White House adviser gives Trump cover on Alabama hurricane claim  —  One of President Trump's top advisers on Hurricane Dorian issued a lengthy statement on Thursday defending the president's repeated claims that forecasts showed Alabama getting hit by Hurricane Dorian, adding another twist …

PM's brother quits as Tory MP and minister  —  Jo Johnson, younger brother of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, is quitting as a Conservative MP and minister, saying he is “torn between family loyalty and the national interest”.  —  The business minister and MP for Orpington, tweeted that there was an “unresolvable tension” in his role.

REVENGE OF THE NEVER TRUMPERS: HOW A “KAMIKAZE” PRIMARY COULD PIERCE THE FOX NEWS BUBBLE, PUT NEW HAMPSHIRE IN PLAY, AND HIT TRUMP WHERE IT HURTS  —  It's not just a pipe dream for frustrated Weekly Standard fanboys.  If the president's mental fitness becomes a viable conversation on the center right …

Tensions mount between Trump, Pence camps heading into 2020 election  —  WASHINGTON — When Vice President Mike Pence flew to Europe as the stand-in for President Trump at the 80th anniversary of the start of World War II, it appeared to be another sign that the famously fickle president trusted his vice president.

Trump Somehow Replaces Unqualified Mideast Envoy With Even Less Qualified One  —  One of President Trump's most absurd personnel moves was appointing his real-estate lawyer Jason Greenblatt as special envoy to the Middle East.  Greenblatt had no serious foreign policy experience …

Donald Trump Has Never Explained a Mysterious $50 Million Loan.  Is It Evidence of Tax Fraud?  —  Donald Trump's massive debts—he owes hundreds of millions of dollars—are the subject of continuous congressional and journalistic scrutiny.  But for years, one Trump loan has been particularly mystifying …

Trump administration unveils plan to revamp the housing market  —  Proposal would release Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from government control  —  President Trump's administration on Thursday released a sweeping plan that could remake the U.S. housing market starting with ending more than a decade …

Miners union president: 'Coal's not back.  Nobody saved the coal industry.'  —  (CNN)The president of United Mine Workers of America said Wednesday that the coal industry is not “back,” despite President Donald Trump's claims.  —  Cecil Roberts said at an event in Washington that his message …

Trumpworld Anxiety Grows Over a Rising Elizabeth Warren  —  They once thought they'd delivered the political kill shot.  But now GOP operatives are complaining that nothing sticks to Warren.  —  Over the summer, Trumpworld operatives, Republican Party oppo researchers …

Beto O'Rourke: Meghan McCain Is Almost Giving People ‘Permission to Be Violent’  —  The ex-congressman has championed a mandatory gun buyback proposal.  He says those warning it could spark violence are creating a permission structure for that violence to occur.

Made In America: For $9.50 An Hour, They Brew Tear Gas For Hong Kong  —  A BuzzFeed News investigation found low-paid American workers producing tear gas in potentially dangerous conditions.  It's then shipped to Hong Kong, where it's used against pro-democracy protesters.  —  Reporting From

Jim Mattis and the surrender of America's adults  —  The thing about grown-ups is they are supposed to say when enough is enough.  Jim Mattis had obviously had enough when he resigned as Donald Trump's secretary of defence in December.  Now the retired general — and the former leading …

San Francisco Declares the N.R.A. a ‘Domestic Terrorist Organization’  —  The city's lawmakers unanimously passed the resolution in response to recent mass shootings.  The National Rifle Association called it a worthless “sound-bite remedy.”  —  Unsettled by recent mass shootings across the nation …

It's Time for Black Athletes to Leave White Colleges  —  In the summer of 2018 Kayvon Thibodeaux, who was then ranked as the top high-school football player in America, visited Florida A&M University, in Tallahassee.  When a player of Thibodeaux's caliber visits a perennial football power—say, Alabama—it's called Wednesday.

Sen. Ernst says lawmakers should discuss fixing Social Security ‘behind closed doors’  —  Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) said at a recent town hall that lawmakers should discuss fixing Social Security “behind closed doors,” prompting a wave of criticism from liberal and advocacy groups.

The Daily 202: The biggest losers from Trump's diversion of military funds for his wall  —  THE BIG IDEA: Sometimes it's worthwhile to step back and remember how we got here.  —  President Trump promised repeatedly that he would get Mexico to pay for a border wall when he ran in 2016.

Authorities Suspect Man of Making and Selling Gun Used in Texas Shooting  —  Law-enforcement officials suspect Lubbock, Texas, man sold rifle to assailant in a private sale  —  Law-enforcement officials said they have identified a person of interest they suspect of illegally manufacturing …

Contaminant found in marijuana vaping products linked to deadly lung illnesses, tests show  —  State and federal health officials investigating mysterious lung illnesses linked to vaping have found the same chemical in samples of marijuana products used by people sickened in different parts …

Academics craft a plan to infuse billions into journalism: Give every American $50 to donate to news orgs  —  Here is a novel idea for saving serious journalism: Give every adult American $50, via an income tax checkoff, to donate to a favorite news outlet.  —  This is not the work …

Why Was the FBI Incurious About a Hot Collusion Tip Involving This Man?  —  Even after the 2016 presidential election, Trump-Russia dossier author Christopher Steele and company kept coming up with allegations that Donald Trump and his campaign had conspired with the Kremlin.

How I Went From Nonsmoker To Craven Juul Addict  —  Last week, I received a friendly yet professional email from a publicity firm called Locust Street saying it was contracted by e-cigarette startup (and perfect companion to a black cherry White Claw) Juul.  This would be normal …

Omar burns the Star Tribune  —  In “Ilhan Omar feels the heat” I noted Ilhan Omar's response to the Star Tribune's inquiry to her for the paper's June 23 page-one story.  When the Star Tribune asked Omar for an interview about the state campaign finance board findings against her …

Melania's ‘Einstein Visa’ Was Based on Her Having a College Degree — Which She Lied About Having  —  Back in 2000, Melania Knauss, a Slovenian model dating Donald Trump, began petitioning the government for the right to permanently reside in the United States under a program reserved for people with “extraordinary ability.”

CNN climate town hall finishes last in viewers among cable news broadcasts  —  CNN's 7-hour town hall on climate change with 2020 White House contenders finished last among the three cable news networks in terms of average total viewers, according to early numbers from Nielsen Media Research.

Manafort's lawyers allege double jeopardy in NY case  —  Paul Manafort's lawyers are arguing that the former Trump campaign chairman shouldn't have to face a “politically-charged” prosecution in New York state because of the state's so-called double jeopardy law.

Leif Olson to Rejoin Labor Department Days After Resignation  —  Appellate lawyer Leif Olson will return to the Labor Department just days after he resigned.  —  Olson resigned from the agency Aug. 30, less than four hours after Bloomberg Law asked the department for comment on a Facebook conversation …

Keller: Joe Kennedy Starting To Sound Like A Senate Candidate  —  BOSTON (CBS) - “Are you in or out?” we asked Rep. Joe Kennedy (D-Fourth District) about a possible Senate run as he sat down for an exclusive WBZ-TV interview Thursday.  “Working through it,” he said.

John McWhorter thinks we're getting racism wrong  —  Hello everyone.  I'm Jane Coaston, senior politics reporter at Vox with a focus on conservatism (Ezra will be back from vacation next week).  “Antiracism... is now a new and increasingly dominant religion” writes John McWhorter …