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 …

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Haley tells high schoolers to avoid 'own the libs'-style online behavior  —  U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley  —  kicked off a conservative conference of high school students on Monday by urging attendees to avoid inflammatory language in favor of demonstrating real leadership.

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 …

51% of American voters believe Russia has something on Trump  —  About 51% of American voters believe “that the Russian government has compromising information about President Trump,” according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Tuesday.  —  Why it matters: Based on Trump's responses …

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.

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 …

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.

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.

Next step: House Intel asks Trump to declassify rest of FISA application; tantalizing clues about pages 10-12 and 17-34  —  The release of a heavily-redacted version of the FBI's application for a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrant to wiretap onetime Trump foreign policy adviser Carter Page …

More Than 450 Migrant Parents May Have Been Deported Without Their Children  —  WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is preparing to tell a federal court on Tuesday that more than 450 migrant parents whose children were separated from them are no longer in the United States …

What to know in New Orleans this week (July 23, 2018)  —  Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren and New York congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have joined the lineup for the 2018 Netroots Nation conference, a progressive organizing conference to be held at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center Aug. 2-4.

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 …

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 …