White House readies plan to extend about $12 billion in emergency aid to farmers caught in Trump's escalating trade war  —  An announcement could come as soon as Tuesday, according to two people briefed on the matter.  This is the latest sign that growing tensions between the United States and other countries will not end soon.

Ivanka Trump, President Donald Trump's daughter, is closing her namesake fashion brand, more than a year after she formally separated herself from the company and entered the White House as a senior adviser.  —  Apparel sales at the brand, which Ms. Trump launched in its current form in 2014 …

Burr breaks with Nunes: ‘Sound reasons’ for judges to approve FISA warrant  —  (CNN)Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr told CNN Tuesday he believed there were “sound reasons” for judges to approve the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrant on former Trump campaign …

Two Trump Allies, Seeing Unlimited Opportunity, Instead Drew Scrutiny  —  WASHINGTON — Early one morning in October, Rick Gates, a Washington lobbyist who had been a top official in the Trump campaign, emailed family and friends warning them that he was about to be indicted …

‘The Briefing’ Review: Speaking for Himself  —  Donald Trump's rst White House spokesman compares the president to a rock star, the Energizer Bunny and a unicorn.  Jonathan Karl reviews “The Briefing” by Sean Spicer.  —  Early on a Saturday morning in January 2017, the day after the inauguration …

Tronc Exec Tells Daily News Staff to Their Faces: We Have No Strategy … When frugal newspaper giant Tronc was asked Tuesday about the specific strategy behind draconian cuts on the New York Daily News on Monday, the company's top executive in New York didn't have an answer.

Growing Partisan Differences in Views of the FBI; Stark Divide over ICE  —  Favorable views of FBI have fallen sharply among Republicans  —  A new survey of public attitudes toward federal agencies finds that partisan differences in views of the FBI have increased markedly over the past year.

U.S. appeals court: Constitution gives right to carry gun in public  —  (Reuters) - A federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday that the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment protects a right to openly carry a gun in public for self-defense, rejecting a claim by Hawaii officials that the right only applies to guns kept at home.

When Airline CEOs Try the Cheap Seats  —  The leaders of Delta and American defend the tightest sections of their planes while sitting in them  —  Have you ever been vacuum-packed into a shrunken coach seat wishing the airline CEO had to endure the same discomfort?  —  We did that for you, sort of.

Dem Has Advantage in CD17  —  Lamb leads Rothfus in nation's only two-incumbent House matchup  —  West Long Branch, NJ - The Democratic candidate has a sizable advantage in the race for Pennsylvania's newly drawn 17th Congressional District, the nation's only House contest that pits two incumbents against each other.

Russia slams US general, says he ‘discredited’ Trump  —  Washington (CNN)The Russian Ministry of Defense slammed US Gen. Joseph Votel Tuesday, accusing America's top military commander in the Middle East of discrediting President Donald Trump's position after Votel expressed hesitancy about working with Russia in Syria.

Facebook Says Alex Jones' Threatening Rant Against Robert Mueller Doesn't Violate Its Rules  —  Jones accused the special counsel of participating in child rape and pantomimed shooting Mueller.  Facebook said the rant did not violate its community guidelines.

The House Tilts Toward the Democrats  —  Big-picture factors help minority party, but battle far from over; 17 ratings changes in favor of Democrats  —  Editor's Note: This is a special Tuesday edition of the Crystal Ball.  We'll be back to our regular Thursday schedule next week.

The Spy Who Drove Me  —  Last week, as America's top national security experts convened in Aspen, a strangely inquisitive Uber driver showed up, too.  And caused a minor freak-out.  Was the mystery woman some kind of covert agent—or simply a figment of these hyper-paranoid times?

Kremlin, coy on new summit idea, says Putin and Trump can meet at G20  —  MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Kremlin was reticent on Tuesday about whether it would accept an invitation from U.S. President Donald Trump to hold a summit with Vladimir Putin in Washington later this year, saying only that the two men had other chances to meet as well.

Fox News Goes to War Against Its Own: Kimberly Guilfoyle … In the past few days, staffers at Fox News have waged a covert war and hostile whisper campaign against one of their most prominent former colleagues.  —  For Fox News—with its seasoned and often ruthless public-relations shop …

Attorney General Jeff Sessions repeats ‘lock her up’ chant  —  Washington (CNN)Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the top law enforcement officer in the country, participated in a chant of “Lock her up” Tuesday, reviving a rallying cry from Donald Trump campaign events calling to jail Hillary Clinton.

Businesses linked to McCaskill's husband get $131 million in federal dollars  —  WASHINGTON  —  Businesses tied to U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill's husband have been awarded more than $131 million in federal subsidies since the Missouri Democrat took office in 2007, an analysis by The Kansas City Star found.

Outspoken Federal Judge Launches Amazingly Dumb Twitter Tirade  —  When it comes to maturity, these clerks are showing a lot more than this senior status judge.  —  In the wake of the allegations of years of sexual misconduct by Judge Alex Kozinski (and, by extension, years of failure …

Departing Facebook Security Officer's Memo: “We Need To Be Willing To Pick Sides”  —  In March, days after confirming his plans to leave the company, Facebook's highest-ranking security official implored his colleagues to take responsibility for the social network's failings amid the fallout …

Trump's latest demand is straight out of the pages of ‘1984’  —  In George Orwell's classic dystopian novel 1984, the “final, most essential command” of the ruling totalitarian regime is “to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears.”  —  On Tuesday, President Trump made that same request of his supporters.

Denial and Deception: Did Trump Really Hire and Fire the Suspected Russian Assets on His Campaign?  —  As I laid out a few weeks ago, I provided information to the FBI on issues related to the Mueller investigation, so I'm going to include disclosure statements on Mueller investigation posts from here on out.

Inside Incels' Looksmaxing Obsession: Penis Stretching, Skull Implants And Rage  —  Thousands of “involuntarily celibate” men in online forums are consumed by misogynist entitlement and a skin-deep quest for self-improvement.  —  It's late on a Friday, and hundreds of men are browsing the forum Lookism.net.

Exclusive: Listen to separated moms beg for their kids in court  —  Washington (CNN)Newly obtained audio reveals the anguish of parents separated from their children, as it pours from them in immigration court while a judge finds them ineligible to stay in the United States.

Raising The Chances Of A Government Shutdown This Fall To 60%  —  I added a government shutdown countdown clock to the homepage of thebudgetguy.blog this week because the threat of a government shutdown this October 1 is real, growing and needs to be taken very seriously.

Founder Of “Nxivm,” a Purported Self-Help Organization, and Five Others Charged in Superseding Indictment with Racketeering Conspiracy  —  New Defendants Include the President of Nxivm and Members of its Executive Board  —  A superseding indictment was unsealed today in federal court …

Who benefits from John Brennan's security clearance? … John Brennan had a tough time when he took his first CIA lie-detector test in 1980.  He was asked a standard question as to whether he had ever belonged to an organisation dedicated to the overthrow of the United States government.