Another Trump Mystery: Why Did He Resist Returning the Government's Documents?  —  As with so much else with the former president, there is not one easy answer as to why he refused and ignited a legal firestorm.  But here are some possibilities.  —  For four years, former President Donald J. Trump treated …

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 …

Cheney releases concession call audio in tit-for-tat with her primary foe  —  After Donald Trump-backed Harriet Hageman claimed Wednesday night that Rep. Liz Cheney never fully conceded their Wyoming GOP primary race, the defeated incumbent released her receipts.

RULE OF LAW: DOJ OBTAINED TRUMP'S PRIVILEGE-WAIVED DOCUMENTS IN MAY RULE OF LAW: DOJ OBTAINED TRUMP'S PRIVILEGE-WAIVED DOCUMENTS IN MAY  —  Last December, when the DC Circuit ruled that the Archives should share Donald Trump's materials relating to January 6 with the January 6 Committee …

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 …

Senate Control is a Toss Up, Rating Changes in Pennsylvania, Colorado and Utah  —  Nightmares of Sharron Angle, Christine O'Donnell, Todd Akin and Richard Mourdock are taunting Republican lawmakers and Senate strategists as fears grow that this midterm cycle could be 2010 and 2012 all over again.

POLITICO Playbook: Donald Trump's Senate field flounders  —  With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  Twelve weeks before the midterm elections, Republicans' hopes of retaking the Senate rest on a slate of Donald Trump's hand-picked nominees.  And, across the board, they appear to be struggling.

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 …

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

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 …

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.

DOJ battles in court to keep Mar-a-Lago warrant details secret  —  WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A top Justice Department official said Thursday that the investigation into the handling of classified records housed at former President Donald Trump's private residence is “in its early stages,” …

Trump's Money Man Allen Weisselberg Pleads Guilty  —  Former chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg pleaded guilty on Thursday to a number of charges related to the Trump Org avoiding taxes.  —  The Manhattan District Attorney's attempts to flip former President Donald Trump's loyal money man …

Who Will Get Rid of Putin?  The Answer Is Grim.  —  What's easier to imagine — Vladimir Putin suddenly declaring an end to the war on Ukraine and withdrawing his troops or a Russia without Mr. Putin that revises his policies, ends the war and begins to build relations with Ukraine and the West on a peaceful new foundation?

'I don't see justice in this war': Russian soldier exposes rot at core of Ukraine invasion  —  Exclusive: Pavel Filatyev has fled his homeland after publishing a 141-page account detailing his experiences on the frontline  —  avel Filatyev knew the consequences of what he was saying.

Madison Cawthorn Personally Lost Big Money With Failed Campaign  —  The soon-to-be-former congressman's latest campaign filing shows big problems.  —  After losing his primary in May, Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) now officially identifies himself as a self-employed investor.

The Satanic Panic Is Back, and It's Bipartisan  —  A new poll looking at Americans' belief in conspiracy theories finds high levels of support for loony-tunes ideas about sex, Satan, and U.S. institutions.  In addition, more than half of those surveyed believed child sex-trafficking myths.

New Cortez Masto ad goes after Laxalt's family upbringing in tight Nevada Senate race  —  Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., has already hit Republican opponent Adam Laxalt with negative ads that have garnered some criticism.  —  But her latest is a doozy.

Finnish PM: No drugs, just lots of dancing at ‘wild’ party  —  Finland's prime minister says she did not take any drugs during a “wild” party in a private home, adding she did nothing wrong when letting her hair down and partying with friends.  A video posted on a social media shows six people dancing …

The Gubernatorial Races: Look to the West  —  Dear Readers: We all know democracy is in crisis, but what can we do to fix it?  Politics Is Everything is a new podcast from the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia hosted by Carah Ong Whaley, Kyle Kondik, and other members of the Center for Politics team.

Anywhere but here  —  China now insists the pandemic didn't start within its borders.  Its scientists are publishing a flurry of papers pointing the finger elsewhere  —  (ILLUSTRATION) KLAWE RZECZY; (PHOTOS) (FLAG) NATIONAL PEOPLE'S CONGRESS OF PRC; (VIRUSES) V. ALTOUNIAN/SCIENCE …