Groundbreaking Night for Women and Diversity, While a Trump Critic Falls  —  HARTLAND, Wis. — Tim Pawlenty, the former Minnesota governor and onetime presidential candidate, was soundly defeated Tuesday in his bid to reclaim the Republican nomination for governor, a remarkable upset …

‘People are terrified’: Trump staffers live in fear of Omarosa's next tape  —  Trump aides are suffering from the same type of psychological warfare that gripped Clinton's campaign during the WikiLeaks dumps.  —  A daily trickle of revealing internal conversations between staffers.

House: Three More GOP Seats Join the Toss Up Column  —  For Republicans, the 2018 House playing field is a lot like a game of Whack-a-Mole: everywhere they turn, new problems keep popping up in surprising places.  In January, we rated 20 GOP-held seats as Toss Ups or worse, including three leaning towards Democrats.

Let's Hope There Is No Tape of Trump Using the N-Word  —  But if there is ...  I hope there isn't a tape of Donald Trump using the N-word in a manner that's clearly meant to be offensive, bigoted, and derogatory.  —  We've now reached the stage where the existence of such a tape is not proven, but is more than theoretically possible.

Can Keith Ellison Turn Lawman?  —  Few races for state attorney general receive or merit national attention.  In yesterday's Democratic-Farmer-Labor party primary, however, 5th District Rep. Keith Ellison defeated the endorsed DFL candidate and other contenders to run as the party's candidate for the job.

Poised to Make History, Jahana Hayes Wins the 5th District Democratic Primary  —  Jahana Hayes wins the Democratic primary for 5th district defeating Mary Glassman Tuesday night.  (John Woike / Hartford Courant)  —  Jahana Hayes, the daughter of a drug addict who grew up in public housing …

Exclusive: Pentagon spokeswoman under investigation for misusing staff, retaliating against complaints  —  Washington (CNN)One of Defense Secretary James Mattis' most senior civilian advisers is being investigated by the Defense Department Office of Inspector General for allegedly retaliating …

‘We pay for it, we should have access to it,’ but police close Nunes office during rally  —  Clovis police were called and the building housing Congressman Devin Nunes' office was locked during a rally for Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security on Tuesday.  —  For more than a year …

'You're on your own,' &c.  —  In the past several days, I have noted three things in the media that bear on the struggle over conservatism.  Well, maybe more than three, but I would like to comment on three.  This will not be a very fun Impromptus, maybe — but, on the plus side, it'll be brief.

Why Trump will pardon Paul Manafort  —  Today saw a major development in the trial of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, as the defense decided not to call any witnesses.  So not only won't Manafort be testifying, neither will anyone else on his behalf.

Former U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman says cancer has returned to his lungs, ‘shaken my soul’  —  Coleman said his prognosis is not “overly optimistic,” but he will fight on.  —  TEXT SIZE  —  The throat and neck cancer that former U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman began battling almost three years ago …

Earnell Lucas defeats Richard Schmidt in Milwaukee County sheriff's race  —  Earnell Lucas, a Major League Baseball security official, won Tuesday's Democratic primary election for Milwaukee County sheriff and he becomes a sure bet to be hired by voters in November to a four-year term in the office.

Senate Intel Wants To Follow The Money In The Russia Probe.  But Treasury Isn't Making That Easy.  —  In its investigation of Russia's interference in the 2016 election, the Senate Intelligence Committee has spent more than a year trying to follow the money.

When a Young Trump Went to Russia  —  On a frigid December day in 2017, Oleg Kalugin opens the door of his house in Rockville, Maryland, an upper-middle-class suburb of Washington, D.C., to meet me.  Nothing in particular distinguishes his split-level suburban home from those of the other professionals …

Mueller Probe Seen Pushing Past Trump-Demanded September 1 Deadline  — Giuliani says will ‘unload’ on Mueller if probe lasts longer  — DOJ guidelines don't bar indictments in period before election  —  Special Counsel Robert Mueller doesn't have to shut down his Russia investigation …

Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer concedes GOP primary to Trump ally Kris Kobach  —  Exactly a week after an election that produced one of the closest races in Kansas history, incumbent Gov. Jeff Colyer conceded the Republican gubernatorial primary to Kris Kobach, the Kansas secretary of state …

Hostility unabated: Colorado seeks to punish cake artist Jack Phillips again  —  ADF attorneys file suit against state officials  —  DENVER - Although the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June that Colorado cannot treat cake artist Jack Phillips differently than others, state officials have continued …

Catholic Church Covered Up Child Sex Abuse in Pennsylvania for Decades, Grand Jury Says  —  Bishops and other leaders of the Roman Catholic Church in Pennsylvania covered up child sexual abuse by hundreds of priests over a period of 70 years, persuading victims not to report the abuse …

Exclusive: Draft details Trump's plan for reversing Obama climate rule  —  A portion of the rule obtained by POLITICO shows Trump's EPA easing the planned limits on the pollution from power generators driving climate change.  —  The Trump administration is preparing to unveil its plan …

Commentary: A Holocaust denier is running for Congress.  One of his constituents would be Auschwitz prisoner No. 27,276.  —  Concentration camp victims are led through the Auschwitz-Birkenau gate in 1945.  Stasia “Stella” Dorna of Chicago was transported there when she was 14.  (Getty Images)

How Can I Cure My White Guilt?  —  The thing about privilege is that it can be used for good. … Steve Almond: Shame and anger are powerful emotions, Whitey.  And yet your central struggle is around identity.  You write that you don't know your place.  In fact, your letter describes …

'The guy's not right': Morning Joe raises new questions about Trump's mental health  —  MSNBC's Joe Scarborough has been surprised by President Donald Trump's inability to enlarge his support, saying he had believed his former friend's pathological need to be liked would outweigh his other negative personality traits.

Did I Join a Movement That Naturally Attracts Extremists and Kooks? … This week's news about Omarosa secretly taping chief of staff John Kelly and President Donald Trump is yet another reminder of something about Trumpworld: Politics has always attracted eccentric opportunists, but people in this administration are especially weird.