Trump Pushes for Interview With Mueller Against Lawyers' Advice  —  WASHINGTON — President Trump pushed his lawyers in recent days to try once again to reach an agreement with the special counsel's office about him sitting for an interview, flouting their advice that he should not answer …

Ivanka says family separation was White House “low point”  —  Ivanka Trump said during an Axios interview on Thursday that she agrees with White House colleagues who describe family separation as “a low point in the White House”:  —  “That was a low point for me as well.

Trump Unveils His Plan to Weaken Fuel Economy Rules  —  Want the latest climate news in your inbox?  You can sign up here to receive Climate Fwd:, our email newsletter.  —  WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Thursday formally announced its long-awaited proposal to dramatically weaken …

A black Smith College student was eating her lunch when an employee called police  —  The rising sophomore at Smith College was quietly eating her lunch in a campus common room when a police officer approached her Tuesday afternoon.  —  A college employee had called police to report someone who …

Trump's undermining of Obamacare violates the Constitution, new lawsuit charges  —  Four cities are charging that the president is failing to execute the law by actively undercutting the Affordable Care Act.  —  WASHINGTON — After congressional Republicans repeatedly failed last year …

Here Are the Cable News Morning Show Ratings for July 2018  —  TVNewser has received a number of emails lately asking for a break down of cable news morning show ratings, specifically for 6-9 a.m. ET shows.  —  Ask, and you shall receive.  At least for the month of July.  Will we do more of these?

Media don't want to understand Trump voters, all 63 million of them  —  This courtroom sketch depicts Paul Manafort, fourth from right, standing with his lawyers in front of U.S. district Judge T.S. Ellis III, rear, and the selected jury, left, during the jury selection at the Alexandria Federal Courthouse …

I'm a Liberal Feminist Lawyer.  Here's Why Democrats Should Support Judge Kavanaugh.  —  Sometimes a superstar is just a superstar.  That is the case with Judge Brett Kavanaugh, who had long been considered the most qualified nominee for the Supreme Court if Republicans secured the White House.

Apple just hit a $1 trillion market cap  — The stock rose nearly 3 percent, briefly hitting a session high of $207.05 in midday trading before falling back below $207.  —  Apple hit a $1 trillion market cap on Thursday, making the iPhone maker the first publicly traded U.S. company to reach the record valuation.

Pope Declares Death Penalty Inadmissible in All Cases  —  ROME — Pope Francis has declared the death penalty inadmissible in all cases “because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person,” the Vatican announced on Thursday, in a shift in Roman Catholic teaching on the issue.

Is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Too Far Left for Hollywood?  —  The newly minted Democratic star makes her first appearance in Los Angeles on Thursday — but she isn't meeting with traditional Hollywood power brokers for now.  —  With rock-star Democratic congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez set …

Trump Says You Need an ID to Buy Groceries.  Shoppers Say, ‘Huh?’  —  WASHINGTON — Just when it seemed like Tuesday's “Make America Great Again” rally in Florida would end with the typical punch list — Democrats, journalists, immigrants — President Trump added new spice …

AFL-CIO's Trumka Won't Rule Out Unions Endorsing Trump in 2020  —  Despite strong condemnations of the Trump administration for what he calls the “growing wage inequality” among Americans, AFL-CIO President Rich Trumka on Wednesday refused to rule out his union endorsing President Donald Trump for re-election in 2020.

Spotify removes Alex Jones's podcasts, citing policy on ‘hate content’  —  The music-streaming service Spotify pulled several episodes of “The Alex Jones Show” on Wednesday for violating its policy on hate content.  —  The move comes after other major media platforms, including YouTube and Facebook …

Former Ohio State wrestling coach urged Rep. Jim Jordan's accusers to recant, texts show  —  Former coach Russ Hellickson told wrestlers he could help them release a statement in support of Jordan, according to texts shared with NBC News.  —  Retired Ohio State wrestling coach Russ Hellickson reached …

What Does ‘Off the Record’ Really Mean?  —  A primer on the kinds of conversations journalists have with sources. … President Trump has ignored bedrock diplomatic alliances.  He has stared directly into an eclipse.  His disregard for the “off” part of an off-the-record meeting would seem to surprise exactly no one.

