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.

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.

Bill O'Reilly: Trump Told Me Mueller Hates Him Because He Refused to Refund $15k Country Club Deposit  —  Bill O'Reilly said President Donald Trump called him the night of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's statement on his report to complain that Mueller doesn't like him because Trump once refused …

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.

Justin Amash's call for impeachment is way overblown  —  Rep. Justin Amash (Mich.), the only Republican in Congress to have called for the impeachment of President Trump, continues to enjoy the media spotlight for breaking rank.  He is, however, neither unbiased nor a typical Republican, rendering such attention way overblown.

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 …

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 …

Ari Fleischer, a prominent TV pundit, has a financial connection that Fox News hasn't mentioned  —  Ari Fleischer, President George W. Bush's press secretary, has carved out a career as a prominent TV talking head, first on CNN and now on Fox News.  In his many appearances on Fox …

Cory Booker Shoots Down Joe Biden's Claims On Crime Bill And Mass Incarceration  —  In an interview with HuffPost, Booker called the 1994 law “awful” and “shameful.”  —  SOMEWHERE ON US-218 BETWEEN MOUNT PLEASANT AND KEOKUK, Iowa ― New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, a contender …

NYU Cancels Former New Yorker Fact-Checker Talia Lavin's Journalism Class  —  New York University has canceled an undergraduate journalism class that former New Yorker fact-checker Talia Lavin was scheduled to teach this fall after only two students signed up.

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.

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.

Sisolak vetoes bill that would pledge Nevada's support to winner of national popular vote, reject Electoral College  —  Gov. Steve Sisolak has issued his first veto out of the 2019 legislative session, rejecting a proposal that would have pledged Nevada's six electoral votes to the winner of the popular vote for the presidency.

Fresno Grizzlies lose big-name sponsorship because of Ocasio-Cortez video debacle  —  Sun-Maid, the popular raisin company with deep roots in the central San Joaquin Valley, has terminated its partnership with the Fresno Grizzlies.  —  Sun-Maid announced its termination Wednesday evening …

Twitter is eroding your intelligence.  Now there's data to prove it.  —  Twitter, used by 126 million people daily and now ubiquitous in some industries, has vowed to reform itself after being enlisted as a tool of misinformation and hate.  —  But new evidence shows that the platform …

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.

Extreme weather is pummeling the Midwest, and farmers are in deep trouble  —  In Kendell Culp's corner of northwest Indiana, relentless rain began falling on his farm months ago, saturating the ground his family has nurtured for generations and delaying the start of their planting season by more than a week.

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 …