Manafort Sought Deal in Next Trial, but Talks Broke Down  —  Negotiations stalled after Mueller raised issues  —  Paul Manafort's defense team held talks with prosecutors to resolve a second set of charges against the former Trump campaign chairman before he was convicted last week …

GOP senator praises McCain but says he's ‘partially to blame’ for White House flag controversy  —  Washington (CNN)Republican Sen. James Inhofe told reporters Monday that Sen. John McCain was “partially to blame” for the controversy over the lowering of the White House flag.

“Trump Is Nuts.  This Time Really Feels Different”: Trump Rejects “War Council” Intervention, Goes It Alone  —  With his closest allies defecting, the president increasingly trusts only his instincts.  He “got joy” from stripping former C.I.A. director John Brennan's security clearance.

BREAKING: Divided Three Judge Court Holds North Carolina Congressional Redistricting an Unconstitutional Partisan Gerrymander, Considers New Districts for 2018 Elections  —  In a case with potentially national implications both short term and long, a three judge district court in North Carolina …

Lanny Davis Says He Was A Source For CNN's Trump Tower Story  —  Attorney Lanny Davis says he was an anonymous source in a July CNN story that reported his client, Michael Cohen, had privately claimed that President Trump had advance knowledge of the infamous Trump Tower meeting between his son …

In Defending Trump, Is Giuliani a Shrewd Tactician — or ‘Untethered’?  —  Rudolph Giuliani, President Trump's lawyer, detailed for the first time his strategy for representing the president, in blunt and divisively political terms.  —  The man identified these days as President Trump's lawyer seems vaguely familiar.

The Catholic abuse scandal now leads all the to way the Vatican  —  An ecclesial straight shooter.  A reliable character.  A serious man.  That's how sources familiar with Carlo Maria Viganò describe the Italian archbishop, who served as the Vatican ambassador to the United States from 2011 to 2016.

Ted Cruz Opts for Campaign Trail Instead of Senate Votes  —  When Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell nixed much of the August recess, it raised the prospect that vulnerable Democrats might miss valuable campaign time, but it appears to also be having an effect on Republicans.  Case in point: Sen. Ted Cruz.

IG Confirms Trump's Involvement in FBI Headquarters Project Across From His Hotel  —  President Donald Trump was more intimately involved in the debate over relocating the FBI headquarters than Congress was told, a new inspector general report finds.  —  Rep. Gerald E. Connolly …

Bloomberg News reassigned reporter after Wells Fargo CEO called to complain  —  A Bloomberg News reporter who covered Wells Fargo was reassigned earlier this year after the bank's CEO called the news organization's editor in chief and complained about the reporter, multiple people familiar with the matter told CNN.

Tibbetts' father: Hispanic locals ‘Iowans with better food’  —  BROOKLYN, Iowa (AP) — The killing of University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts has prompted criticism of the U.S. immigration system because the man charged in her death is a Mexican farmworker.

Secret message board drives 'pizzagate'-style harassment campaign of small businesses  —  The theorists are inspired in part by a far-right news website that has been used by prominent Republicans for fundraising efforts.  —  In January, Andrew Richmond, a co-founder of a Toronto-based chain …

Whistleblower Exposes Key Player in FBI Russia Probe: “It was all a Set-up”  —  Former DOD employee uncovered a long history of questionable behavior by FBI informant  —  Key player in Russia probe appears to have significant ties to Russian government  —  Adam Lovinger, a former Defense …

Poll: Rep. Duncan Hunter leads by 8 points in reelection bid following federal indictment  —  U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter leaves an arraignment hearing Thursday, Aug. 23, 2018, in San Diego.  Hunter and his wife Margaret pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges they illegally used his campaign account for personal expenses.

APNewsBreak: Nation's top student loan official resigns  —  NEW YORK (AP) — The top government official overseeing the $1.5 trillion student loan market resigned Monday, citing what he says is the White House's open hostility toward protecting the nation's millions of student loan borrowers.

‘The Conners’: John Goodman Says Roseanne Barr Character Will Be Killed Off - Report  —  John Goodman did not go into detail but confirmed to The Sunday Times Roseanne Barr's character will be killed off in the upcoming The Conners spinoff.  —  When talking about the new iteration of the series …

Why Trump cancelled Pompeo's trip to North Korea  —  Last Thursday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced he was departing on his fourth trip to Pyongyang.  On Friday, just hours before Pompeo was supposed to leave, President Trump tweeted that the trip was off.

Here Are The Rumors And Hoaxes We're Tracking About The Jacksonville Shooting  —  A shooting at a Madden NFL 19 tournament in Jacksonville, Florida, left two dead and 11 injured Sunday.  The suspect has been named as David Katz, a participant in the tournament.

‘Rachel Maddow Show’ Tops Cable For Fourth Consecutive Night, Even With Guest Host  —  No Rachel Maddow, no problem for MSNBC.  The Rachel Maddow Show extended its winning streak over all of cable to four nights on Friday, despite Ali Velshi filling in as its host.

Kushner Companies and Michael Cohen Accused of Falsifying Building Permits to Push Out Tenants  —  Charles Kushner, the developer whose son Jared Kushner is a senior adviser to President Trump, and Michael Cohen, the president's former personal lawyer, face scrutiny in New York for claims …

Death in the Age of Narcissism  —  But enough about John McCain.  Here's some more about me.  —  Just before and after John McCain's death on Saturday, I read many tweets, Facebook posts and essays that beautifully captured his importance.  —  I read many that were equally concerned with the importance of their authors:

Report: Baylor Secretly Infiltrated Sexual Assault Survivor Groups  —  According to a report from PR Week, Baylor officials placed a mole within several support groups for sexual assault survivors as a way to control their messaging and keep the university from looking bad.