CNN Exclusive: ‘Ludicrous.’ ‘Ridiculous.’ ‘A complete fiction.’: Former Trump officials say his claim of ‘standing order’ to declassify is nonsense  —  Trump's contentious history with the FBI 02:50  —  In the days since the FBI seized classified and top secret documents from Donald Trump's Mar …

Trump's legal woes enter yet another protracted phase  —  WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Donald Trump entered Thursday demanding answers about the basis for the FBI search of his private residence and calling for a swift end to the investigation.  Instead, the former president got few new details …

Brian Stelter to depart CNN as it cancels ‘Reliable Sources’ media show  —  CNN is canceling its Sunday media affairs show Reliable Sources, and host Brian Stelter is departing the network, Stelter tells NPR.  —  In a statement to NPR, Stelter says he's grateful for the show and his team's examination of …

Fox News Poll: Barnes edges Johnson in Wisconsin Senate race  —  More of Johnson's supporters will vote for him enthusiastically  —  Fox News Flash top headlines for August 18  —  While Democratic challenger Mandela Barnes is narrowly preferred over incumbent Ron Johnson in the Wisconsin Senate race …

National Republican group plans massive ad buy boosting J.D. Vance, signaling deepening GOP focus on Ohio's Senate race  —  COLUMBUS, Ohio — A political action committee with close ties to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is launching a massive new ad campaign in Ohio …

Florida officials arrest and charge 20 people with illegal voting  —  State governor Ron DeSantis said at a press conference that those charged had previous felony convictions  —  Florida officials have arrested and charged 20 people with felony convictions and charged them with illegal …

Home Appraised With a Black Owner: $472,000.  With a White Owner: $750,000.  —  Nathan Connolly and his wife, Shani Mott, say an appraisal company undervalued their home based on their race.  The couple has filed a lawsuit in Maryland.  —  Last summer, Nathan Connolly and his wife …

How Dan Price's Social Media Fame Fueled Abuse Allegations  —  Dan Price was applauded for paying a minimum salary of $70,000 at his Seattle company and criticizing corporate greed.  The adulation helped to hide and enable his behavior.  —  SEATTLE — Kacie Margis, a model and artist …

A majority of Americans see an ‘invasion’ at the southern border, NPR poll finds  —  More than half of Americans say there's an “invasion” at the southern border, according to a new NPR/Ipsos poll, part of a broader decline in support for immigrants overall.

Allen Weisselberg, a Top Trump Executive, Pleads Guilty in Tax Scheme  —  Mr. Weisselberg has refused to cooperate in the Manhattan district attorney's broader investigation into Donald J. Trump and his family business.  —  One of Donald J. Trump's most trusted executives stood before a judge …

The GOP Just Borrowed a Soviet Skill and Disappeared Liz Cheney  —  This article is part of The D.C. Brief, TIME's politics newsletter.  Sign up here to get stories like this sent to your inbox.  —  In the good ol' Soviet days, a fall from political grace manifested itself in party propaganda.

Mom chops off boyfriend's penis after he tried to rape her daughter: report  —  A mother in India allegedly sliced off her boyfriend's penis on Wednesday after he tried to rape her 14-year-old daughter.  —  “I have no regrets for what I did,” the 36-year-old unnamed mom told the Times of India.

After their daughters were beat by a girl in sports, Utah parents triggered investigation into whether she was transgender  —  School opened girl's enrollment records dating back to kindergarten to confirm she was female, Utah High School Activities Association representative tells legislators

What Is Pamela Paul Thinking?  —  After struggling to get out of marketing, a brief and quarrelsome marriage to Bret Stephens, and ascending to one of publishing's most powerful perches, the former editor of The New York Times Book Review made a confounding choice to jump head first into the fractious culture wars

GOP group apologizes for mistakenly posting KKK image  —  A Republican group in Alabama is apologizing after accidentally using a picture of the GOP elephant that contained Ku Klux Klan imagery.  The Lawrence County Republican Party intended to post an image of the GOP elephant on its Facebook page …

Grassley claims to support $35 insulin cap he helped kill  —  Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) voted against including a price cap for diabetic Americans with private insurance in the Inflation Reduction Act.  —  Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) told constituents on Wednesday that he backs a $35 cap on the price of a month's supply of insulin.

EXCLUSIVE: NYC thug, 55, who put on gloves to knock out diner in unprovoked attack is FREED after being arrested for attempted murder as DA charges him with misdemeanor : Left victim in a coma with fractured skull three years after leaving prison for rape  — Bui Van Phu, 55, from the Bronx …

On radio show, Paladino said Merrick Garland ‘probably should be executed’; he later said he was being ‘facetious’  —  Republican congressional candidate Carl Paladino said on a radio show last week that U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland “probably should be executed” following the raid of Donald Trump's estate in Mar-a-Lago.

Vance's anti-drug charity enlisted doctor echoing Big Pharma  —  When JD Vance founded “Our Ohio Renewal” a day after the 2016 presidential election, he promoted the charity as a vehicle for helping solve the scourge of opioid addiction that he had lamented in “Hillbilly Elegy,” his bestselling memoir.

How to Kill a Newspaper  —  Here in Aspen, the air is thin, the snow is perfect, and money is everywhere.  This is a singular American town in many respects.  Among them is this: Aspen had, until very recently, two legitimate daily newspapers, The Aspen Times and the Aspen Daily News.

Can Democrats finally run on climate?  New ads test the premise.  —  For years, Democrats and environmental groups have faced a profound challenge: The politics of climate change seemed brutal and unforgiving in a deep, structural sense.  Global warming's threat seemed to lurk in the distant future …

New York District 12 Poll: Nadler Extends Lead Over Maloney and Patel in NY-12 Primary  —  Home Polls New York District 12 Poll: Nadler Extends Lead Over Maloney and Patel in NY-12 Primary  —  Majority of Democratic Primary Voters Think Inflation Reduction Act will Reduce Inflation

Ken Bensinger Joins Politics Reporting Team  —  The veteran investigative journalist comes to The Times to report on right-wing media.  Read more in this note from Politics editor David Halbfinger.  —  I'm thrilled to announce that Ken Bensinger is joining The Times to pioneer …