AP: National Enquirer's safe held damaging Trump stories  —  NEW YORK (AP) — The National Enquirer kept a safe containing documents on hush money payments and other damaging stories it killed as part of its cozy relationship with Donald Trump leading up to 2016 presidential election …

Manhattan D.A. Eyes Criminal Charges Against Trump Organization  —  The Manhattan district attorney's office is considering pursuing criminal charges against the Trump Organization and two senior company officials in connection with Michael D. Cohen's hush money payment to an adult film actress …

The Conspiracy Memo Aimed at Obama Aides that Circulated in the Trump White House  —  The 2017 document, titled the “Echo Chamber,” accused former Obama officials of undermining the incoming Administration.  —  In early 2017, some of Donald Trump's advisers concluded that they faced …

Trump sought his lawyers' advice weeks ago on possibility of pardoning Manafort but they counseled against it, Giuliani says  —  President Trump sought his lawyers' advice several weeks ago on the possibility of pardoning Manafort, Trump attorney Rudolph W. Giuliani said Thursday.

Republicans: Sessions gone after midterms  —  Republicans on Capitol Hill who have long protected Attorney General Jeff Sessions from the wrath of his own boss increasingly think his time is up.  —  Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee said Thursday evening that he believes “moves are being made” to oust Sessions after the midterm elections.

White House blocks bill that would protect elections  —  WASHINGTON — A bill that would have significantly bolstered the nation's defenses against electoral interference has been held up in the  —  Senate at the behest of the White House, which opposed the proposed legislation, according to congressional sources.

How Russian bots used Mollie Tibbetts' death to distract from Michael Cohen and Paul Manafort  —  A network of Russian-linked Twitter accounts are sharing thousands of divisive tweets about Mollie Tibbetts' death  —  A network of Russian-linked Twitter accounts have been disseminating divisive content …

This Conspiracy Theory Should Worry Trump  —  When two or more people join together to break the law, as Michael Cohen says he and the president did, the penalties can be harsh.  —  Mr. Katyal was an acting solicitor general in the Obama administration.  —  President Trump needs a new defense.

A Lone Holdout Juror Actually Made It More Likely That Paul Manafort Will Go to Jail Even if Trump Pardons Him  —  On Thursday, the Washington Post reported that President Donald Trump had recently discussed with his lawyers the prospect of issuing a pardon for Paul Manafort.

Kavanaugh's confirmation must wait  —  Tom Nichols is a professor at the Naval War College and a former Republican aide in the U.S. Senate.  —  There is no way Republicans will halt their march toward Brett M. Kavanaugh's confirmation as an associate justice of the Supreme Court.

Tech Companies Are Gathering For A Secret Meeting To Prepare A 2018 Election Strategy  —  Representatives from a host of the biggest US tech companies, including Facebook and Twitter, have scheduled a private meeting for Friday to share their tactics in preparation for the 2018 midterm elections.

We Already Know Trump Is Betraying His Country  —  Investigation or no, the evidence has always been right in front of us.  Here it is.  —  On Tuesday, President Trump brushed aside questions about the conviction of his former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, and a guilty plea by Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen.

BREAKING: Elections consultant fired over proposal to close Georgia precincts  —  The elections consultant who proposed closing most voting locations in a majority African-American rural Georgia county has been fired ahead of a vote Friday on consolidating precincts.

Mike Pompeo faces a moment of truth on North Korea  —  Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is making a bold and risky push to reinvigorate a diplomatic effort with North Korea that is struggling to make progress amid increasingly belligerent rhetoric from Pyongyang.

Who Is Julia Salazar?  Brooklyn State Senate Candidate's Complex Personal History and Views  —  It's impossible to walk around New York state Sen. Martin Dilan's north Brooklyn district without seeing his 27-year-old opponent peering out from the storefronts on Knickerbocker Avenue …

Facebook censored my column — and I still can't find out why  —  At 7:55 a.m. Thursday morning, I posted a story I had written for The New York Post on both Facebook and Twitter.  It was a reported piece on how people who voted for President Trump were feeling after both former Trump campaign …

‘Dangerous and poisoned’: Critics blast Trump for endorsing white nationalist conspiracy theory on South Africa  —  President Trump's promotion of a white nationalist conspiracy theory involving South Africa prompted fierce backlash there Thursday and fresh criticism in the United States …

Florida candidate says alien abduction doesn't define her  —  MIAMI (AP) — U.S. House candidate Bettina Rodriguez Aguilera has a long list of accomplishments to bolster her campaign in Florida.  But she is perhaps best known for claiming that she was abducted by space aliens as a child.

Mom Investigated by Cops, Children's Services for Letting 8-Year-Old Walk Dog Alone  —  It was a walk to remember — or forget.  —  Earlier this month, 8-year-old Dorothy Widen took her family dog Marshmallow for a walk around the block near her family's suburban Chicago home.

Thousands of federal defendants offer to help the government each year.  Trump says that ‘almost ought to be outlawed.’  —  In an interview with Fox News, President Trump shared the highly unusual opinion that it “almost ought to be outlawed” for federal criminal defendants to cooperate …

Orman repels bid by Democrats to strike his name off November ballot  —  Tim Carpenter TimVCarpenter  —  A challenge of the Kansas secretary of state's decision to allow independent candidate Greg Orman on the November ballot led Thursday to seven hours of laborious examination by a state board …

Shin Bet Grills German With ‘Palestinian Blood’ at Border Crossing  —  Your blood is Palestinian.' That was the fourth question a Shin Bet interrogator asked Nadim Sarrouh, a 34-year-old German citizen  —  “Your blood isn't German, right?  Your blood is Palestinian.”

It's not just fog turning the sky gray: SF air quality is 3 times worse than Beijing  —  Update: The Bay Area Air Quality Management District issued a Spare the Air Alert for the Bay Area for Thursday and Friday.  Read the full story here.  —  End of update.  —  The gray haze over San Francisco isn't just summer fog.

Second Fox News reporter leaves amid objections to network  —  In the Trump era, hard reporting is being crowded out by opinionated panels, current and former staffers say.  —  Another on-air reporter is leaving Fox News over frustrations with the direction and tone of the network …

Scott Morrison, a Pragmatic Conservative, Will Be Australia's New Prime Minister  —  A relative moderate in Australia's conservative party and an ally of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is poised to succeed him after a vote on Friday that capped days of chaos in the capital and underscored …