Anger as grinning Trump gives thumbs-up while Melania holds El Paso orphan  —  A backlash is building over a picture posted by Melania Trump on Twitter that showed her and Donald Trump smiling broadly while holding a baby who was orphaned in the mass shooting in El Paso.

Former firefighter stops man armed with 100 rounds of ammunition at south Springfield Walmart  —  SPRINGFIELD, Mo. The Springfield Police Department says it responded to a call of an active shooter at the Walmart Neighborhood Market at Republic Rd., near Golden Ave., Thursday evening.

Trump's Opponents Want to Name His Big Donors.  His Supporters Say It's Harassment.  —  WASHINGTON — For many businesses, a sudden deluge of phone calls might signal an influx of new customers.  But most of the 25 calls Justin Herricks received before noon on Thursday were from people …

Joe Biden says ‘poor kids’ are ‘just as talented as white kids’  —  Speaking in Iowa on Thursday night, former Vice President Joe Biden said “poor kids” are “just as talented as white kids,” before correcting himself.  —  Biden was addressing the Iowa Asian and Latino Coalition …

Here's the data on white supremacist terrorism the Trump administration has been ‘unable or unwilling’ to give to Congress  —  WASHINGTON — Alleged white supremacists were responsible for all race-based domestic terrorism incidents in 2018, according to a government document distributed earlier …

'If you're a good worker, papers don't matter': How a Trump construction crew has relied on immigrants without legal status  —  OSSINING, N.Y. — For nearly two decades, the Trump Organization has relied on a roving crew of Latin American employees to build fountains and waterfalls …

Quillette Duped by Left-Wing Hoaxer Posing as Communist Construction Worker  —  “Archie Carter,” who pretended to be a blue-collar member of the Democratic Socialists of America, says he set out to humiliate the conservative site with his error-riddled story.

Lost in Life, El Paso Suspect Found a Dark World Online  —  Gunman who allegedly killed 22 people with an intent to attack Hispanics told investigators he came to his views on the internet  —  ALLEN, Texas—The family of Patrick Crusius, the alleged gunman in El Paso's mass shooting …

Kellyanne Conway Defends Tucker Carlson, Says White Supremacy Gets ‘Outsized Coverage’ Compared to Antifa  —  White House counselor Kellyanne Conway defended Fox News host Tucker Carlson on Thursday, arguing that his assertion that white supremacy is a “hoax” was getting “outsized coverage” compared to other threats.

Sen. Tim Scott says his 2022 SC reelection bid will be his last political race  —  In three years time, Republican U.S. Sen. Tim Scott will be facing reelection in South Carolina, but he will also be facing something else: His last political run.  —  In a wide-ranging interview Thursday …

Trump announces shakeup at top of U.S. intelligence  —  President Trump said in a tweet Thursday that he will name Joseph Maguire, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, as the acting director of national intelligence.  —  Maguire will assume the role Aug. 15, when Sue Gordon …

Trump heads for golf club holiday - but summer storms loom  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Now is the summer (vacation) of the president's discontent.  —  As Donald Trump prepares to leave Friday for his annual August holiday at his lush New Jersey golf club, he's confronting a storm of crises …

Unsealed Documents Name Powerful Men in Epstein Sex Ring  —  In newly unsealed documents, Virginia Giuffre claims that Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell trafficked her to politicians, princes, and a high-flying financier, among others.  —  A young woman who says financier Jeffrey Epstein …

8Chan Refugees Blow Their Anonymity  —  An unofficial new version of the hate-filled forum isn't as anonymous as its users might hope.  —  Refugees from the anonymous 8chan forum are flooding into a new censorship-resistant home on the dark web, and inadvertently giving up their anonymity along the way.

Trump to NRA Bigwigs: Get Better Lawyers  —  This spring, the president told the gun group's top lobbyist and exec their legal team was “lousy.”  Now the NRA is in an unusually weak position—and trying to keep Trump in line.  —  At the National Rifle Association's annual meeting in Indianapolis …

A black man was about to buy a cop's house.  Then, he found a KKK application in a bedroom.  —  The Confederate flag place mat on the dining room table was Rob Mathis's first hint that something was off inside the home he was thinking of buying.  —  “I thought to myself …

'They're afraid': Suburban voters in red states threaten GOP's grip on power  —  BROOKHAVEN, Ga. — Republicans face a reckoning in the red-state suburbs that have long been a bedrock for the party, propelled by the stormy confluence of President Trump's searing racial attacks …

Egypt jails American traveler, saying she criticized the government on Facebook  —  CAIRO — When Reem Mohamed Desouky arrived from Washington last month with her 13-year-old son, Egyptian authorities detained them at the airport, he said.  They confiscated their phones and interrogated Desouky, holding the two for hours.

Twitter giving conservatives the silent tweetment  —  When Ben Goldey, a House communications director from Kentucky, saw a Facebook Live video of protesters outside of Sen. Mitch McConnell's house, he immediately took a screen grab of the video and posted it to Twitter.

First U.K. Contraction Since Wake of Crisis Raises Brexit Stakes  — Firms run down stocks after hoarding before March exit date  — Underlying growth has lost momentum amid no-deal Brexit fears  —  Follow @Brexit, sign up to our Brexit Bulletin, and tell us your Brexit story.

For Trump and his cronies, draining the swamp means ousting experts  —  Once upon a time, President Trump pledged to “drain the swamp.”  —  This resonated with lots of Americans, who resented the ecosystem of interest groups rigging government in their favor: corrupt officials …