Why Does Trump Put Russia First?  —  It's exceedingly difficult to believe that no one told the president about the intelligence on Russian efforts to harm Americans in Afghanistan.  —  Ms. Rice is a former national security adviser.  —  Since at least February, and possibly as early as March 2019 …

Trump-backed five-term Republican lawmaker loses primary to far-right challenger  —  (CNN)A five-term Republican congressman endorsed by President Donald Trump conceded his primary reelection bid in Colorado's 3rd Congressional District on Tuesday evening, a stunning upset that will vault …

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.

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.

Fox News Fires Ed Henry Over Sexual Misconduct Claim  —  The veteran Washington correspondent and anchor was one of the most prominent reporters at the cable news channel.  —  Fox News has fired Ed Henry, one of the network's most prominent Washington-based journalists …

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.

Scoop: Kushner changes top Trump campaign staff  —  Michael Glassner, the man who organizes President Trump's rallies, has been “reassigned,” and Trump's 2016 Arizona chair Jeff DeWit will join the campaign as chief operating officer to oversee the final stretch to election day, three sources familiar with the situation tell Axios.

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 …

Are we being set up for another stunning Trump win?  —  With five months until the election, things couldn't look any worse for the president of the United States.  His approval rating is down to 40%.  People are getting tired of his antics and the insults he hurls at his opponents.

Europe in 1989, America in 2020, and the Death of the Lost Cause  —  In November, 1989, when the Berlin Wall suddenly began to crumble and then fall, much of the world watched in awe.  Could it be true that Communism was about to collapse?  For seventy years, it had been a system, an ideology, that ordered large swaths of the globe.

Seattle mayor orders ‘occupied’ area cleared, police arrive  —  Police said the move Wednesday is designed to protect the public.  —  Protesters walk near barricades at the Seattle Police Department East Precinct building on Tuesday at the CHOP (Capitol Hill Occupied Protest) zone in Seattle.

Hong Kong Police Make First Security-Law Arrest as Thousands Protest  —  A man was arrested for holding a Hong Kong independence flag, violating the new law, police said on Twitter  —  HONG KONG—Police made their first arrest under China's new national-security law for Hong Kong …

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.

Feds seize products made from suspected human hair in crackdown on China forced labor  —  U.S. officials said they intercepted part of a 13-ton shipment  —  Federal customs officers in Newark, N.J., seized a huge shipment of products that officials suspect were made with human hair as part …

Army Halts SERE Course after 90 Students Test Positive for Coronavirus  —  U.S. Army Special Operations Command officials announced today that 90 students who were going through survival training at Fort Bragg, North Carolina have tested positive for COVID-19.

Spies, Lies, and Stonewalling: What It's Like to Report on Facebook  —  One day in July 2016, Casey Newton, a tech reporter for The Verge, sat down at Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park for the biggest interview of his career.  Across from him was Mark Zuckerberg.

Trump calls proposed Black Lives Matter sign in NYC a “symbol of hate”  —  President Trump attacked New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Wednesday for reallocating $1 billion from the NYPD's budget and ordering a large Black Lives Matter mural to be painted on Fifth Avenue, condemning it in a tweet as a “symbol of hate.”

N.Y. Officials Halt Indoor Dining, Alarmed by Virus Rise in Other States  —  Indoor dining in New York City had been scheduled to resume on Monday.  Now, a return to summer normalcy will have to wait a little longer.  —  With the coronavirus spreading rapidly in other large states like Florida and Texas …

Kellyanne Conway's 15-year-old daughter is defiantly posting anti-Trump and pro-Black Lives Matter TikToks ‘to inform people and spread love’  — Claudia Conway, the daughter of White House adviser Kellyanne Conway, has grown a TikTok following of more than 31,000 followers while making anti-Trump and pro-Black Lives Matter posts.

Trump supporters hope to use conservative anger at Justice Roberts as energizing moment for troubled campaign  —  The White House is trying to capitalize on conservative anger at Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. over his latest decisions by telling evangelical leaders and other activists …

Simon & Schuster was unaware of Mary Trump's NDA, already printed copies of book  —  The publisher of Mary Trump's potentially explosive tell-all memoir reportedly revealed in a Tuesday night court filing that the company already printed 75,000 copies of the book — after publication was temporarily blocked earlier in the day.

Trump vows to veto $740 billion defense bill if Confederate-named military bases are renamed  —  President Trump reaffirmed late Tuesday that he would veto this year's proposed $740 billion annual defense bill if an amendment is included that would require the Pentagon to change the names …

World Rebukes U.S. Over Iran  —  With Trump's re-election prospects up in the air, a heated U.N. meeting on Iran shows world power's fading fear of confronting U.S.  —  Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday sought to reassert America's waning influence on the world stage …

States of Play: Battleground & National Surveys on COVID-19, Trump & the Economy  —  Change Research/ CNBC Poll: June 26-28, 2020  — Biden leads Trump 49 to 41 among likely voters nationally, and he leads by 6 points in the battleground (50 to 44), up 3 points over the last two weeks.

US buys up world stock of key Covid-19 drug remdesivir  —  No other country will be able to buy remdesivir, which can help recovery from Covid-19, for next three months at least  —  The US has bought up virtually all the stocks for the next three months of one of the two drugs proven to work …