Trump, Schumer agree to pursue plan to repeal the debt ceiling  —  President Trump and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have agreed to pursue a deal that would permanently remove the requirement that Congress repeatedly raise the debt ceiling, three people familiar with the decision said.

Trump Jr. Says He Wanted Russian Dirt to Determine Clinton's ‘Fitness’ for Office  —  WASHINGTON — Donald Trump Jr. told Senate investigators on Thursday that he set up a June 2016 meeting with a Russian lawyer because he was intrigued that she might have damaging information about Hillary Clinton …

Betsy DeVos: The Era of Weaponized Title IX in Campus Rape Cases Is Over  —  In a major speech assailing the deprivation of due process protections under the Obama administration, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos will vow to rein in the federal guidance compelling colleges to adjudicate sexual assault disputes between students.

Democrats dread Hillary's book tour  —  President Donald Trump may be the only person in politics truly excited about Hillary Clinton's book tour.  —  Democratic operatives can't stand the thought of her picking the scabs of 2016, again — the Bernie Sanders divide, the Jim Comey complaints …

The Fake Americans Russia Created to Influence the Election  —  Sometimes an international offensive begins with a few shots that draw little notice.  So it was last year when Melvin Redick of Harrisburg, Pa., a friendly-looking American with a backward baseball cap and a young daughter …

Cybersecurity Incident & Important Consumer Information  —  Equifax Announces Cybersecurity Incident Involving Consumer Information  —  No Evidence of Unauthorized Access to Core Consumer or Commercial Credit Reporting Databases  —  Company to Offer Free Identity Theft Protection and Credit File Monitoring to All U.S. Consumers

Steve Bannon says Catholic Church has “economic interest” in “unlimited illegal immigration”  —  In his first extensive interview since leaving the Trump administration, former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon is speaking out about President Trump's decision to end the DACA program.

The First White President  —  It is insufficient to state the obvious of Donald Trump: that he is a white man who would not be president were it not for this fact.  With one immediate exception, Trump's predecessors made their way to high office through the passive power of whiteness …

Hurricane Irma: Live updates  —  Hurricane Irma, a Category 5 storm that began battering the Caribbean, is forecast to turn toward Florida this weekend.  Follow live updates here.

Three Equifax Managers Sold Stock Before Cyber Hack Was Revealed  —  Three Equifax Inc. senior executives sold shares worth almost $1.8 million in the days after the company discovered a security breach that may have compromised information on about 143 million U.S. consumers.

Koch Brothers Will Push Congress to Protect DREAMers … The political network of libertarian billionaires Charles and David Koch is poised to back a bill protecting young undocumented immigrants from deportation.  —  Spokespeople for the Koch network confirmed to The Daily Beast …

GOP Senators to Try Again With Alternate Obamacare Replacement  —  Cassidy, Graham to introduce revised proposal next week  —  Plan would give federal money to states in block grants  —  Republican Senators Bill Cassidy and Lindsey Graham said Thursday they will introduce a revised version …

This White House staffer might have the most important behind-the-scenes job in the administration — controlling what gets to Trump  — A relatively unknown White House aide has seen the importance of his job grow under new chief of staff John Kelly.  — Rob Porter, the White House staff secretary …

Democrats Duck Questions About Sen. Bob Menendez's Corruption Trial  —  “We should let the legal process play out.”  —  WASHINGTON An incumbent Democratic senator is on trial this week on charges of federal bribery, and his colleagues in the Senate would rather not talk about it.

Court records: Wife of Trump Org ethics attorney arrested after tryst with Fauquier inmate  —  An ongoing investigation into “suspicious” activity in the back seat of a car involving an inmate trustee at the Fauquier County jail led to the Tuesday arrest of Teresa Jo Burchfield …

The tiny islands ravaged by Irma are in trouble as Hurricane Jose looms … As Hurricane Irma departed Antigua and Barbuda's usually pristine reef-ringed beaches with the pink and white sand, islanders struggled to grasp the destruction to Barbuda's schools, churches and the homes that many had used their life savings to build.

Harvey and Irma, Married 75 Years, Marvel at the Storms Bearing Their Names  —  Harvey and Irma Schluter have been married for 75 years.  He turned 104 in July; she will be 93 in November.  —  They vividly remember many of the major events of the 20th century, from her first time spotting an airplane …

How the opioid epidemic has affected the U.S. labor force, county-by-county  —  In 2016, Princeton economist Alan Krueger made headlines with a shocking finding that nearly half of prime age men (or men ages 25 to 54) who are not in the labor force take pain medication on a daily basis.

Graydon Carter to End 25-Year Run as Vanity Fair's Editor  —  Graydon Carter, the editor of Vanity Fair, plans to step down from the magazine in December after a 25-year tenure, leaving the role that established him as a ringmaster of the glittery spheres of Hollywood, Washington and Manhattan media.