Cohen, Trump's Ex-Lawyer, Investigated for Bank Fraud in Excess of $20 Million  —  Federal authorities investigating whether President Trump's former personal lawyer and fixer, Michael D. Cohen, committed bank and tax fraud have zeroed in on well over $20 million in loans obtained by taxi businesses …

Team Trump still isn't telling the truth about that 2016 Trump Tower meeting  —  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 — For all the attention to Rudy Giuliani's …

Asia Argento, Who Accused Weinstein, Made Deal With Her Own Accuser  —  The Italian actress and director Asia Argento was among the first women in the movie business to publicly accuse the producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault.  She became a leading figure in the #MeToo movement.

John Brennan's Choice to Confront Trump  —  Just before noon on January 20, 2017, John Brennan, the outgoing C.I.A. director, drove to the home of a former colleague to watch Donald Trump take the oath of office.  President Obama's most trusted intelligence advisers had come together …

“A blue wave is obscuring a red exodus”  —  Dave Wasserman, the Cook Political Report's House analyst, says the most under-covered aspect of 2018 is that “a blue wave is obscuring a red exodus.”  Republican House members are retiring at a startling clip — a trend that senior White House …

The Media Keeps Giving Trump the Benefit of the Doubt on Collusion  —  Throughout the Russia scandal, President Trump has acted flamboyantly guilty, most recently by comparing himself implicitly with Richard Nixon during Watergate, and dismissing informants as “rats.”

A Corrupt Lobbyist's Influence in the Cuomo Administration Is Revealed in Newly Disclosed Emails  —  ALBANY — In January 2016, as Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo was preparing his annual State of the State address, some high-placed state officials knew they had a problem.

Shots fired at gate of US Embassy in Turkey; no one hurt  —  ISTANBUL (AP) — Shots were fired from a moving car at the U.S. Embassy in Turkey before dawn on Monday, an attack that came during heightened tensions between the two NATO allies.  —  There were no casualties and no claim …

Inside Trump's Judicial Takeover  —  How conservative operatives and Senate Republicans are helping the president pack the courts at a record pace  —  One evening last November, Don McGahn, the top lawyer in the Trump White House, walked onstage in an opulent ballroom at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington …

Korean Families, Separated for 6 Decades, Are Briefly Reunited  —  SEOUL, South Korea — For two hours on Monday, a 92-year-old woman held her son's hand and looked him in the eyes for the first time in more than 65 years, as family members from North and South Korea were permitted a rare chance …

Zephyr Teachout Is the Right Choice as Attorney General for Democrats  —  The office is a potential firewall against an out-of-control president and a historically corrupt New York State government.  —  The editorial board represents the opinions of the board, its editor and the publisher.

Los Angeles Times Names Sewell Chan a Deputy Managing Editor  —  Chan joins editorial leadership team where he'll focus on news for digital and print audiences  —  The Los Angeles Times said that Sewell Chan has been named a deputy managing editor.  He will report directly to Times Executive Editor Norman Pearlstine.

Congressman Alcee Hastings says ‘something is tragically wrong’ with Donald Trump's mind  —  U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings on stage at the Sunrise Civic Center Theater on Aug. 19, 2018, before he took over as emcee of a “Stronger Together” rally sponsored by 16 Broward County Democratic Clubs.

Trump Says He Has ‘Obliterated’ ISIS.  The Terror Group Seems Not To Have Noticed.  —  New reports estimate as many as 30,000 ISIS fighters in Iraq and Syria about the same as a few years ago.  —  WASHINGTON While President Donald Trump claims he has “eradicated,” “wiped out” and even …

The NYT's Strange Insistence That Bruce Ohr Is a Big Nobody  —  He was actually associate deputy attorney general until recently.  —  Since late 2017, Justice Department official Bruce Ohr has emerged as a central character in the Trump dossier saga, including the contested way the dossier's allegations …

Tesla pares losses in volatile trading after falling below $300  — The latest drop comes after J.P. Morgan slashed its year-end price target to $190 a share from $308.  — The analyst said funding for Musk's proposal to take the company private “appears to not have been secured.”

One of my favorite parts of summer is deciding what to read when things slow down just a bit, whether it's on a vacation with family or just a quiet afternoon.  This summer I've been absorbed by new novels, revisited an old classic, and reaffirmed my faith in our ability to move forward together when we seek the truth.