Kushners' China Deal Flop Was Part of Much Bigger Hunt for Cash  —  Jared Kushner, Donald Trump's son-in-law and top adviser, wakes up each morning to a growing problem that will not go away.  His family's real estate business, Kushner Cos., owes hundreds of millions of dollars on a 41-story office building on Fifth Avenue.

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.

BREAKING: Explosions reported at flooded Crosby chemical plant  —  The Harris County Emergency Operations Center reported two explosions and black smoke coming from the Arkema chemical plant in Crosby early Thursday, according to a statement from the company.

Officer to woman during traffic stop: ‘We only kill black people, right?’  —  COBB COUNTY, Ga. - Exclusive dash-cam video obtained by Channel 2 Action News caught an officer's interaction with a woman who said she was afraid to move her hands during a traffic stop.

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.

The Cheap Prosperity Gospel of Trump and Osteen  —  Before it began to rain in Houston last week, the spectacularly wealthy pastor Joel Osteen could have opened up his megachurch to serve as a logistics center.  He could have announced that evacuees were welcome to take shelter there when Hurricane Harvey landed.

French magazine Charlie Hebdo mocks Harvey victims as neo-Nazis  —  On its newest cover, controversial French magazine Charlie Hebdo appears to mock Texans, depicting them as neo-Nazis caught in the deluge of tropical storm Harvey.  —  The magazine's cover reads “God Exists!  He Drowned All the Neo-Nazis of Texas.”

The Militarization of the Hamptons  —  Why is a heavily armed counterterrorism force patrolling the parties of the rich and famous?  —  A few weeks ago, the Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival held one of its occasional outdoor concerts at a nearby Long Island winery.

'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.

Ted Cruz spends week lashing out at people who catch him lying about hurricane relief  —  Ted Cruz lashed out at fact-checkers this week after getting caught making factually incorrect statements about the 2012 Hurricane Sandy relief bill that he opposed.  —  Republican Sen. Ted Cruz …

Cernovich Sources: White House ‘Coup’ Underway, Trump ‘Under House Arrest’  —  Breitbart News Editor-in-Chief Alex Marlow spoke to journalist Mike Cernovich on Breitbart News Daily this morning discussing the Trump presidency, Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump's influence, and the possibility …

Blueprint for Stronger Health Insurance Markets  —  Dear Mr. Speaker, Leader McConnell, Leader Pelosi and Leader Schumer:  —  As Congress considers reforms to strengthen our nation's health insurance system, we ask you to take immediate steps to make coverage more stable and affordable.

Poll: Most Oppose Trump's Pardon for Ex-Sheriff Arpaio, Booting ‘Dreamers’  —  More than half of Americans disapprove of President Donald Trump's decision to pardon former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio, while nearly two-thirds said they support a program allowing “Dreamers” to stay in the U.S. …

Harry Reid Sought White House Help for Menendez Donor, DOJ Says  —  Obama staffer wouldn't intervene after Reid's phone call: U.S.  —  Senator and Florida doctor face corruption trial next week  —  Follow @bpolitics for all the latest news, and sign up for our daily Balance of Power newsletter.

Was Barack Obama President During Hurricane Katrina?  —  Twitter users tried to pin the blame for Katrina relief issues on Obama, though he wasn't even president when it hit New Orleans. … CLAIM  —  Barack Obama was president when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005.  —  RATING  —  FALSE

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 …

Eric Trump: Negative media could make you kill yourself out of depression  —  Eric Trump ripped negative media coverage of his father during a radio interview Wednesday, saying that a person “would end up killing yourself out of depression” if they got as much negative coverage as the president.

Justice, Trump, Capito and Manchin: MetroNews West Virginia Poll evaluates approval  —  CHARLESTON, W.Va. — On the heels of Gov. Jim Justice's party switch, more West Virginians now disapprove of the governor than approve of him, according to the latest MetroNews West Virginia Poll.

‘Kill all white people’: Suspect in killings of five white men made threat in 2014  —  The 22-year-old man suspected of shooting five middle-aged white men since last year — including four on south Kansas City walking trails — threatened in 2014 to shoot up a school and “kill all white people,” according to court records.

Harvey Wasn't Just Bad Weather.  It Was Bad City Planning  —  Houston exulted in sprawling, hands-off growth.  That's no way to prepare for natural catastrophes.  —  Houston has been wet since birth.  In the 1840s, the German explorer Ferdinand von Roemer described the Brazos River prairie …

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.

FBI fights public release of Trump dossier info  —  Senate investigators have had problems getting the FBI to reveal information about the Trump dossier.  They're not the only ones.  Outside groups filing Freedom of Information Act requests are running up against a stone wall when it comes to the dossier.

Trump Dumped U.S. Ambassador to Amman at Request of King  —  Jordan's monarch had clashed with the U.S. diplomat over disagreements with Obama administration policies.  —  Soon after taking office, President Donald Trump pushed out the U.S. ambassador to Jordan after complaints from the country's king …

Push to simplify taxes is on but don't touch some deductions  —  President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans have pledged to overhaul the nation's complex tax code.  To slash taxes, they say they'll curb a web of expensive deductions and credits to allow more revenue to flow to the government.

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.

Harvey aftermath: More chemical fires possible as city loses clean water  —  (CNN)A spate of unexpected disasters are gripping Texas cities nearly a week after Hurricane Harvey slammed into the coast.  —  The entire city of Beaumont has no running water after both of its water pumps failed.