A ‘hero’ grandfather, a teen, an Army vet: These are the victims of the El Paso massacre  —  A gunman opened fire at a Walmart Saturday, killing 22.  —  The trip to Walmart was supposed to be fun: an excuse for David Johnson and his wife, Kathy, to take their 9-year-old granddaughter …

How the New York Times made ‘The Charlottesville Lie’ hoax possible  —  Welcome back to The Long Version, a newsletter by Jonathan M. Katz.  —  Subscribe  —  Amid the spate of mass shootings last week, Saturday's massacre of at least 22 people at a Walmart in El Paso posed a particular problem for conservatives.

U.S. State Department Official Involved in White Nationalist Movement, Hatewatch Determines  —  A U.S. State Department official oversaw the Washington, D.C.-area chapter of a white nationalist organization, hosted white nationalists at his home and published white nationalist propaganda online, Hatewatch has determined.

The Owner of Equinox Is Hosting a Huge Fundraiser for Trump … Heads up, gym bunnies.  Yet another brand we consume in our vast, daily practice of capitalism has been implicated into the problematic views of billionaires.  —  Real estate developer and majority owner of Related Companies Stephen Ross …

Tucker Carlson's claim that white supremacy is a hoax is easy to prove wrong.  Just watch his show.  —  In his ongoing and remarkably successful quest to be the worst of the Fox News nighttime hosts, Tucker Carlson hit a new low on his Tuesday show.  —  White supremacy, he claimed …

USA TODAY headquarters evacuated; police confirm report of man with a weapon  —  WASHINGTON — USA TODAY's headquarters in McLean, Virginia was being evacuated Wednesday amid a heavy police presence after police reported a man with a weapon at the suburban Washington building.

Elizabeth Warren Proposes A Public Option For The Internet  —  The White House contender wants to make sure every U.S. home has a fiber broadband connection at an affordable cost.  —  Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) announced a plan Wednesday to create a public option for the internet, aiming to ensure universal broadband access.

Don't Assume Trump's Approval Rating Can't Climb Higher.  It Already Has.  —  Millions of Americans who did not like the president in 2016 now say they do.  —  Donald J. Trump doesn't always seem like a candidate focused on expanding his base of support.  He may have done so anyway.

Trump doubles down on China trade strategy  —  President Donald Trump defended his confrontational stance in trade negotiations with China, insisting the eventual gains from an elusive agreement with the world's second-largest economy will offset any short-term pain and stock market losses.

Joaquin Castro outed one of his own donors in bid to shame Trump supporters  —  EXCLUSIVE: Trump donors whose names and employers were posted in a highly controversial tweet by Democratic Rep. Joaquin Castro blasted the Texas congressman on Wednesday for what they described as a “ridiculous” …

House Democrats ready lawsuit to enforce subpoena for McGahn testimony  —  As early as Wednesday, Democrats are expected to file a lawsuit to enforce their subpoena for former White House counsel Donald McGahn's testimony, sharply escalating their dispute with the White House by sending …

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 …

Texas to loosen firearm laws, allowing guns in churches and on school grounds  —  A tribute to the victims of the horrific attacks in El Paso, Dayton  —  (CNN)A series of new firearm laws will go into effect in Texas next month — further loosening gun restrictions in a state that's had four …

‘Warren has built a monster’: Inside the Democrats' battle for Nevada  —  LAS VEGAS — Kamala Harris hired a dream team of operatives.  Joe Biden has solid establishment support.  Bernie Sanders heads a volunteer army.  And Julián Castro is seen as a “sleeper.”

Orange County, longtime GOP stronghold, now has more registered Democrats than Republicans  —  Orange County, long a Republican stronghold, has officially turned blue.  —  The county that nurtured Ronald Reagan's conservatism and is the resting place of Richard Nixon is now home …

High-Level Cyber Intrusions Hit Bahrain Amid Tensions with Iran  —  Intrusions come as tensions between Iran and its Gulf neighbors ratchet up over sanctions, nuclear program and shipping  —  Suspected Iranian hackers infiltrated critical infrastructure and government computers …

Trump quietly used regulations to expand gun access  —  President Donald Trump this week said his administration has done “much more than most” to curb mass shootings in the United States.  —  While Trump boasts of action on firearms, his administration has eased gun restrictions over the past 2½ years.

“I Know People Want a Richer, More Thoughtful Explanation.”  —  The New York Times executive editor Dean Baquet discusses a controversial headline decision and why the paper's editorial process needs to change.  —  Yesterday, the New York Times received intense criticism from journalists …

Cheesecake Factory and others warn of new risk: “Active shooter situations”  — Some U.S. companies are now citing the risk of mass shootings in their regulatory filings with the SEC.  — In its annual earnings report, the Cheesecake Factory said the threat of “active-shooter situations” …

NRA chief sought purchase of $6 million mansion in wake of Parkland shooting  —  The chief executive of the National Rifle Association sought to have the nonprofit buy him a luxury mansion last year after a mass shooting at a Florida high school, selecting a French country-style estate …