate race in Michigan?  A story like that is essentially designed to go viral, and that's exactly what happened when Delphi Analytica released a poll fielded from July 14 to July 18.  Republican Kid Rock earned 30 percent to Sen. Debbie Stabenow's 26 percent.

James Clapper calls Trump speech ‘downright scary and disturbing’  —  (CNN)James Clapper, former director of National Intelligence, said Wednesday morning he questioned President Donald Trump's fitness for office.  —  “I really question his ability to be — his fitness to be — in this office …

Five Reasons Racist Sheriff Joe Arpaio Should Not Receive a Presidential Pardon  —  Last week, President Trump told Fox News that he is “seriously considering” a pardon for former Maricopa County, Arizona, sheriff Joe Arpaio, telling the network that the disgraced ex-law enforcement officer …

Trump prepared to go to mat for wall funding  —  President Donald Trump's vow Tuesday to close down the government if he doesn't get money for the border wall mirrors private comments he has made to advisers in recent days - and could cause significant rifts within his own party if he follows through.

Howard Dean: If You Vote Republican in 2018, You're A Racist  —  In yesterday's column from Al Hunt in Bloomberg, the veteran political commentator noted that what Democrats needed was not new policies, but a new message.  And former Democratic National Committee Chair Howard Dean has an idea …

With alumni in the White House, Goldman sees an opening  —  When Lloyd Blankfein, Goldman Sachs' chairman and chief executive, arrived at the Rayburn building on Capitol Hill in late 2010, he was battered and bruised.  At the time his bank was viewed as a vivid example of Wall Street misbehaviour.

PHOTO: ANDREW HARRER/BLOOMBERG NEWS  —  Much of the blame is aimed at Hunter Harrison, the 72-year-old railroad-industry veteran who became CSX's president and chief executive in March as part of a shake-up led by an activist investor.  He promised to run the company's 21,000-mile network …

Dallas court voids six-figure payment to Ken Paxton prosecutors  —  Updated at 10:45 a.m. to include confirmation the prosecutors will appeal.  —  AUSTIN — The prosecutors pursuing charges against Attorney General Ken Paxton haven't been paid in more than a year and a half — and they will continue to wait on a payday.

What if President Trump Orders Secretary of Defense Mattis to Do Something Deeply Unwise?  —  Secretary of Defense James Mattis takes the oath of office as President Donald Trump looks on.  (White House/Flickr)  —  Plausible hypotheticals sparked by recent events raise the question whether …

Night Sights, Lights and Lasers for Concealed-Carry Guns  —  Tritium self-luminous night sights (like the Trijicon HD XR shown), a grip-activated laser (Crimson Trace LG-660) and a handheld light (SureFire E2D Defender Ultra) are prudent accessories for a concealed-carry gun.