Apple Is Removing Alex Jones And Infowars' Podcasts From iTunes  —  Apple has removed the entire library for five of Infowars' six podcasts from its iTunes and Podcast apps, BuzzFeed News has learned.  Among the podcasts, which were removed from Apples' iTunes directory, are the show …

The White House's story on the Trump Tower meeting shifts — yet again  —  First Read is your briefing from “Meet the Press” and the NBC Political Unit on the day's most important political stories and why they matter.  —  WASHINGTON — First, it was just about adoptions.

Democrats surging on eve of pivotal special election  —  Republicans have deployed the full machinery of the party to avoid defeat in the final special election before the midterms.  —  WESTERVILLE, OHIO — The entire Republican Party machinery has converged on this suburban Columbus district …

Steel Giants With Ties to Trump Officials Block Tariff Relief for Hundreds of Firms  —  WASHINGTON — Two of America's biggest steel manufacturers — both with deep ties to Trump administration officials — have successfully objected to hundreds of requests by American companies that buy foreign steel …

It's Looking Extremely Likely That QAnon Is A Leftist Prank On Trump Supporters  —  There's a growing group of Trump supporters who are convinced that the president is secretly trying to save the world from a global pedophilia ring.  —  They call the conspiracy “QAnon” and last week its believers ended up on national television.

In 2008, America Stopped Believing in the American Dream  —  If you were standing in the smoldering ashes of 9/11 trying to peer into the future, you might have been overjoyed to discover this happy snapshot of 2018: There has been no subsequent major terrorist attack on America from Al Qaeda or its heirs.

Saudi Arabia expels Canadian ambassador after Ottawa criticizes arrests of Saudi activists  —  OTTAWA — Saudi Arabia ordered the expulsion on Monday of the Canadian ambassador and the halting of all new trade and investment deals between the two countries after Canada said it was …

25 shot in multiple-victim shootings over 2.5 hours in Chicago: 'If they shoot you, they don't even run'  —  At least 41 people were shot in Chicago from 11 a.m. Saturday, August 4, 2018, through Sunday morning, four fatally.  Many of those injured were treated at Stroger Hospital.

AP FACT CHECK: Trump's imagined steel mills, Russian ‘hoax’  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is imagining steel mill openings that aren't happening and in denial about Russia's role in the 2016 presidential election.  —  He points broadly to a “Russian hoax,” …

‘Too Little Too Late’: Bankruptcy Booms Among Older Americans  —  For a rapidly growing share of older Americans, traditional ideas about life in retirement are being upended by a dismal reality: bankruptcy.  —  The signs of potential trouble — vanishing pensions, soaring medical expenses …

The spot where Emmett Till's body was found is marked by this sign.  People keep shooting it up.  —  Emmett Till's black, broken body was plucked from the Tallahatchie River in Mississippi days after his killing in August 1955, a heavy cotton gin fan tied on his neck with barbed wire.

U.S. Senator Invites Russian Lawmakers to Washington for Talks  — Russian senators invited by Rand Paul after talks in Moscow  — Meeting signals Russia's desire for dialogue, Kosachyov says  —  U.S. Senator Rand Paul said he invited Russian lawmakers to Washington …

Yemen: US allies spin deals with al-Qaida in war on rebels  —  ATAQ, Yemen (AP) — Again and again over the past two years, a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia and backed by the United States has claimed it won decisive victories that drove al-Qaida militants from their strongholds across Yemen …

Pompeo says sanctions a pillar of US policy toward Iran  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says renewed U.S. sanctions on Iran will be rigorously enforced and remain in place until the Iranian government radically changes course.  —  Speaking to reporters en route …

Top 2020 Democrats missing in Iowa but working backchannel  —  DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa State Fair opens this week, complete with its signature deep-fried Oreos and prize hog judging.  Country star Reba McEntire will be on the grandstand, but another type of celebrity will be missing: marquee names eyeing the White House.

The Washington Post to publish book examining Russian interference in 2016 election  —  Greg Miller has covered national security since 9/11 — first for the Los Angeles Times, and since 2010 for The Washington Post.  The past two years have been unlike any of the rest.  —  “It's really bewildering,” he said.

The soft bigotry of the New York Times  —  If l'affaire Jeong has taught us one thing, it's that the people who claim most vociferously to be anti-racist are nothing of the sort.  On the contrary, they're obsessed with race, seeing almost everything through the prism of ethnicity.

How Trump Radicalized ICE  —  Settling into a sense of safety is hard when your life's catalog of memories teaches you the opposite lesson.  Imagine: You fled from a government militia intent on murdering you; swam across a river with the uncertain hope of sanctuary on the far bank …

Republicans eye another ACA repeal vote if midterms go their way  —  Many Republicans assume their party will take another stab at repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act if the midterm elections go their way, even though GOP candidates aren't making a big deal about it on the campaign trail.

Amid James flap, Melania Trump again charts her own course  —  BRIDGEWATER, N.J. (AP) — A deliberately crafted statement.  A conspicuous fashion choice.  A sudden silence or withdrawal from the public eye.  —  First lady Melania Trump's move to distance herself from President Donald Trump's criticism …

Rick Gates — and the lies he's admitted telling — to take center stage at Manafort trial  —  Whom to believe — the accused liar, or the admitted one?  A Virginia jury is expected to wrestle with that question this week, when it is scheduled to hear testimony from the former protege of Paul Manafort …

Forget left and right.  This is what will determine the midterms.  —  Politics is regularly described in terms of “left” vs. “right.”  But other binaries can be more relevant.  “Forward” vs. “backward” often define a choice facing an electorate better than the standard ideological categories.