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.

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 …

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 …

Sir Kim Darroch resigns as UK ambassador to US  —  Sir Kim Darroch has resigned as UK ambassador to the US, amid a row over leaked emails critical of President Trump's administration.  —  The ambassador was branded “a very stupid guy” by Mr Trump, after emails emerged calling the Trump administration “clumsy and inept”.

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.

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.

Joe Biden Used Tax-Code Loophole Obama Tried to Plug  —  Former vice president structured his speaking, writing business in a way that cut his tax bill  —  Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden used a tax loophole that the Obama administration tried and failed to close, substantially lowering his tax bill.

McGrath raises a record $2.5 million on first day of Senate campaign  —  WASHINGTON — Kentucky Democratic Senate candidate Amy McGrath raised more than $2.5 million in the first 24 hours of her campaign against Mitch McConnell — over $1 million of it coming in just the first five and a half hours …

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.

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.

Winning the Obamacare Suit Would Be a Disaster for Republicans  —  Conservatives would rather rail at judges than come up with a viable health-care alternative.  —  There's an important bit of contingency planning that Republicans have neglected to do.  Neither in the White House nor …

Justice Dept. Tells Mueller Deputies Not to Testify, Scrambling an Agreement  —  WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is seeking to discourage Robert S. Mueller III's deputies from testifying before Congress, potentially jeopardizing an agreement for two of the former prosecutors …

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.

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 …

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 …