'I think I'd take it': In exclusive interview, Trump says he would listen if foreigners offered dirt on opponents  —  President Donald Trump to if foreign governments offered damaging information against his 2020 rivals during the upcoming presidential race, he said, despite the deluge …

Former White House aide Hicks agrees to testify to House panel investigating Trump  —  Hope Hicks is scheduled to answer questions from the House Judiciary Committee behind closed doors next week.  — Josh Dawsey, Rosalind S. Helderman -  · - 52 minutes ago -  ·  —  The Fix

How Pete Buttigieg and Elizabeth Warren Cracked the Code of the 2020 Race  —  CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Pete Buttigieg ran through his stump speech (six minutes on generational change), tossed bean bags with activists (in front of as many cameras as Iowa voters), took seven questions from reporters …

Trump just invited Congress to begin impeachment proceedings  —  The idea that only the president can investigate the president is an argument for autocrats, not Americans.  — George T. Conway III, Neal Katyal -  ·  —  Her story isn't about euthanasia.  It's about failing mental-health systems.

Jessica Biel Comes Out as Anti-Vaxx Activist, Joins Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to Lobby Against CA Vaccination Bill  —  “I would say that she was for safe vaccines and for medical freedom,” Kennedy told The Daily Beast.  “My body, my choice.”  —  Tuesday, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. …

Justice Dept. Seeks to Question C.I.A. Officers in Russia Inquiry Review  —  WASHINGTON — Justice Department officials intend to interview senior C.I.A. officers as they review the Russia investigation, according to people briefed on the matter, indicating they are focused partly …

Howard Schultz Announces Campaign Staff Cuts, Summer Hiatus  —  The Starbucks billionaire won't make a decision on running for president until after Labor Day — and he's still eyeing Joe Biden as his biggest competition.  —  Starbucks billionaire Howard Schultz told campaign staff …

Margaret Hunter to plead out in case against congressman husband  —  Details of deal not clear, Rep. Duncan Hunter's attorney declined to discuss whether she might be cooperating with the prosecution  —  Margaret Hunter, the wife of longtime East County Congressman Duncan Hunter who was co-indicted …

Oil tankers attacked in Gulf of Oman, U.S. Navy says  —  ISTANBUL — Two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman came under suspected attack early Thursday amid soaring tensions between the United States and Iran in the region.  —  One ship was adrift and on fire in the strategic waterway …

POLITICO Playbook: Trump gives the impeachment crowd a gift  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  President DONALD TRUMP'S admission that he would accept a foreign government's assistance in an election — and might not report it to the FBI — is an absolutely stunning statement that would seem out of bounds to any and every reader of Playbook.

‘Sex-starved males’ comment sets off House floor kerfuffle  —  A routine House debate nearly exploded Wednesday when California Democrat Norma J. Torres implied her Republican colleagues were “sex-starved males” for opposing abortion.  —  “Mr. Speaker, it is tiring to hear from so many sex-starved males …

This Picture Featuring 15 Tech Men And 2 Women Looked Doctored.  The Women Were Photoshopped In.  —  Last week, men's lifestyle magazine GQ published this photo of Silicon Valley executives including LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman and Dropbox CEO Drew Houston from their pilgrimage to a small village …

Total of 5 people, including alleged gunman, arrested in David Ortiz shooting  —  BREAKING: At a press conference Wednesday afternoon, Ney Aldrin Bautista Almonte, director of the Dominican National Police, and Attorney General Jean Alain Rodríguez, said the authorities had arrested …

Josh Hawley rattles Republicans as he derails GOP judge  —  Sen. Josh Hawley makes no apologies for bringing down a Republican judicial nominee — even if his tactics irritate some of his own GOP colleagues.  —  Michael Bogren's withdrawal Tuesday from consideration to serve on a federal district court …

Social Security Is Staring at Its First Real Shortfall in Decades.  Big Cuts Could Follow.  —  A slow-moving crisis is approaching for Social Security, threatening to undermine a central pillar in the retirement of tens of millions of Americans.  —  Next year, for the first time since 1982 …

Right-wing publications launder an anti-journalist smear campaign  —  Last month, a number of media outlets ran stories touting claims from a study posted on Twitter that alleged nefarious connections between antifascist activists and national-level reporters who cover the far-right.

Republicans dodge nasty Senate primary in North Carolina  —  Rep. Mark Walker has decided not to launch a primary challenge against Sen. Thom Tillis in North Carolina, in a relief to senior Republicans who feared a scorched-earth battle in a key state.  —  Walker has been seriously considering …

Donald Trump's Beverly Hills home quietly sells for $13.5 million  —  President Trump has visited California three times since entering the White House, but he'll have one less place to stay for the next trip.  The Trump Organization has quietly unloaded one of its last two properties in Los Angeles County …

Pete Buttigieg seizes on top-tier status with 2nd-quarter fundraising blitz  —  Atlanta (CNN)When Pete Buttigieg got into the 2020 presidential race, his campaign was unknown, underfunded and hungry for any level of validation.  —  Months later, his outlook couldn't be more different.

Experts: Spy used AI-generated face to connect with targets  —  LONDON (AP) — Katie Jones sure seemed plugged into the Washington's political scene.  The 30-something redhead boasted a job at a top think tank and a who's-who network of pundits and experts, from the centrist Brookings Institution to the right-wing Heritage Foundation.

Hong Kong Makes Its Stand  —  Open umbrellas drift from walkways to protesters below, who use them as a shield against tear gas.  —  Hong Kong  —  As I walk toward the epicenter of Hong Kong's protests Wednesday, my skin and eyes are a better navigation tool than Google Maps.

Courtney foils Trump's red, white, blue Air Force One plan  —  Amendment won't allow gold-plated interior fixtures, either  —  Washington — Rep. Joe Courtney on Wednesday threw a big wrench into President Donald Trump's plans to paint the iconic Air Force One jets red, white and blue.

'There's China and there's everything else:' Trump's trade wars scramble domestic political fights  —  President Donald Trump's multi-front trade war on the global stage has opened two distinct political battles over tariffs in the domestic arena that will shape the future of U.S. trade policy …