Prosecutors weighed DOJ policy blocking indictment of a sitting president in closing Trump hush-money probe  —  WASHINGTON — Federal prosecutors' decision to end an investigation into hush money payments to women claiming affairs with Donald Trump relied at least in part …

Trump Disavows ‘Send Her Back’ Chant as G.O.P. Frets Over Ugly Phrase  —  WASHINGTON — President Trump on Thursday disavowed the “send her back” chant that broke out at his re-election rally Wednesday night when he railed against a Somali-born congresswoman, as Republicans in Congress rushed …

Labor fight roils Bernie Sanders campaign, as workers demand the $15 hourly pay the candidate has proposed for employees nationwide  —  Unionized campaign organizers working for Sen. Bernie Sanders's presidential effort are battling with its management, arguing that the compensation and treatment …

Congressional Republicans shame themselves with their silence on Trump's racism.  —  Days after President Donald Trump's racist declaration that four congresswomen of color — three of them American-born — should “go back” where they came from, the response from most members of the party of Lincoln continues to be ... nothing.

O'Hare Standoff: Federal Officials Detaining Three Children Of Undocumented Parents  —  Chicago lawyers, a representative from the Mexican Consulate and a congresswoman from Illinois have all met with U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials to find out why three American citizen children are being detained at O'Hare Airport.

Trump officials pressing to slash refugee admissions to zero next year  —  The Trump administration is considering a virtual shutdown of refugee admissions next year — cutting the number to nearly zero — according to three people familiar with the plan.  —  During a key meeting …

Brexit: Scheme to block no deal ‘could involve Queen’  —  Senior Tories seeking to block a no-deal Brexit are examining a radical plan involving the Queen, Newsnight has learned.  —  Highly placed figures in the rebel group are so concerned that the next prime minister could ignore …

Scoop: John Delaney's staffers have asked him to drop out  —  On July 9, John Delaney's senior team sat him down and told him to drop out of the presidential race by mid-August, according to three sources close to the campaign.  —  Why it matters: He's been running for president for 721 days.

ESPN's Dan Le Batard rips President Trump, derides network's no-politics policy  —  “There's a racial division in this country that's being instigated by the president, and we here at ESPN haven't had the stomach for that fight.”  —  With those words, Dan Le Batard launched into an impassioned monologue Thursday.

Trump to Nominate Eugene Scalia for Labor Secretary Job  —  President Trump said he would name Eugene Scalia as his next secretary of labor, tapping the son of the former Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia for a position with vast responsibility over the American work force.

It's Biden v. Harris Part 2 at next Democratic presidential debate  —  Former vice president Joe Biden and California Sen. Kamala Harris, who clashed at the first Democratic debate, will face off again on July 31, leaving the ideologically aligned Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Massachusetts …

E.P.A. Won't Ban Chlorpyrifos, Pesticide Tied to Children's Health Problems  —  The decision not to prohibit the pesticide, which has been linked to developmental disabilities, comes after years of legal wrangling.  —  President Trump said the U.S. shot down an Iranian drone that approached a Navy ship.

Trump Is Betting on Race in 2020.  He May Not Have a Choice.  —  Buried beneath the blustery bravado of Donald Trump's openly racist attacks on four Democratic congresswomen of color were clear signs of electoral anxiety.  —  Trump insists he is producing great results for the country, especially on the economy.

Store clerk fired after telling customers to ‘go back to their country’ in viral video  —  In the midst of a national controversy about President Donald Trump's inflammatory tweets towards minority congresswomen, a store clerk at an Illinois convenience store has been fired after he was caught …

“I'm Winning”: Donald Trump's Calculated Racism  —  On Tuesday, President Trump convened his Cabinet in the White House.  First to speak after a long, rambling, and inaccuracy-filled monologue by Trump himself was Ben Carson, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

Anxious Democratic Governors Urge 2020 Field Not to Veer Too Far Left  —  WASHINGTON — After claiming governorships from Republicans in seven states last year, including in crucial presidential battlegrounds like Wisconsin and Michigan, Democratic governors should have good reason to celebrate.

GOP vote on Trump's ‘go back’ comments was an effort to absolve him — and themselves — on racism  —  KEY POINTS  — With their votes this week, House Republicans absolved President Donald Trump of racism in calling for four non-white lawmakers to “go back” to other countries.

Rabbi in Congresswoman Ilhan Omar's district compares Trump rally to ‘Nazi Germany’  —  Faith leaders in Rep. Ilhan Omar's home district are standing firmly behind her in the face of attacks from President Trump, despite disagreeing with some of her comments on Israel.

Safe Deposit Boxes Aren't Safe  —  When Philip Poniz opened Box 105 at his local Wells Fargo, he discovered it was empty — and that he was totally unprotected by federal law.  —  In the early 1980s, when Philip Poniz moved to New Jersey from Colorado, he needed a well-protected place to stash his collection of rare watches.

Bill de Blasio Tapped His State PAC for Presidential Hopes  —  Mayor Bill de Blasio spent more on his presidential run than he reported in federal campaign filings this week, an analysis by THE CITY found.  —  The extra support came out of a state political action committee de Blasio launched …

The Squad to Re-Elect President Trump  —  One of the greatest parts of the great American classic, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, was when young Tom tricked all of the neighborhood kids into painting a fence for him.  Punished by Aunt Polly for one his many indiscretions …

Trump Can't Just Walk Away From ‘Send Her Back’  —  There's a reason the president can't bring himself to condemn a bigoted chant.  —  Last Sunday, President Donald Trump suggested that four Democratic congresswomen of color, three of whom were born in the U.S., “go back” to their ancestors' countries.

The Times' obscene attacks on the Apollo program  —  As America prepares to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing, The New York Times is busy celebrating the Soviet space program and bashing America's.  —  A Times op-ed Thursday highlighted how the Soviet Union was oh-so-diverse …

Muslim cleric who hid Christians during attacks honored in the US  —  Imam Abubakar Abdullahi saved Christians who ran to his home in central Nigeria  —  Lagos, Nigeria (CNN)The US government is honoring an 83-year-old Muslim cleric who hid 262 Christians in his home and mosque during an attack in central Nigeria.