Trump rejected plans for a White House statement praising McCain  —  President Trump nixed issuing a statement that praised the heroism and life of Sen. John McCain, telling senior aides he preferred to issue a tweet before posting one Saturday night that did not include any kind words for the late Arizona Republican.

Scoop: Republicans secretly study their coming hell  —  Congressional Republicans are getting ready for hell.  Axios has obtained a spreadsheet that's circulated through Republican circles on and off Capitol Hill — including at least one leadership office — that meticulously previews …

Student Loan Watchdog Quits; Blames Trump Administration  —  The federal official in charge of protecting student borrowers from predatory lending practices has stepped down.  —  In a scathing resignation letter, Seth Frotman, who until now was the Student Loan Ombudsman …

Glenn Greenwald, the Bane of Their Resistance  —  A leftist journalist's bruising crusade against establishment Democrats—and their Russia obsession.  —  Like a man in the first draft of a limerick, Tennys Sandgren is a tennis player from Tennessee.  Last winter, after scraping his way onto …

Nuns Killed Children, Say Former Residents Of St. Joseph's Catholic Orphanage  —  Millions of American children were placed in orphanages.  Some didn't make it out alive.  —  It was a late summer afternoon, Sally Dale recalled, when the boy was thrown through the fourth-floor window.

Mexican official says NAFTA talks with the US have ‘concluded,’ deal announcement coming  — Officials were in Washington trying to hammer out the details as the Trump administration pushes to remake the 1994 agreement between the U.S., Mexico and Canada.  — There was some hope …

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette no longer prints a daily newspaper  —  Saturday and Tuesday papers are a thing of the past now.  —  Pittsburgh is now the largest city in America without a daily newspaper.  —  After many iterations, Pittsburgh's last remaining daily, the 232-year-old Pittsburgh Post-Gazette …

John McCain's Epiphany About Paul Manafort  —  A central feature of John McCain's biography was his capacity for change.  After he sullied himself in the Savings and Loan scandal of the late eighties, he self-consciously transformed into a warrior on behalf of the cause of political reform.

‘Sleeper’ case could torpedo Mueller report  —  It might even keep the special counsel from sending a report to Congress, shaking Democrats' hopes that such a document could provide the impetus for impeachment proceedings.  —  A little-noticed court case stemming from the apparent murder …

It Would Take Only a Single Senator  —  A few days ago I wrote a long item about changing assessments of Donald Trump: which first impressions had held up, and which had called for second thoughts over time.  —  The last part of the post concerned the main, and depressing, area where second thoughts were called for.

Hard Partying and a Corruption Scandal: Duncan Hunter's Political Life Unravels  —  SAN DIEGO — In Alpine, Calif., a suburban Southern California enclave, Duncan Hunter was a good neighbor.  He'd help people do yard work, or move heavy furniture.  He drove the same dented-up truck for years.

Baltimore man identified as gunman in Jacksonville shooting  —  Federal authorities were at a home near in Baltimore's Inner Harbor on Sunday night as part of an investigation into the Jacksonville mass shooting.  (Justin Fenton / Baltimore Sun)  —  A Baltimore man has been identified …

Democrats fret Nelson is choking in Florida Senate race  —  Nelson's laid-back style and fundraising deficit have left Democrats concerned that Rick Scott will trounce him.  —  When Sen. Claire McCaskill began to choke in a Democratic Caucus lunch in June, Sen. Bill Nelson stepped in to perform the Heimlich maneuver.

Bad News for U.S. Papers, but Tariffs Are Paying Off for One Rock Capital  —  Private-equity firm headed by a Washington and Wall Street veteran pushed for the tariffs on behalf of its North Pacific Paper and hope they are affirmed in a coming trace-commission vote

Rauner vetoes bill that would set minimum teacher salary at $40,000 within five years  —  Gov. Bruce Rauner takes questions from the media July 16, 2018.  Rauner on Aug. 26, 2018, vetoed legislation that would have raised the minimum salary for an Illinois teacher to $40,000 within five years.

Attorney for Michael Cohen backs away from confidence that Cohen has information about Trump's knowledge on Russian efforts  —  An attorney for Michael Cohen, President Trump's former lawyer, is backing away from confident assertions he made that Cohen has information to share with investigators …

Feminist-themed beer hall will be neighbors with new Playboy Club  —  This could get awkward.  —  A feminist-themed beer hall is opening next month on West 42nd Street — and it will be located just two doors down from the new Playboy Club.  —  Treadwell Park, a popular craft-beer joint …

Vigano letter exposes the putsch against Pope Francis  —  Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano's testimony proves one thing: The former Vatican ambassador to the United States is to the clergy sex abuse crisis what Oliver Stone is to the assassination of President John Kennedy …

Kansans drank contaminated water for years.  The state didn't tell them.  —  The state allowed hundreds of residents in two Wichita-area neighborhoods to drink contaminated water for years without telling them, despite warning signs of contamination close to water wells used for drinking, washing and bathing.

Is Pam Bondi auditioning for Fox News while still working for Florida taxpayers?  —  Bondi sought ethics commission approval before spending three days co-hosting “The Five,” a news talk show.  —  Pam Bondi is still the attorney general of Florida, at least for another four months.