Hurricane Irma slams Caribbean islands as it heads toward Puerto Rico  —  (CNN)An extremely dangerous Hurricane Irma smashed small northern Caribbean islands Wednesday morning as one of the strongest storms recorded in the Atlantic — and is on a path to hit parts of the British Virgin Islands …

Trump gets millions from golf members.  CEOs and lobbyists get access to president  —  Dozens of lobbyists, contractors and others who make their living influencing the government pay President Trump's companies for membership in his private golf clubs, a status that can put them in close contact …

Admin memo: DACA recipients should prepare for ‘departure from the United States’  —  STORY HIGHLIGHTS  —  Washington (CNN)White House talking points on Tuesday urged DACA recipients to prepare for a “departure from the United States,” a much starker possible future than Trump administration officials used …

America's Changing Religious Identity  —  The American religious landscape is undergoing a dramatic transformation.  White Christians, once the dominant religious group in the U.S., now account for fewer than half of all adults living in the country.  Today, fewer than half of all states are majority white Christian.

Defiant Clinton looks to explain loss in new memoir  —  STORY HIGHLIGHTS  —  (CNN)A raw and aggrieved Hillary Clinton takes ownership — to a degree — for her stunning 2016 loss to Donald Trump in her upcoming book, which offers a revealing look at the campaign through the eyes of the contest's loser.

Nunes vents anger at Sessions over subpoena, threatens to hold AG, FBI chief in contempt  —  House Intel subpoenas FBI, DOJ for Trump dossier documents  —  (CNN)House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes lashed out at Attorney General Jeff Sessions last week in a letter where he threatened Sessions …

Trump agrees to raise debt ceiling, keep government funded through mid-December  —  President Donald Trump agreed to a request from congressional Democrats to raise the debt ceiling and extend government funding through Dec. 15, according to sources familiar with a meeting he held Wednesday with congressional leaders.

A Second Look at the Steele Dossier—Knowing What We Know Now  —  [Editor's Note: In this special Just Security article, highly respected former member of the CIA's Senior Intelligence Service, John Sipher examines the Steele dossier using methods that an intelligence officer would to try to validate such information.

Charlotte Mayoral Candidate Says Vote For Her Because She's White  —  “Other people judge me.  What is the difference?  I say I'm white,” the Republican told a reporter.  —  Candidates for political office often tout their experience or intelligence as reasons why they're qualified.

Senate resolution to force Trump's hand on condemning Charlottesville hate groups  —  The Senate is preparing to force President Donald Trump to go on record to officially condemn the deadly white supremacist rallies in Charlottesville last month.  —  Virginia Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine …

The Ivanka Trump Guarantee  —  Ivanka Trump, first daughter, strode into Washington back in January with big promises: She was passionate about helping “working women,” she said, and she was going to close the gender wage gap even if it killed her.  —  Well, not if it killed her, not literally …

Holocaust Museum Pulls Study Absolving Obama Administration for Inaction in Face of Syrian Genocide  —  A major United States Holocaust Memorial Museum study of the Obama Administration's Syria policy was put on hold last night after portions of the study given to Tablet were greeted with shock …

Top Trump lawyer in private email exchange: ‘Me and Kelly’ are the ‘adults in the room’  —  President Donald Trump (R) and Vice President Mike Pence (C) with John Kelly  —  White House special counsel Ty Cobb on Tuesday engaged in a lengthy email exchange in which he defended his decision …

Michael Bennett Police Takedown Video, 'I Wasn't Doing Nothing Man'  —  TMZ Sports has obtained video of NFL superstar Michael Bennett being handcuffed by police while lying face down on the concrete in Las Vegas ... and you can hear him screaming that he's innocent.

‘Shut up,’ judge tells Menendez lawyer  —  NEWARK — U.S. District Court Judge William H. Walls told a lawyer for Sen. Robert Menendez to “shut up for a moment” as the two engaged in a heated argument during the first moments of the New Jersey Democrat's corruption trial.

Sheriff Clarke Was in Talks for a Trump White House Job—Then John Kelly Killed It … Sheriff David A. Clarke just lost out on yet another Trump administration job—and he has the president's chief of staff to thank.  —  Officials in the West Wing tell The Daily Beast that Clarke …

Political Divisions in U.S. Are Widening, Long-Lasting, Poll Shows  —  WSJ/NBC News survey indicates a wide split on cultural, economic issues  —  Divisions in America reach far beyond Washington into the nation's culture, economy and social fabric, and the polarization began long before the rise …