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 …

‘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 …

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.

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.

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.

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.

I'm A Conservative, And I Went To An Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Rally  —  On Saturday evening, Democratic congressional candidate Cori Bush held a rally in celebration of her birthday.  Bush, who is running in the Aug. 7 primary against seven-term incumbent William “Lacy” …

Trump moves to silence critics  —  Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump's latest gambit to choke off the flow of information for past spy chiefs who have criticized him is a disturbing move that again exposes an imperious streak out of place in American democracy.

Russian Hackers Reach U.S. Utility Control Rooms, Homeland Security Officials Say  —  Blackouts could have been caused after the networks of trusted vendors were easily penetrated  —  Hackers working for Russia claimed “hundreds of victims” last year in a giant and long-running campaign …

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.

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.

New York Without The Daily News Will Be Less Alive, and Less Democratic  —  New York City cannot afford to lose one of its fiercest champions.  —  Most days there's nothing glamorous about working for The Daily News.  Covering local news, as its reporters do, can mean sitting through hours …

Only a quarter of the country identifies as Republican.  There are two reasons the party keeps winning anyway.  —  The general understanding of the American electorate is that it's about a 50-50 split, half Democrat and half Republican.  There are third parties, of course …

Trump Proposes Mueller Interview With No Obstruction Questions  — Only questions on collusion with Russia would be allowed  — Mueller hasn't yet responded to proposal, Giuliani says  —  President Donald Trump would agree to an interview with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigators …

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.

A Sociologist Examines the “White Fragility” That Prevents White Americans from Confronting Racism  —  In more than twenty years of running diversity-training and cultural-competency workshops for American companies, the academic and educator Robin DiAngelo has noticed that white people are sensationally …

Florida Insider Poll: 'We've gone from being the party of Jeb, winning everywhere, to the party of Cletus, the slack-jawed yokel'  —  The Florida Insiders weigh in on Donald Trump's influence on the Florida GOP  —  Among the questions in this month's Florida Insider Poll …

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.

Offshore owners of British property to be forced to reveal names  —  Hiding identity to be punished with up to five years' jail in money-laundering crackdown  —  Offshore owners of British property will be forced to reveal their true identities or face jail sentences and unlimited fines under draft laws …

Hawley campaigns on quotes by mythical McCaskill staffer  —  WASHINGTON  —  A staffer for U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill said her boss “won't even consider voting yes” for President Donald Trump's Supreme Court pick, a conservative activist tweeted last week.  —  “She's in such a red state, but she doesn't even try.

America's last flatware maker invited to White House; guests dine with spoons from China  —  WASHINGTON — Matt Roberts stood in a corner of the State Dining Room at the White House on Monday, showing samples of his company's Liberty Tabletop stainless steel silverware, when Rep. Claudia Tenney rushed over with a spoon in her hand.

Saltgrass COO, waiter say racism story made up  —  The Odessa waiter whose story about being called a terrorist by a customer spurred national attention last week now admits it was all a hoax.  —  The waiter, Khalil Cavil, 20, admitted he wrote the racist note himself in a Monday interview …

Dogs go out of their way to help upset owners, study shows  —  Sorry, that didn't work quite as expected.  Please try again.  —  Dogswill make a speedy effort to comfort their owners if they think they are upset, a study has shown for the first time.  —  Although anecdotally …