The Day Jeffrey Epstein Told Me He Had Dirt on Powerful People  —  Almost exactly a year ago, on Aug. 16, 2018, I visited Jeffrey Epstein at his cavernous Manhattan mansion.  —  The overriding impression I took away from our roughly 90-minute conversation was that Mr. Epstein knew …

“They're Nothing, These Girls”: Unraveling the Mystery of Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's Enabler  —  She hired girls for him, shared his life with him, possibly hoped to marry him.  And now she may be a target of a conspiracy charge.  —  Is it possible prosecutors have lost track of Ghislaine Maxwell …

The World Turns, America Sleeps  —  Protest movements no longer fall within the U.S. field of vision.  —  Since the protests in Hong Kong started two months ago, I have been struck by the coolness of the American response.  I am referring not just to President Donald Trump …

NYT Top Editor: Trump Racism Headline Was a ‘F*cking Mess’  —  In a lengthy town-hall meeting on Monday, the paper's top brass addressed a bevy of recent controversies centering around the Times' coverage of Trump, race, and politics.  —  New York Times executive editor Dean Baquet admitted Monday …

Trump Immigration Chief: ‘Give Me Your Tired And Your Poor Who Can Stand On Their Own 2 Feet’  —  Ken Cuccinelli suggested new wording for the Statue of Liberty to defend a controversial rule restricting legal immigration.  —  Ken Cuccinelli, the Trump administration's acting head …

Trump's Secretary of Agriculture Tells Joke About Whining Farmers to Room Full of Farmers, Gets Boo'd  —  President Donald Trump's Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue cracked a joke that American farmers “whine” about Trump's trade war with China and got laughs as he intended but also boo's …

Chris Cuomo Threatens Man Who Hurled Italian Slur ‘Fredo’ at Him  —  6:00 AM PT — 8/13 — Donald Trump predictably weighed in, supported the guy who called Chris “Fredo,” saying, “I thought Chris was Fredo also.  The truth hurts.  Totally lost it!  Low ratings @CNN.”

Arizona border agent pleads guilty to intentionally running over migrant near Nogales  —  TUCSON — A former U.S. Border Patrol agent charged with running over a Guatemalan migrant along the Arizona-Mexico border and then lying about it has pleaded guilty and can face up to a year in prison, according to a deal with prosecutors.

Ivanka Trump is quietly calling lawmakers about the gun debate  —  Ivanka Trump has quietly been making calls to members of Congress in the days following the deadly mass shootings in Dayton and El Paso to gauge where they stand on pending gun legislation, sources familiar with her conversations told Axios.

Joe Biden Knows He Says the Wrong Thing  —  Many advisers and donors to Joseph R. Biden Jr. were elated last Wednesday as he delivered one of the best-reviewed speeches of his 2020 campaign, using prepared remarks on a Teleprompter to accuse President Trump of encouraging white supremacy …

Julián Castro has a message for Trump.  He bought a ‘Fox & Friends’ ad to reach him.  —  Julián Castro, a Democratic candidate for president, plans to release a television ad Wednesday directly addressing President Trump and faulting his incendiary rhetoric for the massacre …

How an unarmed 65-year-old stopped a gunman from attacking a Norwegian mosque  —  BERLIN — A 65-year-old former Pakistani military officer is being credited with thwarting an attack at a mosque in Norway after he tackled a heavily armed gunman who allegedly stormed into the house of worship …

Useful Idiots and Trumpist Billionaires  —  Greed, ego and willful blindness at the top.  —  Whoever came up with the phrase “useful idiots” — it's often credited to Lenin, but there's no evidence he ever said it — was on to something.  There are times when dangerous political movements …

Washington Post editor responds to Bernie Sanders: Your ‘conspiracy theory’ is wrong  —  (CNN)The executive editor of The Washington Post hit back at Sen. Bernie Sanders' suggestion that the paper's coverage of the presidential candidate is linked to its owner's business interests, calling the accusation a “conspiracy theory.”

In suburban Texas, 'It feels like there's no place for lifelong Republicans like me'  —  Vanessa Steinkamp is the kind of voter that Texas Republicans counted on.  She's a devoted conservative who volunteered for Bob Dole's presidential campaign, interned for former GOP Sen. Bill Frist …

The Filibuster Is Suffocating the Will of the American People  —  To save our country's future, Democrats must abolish this arcane Senate rule.  —  Mr. Reid is a former Senate majority leader from Nevada.  —  I am not an expert on all of government, but I do know something about the United States Senate.

Make it simple, Democrats: How to tell the Trump impeachment story and speed it up, too  —  Centralize and simplify the impeachment narrative.  Show how Trump's abuses relate to each other and how they started on the day he took his oath.  —  CONNECT  —  A majority of House Democrats now favor an impeachment inquiry.

Exclusive: Democratic group wants Hickenlooper to drop out of the 2020 race  —  The Democratic group 314 Action, which supports candidates with a science background, is launching a six-figure “Draft Hickenlooper” campaign Tuesday to encourage John Hickenlooper to drop out of the 2020 presidential race …

The danger of vilifying poor immigrants  —  Your ancestors weren't as legal — or as wealthy — as you think.  —  The Trump administration recently proposed to massively expand something called “expedited removal,” which allows immigration agents to shunt people more easily into deportation proceedings without due process or review.

Harris, Warren ignore DOJ report to claim Michael Brown was ‘murdered’  —  “Michael Brown's murder forever changed Ferguson and America.  His tragic death sparked a desperately needed conversation and a nationwide movement.  We must fight for stronger accountability and racial equity in our justice system.”

Trump's base is very different than the swing voters he'll need in 2020  —  (CNN)President Donald Trump's chief problem heading into the 2020 campaign can be boiled down to “like him on the economy, but not overall.”  Aggregating our last three CNN polls, Trump has a 44% approval rating and 52% disapproval rating among voters.

Fourth member resigns from NRA board in a sign of further upheaval  —  Julie Golob, a professional sport shooter and a strong public advocate for gun rights, announced Monday she was resigning from the National Rifle Association board before the end of her three-year term.

Oregon Governor Supports Making Trump Release Tax Returns To Get On Primary Ballot  —  “We have to hold our elected officials accountable,” Kate Brown said.  —  WASHINGTON ― Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) said she would easily sign a law requiring presidential candidates to release …

Most Americans Say White Nationalism Poses A Threat To The U.S.  —  In a new poll, only about a quarter of Americans say they believe President Trump personally opposes white nationalism.  —  Most Americans believe white nationalism poses at least a somewhat serious threat to the country, a HuffPost/YouGov poll finds.