'He's losing his s—': Trump's advisers are increasingly worried about his mental state following days of erratic behavior  — President Donald Trump's aides and confidants are increasingly worried about his mental state after days of erratic behavior and wild outbursts.

Air Force crew made an odd stop on a routine trip: Trump's Scottish resort  —  In early Spring of this year, an Air National Guard crew made a routine trip from the U.S. to Kuwait to deliver supplies.  —  What wasn't routine was where the crew stopped along the way: President Donald Trump's Turnberry resort …

ThinkProgress, a Top Progressive News Site, Has Shut Down  —  A search had been underway for a new publisher.  But none was found.  —  ThinkProgress, the influential news site that rose to prominence in the shadow of the Bush administration and helped define progressivism during the Obama years, is shutting down.

The Secret Files of the Master of Modern Republican Gerrymandering  —  Thomas Hofeller preached secrecy as he remapped American politics from the shadows.  The Republican Party operative, known as the master of the modern gerrymander, trained other G.O.P. operatives and legislators nationwide …

‘Everything conservatives hoped for and liberals feared’: Neil Gorsuch makes his mark at the Supreme Court  —  Some justices ascend to the Supreme Court quietly, deferring to their elders and biding time before venturing out too far to offer their own views of the law.

How An Élite University Research Center Concealed Its Relationship with Jeffrey Epstein  —  New documents show that the M.I.T. Media Lab was aware of Epstein's status as a convicted sex offender, and that Epstein directed contributions to the lab far exceeding the amounts M.I.T. has publicly admitted.

Dazed and confused, Johnson stumbles into the twilight zone with a police escort  —  Was it only five weeks ago that Conservatives believed the prime minister was the only possible answer to their problems?  —  Why do people still call it a Tory “split” on Europe?  It's not a split: it's an episiotomy.

Eric Trump Encounters Journalism, Is Confused  —  The manipulation of journalism is perhaps Donald Trump's only real talent.  His career was created by deceiving the media into presenting him as a budding tycoon when he had done almost nothing in business.  He used the media to reinflate …

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says he will defy NRA, take lead on gun background checks  —  ‘Someone in the Republican Party has to take the lead on this,’ Patrick said, of requiring checks when strangers sell to strangers. … AUSTIN — Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says he's “willing to take an arrow” …

House Judiciary panel preparing vote to define Trump impeachment probe  —  The House Judiciary Committee is preparing to take its first formal vote to define what Chairman Jerry Nadler calls an ongoing “impeachment investigation” of President Donald Trump, according to multiple sources briefed on the discussions.

Trump Administration Considers a Drastic Cut in Refugees Allowed to Enter U.S.  —  WASHINGTON — The White House is considering a plan that would effectively bar refugees from most parts of the world from resettling in the United States by cutting back the decades-old program that admits tens …

Top Navy SEAL admiral fires entire leadership team of SEAL Team 7  —  The top admiral in charge of Naval Special Warfare has fired the entire leadership team of SEAL Team 7 over a “breakdown of good order and discipline,” a spokeswoman for Naval Special Warfare Command told Task & Purpose on Friday.

Can Jared's millennial ‘mini-me’ bring peace to the Middle East?  —  Before his promotion this week to a leading role in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, 30-year-old Avi Berkowitz filled a number of odd jobs in the West Wing.  They have included shepherding distinguished visitors …

Howard Schultz says he won't run for president because people were mean online  —  Several months ago, Howard Schultz, the former Starbucks CEO, said he was exploring the possibility of running for president in 2020 as an independent.  It immediately drew scorn from all corners of the internet.

Donald Trump Was “Colluding” with Roger Stone on Four Different Direct Lines  —  The parties in the Roger Stone trial just released some pre-trial documents that include a stipulation for a bunch of emails and phone numbers that will be discussed at trial.  (I'm not linking them because they're not redacted.)

