Inside the Secret Border Patrol Facebook Group Where Agents Joke About Migrant Deaths and Post Sexist Memes  —  ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power.  Sign up for ProPublica's Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox as soon as they are published.

Ivanka Trump Tests Her Diplomatic Chops and Riles a Legion of Critics  —  Set against a tense, eerie silence in the landmine-riddled mountains separating South and North Korea, the Demilitarized Zone may be the highest-stakes negotiation site on earth.  It's not the sort of place for mistakes.

Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris Looked Like Winners At The First Debates: Poll  —  Joe Biden's electability edge has eroded as Democratic voters see new options for taking on Trump, a new HuffPost/YouGov poll shows.  —  Last week's Democratic debates gave Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) …

Trump asks for military tanks on the Mall as part of grandiose July Fourth event  —  National Park Service acting director P. Daniel Smith faces plenty of looming priorities this summer, from an $11 billion backlog in maintenance needs to natural disasters like the recent wildfire damage to Big Bend Park.

Study suggests Russian social media trolls had impact on 2016 election  —  A new study found that for every 25,000 retweets that a known Russian troll account received during the 2016 election, Donald Trump's poll numbers jumped 1%.  —  Why it matters: The study, conducted by a team headed …

Will Hunter Biden Jeopardize His Father's Campaign?  —  Joe Biden's son is under scrutiny for his business dealings and tumultuous personal life.  —  In today's political culture, people running for President may announce their candidacy on the steps of their home-town city hall or on …

Trump's House allies lie in wait for Mueller  —  Democrats have been dying to hear directly from special counsel Robert Mueller for months, but they're not alone.  President Donald Trump's GOP allies in Congress are salivating at the chance to bruise Mueller's reputation and cast doubt on the integrity of his work.

Hong Kong police fire tear gas after protestors storm legislative building  —  Police clashed Monday with protesters who tried to storm Hong Kong's Legislative Council on the 22nd anniversary of the handover of the former British colony to China, Reuters reports.

On edge: 2020 Dems face prospect of being cut from debates  —  MIAMI (AP) — The largest presidential field in modern Democratic politics could quickly shrink as more than half of the contenders are in real danger of failing to meet tougher requirements to participate in the fall round of debates.

Do the Republicans Even Believe in Democracy Anymore?  —  They pay lip service to it, but they actively try to undermine its institutions.  —  A number of observers, myself included, have written pieces in recent years arguing that the Republican Party is no longer simply trying to compete …

An Open Letter to the Director of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum  —  Omer Bartov, Doris Bergen, Andrea Orzoff, Timothy Snyder, and Anika Walke, et al.  —  On June 17, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Democrat of New York, posted an Instagram live video discussing the detention camps along …

AP-NORC Poll: Trump not boosted by strong American economy  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The solid economy is doing little to bolster support for President Donald Trump.  —  Americans give Trump mixed reviews for his economic stewardship despite the growth achieved during this presidency …

Kamala Harris and Classmates Were Bused Across Berkeley.  The Experience Changed Them.  —  BERKELEY, Calif. — In 1967, the superintendent of the Berkeley, Calif., school district had resolved to desegregate the city schools.  “We will set an example for all the cities of America,” …

Freak summer hailstorm buries Mexican city under five feet of ice  —  It's summer in Guadalajara, one of Mexico's most populous towns, which made what happened there over the weekend all the more surprising.  —  Sunday morning, residents woke to their roads, yards and even cars buried under …

‘I have lost hope for my life’: Iranians describe hardships as Trump expands sanctions  —  Iran's news media was filled with upbeat economic reports last week.  Several tankers of oil had been exported to China, and the economy minister said tax collections were up 30 percent.

Journalism Job Cuts Haven't Been This Bad Since the Recession  —  Reporters become bartenders and baristas while looking for work  —  The news business is on pace for its worst job losses in a decade as about 3,000 people have been laid off or been offered buyouts in the first five months of this year.

With 16 Months to go, Negative Partisanship Predicts the 2020 Presidential Election  —  Elections / Presidential / National  —  In July of 2018, my innovative forecasting model raised eyebrows by predicting some four months before the midterm election that Democrats would pick up 42 seats in the House of Representatives.

Twitter Conspiracy Theorist Charged With a Felony in Lynch Threat Against Muslim Candidate  —  The tweet ominously threatened Virginia Senate candidate Qasim Rashid with an infamous photo from a 1915 lynching and the phrase “View your destiny.”  —  Federal prosecutors in North Carolina …