Trump has one playbook, and very few plays left in it  —  After a week in which the threat of recession rocked global financial markets, his trade war with China showed no signs of progress and the government of Israel got into a nasty dispute with two members of Congress …

THE ADVISER WHO SCRIPTS TRUMP'S IMMIGRATION POLICY … At President Trump's speeches and rallies, Stephen Miller often can be found backstage, watching the teleprompter operator.  As other White House staffers chat or look at their phones, Miller's attention remains glued to the controls.

Trump's Pittsburgh Speech Was a Paying Gig for Audience  —  Thousands of union workers at a multibillion-dollar petrochemical plant being built outside Pittsburgh were given the choice of attending a speech by President Trump on Tuesday or staying away — and losing some of their pay for the week.

Ralph Whittington, erotica collector extraordinaire, dies at 74  —  Ralph Whittington worked at the Library of Congress for 36 years, rising from an entry-level clerk to become a curator in the main reading room of the library's majestic building across from the U.S. Capitol.

Portland protests: 13 arrested as police declare civil disturbance (live updates)  —  A confluence of protesters on opposite ends of the ideological spectrum merged on Portland's waterfront Saturday in a tense but relatively uneventful face-off that brought national attention …

No Wonder the Economy Has Trump Spooked  —  Despite gyrations on Wall Street this week and an associated rise in recession fears, Donald Trump is still ballyhooing the state of the U.S. economy.  In private, however, the President sounded “nervous and apprehensive” when he called a number …

Why was Jeffrey Epstein allowed to purchase small women's panties from the Palm Beach jail?  —  A decade ago, during a brief stint in Palm Beach County Jail, convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein made an odd purchase at the facility's store: two pairs of small women's panties, size 5.

Inmate 76318-054: The Last Days of Jeffrey Epstein  —  The notorious jail in Manhattan was a sharp departure from his formerly gilded life.  Here's what happened inside.  —  Jeffrey Epstein, inmate 76318-054, hated his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center.

The water is so hot in Alaska it's killing large numbers of salmon  —  (CNN)Alaska has been in the throes of an unprecedented heat wave this summer, and the heat stress is killing salmon in large numbers.  —  Scientists have observed die-offs of several varieties of Alaskan salmon, including sockeye, chum and pink salmon.

Former vice president Dick Cheney to appear at fundraiser for Trump and RNC  —  Former vice president Richard B. Cheney and his daughter, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), are to appear at a lunch fundraiser Monday in support of President Trump's 2020 reelection campaign and the Republican National Committee …

House speaker as US emissary: Pelosi emerges as force abroad  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — There's an American leader whose words resonate on the global stage.  Who draws attention in foreign capitals.  Who carries a message from the United States by simply arriving.  —  It's not just President Donald Trump.

The Next Chernobyl Could Be at Sea  —  Russia and China are leading a push to put nuclear reactors on mobile floating platforms.  Rules need to catch up.  —  Later this month, a flotilla of tugboats will leave Murmansk, a port in Russia's northwest, towing the Akademik Lomonosov, a floating nuclear power plant.

Militant Neo-Nazi Group Actively Recruiting Ahead of Alleged Training Camp  —  The Base, a neo-Nazi group aiming to provide military and survivalist training to fellow white supremacists, has been ramping up its activities including a massive recruitment campaign and a planned “hate camp.”

'Here in El Paso, we're just a family': City turns out for widower of Walmart massacre victim  —  EL PASO — Antonio Basco, overwhelmed by loneliness and grief after his wife, Margie Reckard, was slain in a mass shooting on Aug. 3, invited the El Paso community to attend her prayer service Friday night.

Joseph P. Kennedy III to decide soon on challenge to Senator Edward Markey  —  WASHINGTON — Representative Joseph P. Kennedy III is weighing a primary challenge to Senator Edward J. Markey, according to a person close to Kennedy and a Democratic congressional source, a move …

How the Recession of 2020 Could Happen  —  The freeze-up in business confidence, caused in part by the trade war, could wind up affecting consumer confidence.  —  These three things are all true: The United States almost certainly isn't in a recession right now.  It may well avoid one for the foreseeable future.