White House communications director Hope Hicks retains lawyer in Russia probe  —  White House communications director Hope Hicks has retained a personal attorney, as the special counsel's investigation into the Trump campaign's ties to Russia is expected to heat up this fall.

New White House Chief of Staff Has an Enforcer  —  Lost in the scramble to cope with Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, the response to North Korea's nuclear provocations and the shock at President Trump's instant alliance with Democrats was a little-noticed bureaucratic earthquake that shook the White House this week.

Fox News Will Part Ways With Eric Bolling After Harassment Investigation  —  Fox News Channel will part ways with host Eric Bolling, a host and contributor whose on-air presence at the 21st Century Fox-owned network had been growing in recent months, after allegations surfaced …

Extreme Hurricane Irma closing in on Florida, posing dire threat  —  (This story will be updated throughout Friday.  It was last updated to incorporate the 8 p.m. National Hurricane Center advisory; some more information about storm surge was added in section on Florida effects.)

Hurricane Irma Rumor Control  —  Rumor: Pets in Shelters and Hotels  —  There are reports emergency shelters are required to accommodate pets and service animals belonging to people who have evacuated.  This is TRUE.  (September 8)  —  There are also reports hotels are required to accommodate pets for people who have evacuated.

Equifax finally responds to swirling concerns over consumers' legal rights  —  Update: Equifax issued a statement Friday evening.  “In response to consumer inquiries, we have made it clear that the arbitration clause and class action waiver included in the Equifax and TrustedID Premier terms …

Maria Sharapova's Vile, Racially Tinged Treatment of Serena Williams … To understand Maria Sharapova is to know that she had the gall to name her forthcoming memoir Unstoppable after she could not beat rival Serena Williams 18 times in a row, even with the aid of performance-enhancing drugs.

GOP struggles to control its own agenda  —  The next six months are full of hazards for Republicans — largely created by Trump.  —  President Donald Trump's flirtations with Democrats and fixation on divisive campaign promises have paved the way for hazardous, rolling deadlines …

GOP outraged after Trump refuses to consider Lois Lerner prosecution … The Department of Justice told members of Congress Friday that it wouldn't reconsider the question of whether to prosecute former IRS official Lois Lerner for her role in the tax agency's targeting of conservative groups, eliciting criticism from House Republicans.

A Requiem for Florida, the Paradise That Should Never Have Been  —  ORLANDO, Fla.—The first Americans to spend much time in South Florida were the U.S. Army men who chased the Seminole Indians around the peninsula in the 1830s.  And they hated it.  Today, their letters read like Yelp reviews …

Baucus backs single-payer health system  —  It's time for America to consider seriously a single-payer, government-run health system, says Max Baucus, Montana's longest serving U.S. senator, former ambassador to China and one of the chief architects of Obamacare.

Facebook Wins, Democracy Loses  —  CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — On Wednesday, Facebook revealed that hundreds of Russia-based accounts had run anti-Hillary Clinton ads precisely aimed at Facebook users whose demographic profiles implied a vulnerability to political propaganda.

ASUC Senate fails to pass resolution denouncing UC Berkeley subsidization of Ben Shapiro event  —  ASUC Senate convened Wednesday to discuss a highly contentious senate resolution that was pulled from last week's agenda for legal reconsideration.  After some minor amendments …

What's Going to Happen When the Trumpists Realize the America They Yearn for Is Gone? … The latest NBC/Wall Street Journal poll—which shows a yawning cultural divide between Trump voters and Republicans on the one hand and everyone else on the other on everything from gay marriage to immigration …

Meet the Man Turning Anti-Muslim Hate Into Law … Sixteen years after the 9/11 attacks and anti-Muslim bigotry is not only alive, it's thriving.  In fact, Donald Trump would likely not be president without it because his demonization of Muslims during the GOP primaries played a big role in securing the nomination.

Study: Trump fans are much angrier about housing assistance when they see an image of a black man  —  In contrast, Clinton supporters seemed relatively unmoved by racial cues.  —  All it takes to reduce support for housing assistance among Donald Trump supporters is exposure to an image of a black man.

Will Joe Biden Run in 2020?  His Designer Daughter Ashley Sure Hopes So  —  Livelihood founder Ashley Biden is all about American manufacturing, a commitment she shares with her father Joe, who may run for president in 2020.  —  Ashley Biden and former Vice President Joe Biden

Worried about being fired?  Some in FL have few job protections if they evacuate  —  During emergencies, such as when a Category 5 hurricane is bearing down on South Florida, Naples government considers all of its employees as essential personnel.  —  In addition to police and firefighters …

12-YEAR-OLD BOY WHO TRANSITIONED TO FEMALE CHANGES HIS MIND TWO YEARS LATER  —  ‘I began to realise I was actually comfortable in my body’  —  Mexico earthquake death toll sharply rises to 58  —  Shelter saves more than 100 cats and dogs from Hurricane Harvey floods