Man Trump once called ‘my African American’ leaves Republican Party  —  Gregory Cheadle, the black man President Donald Trump once described at a rally as “my African American,” is fed up.  —  After two years of frustration with the president's rhetoric on race and the lack of diversity …

US attorney recommends proceeding with charges against McCabe, as DOJ rejects last-ditch appeal  —  U.S. Attorney Jessie Liu has recommended moving forward with charges against Andrew McCabe, Fox News has learned, as the Justice Department rejects a last-ditch appeal from the former top FBI official.

‘Simply Unacceptable’: 145 Executives Demand Senate Action on Gun Violence  —  “Doing nothing about America's gun violence crisis is simply unacceptable,” the corporate chiefs urged senators in a letter.  —  In a direct and urgent call to address gun violence in America …

Israel accused of planting mysterious spy devices near the White House  —  The U.S. government concluded within the past two years that Israel was most likely behind the placement of cellphone surveillance devices that were found near the White House and other sensitive locations around Washington …

The Buttigieg Money Pit  —  With great fanfare last month, Pete Buttigieg has announced “Phase Three” of his presidential campaign.  Campaign adviser Lis Smith described the first two phases as teaching people how to pronounce his name and then raising gobs of money.

Expanding Social Security  —  I've dedicated most of my career to studying what's happening to working families in America.  One thing is clear: it's getting harder to save enough for a decent retirement.  —  A generation of stagnant wages and rising costs for basics like housing …

Exclusive: How John Roberts killed the census citizenship question  —  Washington (CNN)Chief Justice John Roberts cast the deciding vote against President Donald Trump's attempt to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census, but only after changing his position behind the scenes …

‘Why Are You Pissing In Our Face?’:  Inside Warren's War With the Obama Team  —  Elizabeth Warren was in the president's head.  —  From the summer of 2010 through summer of 2011, the usually unflappable Barack Obama spent long hours agonizing over the then-Harvard Law professor …

U.S. Posts $1 Trillion Budget Gap, Full-Year May Be Lower  — Deficit was $1.07 trillion in first 11 months of fiscal year  — Last month of fiscal year often a surplus due to tax payments  —  The U.S. budget deficit surpassed $1 trillion in the first 11 months of the fiscal year through August …

‘My time is growing near’: John Lewis dangles impeachment announcement  —  Rep. John Lewis has called Donald Trump an illegitimate leader and boycotted his inauguration, but he's remained conspicuously silent on demands for the president's impeachment.  —  Despite his silence …

Rendell lights pre-debate stink bomb  —  Former Democratic National Committee chairman and Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell sparked a firestorm on social media by escalating attacks on Elizabeth Warren ahead of Thursday's closely watched debate, assailing her as a “hypocrite” in an op-ed.

Exclusive: Falwell blasted Liberty student as ‘retarded,’ police chief as ‘half-wit’ in emails  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In emails to his colleagues over the years, Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr has denigrated students and staff at the Christian university he runs …

On Shaun King  —  Integrity.  —  A movement is only as strong as its integrity.  Part of our collective work is to protect this integrity, even when, or especially when, doing so is uncomfortable or hard.  It is in this spirit that I write, to address a lapse in integrity within …

ABC Tells Democrats to Keep Debate Clean.  Looking at You, Beto.  —  There will be no delay on the broadcast so no chance to censor any obscenities, should a candidate let loose.  —  There was a time in American history when candidates for president did not need to be reminded …

Trump Administration to Finalize Rollback of Clean Water Protections  —  WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Thursday is expected to complete the legal repeal of a major Obama-era clean water regulation, which had placed limits on polluting chemicals that could be used near streams, wetlands and water bodies.

Jury convicts dad of Alison Lundergan Grimes for giving illegally to Senate campaign  —  A federal jury found two longtime Democratic operatives guilty Thursday of funneling illegal corporate campaign contributions into Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes' 2014 U.S. Senate campaign …

Christine Blasey Ford's Father Supported Brett Kavanaugh's Confirmation  —  After Christine Blasey Ford publicly alleged that Brett Kavanaugh tried to rape her, her father repeatedly communicated to Kavanaugh's father that he supported Kavanaugh's confirmation to the Supreme Court.

The FBI is investigating a venture capital fund started by Peter Thiel for financial misconduct  —  Mithril Capital raised over $1 billion on the name of Thiel, one of Silicon Valley's biggest celebrities.  Now federal investigators are looking under the hood.

Team Trump Wrestles With Its QAnon Problem  —  They love the president, and appear at Trump rallies in their favorite merch.  Now believers in the mega-conspiracy theory are posing a challenge to their idol's re-election.  —  In late August 2018, Lisa and John Welch weren't feeling great …

David French, Sohrab Ahmari, and the Battle for the Future of Conservatism  —  One evening in early September, the Catholic University of America, in Washington, D.C., hosted a debate between Sohrab Ahmari, the op-ed editor of the New York Post, and David French, a constitutional lawyer …

Jeffrey Epstein's Secret Charity Gratitude America Was Operated via Deutsche Bank  —  Gratitude America, Jeffrey Epstein's shadowy private charity, operated through an account at Deutsche Bank AG, The Wall Street Journal reports.  The German multinational, which has drawn red flags from regulators …

Record-fundraiser Dan Baer drops US Senate bid, supports Hickenlooper in 2020  —  The Democratic primary field, which once numbered a dozen candidates, is slowly clearing for Hickenlooper, choice of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.  —  DENVER — Dan Baer tells Next with Kyle Clark …

Why California Keeps Making Homelessness Worse  —  I write about energy and the environment.  —  On Tuesday, fifteen officials from the White House toured Skid Row in Los Angeles with the head of a local homeless shelter.  “Four or five of them were from the Environmental Protection Agency …