Trump Campaign Looks at Electoral Map and Doesn't Like What It Sees  —  As polls show President Trump significantly trailing his rival, Joseph R. Biden Jr., his campaign is spending heavily in states, like Ohio, that it had hoped would not be competitive at all this year.

Senator's ‘Send In the Troops’ Op-Ed in The Times Draws Online Ire  —  Staff members at the newspaper, including a Pulitzer winner, denounced an opinion essay by Tom Cotton, Republican of Arkansas, calling for a military response to protests.  —  “Country Braces for a 9th Straight Night of Unrest …

James Mattis Denounces President Trump, Describes Him as a Threat to the Constitution  —  James Mattis, the esteemed Marine general who resigned as secretary of defense in December 2018 to protest Donald Trump's Syria policy, has, ever since, kept studiously silent about Trump's performance as president.

William Barr's Vast, Nameless Army Is Being Brought To Bear On D.C. Protesters  —  Federal law enforcement officers are operating on American streets without identification, which experts say breeds a culture of impunity.  —  WASHINGTON ― Just a few hundred feet north of the White House …

Republicans urge Trump to keep Esper  —  Senate Republicans have a clear message for President Donald Trump: Do not fire Defense Secretary Mark Esper.  —  GOP senators reaffirmed their support for Esper on Wednesday, hours after he broke with the president on sending in active-duty troops …

A dangerous new factor in an uneasy moment: Unidentified law enforcement officers  —  After more than a week of unrest, tensions in a number of major U.S. cities has eased.  The vandalism and looting that had often used large, peaceful protests as cover has faded; the eruption of violence at protests appears to be less common.

Renewed skepticism of law enforcement dims Klobuchar, Harris, Demings VP nod  —  Biden's shortlist includes three candidates with law enforcement backgrounds.  —  Civil unrest and renewed frustration with the criminal justice system have further complicated Joe Biden's hunt for a running mate …

A Moment of National Shame and Peril—and Hope  —  We may be witnessing the beginning of the end of American democracy, but there is still a way to stop the descent.  —  The slide of the United States into illiberalism may well have begun on June 1, 2020.  Remember the date.

AP FACT CHECK: Trump denies tear gas use despite evidence  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump and some of his supporters are claiming authorities did not use tear gas against people in a crackdown outside the White House this week.  There's evidence they did.

Another Man Who Said 'I Can't Breathe' Died in Custody.  An Autopsy Calls It Homicide.  —  Manuel Ellis of Tacoma, Wash., died in part as a result of how he was restrained, according to the medical examiner, who concluded that his death was a homicide.  —  SEATTLE — A black man who called out …

Protesters' breach of temporary fences near White House complex prompted Secret Service to move Trump to secure bunker  —  President Trump was rushed to a secure bunker in the White House on Friday evening after a group of protesters hopped over temporary barricades set up near …

Donald Trump's Fascist Performance  —  Donald Trump thinks power looks like masked men in combat uniforms lined up in front of the marble columns of the Lincoln Memorial.  He thinks it looks like Black Hawk helicopters hovering so low over protesters that they chop off the tops of trees.

Virginia governor to announce removal of Lee statue  —  RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam is expected to announce plans Thursday to remove one of the country's most iconic monuments to the Confederacy, a statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee along Richmond's prominent Monument Avenue …

U.S. Park Police officers placed on administrative duty over assault on Australian journalists  —  Two U.S. Park Police officers who were seen clubbing and punching Australian journalists in video footage from a demonstration outside the White House have been placed on administrative duty, officials said Wednesday.

Two NYPD cops shot, one stabbed during ‘cowardly’ attack in Brooklyn  —  Two police officers were shot and a third was stabbed in a confrontation with a suspect in Brooklyn late Wednesday night, police and sources said.  —  The melee unfolded when a suspect approached a cop …

Rep. Eliot Engel caught on hot mic: 'If I didn't have a primary, I wouldn't care'  —  (CNN)Democratic Rep. Eliot Engel was caught on a hot mic at a news conference on Tuesday following civil unrest in New York City, appearing to tell another speaker that he only wanted to speak because of his primary race.

BunkerBoy's Photo-Op War  —  Is this an authoritarian crackdown by Donald Trump or just another politicized spectacle?  —  On Tuesday morning, a day after Donald Trump crossed Lafayette Square for an awkward photo op in front of St. John's Episcopal Church, I met an outraged Lutheran pastor there …

Statement from Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter  —  Rosalynn and I are pained by the tragic racial injustices and consequent backlash across our nation in recent weeks.  Our hearts are with the victims' families and all who feel hopeless in the face of pervasive racial discrimination and outright cruelty.

‘Sesame Street’ Vows To ‘Speak Out Against Racism’ Amid Ongoing Protests  —  Big Bird and Elmo will address the demonstrations and racial justice issues in a virtual CNN town hall this weekend.  —  Throughout its half-century run, “Sesame Street” has tackled topical issues such as bullying …

Former Obama Intelligence Official Helps Secure Bail for Molotov Cocktail-Throwing NYC Lawyer  —  Former official said alleged firebomber is her ‘best friend’  —  A former Obama administration intelligence official who worked in both the Departments of State and Defense has guaranteed bail …

Prosecutors: 3 men plotted to terrorize Vegas protests  —  LAS VEGAS (AP) — Three Nevada men with ties to a loose movement of right-wing extremists advocating the overthrow of the U.S. government have been arrested on terrorism-related charges in what authorities say was a conspiracy …