'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 …

California Democratic 2020 presidential primary is a wide-open race, poll finds … With the Democratic presidential field now largely set, the race in the nation's largest state is wide open, with at least five candidates in serious contention and no clear favorite.

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 …

Why the Trump campaign won't pay police bills  —  “Do we love law enforcement or what?”  President Donald Trump asked a cheering crowd during his “Make America Great Again” political rally Oct. 12 in Lebanon, Ohio.  —  “Thank you, law enforcement!” the president later told officers, who he called “heroes.”

House panel subpoenas Flynn, Gates  —  The House Intelligence Committee has issued subpoenas for documents and testimony from former national security adviser Michael Flynn and former Trump campaign aide Richard Gates.  —  “As part of our oversight work, the House Intelligence Committee …

Mulvaney pushed judicial nominee over objections of White House lawyers  —  The nomination on Tuesday of Halil Suleyman “Sul” Ozerden to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals offers the latest glimpse of how acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney is exercising his power inside the White House …

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 …

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.

Manchin eyes Senate exit  —  Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) is eyeing a possible exit from the Senate, and his decision could be a significant factor in which party controls the majority in 2021.  —  In moments of frustration, the centrist senator has gone so far as to tell colleagues he may leave …

Senator says South Dakota lost half a billion dollars from Trump's trade war  —  Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.C.) told Axios' Mike Allen on Thursday that President Trump's trade war with China has caused the price of his state's soybeans to plummet 20%, costing South Dakota half a billion dollars.

Tory leadership contest: Boris Johnson tops first ballot  —  Boris Johnson has secured the highest number of votes in the first ballot to select the Conservative party leader and next prime minister.  —  Three contenders - Mark Harper, Andrea Leadsom and Esther McVey - have been knocked out …

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. …

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.

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 …

Rick Santorum: Trump Was Just Using ‘Filler Words’ When He Said He'd Accept Foreign Help  —  “He has, sort of—as we all do, filler words that don't mean what they say, like, ‘I think,’” Santorum attempted to explain.  —  Rick Santorum, one of CNN's resident Trump defenders …

Beto knocks Biden: ‘We cannot return to the past’  —  Beto O'Rourke took a swipe at Joe Biden on Thursday, saying the former vice president's nomination would mark a return to the past that the country cannot afford to make.  —  O'Rourke, who after entering the 2020 race to great fanfare …

Nathalie Loiseau drops bid to lead centrist group in European Parliament  —  French ex-minister caused consternation with criticism of colleagues.  —  Nathalie Loiseau, France's former Europe minister, will not run for leader of the European Parliament's new centrist group after causing uproar among colleagues with her blunt style.

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 …

Rent Regulations in New York: How They'll Affect Tenants and Landlords  —  The changes would be sweeping, covering everything from security deposits to apartment upgrades.  —  Democratic lawmakers in New York harnessed their new powers on Tuesday to broker sweeping changes to rent laws …

Democratic rep says she's tired of ‘sex-starved males’ talking about abortion rights  —  Rep. Norma Torres (D-Calif.) said she's tired of hearing “so many sex-starved males on this floor talk about a woman's right to choose” while debating legislation that includes language related to Title X funding on the House floor on Wednesday.

Kamala Harris nabs high-profile ‘Reckoning Crew’ endorsement in South Carolina  —  (CNN)Sen. Kamala Harris, whose fight for the Democratic presidential nomination relies heavily on her ability to garner support from African American voters in the South, has nabbed the endorsement of South Carolina's …