New Jeffrey Epstein accuser: He raped me when I was 15  —  Jennifer Araoz says she was recruited outside her New York City high school to provide sexual massages to the wealthy financier.  —  Jennifer Araoz says she was 14 years old when a young woman approached her outside her New York City high school in the fall of 2001.

‘It Could Have Been Any of Us’: Disdain for Trump Runs Among Ambassadors  —  WASHINGTON — Ask members of the Washington diplomatic corps about the cables that Sir Kim Darroch, the British ambassador who resigned Wednesday, wrote to London describing the dysfunction and chaos of the Trump administration …

Trump labor secretary who cut Epstein deal plans to slash funds for sex trafficking victims  —  Democrats condemn as ‘amoral’ Alex Acosta's proposed 80% funding cut for US agency that combats child sex trafficking  —  Alexander Acosta, the US labor secretary under fire for having granted …

State Department Analyst Resigns After White House Blocked Climate Change Testimony  —  A State Department intelligence analyst has resigned in protest after the White House blocked portions of his written testimony to a congressional panel to exclude data and evidence on climate change …

‘Do not tweet’: Pelosi scolds progressives in closed-door meeting  —  Speaker Nancy Pelosi chided progressives in a closed-door meeting Wednesday, calling on them to address their intra-party grievances privately rather than blasting their centrist colleagues on Twitter.

Tucker Carlson Has Failed to Assimilate  —  While I favor granting citizenship automatically to children born in the United States, I was reminded of birthright citizenship's biggest downside Tuesday while listening to Tucker Carlson on his Fox News show.  —  Unlike immigrants …

Amy McGrath: 'If President Trump has good ideas, I'll be for them'  —  Democrat Amy McGrath is hoping she can convince Kentuckians who voted for President Donald Trump and his pledge to “drain the swamp” that Republican Mitch McConnell is the biggest swamp-dweller in Washington.

Trump's July Fourth event and weekend protests bankrupted D.C. security fund, mayor says  —  President Trump's overhauled July Fourth celebration cost the D.C. government $1.7 million, an amount that — combined with police expenses for demonstrations through the weekend …

‘Mother Is Not Going to Like This’: The 48 Hours That Almost Brought Down Trump  —  One by one, they had trickled out of the conference room on the 25th floor of Trump Tower.  It was Friday, October 7, 2016, two days before the second presidential debate, and the Republican nominee's brain trust …

Appeals court dismisses emoluments lawsuit involving Trump's D.C. hotel  —  A federal appeals court Wednesday sided with President Trump, dismissing a lawsuit claiming the president is illegally profiting from foreign and state government visitors at his luxury hotel in downtown Washington.

How Many Florida Voters Could Tom Steyer Enfranchise for the Amount He Plans to Spend Running for President?  —  A proposal for a better investment in democracy.  —  Tom Steyer, a California investor/billionaire/liberal activist, announced this week that he is running for president …

An Explosive Secret Recording Reveals How Russia Tried To Funnel Millions To The “European Trump”  —  A close aide to Italy's deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini held covert talks to pump Russian oil money to his far-right party.  BuzzFeed News has the tape.

How to Give Away $420 Million: Cheryl and Haim Saban on Hollywood Philanthropy, Israel and 2020 Politics  —  The outspoken media moguls, who have pledged much of their $3.2  billion fortune to charity, reveal how they select causes like women's empowerment, healthcare and a $50 million gift …

Trump Invites Fringe Social Media Company Popular With Nazis to the White House  —  Minds.com was invited to a social media summit (featuring several far-right figures), but not Facebook and Twitter.  —  Tomorrow, President Donald Trump is meeting with a series of right wing figures at the White House to discuss social media issues.

Trump's attempts to smear Christopher Steele just hit a roadblock  —  For months, President Donald Trump and his allies have tried to smear Christopher Steele, the author of the infamous Steele Dossier, as someone bent on bringing down the president through lies and deceit.

Mueller Missed the Crime: Trump's Campaign Coordinated With Russia  —  The special counsel will testify before Congress next week.  He needs to answer for historic legal and factual errors.  —  Ever since the release of the Mueller Report, countless commentators have implored everyone to just #ReadtheReport.

The comeback state of 2019: Kansas economy rebounds from tax-cutting disaster  —  KEY POINTS  — The year's biggest declines belong to Michigan, California, Idaho, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.  —  The Sunflower State jumped 16 spots to No. 19 in this year's CNBC America's Top States …

S&P 500 soars above 3,000 for first time as Fed Chair Jerome Powell hints interest rate cut likely in July  —  Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell had two messages for Congress Wednesday: Central bank independence is critical and an interest-rate cut is likely at the end of July.