CNN Poll: Trump approval down 6 points in a month, hits low among independents  —  WASHINGTON (CNN)President Donald Trump's approval rating has fallen 6 points in the last month and stands at a new low among political independents, according to a new CNN Poll conducted by SSRS.

Alleged Russian agent Maria Butina was paid to pursue access to Vladimir Putin for TV show  —  Maria Butina, the alleged Russian agent who stands accused of developing a covert influence operation in the United States, boasted of connections to high-ranking Kremlin officials and was even paid …

Omarosa Releases Tape of Sarah Huckabee Sanders Agreeing With Trump's ‘Lies’  —  In a new tape played by Omarosa Manigault Newman on ‘The View,’ Sarah Huckabee Sanders can be heard confirming Trump's distortion of the Russia story.  —  With Bob Woodward's new book climbing the best-seller charts ahead …

A note from the editor of the Houston Chronicle  —  In these challenging times for our country, with journalism and journalists often under attack, trust between a newspaper and its readers is absolutely essential.  —  We spend our days trying to ferret out the truth on school quality …

New Texts Reveal FBI Leaked Information to the Press to Damage Trump  —  Rep. Meadows sent a letter to Deputy AG Rosenstein saying a “review of the new documents raises greave concerns regarding an apparent systemic culture of media leaking by high-ranking officials at the FBI and DOJ related to ongoing investigations”

Why John Bolton vs. Int'l Criminal Court 2.0 is Different from Version 1.0  —  It is tempting to read or listen to John Bolton's speech on the International Criminal Court (ICC) and think, we've seen this movie before and know its ending.  And in many ways, that's true.

Hurricane Florence prompts mandatory evacuations  —  How are you preparing for Hurricane Florence?  Text, iMessage or WhatsApp your videos, photos and stories to CNN: 347-322-0415  —  Wilmington, North Carolina (CNN)As Hurricane Florence approaches the East Coast of the United States …

Trump Administration Wants to Make It Easier to Release Methane Into Air  —  WASHINGTON — The Trump administration, taking its third major step this year to roll back federal efforts to fight climate change, is preparing to make it significantly easier for energy companies to release methane into the atmosphere.

SEE IT: Cynthia Nixon Orders Cinnamon Raisin Bagel With... Lox And Capers  —  There's something about New York's endless supply of authentic eateries that transforms aspiring politicians into weird aliens who've never before encountered the concept of food: Back in the 1970s …

Bob Woodward's publisher says it's printing 1 million copies of ‘Fear’  —  What Woodward's book says about Trump's fitness  —  Bob Woodward's book “Fear” is already one of the biggest publishing success stories of the year.  —  And it still isn't even in bookstores yet.

The Last 2018 Primary Briefing: New Hampshire, Rhode Island And New York  —  All good things must come to an end.  After six months, 19 election days and seven live blogs, it's time to say goodbye to primary season.  But before you grieve, a parting gift: three consecutive nights of electiony goodness.

Trump's latest boast about the economy isn't even close to accurate  —  (CNN)President Donald Trump spent the morning bragging about the economy.  At least one of his claims didn't come close to being true.  —  “The GDP Rate (4.2%) is higher than the Unemployment Rate (3.9%) …

Adam Clymer, Political Reporter, Editor and Pollster, Dies at 81  —  Adam Clymer, who covered congressional intrigue, eight presidential campaigns and the downfall of both Nikita S. Khrushchev and Richard M. Nixon as a reporter and editor for The New York Times and other newspapers, died early Monday at his home in Washington.

Did Brett Kavanaugh call birth control abortion-inducing drugs?  No  —  Democrats rallied around Judge Brett Kavanaugh's reference to popular contraceptive methods as “abortion-inducing” during his Supreme Court confirmation hearing.  —  Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., tweeted an 11-second clip …

Can Mark Zuckerberg Fix Facebook Before It Breaks Democracy?  —  The most famous entrepreneur of his generation is facing a public reckoning with the power of Big Tech.  —  At ten o'clock on a weekday morning in August, Mark Zuckerberg, the chairman and C.E.O. of Facebook …

Sessions Urged Immigration Judges To Show Less Sympathy, Setting Off A Firestorm Of Complaints  —  Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Monday warned incoming immigration judges that lawyers representing immigrants are trying to get around the law like “water seeping through an earthen dam” …

Ken Starr says he considered perjury charges against Hillary Clinton, in explosive new memoir  —  Former independent counsel Ken Starr writes in his new memoir that he considered — but ultimately abandoned — the idea of perjury charges against then-first lady Hillary Clinton after her …

CBS's Handling of Les Moonves Accusations Hampered by Battle for Control  —  CBS board members were aware for months that the company's chief was facing a claim of sexual assault and rumors of more  —  In January, six months before the blockbuster accusations became public …

Who Will Replace Chris Collins, the Indicted Congressman, on the Ballot?  Perhaps No One  —  After Representative Chris Collins was indicted last month, the Republican from western New York seemed to leave no doubt about his immediate political future: There was none.

Scientists say ‘Neuroweapons’ were behind Cuba attacks  —  WASHINGTON — Could a foreign country build a directed-energy weapon tailored to target a single diplomat walking through a house, leaving other occupants unaffected?  What about drugs that target a person's brain, or even a specific part of the brain?

As I See It: National Debt  —  The mathematical peril of debt came forcefully to my awareness when I received my bank's statement for my first mortgage payment of $246.  Of that payment, I was informed that $241 went to pay interest and only $5 to retire principal.

Cupich on scandal: ‘We have a bigger agenda than to be distracted by all of this’  —  The young man studying at Mundelein Seminary to become a Catholic priest seemed anguished as he vented to Cardinal Blase Cupich about the clergy sex-abuse scandal that threatens to topple Pope Francis and drive more people away from the faith.

The Latest: Mother of man killed by Dallas cop seeks answers  —  DALLAS (AP) — The Latest on a fatal shooting involving an off-duty Dallas police officer (all times local):  —  The mother of a man who was gunned down inside of his Dallas home by a police officer who said she mistook …

What Serena Got Wrong  —  Just because the guys might be able to get away with it doesn't mean it's acceptable.  —  Ms. Navratilova is a broadcaster, former tennis champion and human rights activist.  —  Serena Williams has part of it right.  There is a huge double standard for women …

Face it, Tucker Carlson: Your anti-diversity segment was racist  —  Back when Bill O'Reilly held down the pivotal 8 p.m. prime-time slot at Fox News, he'd occasionally make racist or otherwise offensive statements.  When a backlash materialized, he'd commonly cite “left-wing zealots” or some such movement.

We're Trying Something New.  This Is ‘On Politics.’  —  Hi.  Welcome to the first edition of On Politics, your guide to the day in national politics.  I'm Lisa Lerer, your host and curator.  You may have noticed, I'm new here.  —  [Get On Politics delivered to your inbox.]