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 …

Rep. Rohrabacher says ‘rendezvous’ being set up with Trump to relay info from WikiLeaks' Assange on DNC hack  —  STORY HIGHLIGHTS  —  (CNN)Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher said Monday that a “rendezvous” is being set up between him and President Donald Trump to relay information he received …

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.

Special counsel subpoenas Manafort's former attorney and spokesman  —  STORY HIGHLIGHTS  —  Washington (CNN)Special Counsel Robert Mueller has issued subpoenas to a former lawyer for Paul Manafort and to Manafort's current spokesman, an aggressive tactic that suggests an effort to add pressure on the former Trump campaign chairman.

Trump Pal Bought IAmAF**got.Com and VaginaBoy.Com, Then the Sites Attacked Their Mutual Enemy … Documents disclosed this week show just how far former Trump Organization adviser and convicted felon Felix Sater will go to help his one-time business associate President Donald Trump.

Judge won't vacate former Sheriff Joe Arpaio's contempt conviction without oral arguments … U.S. District Court Judge Susan Bolton canceled former Sheriff Joe Arpaio's upcoming sentencing hearing for his criminal contempt-of-court conviction, telling attorneys not to file replies to motions …

Tillerson moves to close State cyber office  —  has outlined a reorganization plan that would involve closing the State Department office charged with promoting U.S. cybersecurity interests abroad, according to a letter obtained Tuesday.  —  In a letter to Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker

Body-slammed reporter wants to know why Rep. Gianforte still won't grant interview  —  Reporter recounts fight with GOP candidate  —  Ben Jacobs, the reporter who was assaulted by Montana congressional candidate Greg Gianforte, says Gianforte has reneged on what Jacobs believed was a commitment to grant him an interview.

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 …

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” …

Winter Park-based Tampa professor fired after Hurricane Harvey ‘karma’ tweet  —  Ken Storey tweeted Sunday that the destruction from Hurricane Harvey was “instant karma” for Texans who voted Republican last year.  —  Privacy Policy  —  A visiting assistant professor at the University …

FBI shuts down request for files on Hillary Clinton by citing lack of public interest  —  The FBI is declining to turn over files related to its investigation of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's emails by arguing a lack of public interest in the matter.

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 …

KKK Hoods & Russian Flags Appear In Trump Tower Gift Shop  —  Shoppers looking for MAGA hats at Trump Tower this week may have encountered a Ku Klux Klan hood or a photo of President Putin, and asked themselves whether what they were seeing was real merchandise.

Trump Jr. agrees to transcribed interview with Senate panel  —  Trump Jr., Manafort to testify before Senate  —  STORY HIGHLIGHTS  —  (CNN)President Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., has agreed to sit down for a transcribed interview with the Senate judiciary committee …

Pelosi Statement Condemning Antifa Violence in Berkeley  —  San Francisco — Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement denouncing the violent protests carried out this weekend in Berkeley, California:  —  “Our democracy has no room for inciting violence or endangering the public …

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 appointee: Comment calling Obama's mother a ‘w@!re’ result of ‘Internet crimes’ against me  —  STORY HIGHLIGHTS  —  (CNN)President Donald Trump's appointee to a Department of Energy post says inflammatory comments that appeared to have been made by him online were the result of …

‘Cortana, Open Alexa,’ Amazon Says.  And Microsoft Agrees.  —  In an unusual partnership, Amazon and Microsoft are working together to extend the abilities of their voice-controlled digital assistants.  —  SEATTLE — The crowded pack of voice-controlled digital assistants — Apple's Siri …

Best Buy says viral photo of $40 packs of water in Houston was ‘a big mistake’  — The company told CNBC that it does not sell water by the case and the signage promoting the offer was a mistake made by several employees.  —  Electronics retailer Best Buy said a viral photo of cases …

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.

Houston Police officer drowns in Harvey floodwaters  —  A Houston police officer drowned in his patrol car in Harvey floodwaters, according to three department officials.  —  The officer, an HPD veteran who has been with the department for more than 30 years, was in his patrol car driving …

Exclusive: Imran Awan Has Still-Active Secret House Account, And It's Tied To An Intelligence Staffer  —  A former IT aide suspected of stealing equipment and data from Congress still has an active, secret email account on the House computer system, even though he has been banned …

Trump's Coming Victory over Identity Politics  —  Amid the turbulence of the past few weeks, it has been President Trump who has kept his head while others have lost theirs.  —  Trump may be the one man in America who can detoxify racial relations—I mean actually do it …