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 …

Corker compares revoking security clearances to Venezuela's dictatorship  —  Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) on Tuesday criticized the Trump administration's decision to consider revoking security clearances for several ex-government officials who have been vocal about their opposition to President Donald Trump …

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.

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.

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.

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 …

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.

Allie *grills* congressional hopeful and progressive it girl “Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez” on her socialist agenda and knowledge of government... or lack thereof.  —  Update: Yes, this is satire created from excerpts of the viral Firing Line interview with Ocasio-Cortez.

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.

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 …

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.

Sugarman cracks down on former-IDC campaign accounts  —  Enforcement division calls for refunding contributions  —  ALBANY — The state's top election enforcement officer has issued demands that could throw a wrench in the re-election efforts of the state Senate's former Independent Democratic Conference members.

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.

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 …

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?

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 …