Trump says ‘Iran made a very big mistake’ after US military confirms shootdown of American drone  —  In a major provocation, Iran shot down an unarmed and unmanned U.S. RQ-4A Global Hawk drone while it was flying in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, U.S. Central Command confirmed in a statement.

‘My Whole Life Is a Bet.’ Inside President Trump's Gamble on an Untested Re-Election Strategy  —  ‘My whole life is a bet,’ the President of the United States says, resting his forearms on the edge of the Resolute desk in the Oval Office.  —  It's a steamy evening in mid-June …

Horns are growing on young people's skulls.  Phone use is to blame, research suggests.  —  Mobile technology has transformed the way we live — how we read, work, communicate, shop and date.  —  But we already know this.  —  What we have not yet grasped is the way the tiny machines …

Biden and Democratic Rivals Exchange Attacks Over His Remarks on Segregationists  —  Joseph R. Biden Jr. on Wednesday lashed out at his Democratic rivals who had assailed his fond recollections of working relationships with segregationists in the Senate, refusing to apologize and defending his record on civil rights.

'These People Aren't Coming From Norway': Refugees in a Minnesota City Face a Backlash  —  As more Somali refugees arrive in St. Cloud, white anti-immigration activists have pressed an increasingly explicit anti-Muslim agenda.  —  ST. CLOUD, Minn. — John Palmer, a former university professor, has always had a cause.

Accusing the New York Times of ‘Treason,’ Trump Crosses a Line  —  The Founders considered it the gravest of crimes.  Tossing the charge around is irresponsible and wrong.  —  First it was the “the failing New York Times.”  Then “fake news.”  Then “enemy of the people.”

Republicans fear campaign arm is stumbling in fight for the House  —  The House GOP campaign arm is under fire from Republicans who are growing increasingly anxious about the party's plan to win back the chamber in 2020.  —  Republicans still don't have an answer to Democrats' online fundraising behemoth ActBlue.

Marianne Williamson apologizes, says she misspoke in calling vaccines ‘draconian’  —  Williamson explains her qualifications for President  —  Washington (CNN)Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson is apologizing and claiming that she “misspoke” after reportedly referring …

Biden appears to be softening his stance on the death penalty  —  Joe Biden said in a 1992 speech that criminal justice legislation he was pushing was so strict that “we do everything but hang people for jaywalking.”  Two years later, his signature crime bill made dozens of additional offenses punishable by death.

A path has been laid out for holding Khashoggi's murderers accountable  —  THIRTEEN MINUTES before Jamal Khashoggi entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, 2018, the head of a hit team who was dispatched to intercept him asked the team's forensic doctor about dismembering the journalist's body.

Senators get classified briefing on UFO sightings  —  Three more U.S. senators received a classified Pentagon briefing on Wednesday about a series of reported encounters by the Navy with unidentified aircraft, according to congressional and government officials — part of a growing number …

With Maduro entrenched in Venezuela, Trump loses patience and interest in issue, officials say  —  Last winter, the ouster of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro seemed a sure bet to President Trump, a quick foreign policy win at a time when other initiatives in Asia …

State Department official didn't disclose ties to the boyfriend of Russian agent Maria Butina  —  The State Department official in charge of U.S. arms control negotiations with Moscow and her husband had a years-long friendship with GOP operative Paul Erickson, the former boyfriend …

Syrian Refugee Arrested On Allegations Of Planning Attack On Pittsburgh Church  —  Mustafa Mousab Alowemer was arrested on terrorism charges in relation to a plan to attack a church in Pittsburgh, according to the Justice Department.  —  A Syrian man who is a refugee was arrested Wednesday …

Michael Bennet pushes sweeping plan to remake political system  —  Sen. Michael Bennet sprang onto the national stage in January, when the usually low-key Colorado Democrat went viral shouting about the 35-day federal government shutdown and Ted Cruz's “crocodile tears.”

Texas gained almost nine Hispanic residents for every additional white resident last year  —  New census estimates show Texas' Hispanic population growth continues to surpass white population growth, with Hispanics on pace to soon represent a plurality.

Trump Believes He Has the Authority to Replace Powell at Fed  — President is not planning to demote Fed chairman, for now  — Powell says he will serve his full term despite criticism  —  President Donald Trump has told confidants as recently as Wednesday that he believes …

Concentration camp ABCs for AOC  —  Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, educate yourself.  The socialist Democratic darling who wantonly tosses out phrases like “concentration camp,” “fascist” and even insultingly appropriates the Holocaust-specific cry “never again” to slam US policy on immigration …

Trump: I wasn't going to live-tweet debates, but now I may  —  President Donald Trump said he hadn't thought about live-tweeting the first Democratic debates but now that the media has brought it up, he just might.  —  Several people close to the president told POLITICO and The Wall Street Journal …

Feds Tell 9th Circuit: Detained Kids ‘Safe and Sanitary’ Without Soap  —  SAN FRANCISCO (CN) - The Trump administration argued in front of a Ninth Circuit panel Tuesday that the government is not required to give soap or toothbrushes to children apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border …

The “Arbiters of What Our Voters See”: Facebook and Google's Struggle with Policy, Process, and Enforcement around Political Advertising  —  Abstract  —  The question of how Facebook and Google make and justify decisions regarding permissible political advertising on their platforms is increasingly important.

Texas congressman endorses Kamala Harris  —  Rep. Al Green, a Democrat from Houston, is throwing his support behind Kamala Harris for president, bucking two home-state Democrats and a fellow member of the Congressional Black Caucus.  —  Green, an eight-term congressman and one of the most outspoken advocates …

Koch brothers 'don't care about Republican voters,' Tucker Carlson says  —  Fox News host Tucker Carlson tore into Charles and David Koch on his show Wednesday night, arguing that the billionaire Republican donors are largely to blame for the resistance President Trump is meeting from his own party.

Patrick Shanahan Would Have Fit Right In at the Trump White House  —  Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan is not the first Trump administration official to resign over domestic violence allegations, which he did on Tuesday amid reports from USA Today and the Washington Post …

Deutsche Bank Faces Criminal Investigation for Potential Money-Laundering Lapses  —  Federal authorities are investigating whether Deutsche Bank complied with laws meant to stop money laundering and other crimes, the latest government examination of potential misconduct at one of the world's largest …

Infowars host, still verified on Twitter, calls for lynching of Obama  —  Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has said that he's focused on improving “the collective health, openness, and civility of public conversation” on Twitter. … It's a sentiment echoed by other social media companies.

What Do the Oligarchs Have in Mind for Us?  —  The recent movement to investigate, and even break up, the current tech oligarchy has gained support on both sides of the Atlantic, and even leapt across the gaping divide in American politics.  The immediate concerns relate to such things …