Exclusive: The true origins of the Seth Rich conspiracy theory.  A Yahoo News investigation.  —  WASHINGTON — In the summer of 2016, Russian intelligence agents secretly planted a fake report claiming that Democratic National Committee staffer Seth Rich was gunned down by a squad …

Barr Won't Recuse Himself From New Case Against Jeffrey Epstein  —  Attorney General William Barr won't recuse himself from involvement in the new charges filed against Jeffrey Epstein by federal prosecutors in New York, according to a Justice Department official.

President Trump cannot block his critics on Twitter, federal appeals court rules  —  President Trump cannot block his critics from the Twitter feed he regularly uses to communicate with the public, a federal appeals court said Tuesday, in a case with implications for how elected officials nationwide interact …

“The Letter” — Amy McGrath for U.S. Senate … I'm running for Senate in Kentucky against Mitch McConnell.  Defeat Mitch.  Defend Democracy.

Michael Flynn Changes His Story, Putting Him on Collision Course With Judge  —  WASHINGTON — Michael T. Flynn, the former national security adviser, backed off his planned testimony in a federal case against a former associate, according to court documents unsealed on Tuesday.

Tom Steyer Will Run for President and Plans to Spend $100 Million on His Bid  —  Tom Steyer, the former hedge fund investor turned impeachment activist, announced on Tuesday that he would challenge President Trump in 2020, reversing a previous decision not to enter the race.

Ross Perot, self-made billionaire, patriot and philanthropist, dies at 89  —  Ross Perot, self-made billionaire, renowned patriot and two-time independent candidate for U.S. president, has died after a five-month battle with leukemia.  —  He was 89.  —  The pioneer of the computer services industry …

Trump ‘dossier’ author grilled by Justice Department watchdogs: sources  —  (Reuters) - Federal lawyers probing the origins of the investigation of ties between Russia and President Donald Trump's campaign have interviewed the author of a “dossier” that alleged misconduct between Trump and Moscow …

'What's the point?'  Lawmakers fess up to not fully reading the Mueller report  —  Time for a Mueller report reality check: Only a small segment of America's most powerful have read it.  —  President Donald Trump can't give a straight answer about the subject.

Rapinoe 42, Trump 41  —  By popular demand PPP tested how a Megan Rapinoe v. Donald Trump 2020 match up would shake out, and we found that Rapinoe gets 42% to 41% for Trump.  —  Trump's 41% standing is familiar territory.  On PPP's last public national poll we tested 8 of the actual Democratic candidates …

The Bernie-Warren Suicide Pact to Save America  —  Those of you wise enough to read Splinter should understand that the two best candidates policy-wise in the Democratic primary are Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.  In order for their good policies to triumph, they must both be willing …

Republican Compared Anti-LGBTQ Proposal To Saving Jews From Holocaust  —  State Sen. Dan Bishop, who faces Democrat Dan McCready in a special election, used an Oskar Schindler analogy to characterize his advocacy against gay rights.  —  The Republican candidate for an open House seat …

House Judiciary Dems prepare slew of subpoenas for Trump-tied targets  —  House Judiciary Committee Democrats announced Tuesday that they plan to authorize subpoenas later this week for a dozen individuals connected to President Trump as part of the panel's escalating probe into obstruction of justice …

Elizabeth Warren shuns conventional wisdom for a new kind of campaign  —  When Elizabeth Warren said earlier this year she was swearing off fundraisers, many Democratic strategists saw it as a sign of desperation from a flailing candidate.  —  But that gamble against conventional wisdom …

The Effects on Employment and Family Income of Increasing the Federal Minimum Wage  —  The federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour has not changed since 2009, though many states and localities have set their minimum wage above that level.  Increasing the federal minimum wage would have two principal effects on low-wage workers.

The Breakup  —  It was bound to happen.  —  Like a summer romance, this relationship always felt doomed to fail.  Brought together by little more than the maxim “the enemy of my enemy is my friend,” Never Trumpers and Democrats seem like they're on the verge of a break up.

Updating our rules against hateful conduct  —  We create our rules to keep people safe on Twitter, and they continuously evolve to reflect the realities of the world we operate within.  Our primary focus is on addressing the risks of offline harm, and research* shows that dehumanizing language increases that risk.

FRANCE ANNOUNCES ‘ECO-TAX’ OF UP TO €18 ON TICKETS FOR ALL FLIGHTS LEAVING COUNTRY  —  Move comes amid escalating planetary climate emergency … France will introduce an “eco-tax” of up to €18 (£16.19) on tickets for all flights leaving the country, the government has announced.

'It Can't Be Worse': How Republican Women Are Trying to Rebuild  —  NEW HAVEN — For Republican women, 2018 was rock bottom.  At least, that's how Julie Conway, a Republican consultant, described it to students attending the Women's Campaign School at Yale.

Kudlow: Powell's job safe ‘presently’  —  President Donald Trump has no plans “presently” to dismiss Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell from his post, chief White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said today, despite Trump's unrelenting attacks on the central bank's monetary policy.