U.S. officials suspect Russia in mystery ‘attacks’ on diplomats in Cuba, China  —  The strong suspicion that Russia was behind the alleged attacks is backed by signals intelligence, meaning intercepted communications, say U.S. officials.  —  WASHINGTON — Intelligence agencies investigating mysterious …

‘Life-threatening’ Florence spawns first hurricane watches, could bring 30" of rain  —  The National Hurricane Center has issued its first Hurricane Watches for the east coast as Hurricane Florence continues its trek toward North Carolina.  —  The “extremely dangerous major hurricane” …

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.

Trump only trusts ‘much smaller’ group of aides in White House after op-ed, Donald Trump Jr. says  —  Amid explosive allegations that some White House officials are actively working against President Donald Trump's agenda, Donald Trump Jr. told ABC News the number of people in the White House …

On the Supreme Court, Democrats finally get their just deserts 31 years later  —  Are you happy now, Teddy Kennedy?  Are you happy, Joe Biden?  Are you happy now, Harry Reid?  It's due to the things that you did and said that Donald J. Trump is now naming his second Supreme Court justice in under two years in office.

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.

FBI Officials Discussed ‘Media Leak Strategy’ Ahead Of Major Trump-Russia Revelation  — Peter Strzok sent Lisa Page a text message about “media leak strategy” during a key point in the Trump-Russia probe.  — Strzok sent the message just before The Washington Post published a bombshell story …

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.

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 …

“The House Is Already Lost”: As the Midterms Approach, G.O.P. Insiders Prepare for an Electoral D-Day  —  Inside the swamp, Republican operatives have already made their peace with losing the House.  But the coming Democratic wave won't affect all Republicans equally, purging moderates and leaving only Trump loyalists behind.

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 …

Bob Woodward Has A Trail Of Accuracy Issues That Nobody Is Talking About  — Bob Woodward's new book “Fear” presents a scathing depiction of President Donald Trump's administration.  — Woodward has a muddy history with a trail of allegations that he embellished the truth or otherwise misled his readers.

The Real Lesson of Sept. 11  —  I went to war to avenge my brother's death.  But the only person I truly wanted to kill died 17 years ago.  —  Mr. Quinn is a United States Army veteran.  —  It has taken me a while to realize something.  —  Seventeen years ago, I saw a picture of Mohamed Atta …

The Maria Butina Case Was Never About The Sex Life Of A Russian Spy  —  A tantalizing sentence inserted into the case against Maria Butina proved irresistible for journalists and lawyers alike.  —  Although it was just an aside in a sweeping case alleging that the 29-year-old Russian worked …

Ahead of the Primary, Cuomo Administration Offered Sweeteners to Get New Bridge Open  —  The administration of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo offered the contractor building the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge enticements to meet a late August deadline to open, including the possibility of absorbing extra costs …

Voter backlash to Trump, bathroom law has put conservative N.C. legislature in play.  —  APEX, N.C. — The owner of a small vodka distillery near this traditionally Republican enclave in suburban Raleigh says he is so fed up with GOP leadership in the state capital that he took leave from his job to try to defeat a state senator.

Trump is harming the dream of America more than any foreign adversary ever could  —  Cataclysmic events often bring with them violent and abrupt endings to settled ages and long-established norms.  Those absorbing the impact of these historical aftershocks rarely grasp the epochal changes in real time.

‘Something has actually changed’: Women, minorities, first-time candidates drive Democratic House hopes  —  A flood of women, minorities and first-time candidates is poised to radically alter the composition of Congress next year after winning Democratic primaries in record numbers in 2018.

Poll: Whitmer leads Schuette by comfortable edge in Michigan governor's race  —  Lansing — Democrat Gretchen Whitmer holds a comfortable lead over Republican Bill Schuette in the Michigan governor's race and is doing a better job attracting critical independent voters, according to a new statewide poll conducted last week.

'You didn't get our message': key Trump aide Stephen Miller condemned by childhood rabbi  —  Neil Comess-Daniels denounces Miller as a purveyor of ‘violence, malice and brutality’ for zero-tolerance immigration policies  —  The childhood rabbi to Stephen Miller, special adviser to Donald Trump …

Trump's assault on Woodward riddled with contradictions  —  The president has slammed Woodward's book as ‘fiction’ — even as he rails against former aides for leaking.  —  President Donald Trump has called journalist Bob Woodward's book on his administration a work of “fiction” and a “scam …

New York City firefighter: How September 11, a day of tragedy, can be a day of inspiration 17 years later  —  “Tim, get to work,” my brother solemnly said over the phone.  “It's going to get worse.”  I had received the call just as the first tower was struck, and we didn't know all that was yet to come.

Viktor Orbán says European Parliament ‘verdict already written’  —  Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is preparing his supporters for a potential loss in a key vote among MEPs Wednesday regarding the rule of law in his country.  —  “Pro-migration representatives have a majority …

17 Years After 9/11, Nobody Cares About Terrorism Anymore  —  Good.  —  Consider this sign of the times: In late August, U.S. officials expressed confidence they had finally killed Ibrahim al-Asiri, the most fabled al Qaeda bombmaker of the post-9/11 period.