Trump rips LeBron James' smarts hours before rally in Ohio  —  BRIDGEWATER, N.J. (AP) — Ahead of campaigning in Ohio on Saturday, President Donald Trump unleashed a withering attack on the state's favorite son, savaging LeBron James in a late-night tweet that derided the intelligence …

STATEMENT ON STORE MERCHANDISE  —  The Newseum has removed the “You Are Very Fake News” t-shirts from the gift shop and online.  We made a mistake and we apologize.  A free press is an essential part of our democracy and journalists are not the enemy of the people.

Parkland Shooter Asked for Help, but Was Denied Before Shooting … A new report found Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz asked school officials for help months before he allegedly gunned down 14 fellow classmates and three adults—but the school district “did not follow through.”

Trump at a precarious moment in his presidency: Privately brooding and publicly roaring  —  In private, President Trump spent much of the past week brooding, like he often does.  He has been anxious about the Russia investigation's widening fallout, with his former campaign chairman now standing trial.

'The most bizarre thing I've ever been a part of': Trump panel found no widespread voter fraud, ex-member says  —  Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap, one of the 11 members of the commission formed by President Trump to investigate supposed voter fraud, issued a scathing rebuke …

Russia tasks Hollywood actor Seagal with improving U.S. ties  —  MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Saturday it had made U.S. actor Steven Seagal its special representative for Russian-U.S. humanitarian ties, a role it said was meant to deepen cultural, art and youth ties between the two countries.

Beyond the N.R.A.: Maria Butina's Peculiar Bid for Russian Influence  —  WASHINGTON — Twelve days after a young Russian gun-rights activist gained access to some of America's most prominent conservatives, at an elegant dinner near the Capitol, a Republican operative was eager to keep the momentum going.

Europe faces hottest day ever as temperatures soar to 48C  —  Europe is set to reach its hottest day ever as dangerous temperatures up to 48C are expected to hit Spain and Portugal this weekend.  —  The hottest temperature ever recorded in Europe was on 10 July 1977 when Athens in Greece reached 48C.

UCLA makes students pay classmates to promote ‘social justice’  — UCLA is paying 18 students $13/hour to combat “social injustices” and “privilege and oppression” on campus, shelling out up to $42,000 per year for the program.  — The “Diversity Peer Leaders” program is funded through …

New Documents From Kavanaugh's Time In The Bush White House Show He Worked On Key Questions Of Presidential Power  —  In the midst of a growing fight over what documents senators will see from Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's five years in the George W. Bush White House …

Axios AM  —  Subscribe  —  For the past month, Axios has been interviewing people who have been trusted with the nation's most sensitive secrets.  — The group includes seven former directors or deputy directors of the CIA, two former U.S. intelligence chiefs, a former Secretary of Homeland Security …

Trump Fans Are Suckers and QAnon Is Perfect for Them … Conspiracies are hard.  They're even harder when you're stupid.  —  They are, however, deeply compelling.  Some people need a single, grand unifying theory of why the world refuses to line up with their expectations.

Twitter is run by Democratic donors and activists  —  After Twitter was caught last month “shadow-banning” Republicans, while giving Democrats unrestricted voice, the social-media giant insisted it has no political agenda.  But records of its political contributions show board members …

Anarchy Breaks Out in Portland, With the Mayor's Blessing  —  A vicious mob targeted the ICE office and even a food cart.  The police followed orders to do nothing.  —  Portland, Ore.  —  Along the trolley tracks behind the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office …

I lived in an Iran under sanctions.  Here's what it's like.  —  This weekend, new U.S. sanctions on Iran's economy will go into effect.  The Trump administration promises they will be the most punitive in history.  The ones that President Barack Obama placed on Iran in 2012 were already among …

Scaled-back Senate recess creates a ‘coalition of the cranky’ in Congress  —  Democratic Sen. Patty Murray knew exactly what she would miss the most because of the Republican leadership's decision to eliminate much of the previously sacrosanct tradition of August recess.

Trump Will Have Blood on His Hands  —  His demonization of the news media won't fall on deaf ears.  —  The voice, if I had to guess, belongs to that of a white American male in late middle age.  The accent is faintly Southern, the manner taunting but relaxed.

Source: Hate group to be provided 3 private Metro rail cars ahead of Unite the Right rally  —  Metro's SafeTrack plan will add some additional weekend shutdowns and some of the program's surge schedules will be adjusted, General Manager Paul Wiedefeld announced Tuesday.  (ABC7)  —  AA

The Children at the Trump Rallies  —  Is the media's only role to be “an enemy of the people”?  Times photographer Damon Winter seeks connection to his fellow Americans at a recent Trump rally in Pennsylvania.  —  Damon Winter is a staff photographer for the Opinion section.