Trump Tanks His Own Putin Walk-Back During One of the ‘Worst Moments of His Presidency’ … It was approaching mid-morning on Tuesday, and Donald Trump's team had one choice: He had to clean up the mess he had left for them following his disastrous press conference abroad.  If they had to beg, so be it.

Zuckerberg: The Recode interview  —  Everything was on the table — and after Facebook's wildest year yet, that's a really big table.  —  I had not done a formal interview with Zuckerberg since he appeared at our D: All Things Digital conference in 2010, when the company was in its early days.

Maria Butina, Suspected Secret Agent, Was in Touch With Russian Intelligence, Prosecutors Say  —  WASHINGTON — A woman charged with secretly acting on behalf of Russia was working as a covert agent in the United States and was recently in contact with a suspected Russian intelligence official, prosecutors said on Wednesday.

Trump Supreme Court pick: I would ‘put the nail’ in ruling upholding independent counsel  —  (CNN)Judge Brett Kavanaugh two years ago expressed his desire to overturn a three-decade-old Supreme Court ruling upholding the constitutionality of an independent counsel, a comment bound …

Now the party of Trump, GOP's midterm pitch is protecting him  —  Subscribe to McClatchy's Beyond the Bubble show on iTunes here or Stitcher.  —  WASHINGTON — Headed into a election that's expected to favor Democrats, a top GOP Senate strategist says Republicans are counting …

EXCLUSIVE: Riverside gun store confronts Sacha Baron Cohen after he comes to business in disguise  —  RIVERSIDE, CA (FOX 11) - A Riverside gun store owner has harsh words for Sacha Baron Cohen after he says he caught the actor showing up to his business in disguise and under false pretense, and it was all caught on surveillance video.

A Stabbing On Samish Island: The Radicalization Of Lane Davis  —  Lane Davis was a far-right, pro-Trump media figure looking for his big break.  Then he stabbed his father to death.  —  Nearly everyone on Samish Island knew Chuck Davis, a bighearted retiree who lived in the handsome gray shingle house …

American Conservatives Played A Secret Role In The Macedonian Fake News Boom Ahead Of 2016  —  A joint investigation by BuzzFeed News and partners has uncovered new information that rewrites the story of the fake news boom in the Macedonian town of Veles.  —  A week before Election Day in 2016 …

State Department Silent on MH17 Anniversary Following Trump-Putin Firestorm  —  The department prepared to criticize Russia's role in the 2014 downing of a civilian airliner over Ukraine, but the statement was never released.  —  Every year since a Russian missile downed Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 …

Leaked Documents Show Facebook's ‘Threshold’ for Deleting Pages and Groups  —  During testimony to lawmakers, Facebook did not provide specifics on the threshold Pages or Groups have to cross before being deleted.  Documents obtained by Motherboard layout those limits.

House Dems unveil new midterm campaign slogan  —  House Democrats have finalized their campaign slogan heading into the last months before the midterm election: “For the People.”  —  The new motto, which Democratic leaders unveiled in a private meeting with members Wednesday morning …

Rep. Jim Jordan interviewed in doctor sex abuse inquiry  —  COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, who used to coach wrestling at Ohio State University, was interviewed by a law firm investigating allegations that a now-dead team doctor sexually abused male athletes there decades ago, his spokesman confirmed Wednesday.

Trump's tariffs on Mexico are causing layoffs in the United States  —  POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. — When a Mexican company bought Mid Continent Nail Corp. in 2012, workers at the factory here feared it was the beginning of the end.  Their jobs, they suspected, would be given to lower-paid workers in Mexico …

Trump says defending tiny NATO ally Montenegro could lead to World War III  —  President Trump, who rattled U.S. allies at a NATO meeting last week, voiced concern in a television interview broadcast Tuesday night that sending troops from the alliance to defend an “aggressive” Monte­negro could result in World War III.

A Critical Factor In 2020: Democrats Make Significant Cut To Caucus States  —  A quiet but significant shift across a handful of states could reshape the Democratic nominating process ahead of 2020: The party is now poised to see a historic reduction in the number of states that use caucuses …

GOP lawmaker regrets appearing on Alex Jones's radio show  —  (R-Fla.) on Wednesday said he regrets his appearance on a radio show hosted by Infowars founder Alex Jones.  —  “I would not go back on Alex Jones's show,” Gaetz told Hill.TV co-hosts Buck Sexton and Krystal Ball on “Rising.”

Trump wrongly says queen reviewed guard for 1st time in 70 years  —  President Trump claimed Tuesday that during his visit to England, Queen Elizabeth II reviewed her Guard of Honor for the first time in 70 years — but she's only been queen for 65 years.  And as any royal-watcher knows …

Russia Is No Longer Targeting the U.S., Trump Says, Contradicting His Own Intelligence Director  —  WASHINGTON — President Trump said on Wednesday that Russia was no longer targeting the United States, contradicting his own intelligence chief and just a day after promising that his administration …

Iran builds new centrifuge rotor factory: nuclear chief  —  (Reuters) - Iran has built a factory that can produce rotors for up to 60 centrifuges a day, the head of its atomic agency said on Wednesday, upping the stakes in a confrontation with Washington over the Islamic Republic's nuclear work.

It's time to impeach the president  —  When I was ten years old, over a plate of rice, beans and tortillas, I watched the evening news in front of an old Emerson 19-inch tube TV.  On the screen was a man who looked like a grandpa, resembled the dad on “Father Knows Best,” …

Husband shoots home invasion suspect holding wife at gunpoint  —  The husband managed to shoot one of the suspects in the head.  This happened at a home in in southeast Houston near Scott and Airport.  —  HOUSTON - Police say a husband opened fire on two home invasion suspects as they tried to hold his wife at gunpoint overnight.

Texas to pass Iraq and Iran as world's No. 3 oil powerhouse  —  Shale exec: US will surpass Russia in oil production  —  Don't mess with Texas.  It's a global oil superpower.  —  The shale oil boom has brought a gold rush mentality to the Lone Star State, which is home to not one but two massive oilfields.

Who Lives in Education Deserts?  —  More People Than You Think  —  For most college students, place matters.  And closer is often better.  In 2016, almost 40 percent of first-time, full-time freshmen reported that their colleges were less than 50 miles from their homes, a proportion that has held since the 1980s.

The vanishing White House press briefing  —  Commentators slam Trump for summit performance  —  The “daily” White House press briefing is a thing of the past.  —  The White House has only held three on-camera briefings in the past 30 days, according to the administration's own records on WhiteHouse.gov.

Next Slide  —  The number of Tennesseans now displaying Confederate battle flag license plates is higher than at any other point in the last decade, according to state data on the controversial specialty tags.  —  The Sons of Confederate Veterans plate, the proceeds from which benefit …

CIVITAS POLL: Budd Leads in NC-13 Congressional Race  —  RALEIGH, N.C. - In the latest Civitas Poll, Republican Congressman Ted Budd leads Democrat Kathy Manning by 5 points.  —  The poll, conducted July 12-16, 2018, surveyed 537 likely voters in North Carolina's 13thCongressional District.