Jake Tapper Appears to Have Taken a Break From Truth-Telling  —  Late this afternoon, after increasing tensions among the House Democratic caucus seemed to pause in the wake of Donald Trump's racist tweets about Reps. Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Rashida Tlaib, CNN anchor Jake Tapper had some news.

New Cohen documents reveal calls with Trump, National Enquirer publisher before payment  —  President Donald Trump and his campaign may have had prior knowledge of a deal to silence Stormy Daniels, the adult film actress who allegedly engaged in an extra-marital affair with the then-presidential candidate …

Pentagon Contractor Threatened to Kill Congresswoman Over Vaccine Bill  —  Feds charged Darryl Varnum in late June after he told a member he was ‘gonna kill your ass if you do that bill.’  —  A Pentagon cybersecurity contractor has been charged with threatening to kill a member of Congress …

Judge Denies Jeffrey Epstein's Bail Request  —  Financier will remain in jail while awaiting his trial on sex-trafficking charges  —  Financier Jeffrey Epstein will remain in jail while awaiting his trial on sex-trafficking charges, a federal judge ruled Thursday, rejecting his request …

A Fascist Trump Rally In Greenville  —  Scholars say the rally — where Trump supporters chanted “Send her back!” about Muslim Rep. Ilhan Omar — is an escalation in America's slide toward fascism.  —  GREENVILLE, N.C. — Mark and Nancy Dawson think Muslims should be removed from the United States.

House passes $15 minimum wage bill  —  Washington (CNN)The House passed a bill Thursday that would raise the federal minimum wage for the first time in a decade — but there's little chance the measure will be taken up in the Republican-controlled Senate.  —  The House vote was 231-199.

Just a random group of ‘Republicans’?  CNN doesn't tell the whole story about a Trump-loving panel  —  There's no question that the panel of women CNN interviewed about President Trump liked him a lot and don't think he's a racist, despite a congressional resolution to the contrary on Tuesday.

Epstein Scandal Brings Legal Titans to Blows  —  Four-year battle between David Boies, Alan Dershowitz turns uglier following financier's arrest  —  The arrest of Jeffrey Epstein is escalating a long-simmering fight between two of the nation's best-known lawyers, Alan Dershowitz and David Boies.

Scaramucci disinvited from Florida GOP fundraiser for bashing Trump's ‘racially charged’ attacks  —  The Palm Beach County GOP disinvited Anthony Scaramucci from addressing its annual fundraising event after the short-lived White House communications director criticized President Trump's …

Booker says he felt disrespected in his verbal tussle with Biden  —  Sen. Cory Booker said Thursday that he felt disrespected by Joe Biden's counterattack after Booker condemned the former vice president for his remarks about working with segregationist senators.

Inga Saffron and Stu Bykofsky Absolutely Savaged Each Other at Stu's Farewell Party  —  Don't worry.  There's video.  —  When it's your last day on the job, assuming you've worked at your job for a long time, there will probably be a toast with some sort of alcoholic beverage.  You'll say a few words.

The Alaska village where every cop has been convicted of domestic violence  —  Dozens of convicted criminals have been hired as cops in Alaska communities.  Often, they are the only applicants.  In Stebbins, every cop has a criminal record, including the chief.

Where Is Ivanka?  —  Ivanka Trump wants it both ways.  —  Since joining her father's White House as a senior adviser in early 2017, the first daughter has reserved the right to toggle between a strict and loose construction of her portfolio.  When flashy opportunities arise …

Mt. Vernon Has 2 Mayors and a Police Chief Arrested by His Own Officers  —  Things are really not O.K. in this New York suburb.  —  MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. — On one side of City Hall, Richard Thomas, the former and possibly still-current mayor of Mount Vernon was in his office on Tuesday, the door guarded by two police officers.

What Americans Do Now Will Define Us Forever  —  The conservative intelligentsia flocked to the Ritz-Carlton in Washington, D.C., this week for the National Conservatism Conference, an opportunity for people who may never have punched a time clock to declare their eternal enmity toward elites …

Iran state TV: Iranian forces seize foreign oil tanker, crew  —  TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard forces seized a foreign oil tanker accused of smuggling oil, Iran's state TV reported Thursday.  The vessel appears to be a United Arab Emirates-based tanker …

William Barr's donations to Senate Republicans spiked just before they confirmed him as attorney general  —  In between stints as US attorney general for George HW Bush in the early 90s and now for Donald Trump, while making millions as an executive at Verizon and a lawyer at Kirkland & Ellis …

Democrats Can't Take Their Own Medicine  —  I can imagine Trump at some point next year getting up and saying, “Never before in all our history have these forces [the media and the opposition party] been so united against one candidate as they stand today.  They are unanimous in their hate for me—and I welcome their hatred.”