Gary Cohn, Trump's Adviser, Said to Have Drafted Resignation Letter After Charlottesville  —  WASHINGTON — A prominent Jewish member of President Trump's administration said that the White House “can and must do better” in consistently condemning hate groups.

Outer bands of Hurricane Harvey swipe Texas as more residents flee  —  (CNN)The outer bands of Hurricane Harvey have begun swiping the Texas coast as 35 inches of rain and “catastrophic” storm-surge flooding is predicted following landfall late Friday or early Saturday, the National Hurricane Center said.

Kasich, Hickenlooper eye joint 2020 bid  —  Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) and Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) — “the Johns,” as insiders are calling them — have been making a flurry of joint appearances to talk about state-driven improvements to health care.

Mnuchin viewed eclipse from roof of Fort Knox  —  Louise Linton, wife of U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, drew accusations of elitism this week for an Instagram glamour shot of her stepping off a government jet — and for her mockery of an online critic as “adorably out of touch.”

Trump Divorces the GOP Congress  —  Republicans need to think of Trump as a political independent.  —  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, President Donald Trump and Speaker of the House Paul Ryan.  —  A biographer says Donald Trump once told him that he informed second wife Marla Maples …

Trump Fences Himself In With Border Wall Spending Threat  —  WASHINGTON — President Trump handed Democrats a gift this week with his vow to shut down the government if he doesn't soon get money for his border wall.  —  Democrats may be only too happy to let him follow through on his threat since …

At CIA, a watchful eye on Mike Pompeo, the president's ardent ally  —  As CIA director, Mike Pompeo has taken a special interest in an agency unit that is closely tied to the investigation into possible collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign, requiring the Counterintelligence Mission Center to report directly to him.

“There's Been a Slightly Hysterical Tone About Race”  —  Author Mark Lilla thinks Democrats' focus on identity politics is destroying the party.  —  On this week's episode of my podcast, I Have to Ask, I spoke with Mark Lilla, a professor of the humanities at Columbia University and the author …

Jim Brown Gives Us ‘The Real Deal’ On Colin Kaepernick, Flag, Activism  —  Jim Brown says he can appreciate Colin Kaepernick's desire to fight for a righteous cause, but the Pro Football Hall of Famer and iconic social activist disagrees with his method.  —  “I want to be in his corner …

Facebook has hired former NYT public editor Liz Spayd as a consultant in a ‘transparency’ effort  —  She has also worked at the Washington Post and Columbia Journalism Review as a top editor.  —  Facebook has recently hired former New York Times public editor Liz Spayd on a consulting basis …

The real reason Trump is not a Republican … John C. Danforth was a Republican U.S. senator from Missouri from 1976 to 1995.  —  Many have said that President Trump isn't a Republican.  They are correct, but for a reason more fundamental than those usually given.

San Anselmo's San Domenico School creates stir by removing Catholic statues  —  Removal of a number of statues and other smaller Catholic icons from the campus of San Domenico School in San Anselmo has raised concerns among some parents.  —  In an email to the school's board of directors …

GOP floats condemning Charlottesville violence  —  Republicans are floating a resolution to condemn the recent white supremacist protests in Virginia — a measure quickly hammered by Democrats who say the language echoes the equivocal response from President Trump.

Group asks Sen. Marco Rubio to stop tweeting Bible verses  —  WASHINGTON — Marco Rubio likes to tweet Bible verses.  —  Almost every day for the past three months, the Republican senator from Florida slips a pithy message from The Good Book into his Twitter feed for his nearly 3 million followers to digest.

My Weekend at the Falwells' South Beach Flophouse  —  “It's actually that one,” our Uber driver said, pointing with one hand and shifting into reverse with the other.  “Right here?”  I asked, thinking he must have gotten the address wrong.  All I saw was a liquor store.  —  “That's it,” he said, crawling to a stop.

Trump Hotel at Night: Lobbyists, Cabinet Members, $60 Steaks  —  WASHINGTON — It was nearing midnight at the Trump International Hotel, and the president's son was eating macaroni and cheese.  —  Enveloped in the smooth tones of jazzy hotel music, soft light from a million tiny chandelier crystals …

Sage Steele: People don't watch ‘SportsCenter’ to hear about Charlottesville  —  Sage Steele has made clear for weeks that her vision of the revamped morning “SportsCenter” she will co-host starting next week will be heavy on highlights; “people I talk to want more of that,” she said this spring.

Trump Saves Citgo, Repped by His Ex-Aides, From New Sanctions … The White House on Friday announced a new round of sanctions against Venezuela that explicitly exempt the U.S. arm of the country's state-owned oil company.  That company, Citgo, donated six-figure sums to Trump's inauguration …

Spies Like Us: A Conversation With John le Carré and Ben Macintyre  —  BRISTOL, England — Their subject is spying.  Their obsessions are secrecy and betrayal.  They are Englishmen of a certain background, old friends and admirers of each other's work.  One writes novels; the other, nonfiction.