Southern Poverty Law Center fires co-founder Morris Dees … The Southern Poverty Law Center has fired Morris Dees, the civil rights organization's co-founder and former chief litigator.  —  In a statement attributed to SPLC president Richard Cohen, the Montgomery-based organization confirmed Dees' dismissal …

Why Trump didn't stop a GOP revolt on his border emergency  —  On Thursday morning, Donald Trump sent out a pointed missive ahead of the Senate's vote to block his emergency declaration: “A vote for today's resolution by Republican Senators is a vote for Nancy Pelosi, Crime, and the Open Border Democrats!”

The Semigoguery of Beto O'Rourke  —  With his hollow yet passionate appeals to goodness, light and possibility, the candidate exploits the naiveté of the mob.  Will it work in 2020?  —  Jack Shafer is Politico's senior media writer.  —  Windmilling his arms as if operated …

Tech Firm in Steele Dossier May Have Been Used by Russian Spies  —  WASHINGTON — Aleksej Gubarev is a Russian technology entrepreneur who runs companies in Europe and the United States that provide cut-rate internet service.  But he is best known for his appearance in 2016 in a dossier …

Trump issues warning to opponents: ‘It would be very bad’ if his military, police and biker supporters got ‘tough’  —  WASHINGTON—U.S. President Donald Trump has issued what seems to be a warning of armed pushback against his political opponents, telling a right-wing website on Monday that …

Rosario Dawson Confirms She's Dating Cory Booker, Says They're in Love  —  Rosario Dawson's all in on Cory Booker for President in 2020, but she might be a little biased ... because she just confirmed with us ... they're in a serious, loving relationship!!!  —  The actress was at the Reagan …

Top Mueller Prosecutor Stepping Down In Latest Clue Russia Inquiry May Be Ending  —  One of the most prominent members of special counsel Robert Mueller's team investigating Russia's attack on the 2016 presidential election will soon leave the office and the Justice Department, two sources close to the matter tell NPR.

Erin Go Bragh!  On Brexit, Irish PM Disses Trump To His Face  —  Trump made believe he never supported Brexit, but the first gay prime minister elected in Ireland told Trump directly that he disagreed with his opinion and regretted the vote entirely.  —  Views:

Sandy Hook Massacre: Remington and Other Gun Companies Lose Major Ruling Over Liability  —  [What you need to know to start the day: Get New York Today in your inbox.]  —  The Connecticut Supreme Court dealt a major blow to the firearms industry on Thursday, clearing the way for a lawsuit …

A Note From Mark Zuckerberg  —  Today Mark Zuckerberg shared the following post with employees.  —  Hey everyone — I want to share some important updates as we organize our company to build out the privacy-focused social platform I discussed in my note last week.

Political Independents: Who They Are, What They Think  —  Most ‘lean’ toward a party; ‘true’ independents tend to avoid politics  —  Independents often are portrayed as political free agents with the potential to alleviate the nation's rigid partisan divisions.

John McCain Associate Had Contact With A Dozen Reporters Regarding Steele Dossier  — David Kramer, a former State Department official, revealed in a court deposition that he had contact with a dozen reporters regarding the infamous Steele dossier.  — Kramer, a longtime associate of John McCain …

Frank Cali, Reputed Gambino Mob Boss, Is Shot and Killed on Staten Island  —  Francesco Cali, the reputed boss of the Gambino crime family, was fatally shot outside his home on Staten Island on Wednesday night, a senior police official said.  —  Mr. Cali, 53, was shot six times, the official said.

Formerly Homeless Student Gets Into 17 Colleges, on His Own  —  The odds were stacked against Dylan Chidick in the summer of 2017.  The Jersey City high school student's family was homeless and he was struggling to study in a shelter.  His twin brothers had heart conditions and needed extra care.

Institute founded by Sanders' wife, son is shutting down  —  CONCORD, N.H. — The Sanders Institute, a think tank founded by Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders' wife and son, is shutting down, at least for now, amid criticism that the nonprofit has blurred the lines between family, fundraising and campaigning.

The damning proof of innocence that FBI likely withheld in Russian probe  —  View Latest Opinions >>  —  If President Trump declassifies evidence in the Russia investigation, Carter Page's summer bike ride to a Virginia farm and George Papadopoulos's hasty academic jaunt to London may emerge …

Trump's thuggish threat of violence against his critics  —  Joe Lockhart was White House press secretary from 1998-2000 in President Bill Clinton's administration.  The opinions expressed in this commentary are his own.  View more opinion at CNN.  —  (CNN)How deeply has President Trump taken our politics into the gutter?

Irish PM brings partner to meet Mike Pence and delivers pointed remarks on sexuality  —  Leo Varadkar, who is openly gay, spoke on the changes for Ireland and called out various forms of discrimination  —  Play Video  —  The Irish prime minister, Leo Varadkar, who is openly gay …

Reddit Has Become A Battleground Of Alleged Chinese Trolls  —  Last week, a Reddit user posed a question on the Canadian news subreddit /r/onguardforthee: “Ever Wonder Why Canadian Subreddits Are Becoming Littered With Chinese Propaganda?”  —  In their view, the reason is that Chinese …

Mnuchin says he'll protect Trump privacy if taxes requested  —  A rarely used nearly 100-year-old law allows a few congressional officials to seek individual tax returns from the Treasury Secretary.  —  WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin suggested Thursday he will protect …

How can you defend a president who is a danger to democracy?  —  A friend just returned from some time with a group of wealthy conservative donors.  “They were ambivalent about Donald Trump two years ago,” he said.  “Now they are vociferously pro-Trump.  There's a psychological study to be done here.”

‘Billions,’ ‘Succession’ and the Making of Wealth Porn  —  Two years ago, Aidan Sleeper needed to find an apartment.  —  Sleeper, the locations manager for “Billions,” returning Sunday for its fourth season on Showtime, scouted more than 100 places that list for tens of millions of dollars, but he couldn't find the right one.

Jeffrey Epstein prosecutor was previously rebuked for handling of a child sex case  —  Nine months before cutting a covert plea deal with sex trafficking suspect Jeffrey Epstein, Miami U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta was notified that the lead prosecutor in Epstein's case had concealed information …

Sharp rise in Arctic temperatures now inevitable - UN  —  Temperatures likely to rise by 3-5C above pre-industrial levels even if Paris goals met  —  Sharp and potentially devastating temperature rises of 3C to 5C in the Arctic are now inevitable even if the world succeeds …

New York appellate court allows Summer Zervos's defamation suit against president to proceed  —  A New York appellate court ruled Thursday that President Trump must face a defamation lawsuit filed by former “Apprentice” contestant Summer Zervos, one of about a dozen women who accused Trump …