Joe Biden Said He Advised Hillary Clinton's Team Not To Debate With Donald Trump Over The “Access Hollywood” Tape  —  “Is he suggesting Hillary's reaction to the Access Hollywood tape should have been, ‘Oh, nevermind?’  That is a pretty Mad Men-era mentality,” a Clinton aide said.  —  Reporting From

Alabama Dean Resigns After Conservative Snowflakes Publicize His Old Tweets  —  Fainting-couch conservatism strikes again: A University of Alabama dean of students is out of a job after conservative media dug up some of his old tweets.  —  Jamie Riley had dared to criticize the American flag and the police …

James Mattis Doesn't Want to Talk About the President  —  Jim Mattis has been everywhere this week, and nowhere at all.  Over the past several days, President Trump's former Secretary of Defense has appeared on CBS, CNN, Fox, MSNBC (twice), PBS (twice), NPR, and various podcasts to hawk his new …

Democrats bite on burgers and straws — and Republicans feast  —  Democrats' verbal targeting of everything from plastic straws to cheeseburgers is stoking fears among anti-Trump forces that they're unwittingly playing into Republican culture wars.  —  Conservative recrimination …

Bari Weiss' New Book on Anti-Semitism Talks About the Left the Way Anti-Semites Talk About Jews  —  Here are a few things that a journalist might want to do if she were attempting to write a good and worthwhile book titled How to Fight Anti-Semitism.  —  The journalist could carefully explore …

Republicans to scrap primaries and caucuses as Trump challengers cry foul  —  Four states are poised to cancel their 2020 GOP presidential primaries and caucuses, a move that would cut off oxygen to Donald Trump's long-shot primary challengers.  —  Republican parties in South Carolina …

Trophy hunter who paid $400G for rhino kill allowed to import remains by Trump admin  —  The Trump administration has issued two permits to import black rhinos.  The Obama administration issued three starting in 2013.  —  WASHINGTON — The Trump administration says it will issue a permit …

Exclusive: Feds Order Apple And Google To Hand Over Names Of 10,000+ Users Of A Gun Scope App  —  Own a rifle?  Got a scope to go with it?  The government might soon know who you are, where you live and how to reach you.  —  That's because Apple and Google have been ordered by the U.S. government …

Lindsey Graham jets off to Europe as Hurricane Dorian batters his state  —  The South Carolina senator took a trip overseas as residents in his home state faced flooding and storm damage.  —  As Hurricane Dorian brought flooding and power outages to South Carolina, the state's senior senator was nowhere in sight.

In the Trump-Russia Weeds with Catherine Herridge  —  No reporter knows more about the Trump-Russia affair, top to bottom, than Fox News Chief Intelligence Correspondent Catherine Herridge.  We go deep into the Little Horowitz Report, on James Comey, and what's expected in the Big Horowitz Report …

“The stakes could not be higher”: Judge threatens to lock up Texas prison officials over air conditioning violation  —  A federal judge was visibly frustrated Friday as he suggested that putting state officials in uncooled cells might be the only way to get their attention after they broke …

Trump Has Make-Up Meeting With David Bossie  —  The former top aide was on the outs after reports of self-dealing.  But he and the president met privately and have made up.... For now.  —  Donald Trump has made up—for now—with David Bossie, his former top 2016 campaign aide who was recently exiled …

Bloomberg Law tried to suppress its erroneous Labor Dept. story  —  News organizations commonly request that their staffers promote their stories on Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms.  And why not — the idea, after all, is to secure a large audience for the scoops and analysis in which the outlet takes such pride.

Kamala Harris's Team Huddles to Plot Path Forward  —  The Californian's advisers and donors are trying to figure out how she can move up in the 2020 field  —  Top advisers to Sen. Kamala Harris made their case to major donors behind closed doors in two meetings in New York on Friday …

'It's Kind of Like an Addiction': On the Road With Trump's Rally Diehards  —  Libby DePiero is almost always one of the first few people in line at the president's campaign events, part of the self-described group of ‘Front Row Joes’ who routinely travel to see the president perform.