Kris Kobach claimed he spoke with ‘enthusiastic’ Trump three times about border wall project at center of fraud investigation  —  (CNN)Donald Trump ally Kris Kobach said in an interview last year that he had spoken with the President three times about the private border wall project …

‘It was great’: In leaked audio, Trump hailed low Black turnout in 2016  —  In a private meeting inside Trump Tower days before his inauguration, Donald Trump told a group of civil rights leaders something most Republicans wouldn't dare publicly acknowledge: lower turnout among Black voters did …

Former Army Special Forces Officer Charged in Russian Espionage Conspiracy  —  Former Green Beret Allegedly Conspired to Provide National Defense Information to Russian Intelligence  —  A Gainesville, Virginia, man was arrested today for conspiring with Russian intelligence operatives …

Trump files emergency motion to block release of his tax returns … President Donald Trump's battle with Manhattan prosecutors entered a new phase Friday as lawyers for the president filed an emergency motion with an appeals court to stop the release of his tax returns.

Biden to ABC's David Muir: ‘I would shut [country] down’ to prevent spread of COVID-19 if scientists recommended  —  Biden, Harris' first joint interview airs Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC  —  Former Vice President Joe Biden said in an exclusive interview with ABC “World News Tonight” …

Brayden Harrington says DNC appearance boosted his confidence, wants to help others who stutter  —  Brayden Harrington, the teen who shared his story on the final night of the Democratic National Convention about how Joe Biden helped him with his stutter, told NBC News Friday it has boosted …

Biden's campaign says it raised $70 million during DNC watched live by 122 million people  —  Biden: ‘Light is more powerful than dark’  —  (CNN)Joe Biden's campaign, the Democratic National Committee and their joint fundraising committees raised $70 million over the party's four-day convention this week …

Democrats to stage week of counterprogramming to Republican convention  —  (CNN)Democrats hope to convince voters around next week's Republican National Convention that the only thing President Donald Trump has accomplished is sowing chaos, using a series of ads, television appearances and briefings to counter-program the convention.

The Missing Piece in Biden's Convention Speech  —  Last night, Joe Biden capped a Democratic convention like no other by underscoring the themes that dominated the gathering from the beginning: empathy, national unity, racial justice, and President Donald Trump's failures in managing the coronavirus.

Trump remains largely silent on reported poisoning of Russian dissident as Europe, US lawmakers offer support  —  (CNN)The Trump administration has not made any substantial statement on the suspected poisoning of Russian opposition leader, Alexey Navalny, in sharp contrast to European reaction …

Latest US Swing States Voting Intention (16-19 August)  —  Share our research:  —  The latest US swing states poll by Redfield & Wilton Strategies finds that Joe Biden is ahead of Donald Trump in five out of six swing states.  Nonetheless, for the first time since we started polling …

National Enquirer Chief David Pecker Out After AMI Merger  —  The tabloid king has been dethroned as the financially troubled American Media Inc. merges with a company that markets face masks and vitamin supplements.  —  American Media Inc.'s longtime chairman and chief executive David Pecker …

New restrictions coming to Alabama campus, Greek houses amid ‘significant’ COVID increase  —  University of Alabama Fall 2020 First Day  —  Changes are coming to the University of Alabama COVID-19 plan three days into the new semester.  —  The school on Friday announced a moratorium …

QAnon looms behind nationwide rallies and viral #SavetheChildren hashtags  —  On the second Saturday of August, about 100 protestors gathered at the “Big Red Wagon,” a well-known attraction in downtown Spokane, Washington.  Men, women and children marched through the streets chanting, “Save the children.”

Some VOA journalists forced to leave US soon as visas expire  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — More than a dozen journalists with the U.S. government's premier international broadcaster may soon be forced to leave the United States as their visas expire with no action from the agency's new leadership.

Trump campaign fails to show evidence of vote-by-mail fraud, filing reveals  —  Donald Trump's campaign failed to produce any evidence of vote-by-mail fraud in Pennsylvania after a federal judge ordered it do so, according to a 524-page court filing obtained by the Guardian.

Trump administration bars FDA from regulating some laboratory tests, including for coronavirus  —  Some public health experts worry defective tests could end up on the market, but others cheer the change, saying it is long overdue  —  The Trump administration this week blocked the Food …

Suspect in downtown Portland beating turns himself in, police say  —  A man suspected in a downtown beating that left a man bloody and unconscious in the street after he crashed a truck during a confrontation that unfolded near a downtown Portland demonstration is now in custody.

Potential Challenges to a President's Attempt to Deploy Law Enforcement to the Polls on or Around Election Day  —  For a PDF of this document, click here.  —  A 1960s Lawsuit Against the KKK Can Help Protect Elections in 2020  —  Help Protect Democracy  —  History has shown that the best …

Trump's suggestion of deploying law enforcement officials to monitor polls raises specter of voting intimidation  —  Nearly 30 years ago, a Republican Party program that dispatched off-duty police officers to patrol polling places in heavily Black and Latino neighborhoods in New Jersey triggered accusations …

Texas put hundreds of hours into finding and arresting police brutality protesters.  Lawyers call it a “witch hunt.”  —  Two days of unruly protests at the Texas Capitol in May left graffiti on the historic building and cuts and bruises on state police officers.

California battles 560 wildfires, university threatened  —  FELTON, Calif. (Reuters) - California's lightning-sparked wildfires more than doubled in size into some of the largest in state history on Friday, with one blaze advancing to within a mile of the University of California Santa Cruz.

Carter Centre to launch first-ever US election initiative, citing ‘erosion’ of democracy  —  Exclusive: Democracy promotion group founded by Jimmy Carter will launch US-focused initiative for first time in its history … The democracy promotion organisation founded by former president Jimmy Carter …

Facebook Braces Itself for Trump to Cast Doubt on Election Results  —  The world's biggest social network is working out what steps to take should President Trump use its platform to dispute the vote.  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Facebook spent years preparing to ward off any tampering on its site ahead of November's presidential election.

Federal courthouses close in Portland amid threat  —  Multiple federal buildings in Portland, including a pair of courthouses, are closed Friday amid a threat.  —  Portland's federal bankruptcy court and Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse are both closed, along with a federal building near the Lloyd Center.

GOP leader: ‘There is no place for QAnon in the Republican Party’  —  House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has denounced the QAnon conspiracy theory, becoming the highest-ranking congressional Republican to publicly condemn the theory.  —  McCarthy said during an interview …