POLITICO Playbook: Biden the durable  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  THE BIG TAKEAWAY FROM THE LATEST QUINNIPIAC POLL on the presidential race: JOE BIDEN'S durability.  —  DESPITE THE CHATTER about Biden's shortcomings, he's still in the mid-30s, having barely budged after enduring weeks …

Times public editor: The readers versus the masthead  —  Dean Baquet, the executive editor of The New York Times, was at home on Monday night—as was the rest of the paper's senior leadership (referred to internally as “the masthead")—when the next day's front page was being composed.

Joaquin Castro doubles down amid backlash over tweeting names of Trump donors  —  Joaquin Castro, a Democratic congressman from Texas and chairman of the presidential campaign of his twin brother, Julián, fired back on Tuesday after being castigated on social media for tweeting the names …

Students for Trump founder pleads guilty to posing as lawyer in $46K scam  —  The founder of Students for Trump pleaded guilty Tuesday to running a $46,000 scam in which he posed as a lawyer and gave legal advice.  —  John Lambert, 23, created a website for a fake law firm called Pope & Dunn …

Release Detail  —  August 6, 2019 - Warren Up, Harris Down, But Biden Leads Among U.S. Dems Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; 14 Dems Have Less Than 1 Percent  —  Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren is the big winner in the second round of Democratic presidential debates …

Kim says North Korean launches were warning to US, South  —  SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea said Wednesday leader Kim Jong Un supervised a live-fire demonstration of newly developed, short-range ballistic missiles intended to send a warning to the United States and South Korea over their joint military exercises.

Trump Campaign Ad Features QAnon Signs  —  Whether accidental or not, the Trump campaign keeps nodding to QAnon conspiracy theorists, even after the FBI called them a potential source of domestic terror  —  Two signs promoting the QAnon conspiracy theory are visible in a video …

Is Donald Trump Actually Just Blind?  An Investigation.  —  As President Donald Trump addressed the nation about the two mass shootings that had occurred over the weekend, he said, “May God bless the memory of those who perished in Toledo.”  The public reacted with alarm and derision …

Tiffany Cabán Concedes Queens D.A. Race, Dashing Progressives' Hopes  —  Melinda Katz wins the Democratic nomination by 55 votes after a recount erases her opponent's slim election night lead.  —  The pitched seven-week battle for the Democratic nomination for Queens district attorney finally ended …

Shooting at Walmart in Baton Rouge: Initial report that fight led to gunfire incorrect, sheriff says  —  Law enforcement responds after a shooting altercation between two patrons at Walmart on Burbank Drive Tuesday August 6, 2019, in Baton Rouge, La.  —  LATEST STORY: East Baton Rouge …

NRA discussed purchasing luxury mansion for its chief executive to use, documents show  —  Documents indicate that the National Rifle Association planned to purchase a luxury mansion in the Dallas area last year for the use of chief executive Wayne LaPierre, according to two people familiar with the records.

Top Republican Congressman Sent Letter Saying Rich Jews Bought Congress  —  (JTA) — A letter sent by National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Emmer to party members identified three “left-wing radicals” that he says “bought control of Congress for the Democrats.”  They are all Jewish.

Monica Lewinsky-Produced ‘Impeachment’ Set as Next ‘American Crime Story’ at FX  —  Sarah Paulson, Beanie Feldstein and Annaleigh Ashford will star in the anthology, with writer Sarah Burgess set to pen the script.  —  Nearly a year and a half after season two of FX's Emmy-winning American Crime Story ended …

My Family Has Been Threatened by Racists.  Why Should They Outgun Me?  —  The right to effective self-defense has never been more important.  —  Few things are more frustrating than watching members of the media, politicians, and activists who often know very little about guns …

Mueller Tied to Double Deception: First in Court, Then Before Congress  —  Republican lawmakers allege Special Counsel Robert Mueller may have perjured himself before Congress in his sworn testimony last month, when he gave what they say were incomplete answers regarding why he held an earlier press briefing.

India's Looming Ethno-Nationalist Catastrophe  —  In the long list of enemies maintained by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party of India (BJP), the Muslims of the northwestern state of Kashmir have always held a special place.  The only Muslim-majority state in India, and one guaranteed notional …

Pence: ‘Spend more time on your knees than on the internet’  —  VP says prayer helps cope with unfair criticism  —  Vice President Mike Pence said Tuesday he was surprised by media criticism of his wife's decision to teach art at a school with devout Christian beliefs, and said he's gotten lots of practice in forgiving his critics.

Trump's China battle heads into the danger zone  —  President Donald Trump is pushing his bitter trade war with China into an aggressive and unpredictable new phase, bewildering Wall Street and risking an even bigger slowdown heading into a 2020 election in which the economy was supposed to be the president's strongest selling point.

Alleged predator Jessica Yaniv arrested, home searched  —  UPDATE: According to the National Post, after the Monday afternoon Blaire White livestream in which the prohibited weapon was brandished, Yaniv was arrested and brought to an RCMP holding cell.  Yaniv was released Tuesday morning.

Brexit: no deal would harm UK security, senior officer warns  —  Counter-terror chief raises ‘deep concerns’ as key crime-fighting tools will be lost  —  The UK's safety and security would suffer from a no-deal Brexit and no amount of planning and preparation can erase the risk, Britain's head of counter-terrorism has said.

Melissa Mark-Viverito Runs for Congress, Touting Progressive Cred  —  Former City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito is running for Congress — painting herself as the early leader of the progressive wave now sweeping Democratic politics in New York.  —  “At a time when the norm was being pragmatic …

Hickenlooper keeping his options open on Senate run as presidential bid struggles  —  (CNN)John Hickenlooper, who has struggled to break through the crowded Democratic presidential field, spoke to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer late last week about running for the Senate from Colorado …