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 …

Protecting American Constitutionalism and Sovereignty from the International Criminal Court  —  SAFEGUARDING AMERICAN SOVEREIGNTY: President Donald J. Trump is committed to defending our national sovereignty and security interests.  — The International Criminal Court (ICC) …

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

“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.

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.

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.

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 …

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 …

‘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.

'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 …

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.

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.

Eight weeks out: Dems see narrow path to Senate majority  —  Eight weeks out from the midterm elections, both Republicans and Democrats find themselves with a path to a Senate majority.  —  For Democrats, it is a surprising development given this year's difficult political map …

Small business optimism surges to highest level ever, topping previous record under Reagan  —  U.S. small business optimism surged to a record in August as the tax cuts and deregulation efforts of President Donald Trump and the Republican-led Congress led to more sales, hiring and investment …

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.

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.

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.