Trump's ugly new spin on Russia bounties actually incriminates him  —  With President Trump, it's often difficult to locate the point where his utter lack of self awareness blends into sheer shamelessness.  This poses an urgent problem with the spin he is now offering amid revelations …

Biden expands lead in swing states as voters hammer Trump over coronavirus, CNBC/Change poll says  — Voters in six 2020 swing states largely disapprove of how President Trump is handling the coronavirus as the pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the country, a CNBC/Change Research poll found.

Scoop: Trump regrets Kushner advice  —  President Trump has told people in recent days that he regrets following some of son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner's political advice — including supporting criminal justice reform — and will stick closer to his own instincts …

Tucker Carlson: Going Forward Republican Voters Must Demand 3 Things From Their Candidates  —  Tucker Carlson said Republican officeholders are not working hard enough for the American people and, at a moment like this, that's a severe and dangerous problem in a monologue delivered on Tuesday's broadcast of his FOX News program.

China's Software Stalked Uighurs Earlier and More Widely, Researchers Learn  —  A new report revealed a broad campaign that targeted Muslims in China and their diaspora in other countries, beginning as early as 2013.  —  TAIPEI, Taiwan — Before the Chinese police hung high-powered surveillance cameras …

The virus didn't stop a Washington socialite from throwing a backyard soiree.  Then the tests came back positive.  —  This is A Cautionary Tale featuring well-intentioned people making poor choices.  It is also the tale of a socialite with an Instagram habit who recently held a fabulous backyard soiree during a pandemic.

Internal Messages Reveal Crisis at Houston Hospitals as Coronavirus Cases Surge  —  Texas was one of the first states in the nation to ease social distancing mandates.  In Houston, the number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 has quadrupled since Memorial Day.  “It's time to be alarmed,” one expert said.

Exclusive: Hundreds of George W. Bush administration officials to back Biden, group says  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hundreds of officials who worked for former Republican President George W. Bush are set to endorse Democratic White House hopeful Joe Biden, people involved in the effort said …

POLITICO Playbook PM: Trump revs up for another culture war — over the military  —  WELL, HERE WE ARE AGAIN.  THE QUESTION hanging over Washington is whether President DONALD TRUMP will veto the National Defense Authorization Act — the Pentagon policy bill that has been signed into law for 59 consecutive years.

GOP senators debate replacing Columbus Day with Juneteenth as a federal holiday  —  Republican senators are debating whether Juneteenth, a day that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, should replace Columbus Day on the federal government's list of official holidays.

Facebook Does Not Benefit from Hate  —  This piece originally ran in AdAge.  —  When society is divided and tensions run high, those divisions play out on social media.  Platforms like Facebook hold up a mirror to society — with more than 3 billion people using Facebook's apps every month …

Richmond mayor orders prompt removal of Confederate statues  —  RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney on Wednesday ordered the immediate removal of all Confederate statues in the city, saying he was using his emergency powers to speed up the healing process for the former capital …

How Mount Rushmore Became Mount Rushmore  —  The South Dakota landmark has drawn criticism over the land it occupies, the main sculptor behind it and the legacies of the men it memorializes.  —  This year, for the first time in more than a decade, there will be a major fireworks display …

Trump says he supports another round of direct payments to Americans  —  President Trump told Fox Business on Wednesday that he supports another round of direct stimulus payments as part of a potential “phase four” coronavirus relief package.  —  Why it matters: 19.5 million Americans remain …

Americans Want More, Not Less, Immigration for First Time  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Thirty-four percent of Americans, up from 27% a year ago, would prefer to see immigration to the U.S. increased.  This is the highest support for expanding immigration Gallup has found in its trend since 1965.

America's Enduring Caste System  —  Our founding ideals promise liberty and equality for all.  Our reality is an enduring racial hierarchy that has persisted for centuries.  —  We saw a man face down on the pavement, pinned beneath a car, and above him another man, a man in uniform …

Meet the Supporters Trump Has Lost  —  A significant majority of people who voted for him in 2016 are planning to do so again.  What is different about those who've had a change of heart?  —  For some, the disenchantment started almost as soon as Donald J. Trump took office.

Russian Bounties for Killing Americans Go Back Five Years, Ex-Taliban Claims  —  Russia has been courting the Taliban at least since 2014 with money and weapons, ostensibly to fight ISIS, certainly to undermine the American effort in Afghanistan.  —  Taliban veterans like to laugh about the first time …

Hugh Hewitt: Rumor has it Samuel Alito will retire from Supreme Court  —  Conservative Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito may be eyeing retirement.  —  The “stronger rumor” is that Alito is “going to quit,” conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt told Washington Post reporter Robert Costa on his show Wednesday.

The Trump administration just lent $700 million to a trucking company sued for ripping off taxpayers  —  New York (CNN Business)The US Treasury is giving a $700 million loan to YRC Worldwide, a troubled trucking company that warned in May it was in danger of going out of business.

Overlooked No More: Karl Heinrich Ulrichs, Pioneering Gay Activist  —  Before the word “homosexuality” existed, he argued that same-sex attraction was innate, and that those who experienced it should be treated the same as anyone else.  —  Overlooked is a series of obituaries …

Hawks turn arena into voting station after Georgia residents struggle to get to polls  —  After Georgia experienced a number of issues in this month's primary election, the Atlanta Hawks are stepping up to help alleviate the concerns of local voters.  The team announced Monday it is teaming …

Chicago Red Stars Soccer Player Defends Decision To Stand For Anthem  —  Alexi Lalas tweeted and then deleted this when players from the National Women's Soccer League kneeled before a recent match: “Now it takes courage to actually stand for the national anthem.”

Whipping post removed from outside Sussex County Courthouse  —  GEORGETOWN, Delaware (WPVI) — An eight-foot tall whipping post has been removed from outside the Sussex County Courthouse in Georgetown, Delaware.  —  The Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs (HCA) …

L.A. cuts LAPD spending, taking police staffing to its lowest level in 12 years  —  The Los Angeles City Council voted Wednesday to cut hiring at the Police Department, pushing the number of sworn officers well below 10,000 and abandoning a budget priority once seen as untouchable by city leaders.