Protesters confront Rand Paul outside White House after RNC  —  Sen. Rand Paul was confronted by protesters early Friday morning after leaving the Republican National Convention at the White House.  —  “Just got attacked by an angry mob of over 100, one block away from the White House.

Two P.R. Experts at F.D.A. Have Been Ousted After Blood Plasma Fiasco  —  The agency's chief spokeswoman, Emily Miller, was removed from her position just 11 days into the job.  —  Two senior public relations experts advising the Food and Drug Administration have been ousted from their positions …

The Malign Fantasy of Donald Trump's Convention  —  Using the White House as his prop, the President makes war on Joe Biden, and pretends the pandemic is all but defeated.  —  For four years, Donald Trump has been asking us to believe the unbelievable, to accept the unthinkable, to replace harsh realities with simple fantasies.

This Is How Biden Loses  —  Here is a prediction about the November election: If Donald Trump wins, in a trustworthy vote, what's happening this week in Kenosha, Wisconsin, will be one reason.  Maybe the reason.  And yet Joe Biden has it in his power to spare the country a second Trump term.

Fox News Host Greg Gutfeld Pulls a 180 on Trump's ‘Very Fine People’ in Charlottesville, Now Calls It a ‘Hoax’  —  Gutfeld was one of the more forceful critics of Trump's equivocating on neo-Nazi marchers, but three years later he's all-in on defending the president.

U.S. to Cut Troop Presence in Iraq by About One-Third, Officials Say  —  President Trump is expected to tout the reduction to about 3,500 troops as progress toward winding down what he has described as endless wars  —  WASHINGTON—The Pentagon is cutting the U.S. force in Iraq to about 3,500 troops …

‘She was the aggressor’: Former Liberty student alleges sexual encounter with Becki Falwell  —  A former Liberty University student says Becki Falwell, the wife of the university's then-President Jerry Falwell Jr., jumped into bed with him and performed oral sex on him while he stayed …

Instead of Evolving as President, Trump Has Bent the Job to His Will  —  In a 40-minute phone call this week, Mr. Trump struggled to describe how he has changed in office.  “I think I've just become more guarded than I was four years ago,” he said.  —  WASHINGTON — For a man on the edge of history …

Shinzo Abe, Japan's Longest-Serving Leader, to Resign Because of Illness  —  Mr. Abe has been prime minister for nearly eight consecutive years, a significant feat in a country accustomed to high turnover in the top job.  —  TOKYO — Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan will resign because of ill health …

​Data for August 26  —  As of 5 p.m. on August 27, 2020 there were 24,952 cases of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) with 290 deaths due to COVID-19 reported among Mecklenburg County residents.  —  Of note, approximately 792 COVID-19 tests were conducted among individuals attending …

Donald Trump's big convention speech was filled with lies and gall: Mastio and Lawrence  —  David: I don't much like the Democrats or Joe Biden and I certainly don't like leftists, anarchists and cancel culture, so there was a lot in Trump's speech that I wanted to like.

MGM Resorts Lays off 18,000 Workers  —  Casino industry struggles to regain business after pandemic shutdowns  —  MGM Resorts International MGM 5.15% is laying off 18,000 furloughed workers in the U.S. as a global travel slowdown impedes the casino industry's recovery from the ongoing pandemic.

House committee launches contempt proceedings against Pompeo  —  The House Foreign Affairs Committee announced Friday that it will launch contempt proceedings against Secretary of State Mike Pompeo over his refusal to comply with a subpoena for records related to the State Department's involvement …

What if Facebook Is the Real ‘Silent Majority’?  —  Right-wing influencers are dominating the political discussion on Facebook, raising questions about whether it will translate into electoral success in November.  —  Listen, liberals.  If you don't think Donald Trump can get re-elected in November …

Trump Botches His Big Speech and No One Will Care  —  He didn't put much effort into addressing voters other than his most avid supporters.  —  Nomination speeches at normal conventions are easy.  Joe Biden even showed last week that nomination speeches given remotely during a pandemic aren't that hard.

Judge voids 50,000 absentee ballot requests in Iowa county  —  CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — A judge ordered an Iowa county Thursday to invalidate 50,000 requests for absentee ballots, agreeing with President Donald Trump's campaign that its elections commissioner overstepped his authority by pre-filling them with voters' personal information.