SC officials won't evacuate prison despite mandatory order ahead of hurricane  —  As nearly a million people hit the road before Hurricane Florence nears the coast, 934 inmates and as many as 119 prison staff will be staying behind despite a mandatory evacuation.

Manafort in talks with prosecutors about possible plea, according to people familiar with the discussions  —  Days before in-person jury selection is set to begin in his second trial, President Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort is in talks with the special counsel's office …

‘Shipwreck’: GOP grows fearful about losing Senate as candidates struggle, Trump support tumbles  —  Republicans have grown increasingly worried about losing control of the Senate, as President Trump's approval rating tumbles and Democrats gain steam in key battleground races.

What a baby  —  Only a man who is deeply worried about his own strength would talk as much as Donald Trump does about the danger of appearing weak.  —  That's my biggest takeaway from reading “Fear,” Bob Woodward's new book about the Trump presidency.  The scoops were mostly revealed last week.

Email from Cuomo aide casts doubt on claims over anti-Semitic mailer  —  Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he was blindsided by an “inappropriate” political mailer tying Cynthia Nixon to anti-Semitism — but just a day before the inflammatory literature surfaced, one of his top campaign aides pitched …

This Week in Julia Salazar She had a trust fund, her ancestors were Catholic elites, and she has a new version of her conversion story.  —  A state senate race that was once hailed as a test of the rising strength and power of insurgent socialists has devolved into a full-fledged New York City tabloid circus …

Sheldon Whitehouse Asks Brett Kavanaugh If He Has A Gambling Problem  —  No senator has asked the Supreme Court nominee about his debts until now.  —  Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) wants to know if Judge Brett Kavanaugh, President Donald Trump's nominee to the Supreme Court, has a gambling problem.

Scarborough: Trump A ‘Far Graver Threat to the Idea of America’ Than 9/11 Attack  —  9/11 is always a somber day for reflection, especially for those in New York on that fateful day, and on this tough day Joe Scarborough penned a column for the Washington Post in which the former GOP congressman …

Castro Valley Man Accused Of Switchblade Assault On GOP Congressional Candidate  —  CASTRO VALLEY (CBS SF) - A man was arrested on suspicion of felony assault and other charges after allegedly attempting to stab a Republican congressional candidate with a switchblade over the weekend at in Castro Valley …

Activists raised $1 million to defeat Susan Collins if she votes for Kavanaugh.  She says it's bribery.  —  In the closely divided senate, Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court confirmation hinges in part on the votes of two moderate Republican senators: Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine.

U.S. expects to hit $1 trillion deficit earlier than planned  —  The U.S. deficit grew by $222 billion from this time last year — reaching a total of $895 billion, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.  —  Why it matters: This increase was due mostly to the new Republican tax law …

Newspaper doubles down with front page response to Serena Williams cartoon critics  —  THE paper behind the controversial Serena Williams cartoon has published an extraordinary front page response to its critics.  —  Serena Williams fined for US Open outburst1:28

A Trail of ‘Bread Crumbs,’ Leading Conspiracy Theorists Into the Wilderness  —  Go hungry for too long, and a lot of strange things will start to look like food.  The smallest morsels become precious, especially if you believe they form some kind of trail with a meal at the end.

US President Donald Trump cancels controversial planned visit to Ireland  —  US President Donald Trump has cancelled his visit to Ireland planned for later this year, Independent.ie understands.  —  Sources say the controversial trip, planned for November 12, will not now go ahead.

Texas poll shows Beto O'Rourke gaining ground as Ted Cruz hangs on to a slim 3% lead  —  Millennials and non-white women leading the surge against the U.S. Senate incumbent, according to Crosswind Texas Pulse Poll  —  Austin, TX - In a sign of just how crucial the millennial vote might …

Chris Pappas wins New Hampshire Democratic primary  —  Chris Pappas, a member of the New Hampshire Executive Council, won the state's Democratic primary Tuesday night for the 1st Congressional District to replace retiring Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (D), reports the AP.

Kansas GOP lawmakers' silence on whether they support Kobach angers some within party  —  TOPEKA  —  Kris Kobach may be the chosen standard-bearer for the Kansas Republican Party, but elected GOP officials are less than unified behind him in his run for governor.

Scott jets around on secrecy-heavy ‘bus tour’  —  Gov. Rick Scott used his private jet Tuesday to commute to a Senate campaign stop for his “bus tour,” marking his second stumble since announcing he was traveling the Florida highways this week to “Make Washington Work.”

Taco Bell voted best Mexican restaurant in the country  —  ST. LOUIS (KMOV.com) — The Harris Poll, a nationwide customer survey of their favorite brands, has released its 2018 results.  —  The poll surveyed more than 77,000 customers in the U.S. on more than 3,000 brands to find which companies are the favorites among consumers.

BREAKING: Page and Strzok Texts Reveal They Discussed Writing a “Folksy” Op-ed on Russia  —  Strzok and Page discussed writing an oped on Russia about two months before the 2016 presidential election  —  The pair also discuss how a September 2016 article on Russian election meddling was “100 percent authorized” and “well sourced”

New York tax investigators to meet with Cohen's attorney, at odds with federal prosecutors' request  —  Cohen seeks to tear up Stormy Daniels deal  —  (CNN)New York state tax department investigators are scheduled to meet Tuesday with an attorney for President Donald Trump's former personal …

Facebook's idea of ‘fact-checking’: Censoring ThinkProgress because conservative site told them to  —  Last year, Facebook announced that it would partner with The Weekly Standard, a conservative magazine, to “fact check” news articles that are shared on Facebook.  At the time, ThinkProgress expressed alarm at this decision.

AP FACT CHECK: Obama was harsh against leakers  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Barack Obama's recent denunciation of President Donald Trump's treatment of the press overlooks the aggressive steps the Justice Department took to keep information from the public when he was president.

‘Threats of Rape and Strangling’ Force D.C. McAllister Into Hiding After Anti-Abortion Tweet  —  Last week, PJ Media contributor and Fox News guest Denise McAllister sent out a powerful tweet denouncing the abortion movement.  Little did she know, days later she would be in hiding, scared for her life.

Assembly candidate says anonymous mailers are ‘dirty politics’  —  HEMPSTEAD -  —  Taylor Raynor, an Assembly candidate from Nassau who is challenging 30-year incumbent Earlene Hooper in the Democratic primary, says a political mailer that targets her is “dirty politics.”

Education Dept. Reopens Rutgers Case Charging Discrimination Against Jewish Students  —  The new head of civil rights at the Education Department has reopened a seven-year-old case brought by a Zionist group against Rutgers University, saying the Obama administration, in closing the case …