The Latest: GOP eyeing $1B disaster funds cut to help wall  —  https://www.apnews.com/83e6782d48e04993 a741b834771c078b  —  Link copied!  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump and Congress (all times local):  —  President Donald Trump is promising billions …

Fox News Poll: Voters' mood sours, 56 percent say Trump tearing country apart  —  Voter satisfaction with the direction of the nation is down by double digits, as a majority says President Donald Trump is tearing the country apart.  —  That's according to the latest Fox News Poll.

Russian lobbyist testifies to Mueller grand jury  —  Rinat Akhmetshin, the lobbyist and former Soviet army officer who met senior Trump campaign aides at a controversial meeting last year, has given evidence before a grand jury investigation, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Mueller teams up with New York attorney general in Manafort probe  —  Special counsel Robert Mueller's team is working with New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman on its investigation into Paul Manafort and his financial transactions, according to several people familiar with the matter.

‘No way to prevent it’: A Texas chemical plant could explode — and the town evacuates  —  CROSBY, Tex. — Officials evacuated this small town east of Houston Wednesday afternoon as they braced for the imminent explosion of a chemical plant that was ravaged by floodwaters from Hurricane Harvey.

Federal Judge Blocks Texas' Ban on ‘Sanctuary Cities’  —  HOUSTON — A federal judge in San Antonio on Wednesday blocked Texas from enforcing its ban on so-called sanctuary cities, questioning the constitutionality of a law that has pitted Republican state leaders against several Democratic-leaning cities.

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 …

Trump Lawyer ‘Vehemently’ Denies Russian Collusion  —  WASHINGTON — President Trump's longtime lawyer, Michael D. Cohen, has given Congress a point-by-point rebuttal of a dossier alleging that he has deep ties to Russian officials — an effort to clear his name as the Justice Department …

'I'm a g*ddamn human being': Crying white supremacist Cantwell stuck in jail — and really hates his nickname  —  Christopher “Crying Nazi” Cantwell gave his first post-arrest interview to The Daily Beast's Hawes Spencer and said that his new nickname really upsets him.

‘This is not what he signed up for’: Confidant says Trump's mood 'worst it's ever been'  —  Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has been publicly challenging the White House, but advisers say President Donald Trump can't afford to fire him.  —  A source close to the president said Trump …

I'm ready to fight for tax reform  —  Rand Paul is a US senator from Kentucky.  He serves on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.  The views expressed in this commentary are his own.  —  (CNN)As Congress returns next week …

OPINION |  Antifa is not a political movement; it's a delusional, violent outburst  —  The progressive left and their media comrades have been trying hard in recent weeks to construct a sympathetic narrative for “antifa.”  —  This is no easy task.  These self-proclaimed “anti-fascists” …

Here Are a Bunch of Trump Inner Circle Amazon Wish Lists  —  IN THE ONGOING drama that is the Trump presidency, secondary characters constantly float in and out as new storylines and Special Counsel inquiries come to light.  It's easy to lose track.  So to help, let's get to know some of Trump's satellites …

The Sordid Double Life of Washington's Most Powerful Ambassador  —  T  —  he women were brought into the Abu Dhabi apartment in abayas.  —  “Pick who you want,” the men were told, and she would be theirs until noon the next day.  —  Roman Paschal recalled about seven women to choose from.

The Search For Aaron Rodgers … Photographs by Randall Slavin  —  After the game, Aaron Rodgers got on the bus.  It was unusually cold in Arlington during the week leading up to Super Bowl XLV; a winter storm had barreled into Texas, blanketing Cowboys Stadium with so much snow that slabs of ice cascaded from the roof.

A fresh crisis may be emerging within Trump's administration  —  MORE FROM: … As horrible as it is, the Houston deluge eventually will fade from the headlines and the media's attention will return full-time to the rising waters around Donald Trump's presidency.

MSNBC loses connection to reporter as he goes off on oil industry for robbing locals of infrastructure funds  —  Al Jazeera reporter Shihab Rattansi told MSNBC host Ali Velshi on Wednesday that fossil fuel companies contribute to climate change which negatively impacts some of the very areas …

Paul Manafort's Overseas Political Work Had a Notable Patron: a Russian Oligarch  —  Efforts by the former Trump campaign chairman to advance interests in Ukraine, Georgia and Montenegro were often connected to Oleg Deripaska  —  Paul Manafort at the 2016 Republican National Convention …

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 …

Sen. Kamala Harris announces support for ‘Medicare-for-All’ bill  —  OAKLAND — U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris announced Wednesday that she intends to support a congressional effort to expand Medicare to all Americans.  —  “I intend to co-sponsor the Medicaid-for-All bill,” California's junior …

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 …

With Departure of Top Lawyer, State Department Exodus Continues  —  Another one bites the dust.  —  A senior State Department lawyer, Todd Buchwald, is stepping down in the coming weeks, joining scores of career civil and foreign service officers fleeing an administration that critics …