Trump Admits to Russia ‘Helping Me to Get Elected’  —  WASHINGTON — President Trump on Thursday acknowledged for the first time that Russia helped “me to get elected,” and then quickly retracted the idea.  —  “No, Russia did not help me get elected,” Mr. Trump told reporters as he departed the White House for Colorado Springs.

Deceased G.O.P. Strategist's Hard Drives Reveal New Details on the Census Citizenship Question  —  WASHINGTON — Thomas B. Hofeller achieved near-mythic status in the Republican Party as the Michelangelo of gerrymandering, the architect of partisan political maps that cemented the party's dominance across the country.

White House Wanted USS John McCain ‘Out of Sight’ During Trump Japan Visit  —  The White House wanted the Navy to move a warship named for the late Sen. John McCain, a war hero who became a frequent target of President Trump's ire, ahead of the president's visit to Japan last week.

Mueller Delivered a Message.  Washington Couldn't Agree on What It Was.  —  WASHINGTON — At long last, the sphinx of Washington spoke on Wednesday, and here is what President Trump heard: “Case closed.”  Here is what the president's adversaries heard: “Time to impeach.”

Border agents apprehend more than 1,000 migrants in record roundup  —  Most are from the Northern Triangle countries of Central America — El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras — and included 63 children traveling alone.  —  WASHINGTON — More than 1,000 migrants were apprehended …

Federal subpoena demands records on Andrew Gillum and his campaign for governor  —  A recent federal probe sought information related to the Florida Democrat and people in his orbit, signaling a shift in the Tallahassee FBI investigation  —  Andrew Gillum is a focal point …

Conservatives Stunned by Mueller Suggesting Trump Is Not Innocent  —  Robert Mueller's brief, eight-minute remarks on Wednesday about his investigation left the non-conservatives who closely follow his work fairly nonplussed.  Mueller was simply reiterating things he had already written in his report.

Federal prosecutors demand Cindy Yang records from Mar-a-Lago, Trump campaign  —  Federal prosecutors in Washington D.C. this week sent subpoenas to Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump's private club in Palm Beach, and Trump Victory, a political fundraising committee, demanding they turn …

Democratic 2020 hopefuls AWOL on national security  —  Democratic insiders have concluded that President Trump is unusually vulnerable on national security for a Republican, an assessment based on extensive research, but warn the party's leading 2020 contenders are squandering this unique political opening.

Blasted Are The Meek  —  On First Things and Sohrab Ahmari.  —  “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land,” Jesus explained in his Sermon on the Mount; “[b]lessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”  —  If only Sohrab Ahmari and First Things had been on the scene …

Trump on Israel's new elections: “They don't need this”  —  President Trump said today he felt bad for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose failure to form a coalition on Wednesday has forced Israel to call new elections.  —  Context: Two days before Israel's deadline for forming …

The Democratic Party Is Waging a War Against its Very Own Base  —  At a critical juncture before the 2020 elections, the leadership of the Democratic party is, perplexingly, abandoning key constituencies of its base, including young people, women, and people of color, as well as the policies that fire them up.

Twitter Still Has A White Nationalist Problem  —  Almost 18 months after Twitter promised to crack down on hate, the platform teems with racist extremists.  —  Last month, Twitter put up another blog post declaring that it had made “strides” to build a “healthier” service.

New Hampshire abolishes death penalty after lawmakers override governor  —  Lawmakers in New Hampshire voted Thursday to abolish the death penalty, overriding a veto from the state's Republican governor and making it the 21st state to abandon capital punishment.

Longtime Mississippi Republican Sen. Thad Cochran dead at 81  —  Former Mississippi Republican Sen. Thad Cochran, who served in Congress for more than 45 years and chaired the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, died Thursday.  He was 81.  —  Cochran resigned from the Senate in April 2018, citing health reasons.

Buttigieg brother-in-law accuses 2020 candidate of lying about his family for political gain  —  CLIO, Michigan — Pete Buttigieg's brother-in-law is accusing the gay Democratic presidential hopeful of hijacking his family's history for political advantage by crafting a bogus backstory of poverty, homelessness, and homophobia.

Why Millennials' Political Awakening Could Bury Trump in 2020  —  Republicans have long known that millennials were going to be a problem for their party.  The only questions were “How big?” and “How soon?”  —  The bulk of Americans born between 1981 and 1996 saw Bill Clinton preside over an age of …

Presidential outrage over a false tweet?  Trump's race-baiting did far more harm to the Central Park Five.  —  There are inconsequential social media screw-ups.  —  And there are malicious lies.  —  President Trump seems to have them confused.  —  The other day, an errant tweet …