Legal challenge to Arpaio pardon begins  —  After President Trump's pardon of ex-sheriff Joe Arpaio, who had been convicted of criminal contempt for violating a court order designed to stop the violation of the constitutional rights of suspected illegal immigrants, conventional wisdom …

Even in visiting hurricane-ravaged Texas, Trump keeps the focus on himself  —  The Debrief: An occasional series offering a reporter's insights … As rescuers continued their exhausting and heartbreaking work in southeastern Texas on Tuesday afternoon, as the rain continued to fall …

Google Critic Ousted From Think Tank Funded by the Tech Giant  —  WASHINGTON — In the hours after European antitrust regulators levied a record $2.7 billion fine against Google in late June, an influential Washington think tank learned what can happen when a tech giant that shapes public policy debates …

NBC Insider: ‘Total Panic’ Over Megyn Kelly's Morning Show … Four weeks before the Sept. 25 debut of Megyn Kelly Today—the 9 a.m. replacement for the venerable morning show's third hour, Today's Take—some NBC insiders are expressing doubts, and even worries, about the network news division's plan …

How to Get Rich in Trump's Washington  —  His presidency has changed the rules of influence in the nation's capital — and spawned a new breed of lobbyist on K Street.  —  As for so many other people, election night did not pan out quite the way Robert Stryk expected.

Breitbart goes to war on vulnerable GOP senator who dared criticize Trump  —  Republican Sen. Jeff Flake has been a reliable vote for Trump's agenda, but his mild criticism has put him on the enemies list of pro-Trump media.  —  When Steve Bannon left his position as Donald Trump's chief strategist earlier …

Nation's largest oil refinery forced to shut down as Harvey floods Port Arthur  —  See dramatic rescues as Harvey flooding spreads  —  The largest oil refinery in the country is shutting down as Hurricane Harvey causes more catastrophic flooding.  —  Early Wednesday, Motiva said it started closing …

White House Won't Require Firms to Report Pay by Gender, Race  —  Obama-era proposal was aimed to address pay disparities  —  The White House on Tuesday said it will halt a planned Obama-era rule that would have required businesses to begin collecting data about how much they pay workers …

How Apple Plans to Change the Way You Use the Next iPhone  —  Premium device is said to come with new gesture controls to replace home button, taller screen with rounded corners.  —  Apple Inc. plans to transform the way people use its next high-end iPhone by eliminating the concept …

Peskov: Trump lawyer wrote to Kremlin, got no response  —  STORY HIGHLIGHTS  — Peskov said the email was sent to the public “Press Office of the Kremlin” address and denied knowing Cohen personally  —  Moscow (CNN)Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed Wednesday he got an email from Michael Cohen …

Yes, antifa is the moral equivalent of neo-Nazis  —  “Anti-fascist” members gather Sunday in Berkeley, Calif. (Amy Osborne/Agence France-Presse via Getty Images)  —  Last weekend in Berkeley, Calif., a group of neo-communist antifa — “anti-fascist” — thugs attacked peaceful protesters at a …

Mattis freezes transgender policy; allows troops to continue serving, pending study  —  WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Jim Mattis late Tuesday announced that transgender troops will be allowed to continue serving in the military pending the results of a study by experts.

Presidential Pardons Might Not End Russia Prosecutions  —  President Donald Trump's unusual pardon of former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio, issued before his federal case was even finished, has sparked a debate over whether the president could end Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe with a spate of pre-emptive pardons.

Melania's stiletto sideshow  —  As the first lady departed to see storm fallout in Texas, Twitter erupted with critiques of her shoe choice.  —  Melania Trump, the former model and reluctant first lady, often lets her fashion choices do the talking for her.

When a furniture showroom becomes a storm shelter  —  Richmond, Texas (CNN)David and Maria Parks sit for hours on a sofa, intently watching news footage of flooding in Houston.  This couch is the only place they have left to go for now.  —  The Parks and about 300 other evacuees are taking refuge …

The incredible shrinking president  —  As President Trump formally launches his tax-reform drive this afternoon with a no-details, “vision-casting” speech in Springfield, Missouri, the self-inflicted wounds of the past 222 days are adding up.  (Speech preview here, off embargo at 6 a.m.)

Trump's Missouri supporters weigh in on Trump: It's complicated  —  SPRINGFIELD, MO.  —  Like a lot of the strong Donald Trump supporters stocking up on MAGA T-shirts and hats ahead of the president's Wednesday visit here, the first thing Angela Fair — “as in county fair” — says about her president is a caveat: “He's still learning.

Georgia lawmaker: Talk of ditching Confederate statues could cause Democrat to ‘go missing’  —  A Georgia Republican lawmaker warned a Democratic former colleague who criticized his support for Civil War monuments on Facebook that she won't be “met with torches but something a lot more definitive” …

Contractors, Not Troops, Will Save Afghanistan  —  In 1941, shortly after Pearl Harbor pulled the United States into World War II, a group of volunteer American aviators led by Gen. Claire Chennault known as the Flying Tigers fought Japanese aggression in China.

Joel Osteen's Megachurch Says It Didn't Open Its Doors To Houston Evacuees Because The City Didn't Ask It To  —  Hundreds of evacuees and volunteers filled Lakewood Church within hours of its doors opening for relief efforts, leaving many still wondering what took so long in the first place.

Trump's shrinking West Wing  —  When President Donald Trump asked Hope Hicks to step into the role of communications director, his longtime aide hesitated before taking on a management position overseeing more than 40 staffers who work in White House media relations.

Feinstein surprises SF crowd by expressing hope for Trump  —  U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein shocks an audience in San Francisco saying Trump could be a good president.  Elizabeth Keatinge (@elizkeatinge) has more.  —  Sen. Dianne Feinstein may be San Francisco's favorite politician …