Trump says Germany ‘is captive to Russia’ in fiery opening salvo against NATO  —  BRUSSELS — President Trump unleashed a blistering attack Wednesday on Germany and other NATO allies, wasting no time to take the offensive before a week of high-stakes diplomacy on both sides of the former Cold War divide.

EXCLUSIVE: Ocasio-Cortez with another surprise election win - in a district she wasn't even running in … Things are going so well for insurgent Democratic congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez that she's winning primaries she didn't even enter.  —  In addition to recently …

Judge Kavanaugh's Former Clerks: Diverse, and Deployed to Vouch for Him  —  WASHINGTON — Part of the White House public relations campaign to win confirmation of Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court began only seconds after President Trump nominated him, when Judge Kavanaugh gave …

Border Protection says NYC mayor crossed border illegally  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and his security detail violated both Mexican and U.S. immigration laws by crossing the border on foot during a visit near El Paso, Texas, U.S. Customs and Border Protection alleges …

Analysis: Dems meet Supreme Court pick with mixed message  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Chuck Schumer, the Senate Democratic leader, says it's all about health care.  Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., worries about the impact on the special counsel investigation.  And Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif. …

Once partners, ‘Game Change’ authors feuding over their shattered franchise  —  Until their split last year, Mark Halperin and John Heilemann were the golden boys of American political journalism.  Their collaboration led to a best-selling book about the 2008 presidential campaign, “Game Change …

A taste of Chipotle's new menu items proves: It's no Taco Bell  —  Americans' love for Taco Bell, the nation's large Tex-Mex fast-food chain, must be vexing for Chipotle Mexican Grill, which has long prided itself on its whole and responsibly sourced ingredients.

Yup - we were duped.  Ya' got me, Sacha.  Feel better now?  —  I join a long list of American public personalities who have fallen victim to the evil, exploitive, sick “humor” of the British “comedian” Sacha Baron Cohen, enabled and sponsored by CBS/Showtime.

Pompeo's North Korea meeting went ‘as badly as it could have gone’  —  Kim Jong Un snubbed Mike Pompeo, source says  —  (CNN)It began with great expectations, an eagerly-anticipated meeting with a reclusive leader, and a gift bag that included an Elton John CD.

Trump Administration Returns to ‘Catch and Release’ of Migrants  —  WASHINGTON — The government said on Tuesday that it would release hundreds of migrant families wearing ankle bracelet monitors into the United States, effectively returning to the “catch and release” policy that President Trump promised to eliminate.

The only good online fandom left is Dune  —  As corporations take control of nerd culture, science fiction's most esoteric epic remains gloriously untamed.  —  Escapism in the year 2018 is a strange thing.  If you want to refresh a brain beshitted by weeks and months of workaday corruption and brutality …

Former Obama Officials Are Riding Out The Trump Years By Cashing In  —  The revolving door takes a spin.  —  The last 18 months have been difficult for former members of the Obama administration.  They've been replaced by a regime, which, in the words of former Domestic Policy Council …

Pence launches Midwest damage control mission  —  With anxiety rising over Trump's trade policies, the vice president is stumping for endangered incumbents and reassuring big GOP donors.  —  CHICAGO — Vice President Mike Pence begins a campaign swing through the Midwest on Wednesday designed …

Paula White: There's a Difference Between Jesus as a Refugee and Those Who Enter the US Illegally … Amid the hysteria surrounding the separation of immigrant families who recently entered the United States illegally, one of President Donald Trump's spiritual advisers, Paula White …

Tribune editorial: Our treatment of refugee children is a national disgrace  —  In Thailand, 12 children and their soccer coach made a wrong turn, got themselves trapped in a cave and quickly became the target of an all-hands-on-deck rescue effort mounted by national and provincial officials and eager volunteers from all over the world.

Inside Mueller's New Army … Chelsea Manning, Iranian extortionists, and Hillaryland's original hacker—they've all been targets for prosecutors that now work for Team Mueller.  —  As special counsel Robert Mueller's probe has quietly chugged along, outraging the president and encircling …

Hope Hicks is looking for a job in the Big Apple  —  Hope Hicks is back in New York, we're told.  —  President Trump's former White House communications director has returned to the city after spending time with her family in Greenwich, Conn., following her departure from the White House in March.

Woman calls cops on black 12-year-old boy delivering newspapers in Ohio neighborhood  —  A fledgling paperboy working alongside his mother in suburban Columbus, Ohio, came face-to-face with a cop after a neighbor thought he was up to no good.  —  The nosy neighbor spied the 12-year-old boy …

Ohio State and Jim Jordan: Why sexual abuse claims against men aren't taken seriously  —  The #MeToo era has raised the nation's consciousness about the prevalence of sexual harassment against women in many areas.  But a new abuse scandal is a reminder of how differently some people still respond to sexual misconduct against men.

CIVITAS POLL: McCready Leads in NC-09 Congressional Race  —  RALEIGH, N.C. - In the latest Civitas Poll, Democrat congressional candidate Dan McCready leads Republican Mark Harris by 7 points.  —  The poll, conducted July 5-8, 2018, surveyed 543 likely voters in North Carolina's 9thcongressional district …

Government Told Immigrant Parents to Pay for DNA Tests to Get Kids Back, Advocate Says … DALLAS—U.S. government officials recently told four immigrant women that they must pay for DNA tests in order to be reunited with their children, according to the shelter that housed the women.