‘The Most Accurate Bellwether:’ GOP fears mount over Ohio special election  —  WASHINGTON  —  It's time for Republicans to start worrying again.  —  A special election next week in Ohio's 12th Congressional District is the last big electoral test before November's election …

Nazi enthusiast who tried to torch condo committed hate crime toward Jews, state says  —  Prosecutors have upgraded charges against an elderly man accused of trying to kill Jewish people by torching a Miami Beach condo building.  —  Walter Edward Stolper, 72, was formally charged with attempted …

Donor helping fraudsters, offshore bettors backs Trump  —  NEW YORK (AP) — One customer was a debt collector that threatened to jail people if they didn't pay back loans that they never took out.  Another was an offshore gambling operation that hid bets behind innocuous-sounding websites, including one dedicated to orange cats.

South Africa facing ‘mass STARVATION and RIOTS’ after white people's land seized  —  THERE will be huge food shortages and riots on the streets following plans to seize white South African farmers' land, it has been warned.  —  Experts have said the country will face dire consequences …

Two recession warning signs are here  —  Economist: Housing weakness is a red flag  —  Housing and rates are worrying some economists that a recession is looming.  —  “One of the biggest concerns is the housing market,” said Lindsey Piegza, chief economist for Stifel, on CNNMoney's “Markets Now” live show Wednesday.

The deep cynicism of Bernie Sanders's chief strategist  —  Tad Devine, during his run as chief strategist for the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign, railed against the corrupting influence of money in politics.  —  He repeatedly echoed the Sanders message that “our economy is rigged,” …

WBUR Poll: Capuano Maintains 13-Point Lead Over Pressley  —  Ayanna Pressley has yet to make inroads into Rep. Michael Capuano's lead in the race for the Massachusetts 7th Congressional District.  —  That's the finding of a new WBUR poll (topline results, crosstabs) of registered voters likely to vote in the Democratic primary there.

QAnon, the Pro-Trump Conspiracy Theorists, Now Believe JFK Jr. Faked His Death to Become Their Leader … Believers in the bizarre pro-Trump conspiracy theory called QAnon were out in force at the president's rally in Tampa, Florida on Tuesday, waving signs and cut-outs of the letter “Q” in front of the television cameras.

Obamacare is now optional  —  At long last, the Trump administration has created a “freedom option” for people suffering under Obamacare.  A final rulemaking issued Wednesday reverses an Obama-era regulation that exposed the sick to medical underwriting.  The new rule will expand consumer protections …

Corporate donations are new test for Democratic candidates  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — When an audience member at a town hall asked California Sen. Kamala Harris earlier this year to reject corporate donations, her answer was decidedly non-committal.  “Well, that depends,” she said.

Good news for the GOP  —  ANALYSIS/OPINION:  —  Are Hispanics shifting their allegiances to President Trump?  —  A recent Harvard/Harris poll recorded a 10-point spike in Hispanic support for Mr. Trump.  It hasn't received much attention from the mainstream media, which is heavily invested …

The Democratic Party Picked an Odd Time to Have an Identity Crisis  —  Can its unruly coalition take shape against Trump without one wing predominating?  —  The Democratic Party is a traditional political organization dedicated to winning elections.  It is also a social justice movement, the political home of societal change.

POLITICO Brexit Files: Rate rise — Austerity begat Brexit — Gove goes soft  —  TAKEAWAYS  —  MAY/MACRON MEETING.  The meeting between Theresa May and Emmanuel Macron tomorrow at the French president's holiday retreat at Fort de Brégançon in the south of France was called …