As he campaigns for president, Joe Biden tells a moving but false war story  —  HANOVER, N.H. — Joe Biden painted a vivid scene for the 400 people packed into a college meeting hall.  A four-star general had asked the then-vice president to travel to Kunar province in Afghanistan …

The Man Who Couldn't Take It Anymore  —  On December 19 of last year, Admiral Michael Mullen, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, met James Mattis for lunch at the Pentagon.  Mattis was a day away from resigning as Donald Trump's secretary of defense, but he tends to keep his own counsel …

Leaked Emails Show How White Nationalists Have Infiltrated Conservative Media  —  Conservative institutions in the Donald Trump era have often sought to portray themselves as shocked and appalled by the so-called “alt-right.”  White nationalists have also engaged in their own efforts …

Trump cancels trip to Poland, says he is staying in the U.S. to monitor Hurricane Dorian  —  President Trump announced Thursday that he is canceling a planned trip to Poland and will remain in the United States to monitor Hurricane Dorian, which is headed toward a potential landfall in Florida …

The DOJ's inspector general buries the real news  —  With William P. Barr as President Trump's attorney general, one must always keep in mind that everything out of this Justice Department will be spun, shaded or, in the case of Robert S. Mueller III's report, misrepresented with the sole purpose …

Conservatives say we've abandoned reason and civility.  The Old South said that, too.  —  Conservatives say we've abandoned reason and civility.  The Old South used the same language to defend slavery.  —  After the El Paso shooting, Ben Shapiro — a popular conservative podcaster …

Gov. Kay Ivey apologizes for racist skit from time at Auburn  —  Gov. Kay Ivey is contacting state legislators, and apologizing for her role in a racist student skit from her time as an Auburn student.  —  Ivey was president of her Alpha Gamma Delta pledge class at Auburn.

Issa launches exploratory committee to challenge GOP Rep. Duncan Hunter  —  Former Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) has taken his first formal step toward a return to Congress.  —  The former House Oversight and Reform Committee chairman has created an exploratory committee to run …

Final lineup set for sole night of ABC Democratic primary debate  —  The final lineup for the third Democratic debate is set for a single night in Houston in two weeks on Sept. 12.  —  Eight months into the campaign season, the third matchup in a series of Democratic National Committee …

Senate Republicans tell Supreme Court not to be ‘cowed’ by Democratic senators  —  All 53 Republicans in the Senate urged the Supreme Court on Thursday not to be “cowed” by a brief from a handful of Democratic senators that warned that the court risks its impartial reputation if it continues …

If Joe Walsh Is the Answer, Ask a Different Question  —  If Trump's rise signaled or even exacerbated a decline in the health of the GOP, the also-rans challenging him in the 2020 primaries aren't the cure.  —  What is the premise of Joe Walsh's primary challenge to President Trump?

E.P.A. to Roll Back Regulations on Methane, a Potent Greenhouse Gas  —  WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is set to announce on Thursday that it intends to sharply curtail the regulation of methane emissions, a major contributor to climate change, according to an industry official with knowledge of the plan.

Two Polling Methods, Two Views of Trump's 2020 Re-election Chances  —  Is the president basically like other presidents, or is he uniquely divisive?  —  There are two major theories about President Trump's standing heading into his re-election campaign.  Over the last few months …

Trump says it would be ‘disloyal to my followers’ to do a CNN interview  —  President Trump on Thursday said he's not inclined to do an interview with CNN because he thinks it would be “disloyal” to his supporters.  —  “They are begging me to do an interview, and I just think it would be disloyal …

Iranian Rocket Launch Ends In Failure, Imagery Shows  —  Satellite imagery shared exclusively with NPR shows that an Iranian rocket appears to have exploded on the launch pad Thursday.  —  The imagery from the commercial company Planet and shared via the Middlebury Institute …

The Trump team is now lying about lying  —  Cuomo to Trump press secretary: He lies and you know it  —  (CNN)On Wednesday night, Trump reelection campaign press secretary Kayleigh McEnany did an interview with CNN's Chris Cuomo.  It was, uh, contentious.  But one part of the back-and-forth between …

Pete Buttigieg Has Cooled Off But His Campaign Says It's Time For “Phase Three”  —  When Pete Buttigieg walked onstage at this month's Iowa Democratic Wing Ding dinner, the crowd exploded into perhaps their loudest cheer for any of the 20 presidential candidates there that night.

(UPDATED) To Absolutely No One's Surprise, MSNBC Ends Saturday Night Politics With Donny Deutsch  —  MSNBC's Saturday Night Politics with Donny Deutsch has ended after airing just 13 episodes.  —  Deutsch, an ad exec turned political commentator, led the show on 8 p.m. Saturday nights which launched on May 4.

Why Gillibrand crashed and burned  —  On Tuesday night, Kirsten Gillibrand gathered her family and her campaign manager, Jess Fassler, at her home in Troy, N.Y., for a reality check.  —  The New York senator had barely registered in polls all year despite burning through a $10 million campaign war chest.

Kennedy holds 17-point lead over Markey in poll  —  MORE THAN A YEAR out from the 2020 US Senate primary, Massachusetts Democratic voters strongly favor Congressman Joe Kennedy over Sen. Ed Markey, according to an online poll conducted last weekend.  —  When respondents were pressed to make a choice …

The Washington Post's Latest Fact Check of Bernie Sanders Is Really Something  —  Why is did the paper's fact checker call Bernie Sanders's accurate claim about medical bankruptcies “false”?  —  Medical debt is a major driver of personal bankruptcy.  This is a fact that Bernie Sanders highlights …

Republicans grow anxious about the Trump economy  —  Republicans have sat patiently with President Donald Trump on his tariff roller-coaster ride with China.  Now they're starting to feel queasy.  —  Trump argues his escalating trade war will force China to the table for a deal.

Trump Campaign to Hit Swing State Labor Day Beachgoers with Flyover Banner Ads  —  Even the beach is no escape from the 2020 campaign.  —  On Labor Day, President Trump's re-election campaign plans to fly banners urging beachgoers in cities that largely went blue in 2016 to add their phone numbers …

The Five Distinct Levels of Donald Trump Ass-Kissing, Explained  —  They may all look the same to you, but in fact, there are subtle differences in the types of Trump brown-nosing.  Dante helps explain it all.  —  BEAST INSIDE  —  The last three years have taught us that Donald Trump enjoys sycophancy as few presidents have.