Our politics is in a partisan death spiral.  That's why I'm leaving the GOP.  —  The two-party system has evolved into an existential threat to American principles and institutions.  — By Justin Amash-  —  The Opinions Essay

Justice Dept. Reverses Course on Citizenship Question on Census, Citing Trump's Orders  —  WASHINGTON — A day after pledging that the 2020 census would not ask respondents about their citizenship, Justice Department officials reversed course on Wednesday and said they were hunting …

‘They started this too late’: Trump officials and allies anxious about July 4 fest  —  The White House and Republican National Committee have spent the past week scrambling to distribute VIP tickets to President Donald Trump's Fourth of July speech at the Lincoln Memorial.

ABC, CBS, and NBC announce they will snub President Trump's ‘Salute to America’ celebration  —  Major networks opting to run shows like ‘Jeopardy!’ in lieu of live coverage of the Fourth of July event  —  What are the details?  —  The Daily Mail reported that the networks will stick …

Harris says busing should be considered, not mandated  —  WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Sen. Kamala Harris said Wednesday that busing students should be considered by school districts trying to desegregate their locations — not the federal mandate she appeared to support …

Appeals court: Trump can't use Pentagon cash for border wall  —  SAN DIEGO (AP) — An appeals court on Wednesday upheld a freeze on Pentagon money to build a border wall with Mexico, casting doubt on President Donald Trump's ability to make good on a signature campaign promise before the 2020 election.

Robespierre's America  —  We need to reclaim the spirit of 1776, not the certitudes of 1789.  —  I was walking through an airport terminal trying to catch a connecting flight last Saturday when I spotted a writer I had never met but whose work I admire.  He greeted me with a look of fatherly concern …

Politics Is Changing; Why Aren't the Pundits Who Cover It?  The Donny Deutsch problem in media.  —  In past weeks, the curtain has officially been raised on the vast and diverse field of candidates for the Democratic nomination, many of them politicians who would not have been seen …

In Surprise, Katz Pulls Just Ahead of Cabán in Queens District Attorney Primary  —  Tiffany Cabán's 1,100-vote lead evaporated after the count of paper ballots, putting Melinda Katz 20 votes ahead in the hotly contested primary.  —  The Democratic primary for district attorney in Queens …

Border agency knew about secret Facebook group for years  —  Customs and Border Protection officials have been aware for up to three years that a secret Facebook group for current and former Border Patrol agents was posting offensive messages — far longer than previously reported.

“Don Jr. and Jared Really Dislike Each Other”: In the Trump Campaign, It's Son Versus Son-in-Law  —  Suspicion has turned to paranoia as Kushner pushes for 2020 hegemony.  “Don doesn't want to give Jared any excuses to delegitimize him,” says a person close to Don Jr.

Kushner hints Palestinian refugees won't return, says Trump ‘very fond’ of Abbas  —  Promising a ‘pragmatic’ solution, president's son-in-law says Jewish refugees from 1948 were looked after, but Arab states have ‘not absorbed a lot’ of Palestinian refugees  —  Despite tensions and a total break …

Anyone with more than 30,000 social media followers considered a celebrity, advertising watchdog rules  —  Anyone with more than 30,000 social media followers is now considered a celebrity and subject to advertising rules, a watchdog has ruled in a landmark case.

Democrats Grapple With a Sprawling Primary Field, and No One to Shape It  —  WASHINGTON — John Deeth is the sort of Iowa activist who keeps up with every new twist in the Democratic presidential primary, but there was no way he was going to devote two evenings to watching the first round of debates last week.

The Fourth of July Has Always Been Political  —  The question is which vision of America it's being used to advance.  —  Is President Donald Trump politicizing the Fourth of July, allowing the crassness of partisanship to intrude on a sacred civic celebration?  That widely posed question is built on a faulty premise.

Europeans have a lot to say.  Brussels needs to listen.  —  LARREULE, France — Elections in my small village of Larreule, in southwestern France, are usually sociable, predictable affairs.  —  When the polls close, a handful of residents gather in the village hall to watch the transparent urn …

Pediatricians share migrant children's disturbing drawings of their time in US custody  —  (CNN)Pediatricians shared disturbing images drawn by migrant children who were recently separated from their parents while in US Customs and Border Protection custody.  The drawings show people behind bars and in cages.

Trump administration ending in-person interpreters at immigrants' first hearings  —  WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is preparing to replace in-court interpreters at initial immigration court hearings with videos informing asylum seekers and other immigrants facing deportation of their rights, The Chronicle has learned.