An “Ashamed” Fox News Commentator Just Quit The “Propaganda Machine”  —  “Over my decade with Fox, I long was proud of the association,” Col. Ralph Peters wrote in an email to colleagues.  “Now I am ashamed.”  —  A retired United States Army lieutenant colonel and Fox News contributor quit Tuesday …

Exposed: Undercover secrets of Trump's data firm  —  An undercover investigation by Channel 4 News has revealed how Cambridge Analytica claims it ran key parts of the presidential campaign for Donald Trump.  —  The British data company was secretly filmed discussing coordination between Trump's campaign …

Trump's national security advisers warned him not to congratulate Putin.  He did it anyway. … President Trump did not follow specific warnings from his national security advisers when he congratulated Russian President Vladi­mir Putin Tuesday on his reelection, including a section …

Ex-Playboy Model Sues to Break Silence on Trump  —  A former Playboy model who claimed she had an affair with Donald J. Trump sued on Tuesday to be released from a 2016 legal agreement requiring her silence, becoming the second woman this month to challenge Trump allies' efforts during …

Flake warns Trump of impeachment ‘remedy’ if Mueller probe is halted … Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), one of President Trump's most prominent Senate critics, told The Washington Post in an interview on Tuesday that he would support impeachment proceedings against Trump if the president ends …

President Trump Must Face Accusations of ‘Apprentice’ Contestant  —  A New York State judge ruled on Tuesday that a defamation lawsuit brought by a woman who has said President Trump made unwanted sexual advances could go forward, raising the possibility of a public airing of other allegations of sexual misconduct against the president.

New travel costs revealed for EPA head amid ongoing scrutiny  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt spent more than $120,000 in public funds last summer for a trip to Italy that included a meeting of G-7 ministers and a private tour of the Vatican.

Prosecutor: Nikolas Cruz's Brother Wants to Set Up a Fan Club for Him  —  Zachary Cruz, the younger brother of confessed Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz, has allegedly discussed setting up a fan club for his jailed brother, prosecutors said Tuesday.  The allegation was made at a bond hearing …

Kris Kobach Just Got Humiliated in Federal Court  —  Judge Julie Robinson was losing patience.  Before the 2016 election, she had ordered Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach to restore the right to vote to thousands of Kansans who'd been disenfranchised by a state law requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote.

FBI confirms package in Southeast Austin FedEx is a bomb connected to Schertz, previous explosions  —  6:40 p.m. update: FBI officials have confirmed a suspicious package found Tuesday morning at a FedEx ground facility in Southeast Austin contained an explosive device, according to a news release.

Christine Quinn bashes ‘unqualified lesbian’ Cynthia Nixon  —  Former City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, an openly-gay supporter of Gov. Cuomo, called Cynthia Nixon an “unqualified lesbian” a day after the actress announced she's going to challenge the governor in a primary.

Wide Gender Gap, Growing Educational Divide in Voters' Party Identification  —  College graduates increasingly align with Democratic Party  —  As the 2018 midterm elections approach, women and especially college graduates have moved toward the Democratic Party.

STATEMENT BY SASC CHAIRMAN JOHN McCAIN ON PRESIDENT TRUMP CONGRATULATING VLADIMIR PUTIN  —  Washington, D.C. ­- U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement today on President Trump congratulating Vladimir Putin on his “election” victory:

LIVE NOW: Reported package explosion at Goodwill on Brodie Lane  —  Emergency crews have cordoned off a Gooodwill in south Austin after a package reportedly exploded Tuesday evening.  —  The Austin Fire Department says the call came in at 7 p.m. at the Goodwill located at 9801 Brodie Ln., which is just north of Slaughter Lane.

Lobbyist says he was nearly killed by man he hired to investigate Seth Rich's death … As conspiracy theories swirled around the murder of Democratic National Committee staffer Seth Rich, lobbyist Jack Burkman took the unusual step of launching his own private investigation.

Ben Carson Defends Purchase of $31,000 Dining Set at Congressional Hearing  —  WASHINGTON — Ben Carson, the secretary of housing and urban development, told a House committee on Tuesday he failed to adhere to a $5,000 federal spending cap for the purchase of a $31,000 lavish mahogany dining room set …

Denounced by His Party as a Nazi, Arthur Jones Wins Illinois G.O.P. Congressional Primary  —  Arthur Jones, a Holocaust denier described as a Nazi by the Illinois Republican Party, won the Republican primary on Tuesday in the state's Third Congressional District, a heavily Democratic district …

The world is descending into tyranny  —  It wasn't supposed to happen this way.  After the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991, democracy was supposed to be irresistible.  While some of us were more skeptical than others, even cynics allowed that freedom seemed to have the upper hand.