POLITICO Playbook: Trump mulls a pre-election shutdown with Rush, and a pre-election anti-Pelosi ad  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  SIREN ... REPUBLICANS are becoming increasingly concerned that they will lose the special election in Ohio's 12th congressional district, which would be a horrible sign for their election prospects this fall.

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.

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.

Trump Unveils His Plan to Weaken Car Pollution 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 unveiled 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 …

Latest New York Times Hire Also Had Relationship With White Nationalist Hacker  —  The New York Times seems to be going through a redux with its latest hire of Sarah Jeong — who The Daily Caller News Foundation has just learned also had multiple correspondences with the white nationalist …

Mueller wants to interview Russian pop star Emin Agalarov, lawyer says  —  The son of a Russian oligarch helped set up the now infamous 2016 Trump Tower meeting.  —  Special counsel Robert Mueller has requested an interview with Russian pop star Emin Agalarov, who helped set …

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 …

Aide to Trump-confidant Roger Stone ordered to appear before Mueller grand jury  —  A former aide to longtime President Trump confidant Roger Stone must testify before the special counsel's grand jury, a federal judge in Washington ruled Thursday.  —  The judge rejected a challenge from Andrew Miller …

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?

Facebook Is The World's Biggest Right-Wing Media Company  —  The conservative movement, led by President Trump, has been engaged in a months-long campaign to intimidate tech-media platforms like Facebook out of policing disinformation, and into maximizing the reach of right-wing content …

Fox, Ben Affleck & Matt Damon Win Hot Package On Multi-Million Dollar Theft Of McDonald's Monopoly Game  —  EXCLUSIVE: Fox is poised to win the hot lit property in the marketplace at the moment, a giant Happy Meal that everyone wanted.  Ben Affleck is attached to direct …

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 …

PSE sends racial slur to black woman  —  SEATTLE - An African-American woman says Puget Sound Energy emailed her a racial slur to use as the temporary password to her online account.  —  Erica Conway believes the insult was deliberate and wants the company to get to the bottom of it.

SENATE VOTES TO RELEASE DOCS ON ALLEGED RUSSIAN AGENT — Flake checks in from Zimbabwe — GRAHAM-TRUMP RELATIONSHIP MAY BE TESTED AGAIN — Pelosi and Trump dominate deadlocked Ohio special election  —  THE INVESTIGATIONS — The Senate acted yesterday afternoon to release documents relevant …

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 …

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.

Woman accused of hitting car in Hyannis after confrontation over bumper sticker  —  Tuesday  —  BARNSTABLE — A Taunton woman accused of intentionally driving into a man's car a month ago after becoming enraged by a Trump bumper sticker pleaded not guilty Monday in Barnstable District Court …

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 …

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 …

‘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 …

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.

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 …

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.

Not drinking alcohol in middle age increases dementia risk, says report  —  Not drinking in middle age can increase the risk of dementia as much as drinking too much, according to a report.  —  The study tracked the drinking habits of 9,000 London civil servants between the ages of 35 and 55 from 1985 to 1993.

Privately, Intel Officials Back Shutting Out Brennan, Clapper  —  President Trump has been criticized for politicizing the intelligence community by threatening to strip the security clearances of former top officials including John Brennan and James Clapper.

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.