‘Our worst impulses unleashed’: Obama assails Trump as a threat to democracy  —  Former President Barack Obama delivered his sharpest broadside yet against President Donald Trump, blasting his successor as unserious and self-centered and cautioning that core democratic institutions have been imperiled by the Trump presidency.

Putin Opponent Alexei Navalny Reportedly Poisoned by ‘Toxin’ in His Tea  —  The Russian anti-corruption activist was rushed to the hospital in an unconscious state on Wednesday night, according to his press secretary.  —  Alexei Navalny, the prominent Russian anti-corruption activist …

DOD investigates two soldiers who appeared in uniform as part of the Democratic National Convention  —  WASHINGTON — The Pentagon is investigating two junior enlisted soldiers who violated an Army regulation when they appeared in uniform during the Democratic National Convention broadcast Tuesday night …

The GOP Should Shun Laura Loomer  —  Laura Loomer, the far-right gadfly and conspiracy theorist, has prevailed in her bid to become the Republican Party's candidate for Florida's 21st Congressional District.  She will face incumbent Rep. Lois Frankel, a Democrat, in the general election.

Photos appear to show mail sorting machines in parts in US postal facility  —  Images come as controversy grows over post office, mail-in voting.  —  As questions over recent changes implemented at the U.S. Postal Service continue to mount, new images obtained by ABC News appear …

Kemp lashes out at coverage of White House COVID report critical of Georgia  —  Gov. Brian Kemp accused The Atlanta Journal-Constitution of playing “pandemic politics” and sparking panic at a testy press conference Wednesday, a day after a confidential report from President Donald Trump's …

Trump embraces QAnon conspiracy because ‘they like me’  —  Tapper: Greene's videos indicate detachment from truth and decency  —  (CNN)After skirting the issue for weeks, President Donald Trump offered an embrace Wednesday of the fringe internet phenomenon QAnon, praising its followers …

Trump, While Attacking Mail Voting, Casts Mail Ballot Again  —  President Trump cast a vote-by-mail ballot in Florida this week after months of questioning the security of the method of voting, and in doing so he returned it to election officials using a technique many Republicans say should be illegal.

QAnon groups hit by Facebook crack down  —  Facebook on Wednesday banned about 900 pages and groups and 1,500 ads tied to the pro-Trump conspiracy theory QAnon, part of a sweeping action that also restricted the reach of over 10,000 Instagram pages and almost 2,000 Facebook groups pushing …

Mail-order chicks are arriving dead, costing Maine farmers thousands of dollars  —  Several Maine poultry farms have received shipments of hundreds of chicks that died while being delivered by the U.S. Postal Service, either because the shipments were delayed or mishandled.  —  RELATED COVERAGE

Rand Paul: No incentive to open economy “if you soften the amount of suffering”  —  Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) told Fox News Wednesday that he opposes Congress passing more stimulus funding because “if you give people money and you make it less painful to be in a recession,” governors “will not have an incentive” to reopen the economy.

Trump Administration Pushes Arms Sale to U.A.E. Despite Israeli Worries  —  The Trump White House is quietly planning sales of F-35 stealth fighters and advanced drones to the Emiratis as part of a wider plan to realign the Middle East, but Israel and Congress may object.

AG Barr announces nearly 1500 arrests so far under ‘Operation Legend’  —  Of the more than 1000 arrests, roughly 217 are facing federal charges.  —  Attorney General William Barr announced Wednesday that there have been nearly 1500 arrests across eight U.S. cities thus far under …

Kansas Democrat, 19, Who Admitted to Revenge Porn, Ekes Out Primary Win  —  Aaron Coleman defeated a seven-term incumbent for a state House seat by 14 votes, alarming Democrats who worry he will hurt other candidates in the general election.  —  Aaron Coleman admitted that he harassed girls online when he was in middle school.

Army investigating soldiers who appeared in DNC video  —  The Army is launching an investigation into two soldiers who appeared in uniform during Democratic National Convention coverage Tuesday night, the service announced Wednesday.  —  During the broadcast, two soldiers in uniform flanked officials …

US Warship Arrives in Crete as Greece-Turkey Standoff Escalates  —  ATHENS, GREECE - The massive American warship, the USS Hershel Woody Williams, has arrived in the Greek island of Crete, on a mission to keep an eye on escalating tensions between NATO allies Greece and Turkey over energy rights in the eastern Mediterranean.

1.5 Million Antibody Tests Show What Parts of N.Y.C. Were Hit Hardest  —  The data from the city is on a far larger scale than previously released information, and includes all antibody test results reported to the city's Department of Health.  —  New York City on Tuesday released …

A 1,000 square foot mosaic of Ida B. Wells is being installed at Union Station in DC  —  (CNN) — It's been 100 years since American women were granted the right to vote.  To commemorate this milestone, a massive mosaic of suffragist and civil rights leader, Ida B. Wells …

State Dept. ends three agreements with Hong Kong, over Chinese crackdown on freedoms  —  It's the latest move aimed at a crackdown on freedoms in the former British territory  —  The State Department announced Wednesday that it is ending three agreements with Hong Kong …

Trolls flood DNC Native American event with Elizabeth Warren, forcing organizers to disable chatroom  —  Trolls got wind that Warren was scheduled to speak and inundated the livestream  —  Organizers of the Native American Caucus where forced to shut down a virtual event's chatroom Tuesday …

'I'm Only One Human Being': Parents Brace for a Go-It-Alone School Year  —  Just one in five families will have any sort of in-person help, a new survey finds, and parents are feeling stressed and stranded.  —  Parents across America are facing the pandemic school year feeling overwhelmed, anxious and abandoned.

Charlie Dent: I'm voting for Joe Biden  —  Republican Charlie Dent is a former US congressman from Pennsylvania who served as chairman of the House Ethics Committee from 2015 until 2016 and chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies from 2015 until 2018.

Joe Biden has been imagining this moment for more than 50 years.  It's not exactly the triumph he had in mind.  —  A 21-year-old Joe Biden was in the Bahamas for spring break, smitten by the blond woman he saw sunbathing outside the British Colonial Hotel.  —  The beach was open only to guests …

Fundraising at Company Tied to Steve Bannon and Guo Wengui Faces Probe  —  Former Trump political adviser and exiled Chinese businessman raised more than $300 million in private offering, Guo says  —  A media company linked to former Trump political adviser Steve Bannon …

Sometimes the Jokes Write Themselves: GOP Mercilessly Mocks Bill Clinton for His Lecture on Oval Office Behavior  —  It's true.  Sometimes things are so unintentionally funny that the jokes write themselves.  Like Bill Clinton — with a straight face, no less — lecturing Donald Trump …

DNC: Trump makes politics exciting — but terrifying.  Democrats bore — but govern.  —  The second night of the Democrats' virtual convention was safe, lawful, competent, and heartfelt.  It was exactly the opposite of what Donald Trump's presidency has been.  —  The theme of the night was “Leadership Matters.”