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 …

‘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 …

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 …

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” …

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.

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 …

Plane carrying dissident Navalny in coma leaves Russia for Germany  —  Navalny was admitted to an intensive care unit in Omsk on Thursday.  —  Alexei Navalny speaks during a rally to support political prisoners in Moscow, Russia.  Dmitri Lovetsky/AP Photo

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 …

CREW Gets Hope Hicks' Financials  —  Late on Friday, CREW received Hope Hicks' financial disclosure forms filed when she reentered the Trump administration.  The forms show that her time away from the White House was lucrative for the once and future senior Trump aide.

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.

Kanye West's Presidential Campaign Is Both Proceeding and Unraveling  —  The last 48 hours have presented a series of new challenges for Kanye West's haphazard campaign for president.  —  In a span of two days, West was booted from the ballot in five states: Illinois, Montana, Ohio, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Ex-CIA director John Brennan questioned for 8 hours in U.S. Attorney John Durham's probe, a Brennan adviser says  —  Former CIA director John Brennan was interviewed for eight hours Friday by the federal prosecutor specially assigned by Attorney General William P. Barr to review …

“It Looks Like They're Targeting Blue Urban Areas”: New Postal Service Plan Is Setting Off Election Alarms  —  An Oregon mail carrier believes a new initiative could potentially sidetrack mail-in ballots and disproportionately hurt Democrats.  —  As Postmaster General Louis DeJoy appears before Congress …

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 …

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 …

After Admitting to False Statements in Court, Trump DOJ Agrees to $200K Settlement With Arnold & Porter  —  Justice Department lawyers told a federal judge last month that officials made “inaccurate or misleading statements” in defending a ban on New Yorkers from certain DHS programs.

Covid-19 cases tied to the Sturgis motorcycle rally in South Dakota have reached across state lines  —  (CNN)Coronavirus cases linked to the Sturgis motorcycle rally in South Dakota last week have now reached across state lines to Nebraska, public health officials said.

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 …

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.

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 …

“Unity” Event Canceled Due to Threats of Violence [Updated]  —  We wrote here, here and here about a shameful incident that occurred in Hugo, Minnesota, when a group of Black Lives Matter thugs led by a Democratic candidate for the Minnesota legislature, John Thompson, besieged the home …