Houston is paying the price for public officials' ignorance  —  (Ralph Barrera/Austin American-Statesman via Associated Press)  —  PRESIDENT TRUMP assured the nation over the weekend that he is “closely monitoring” the disaster in Texas.  “We have an all out effort going, and going well!” he tweeted.

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 …

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 …

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.)

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.

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 …

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.

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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” …

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.

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 …

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.

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.

Trump's Reassuring Hurricane Response  —  The White House has shown a focus on Harvey that extends even to the president's Twitter feed.  —  President Trump visited Texas Tuesday to assess the damage from Hurricane Harvey and show concern for its victims.  So far, his administration …

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 …

Poll: Majority opposes government shutdown for border wall  —  A majority of voters opposes shutting down the government over funds for President Trump's border wall, according to a new survey.  —  A Politico/Morning Consult poll finds 61 percent of voters surveyed are against shutting …

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 …

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.

It's a Myth That Corporate Tax Cuts Mean More Jobs  —  “The arithmetic for us is simple,” AT&T's chief executive, Randall Stephenson, said on CNBC in May.  If Congress were to cut the 35 percent tax on corporate profits to 20 percent, he declared, “I know exactly what AT&T would do — we'd invest more” in the United States.