Judge halts mother-daughter deportation, threatens to hold Sessions in contempt  —  This is a developing story.  It will be updated.  —  A federal judge in Washington halted an apparent deportation in progress Thursday and threatened to hold Attorney General Jeff Sessions in contempt …

On day hundreds of new votes found in Kansas, Colyer calls on Kobach to recuse self  —  The gap between Gov. Jeff Colyer and Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach narrowed to roughly 100 votes on Thursday as the rival Republicans began to show signs that the election may ultimately be decided in a courthouse.

White anxiety finds a home at Fox News  —  Critics accuse Fox News host of racism  —  It wasn't so much a dog whistle as it was an airhorn.  Or perhaps a primal scream.  But whatever it was, Laura Ingraham's forceful denunciation of “massive demographic changes” served as another raw example …

Michael Avenatti in Iowa: 'I'm exploring a run for the presidency of the United States'  —  Michael Avenatti, 2020?  Stormy Daniels' lawyer says he could be the latest unlikely candidate to throw his hat into the ring.  Nathan Rousseau Smith has more.  Buzz60  —  CONNECT  —  Michael Avenatti has arrived in Iowa.

Melania Trump's Parents Become U.S. Citizens as Lawyer Acknowledges ‘Chain Migration’  —  Melania Trump's parents were briskly sworn in as citizens of the United States in New York on Thursday.  —  Viktor and Amalija Knavs, formerly of Slovenia, wore suits and sunglasses as they entered 26 Federal Plaza …

The handwritten notes exposing what Fusion GPS told DOJ about Trump  —  A memory stick quietly exchanged in a coffee shop.  —  An admission of a “Hail Mary” leak.  —  An unmistakable effort to push the Russia investigation closer to Donald Trump  —  's inner circle with uncorroborated tales.

Manafort trial Day 8: A heated exchange, judge admits fault, Airbnb enters the spotlight  —  The federal judge overseeing the Paul Manafort trial took another shot at special counsel Robert Mueller's team Thursday afternoon, even after conceding earlier in the day that a criticism he leveled at prosecutors on Wednesday was erroneous.

U.S. Officials Scrambled Behind the Scenes to Shield NATO Deal From Trump  —  John R. Bolton, the national security adviser, pushed NATO ambassadors to finish a critical policy document before the alliance's summit meeting last month so the president could not reject it.  —  August 9, 2018

The Outrage Over Sarah Jeong  —  Let he who is without a bad tweet cast the first stone.  —  In March, a liberal furor erupted when The Atlantic magazine briefly hired Kevin Williamson, a conservative writer with National Review.  Several years earlier, Williamson had written a short tweet …

Twitter says Infowars hasn't ‘violated our rules.’ It looks like that's not the case  —  Why Facebook,YouTube and Apple are removing InfoWars content  —  Twitter's vice president for trust and safety, Del Harvey, told employees in an email on Wednesday that if far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones …

James Bond Producers Are Reportedly Leaning Toward Idris Elba as the Next 007  —  Dreams maybe do come true.  —  There are a lot of actors who  —  could  —  play 007 once Daniel Craig retires from the role he despises: Tom Hardy, Michael Fassbender (even though he's Irish), Tom Hiddleston …

After Being Destroyed, Trump's Walk of Fame Star Multiplies  —  A crew laminated vinyl stars and placed them on blank squares in Hollywood.  —  Donald Trump's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame — destroyed on several occasions by detractors who sometimes wield a pick-ax …

Sarah Jeong and the Question of “Context”  —  Two years ago, the ESPN host Bomani Jones appeared on the network's “Mike & Mike” morning show wearing a T-shirt that seemed, at first glance, to bear the logo of Cleveland's baseball team, but, in place of the trademark cursive “Indians,” …

GOP Rep. Chris Collins used campaign funds to pay legal bills for insider-trading investigations  — Rep. Chris Collins, R-N.Y., used campaign funds to pay legal bills while he faced investigation for alleged insider trading for more than a year.  — A federal criminal investigation culminated …

Court orders ban on harmful pesticide, says EPA violated law  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court ruled Thursday that the Trump administration endangered public health by keeping a widely used pesticide on the market despite extensive scientific evidence that even tiny levels of exposure can harm babies' brains.

Puerto Rico concedes Hurricane Maria deaths more than 1,400  —  SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico has conceded that Hurricane Maria killed more than 1,400 people on the island last year and not just the 64 in the official death toll.  —  The government acknowledged the higher death toll …

How Bad are Things for the GOP?  A Democratic House Candidate got 30,000 Write-In Votes in Michigan  —  In April, Michigan officials who oversee elections kicked Democrat Matt Morgan off the congressional ballot, leaving the Republican incumbent, Rep. Jack Bergman, to run unopposed in the general election.

‘Hitler was right’: KC area winner of Missouri House primary leaves trail of bigotry  —  On his Monday morning radio show, Steve West promotes fanatical conspiracies about “Jewish cabals” that are “harvesting baby parts” through Planned Parenthood, that torture and molest children and that run the Republican Party.

Tax-dodging Trump flunky won't fly the US flag on her $40 million yacht  —  Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is dodging more than $2 million worth of taxes by registering her yacht in the Cayman Islands rather than the United States.  —  Trump often roars about the need to respect the flag …

“It Was All True”: Minnesota Attorney General's Former Deputy Speaks Out About Participation in Political Work  —  On Monday, The Intercept reported that Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson relied on her official government staff for political work, sourced largely to unnamed employees.

Pelosi is the star of GOP attack ads, worrying Democrats upbeat about midterms  —  While Democrats grow optimistic about their chances of taking control of the House in November, they are increasingly anxious that the presence of their longtime and polarizing leader, Nancy Pelosi …

Revealed: details of exclusive Russian deal offered to Arron Banks in Brexit run-up  —  Leaked document lays out for first time deal proposed to Leave.EU backer, sparking new questions over Moscow's role  —  The full details of Russia's gold deal offer to Arron Banks ahead of the EU referendum …

Tennessee executes killer with controversial drug that Justice Sotomayor said could inflict ‘torturous pain’  —  Tennessee executed Billy Ray Irick on Thursday night, after the U.S. Supreme Court denied a final request to stay his execution.  Convicted of the 1985 rape and murder of 7-year-old Paula Dyer …