After Shooting, Alleged Gunman Details Grievances in ???  Suicide Notes???  —  A man claiming to be Bryce Williams called ABC News over the last few weeks, saying he wanted to pitch a story, and wanted to fax information.  He never told ABC News what the story was.

South Carolina GOP chafes under Graham  —  Party leaders don't think their senator can win but don't feel free to endorse someone else.  —  South Carolina's Republican power brokers are facing a Lindsey Graham dilemma.  —  Wide-open nominating contests don't happen every day …

Biden unsure if he has the ‘emotional fuel’ for 2016 run  —  Washington (CNN)Vice President Joe Biden revealed to members of the Democratic National Committee Wednesday that he is assessing whether he has “the emotional fuel” to run for the White House.  —  “We're dealing at home with …

Bush on Jorge Ramos: Reporters Deserve ‘A Little More Respect’  —  Jeb Bush says that Univision anchor Jorge Ramos, who was escorted out of a press conference held by Donald Trump on Tuesday night, should have been “treated with a little more respect.”  —  “I think people with the press ought …

White House hits back at Charles Koch  —  The White House fired back Wednesday at Charles Koch after a POLITICO article quoted him as saying he was “flabbergasted” by a recent attack on him and his brother by President Barack Obama during an energy speech in Las Vegas earlier this week.

Almost None of the Women in the Ashley Madison Database Ever Used the Site  —  When hacker group Impact Team released the Ashley Madison data, they asserted that “thousands” of the women's profiles were fake.  Later, this number got blown up in news stories that asserted “90-95%” …

Facebook Launches M, Its Bold Answer to Siri and Cortana  —  Today, a few hundred Bay Area Facebook users will open their Messenger apps to discover M, a new virtual assistant.  Facebook will prompt them to test it with examples of what M can do: Make restaurant reservations.  Find a birthday gift for your spouse.

EARLY CONCERNS  —  Obamacare included member-run, locally based nonprofit insurers to increase competition for existing carriers.  The idea initially worked: Nevada Health CO-OP had more than a third of the market in the 2013 enrollment period, beating out big, publicly traded competitors UnitedHealth Group …

Why Fox News' Defense Of Megyn Kelly Is Going To Backfire  —  Donald Trump has reignited his sexist harassment campaign against Megyn Kelly, and the folks at Fox News are, in seemingly coordinated fashion, striking back.  Fellow Fox News hosts and pundits are asking Trump to cool it …

MSNBC moves Al Sharpton to Sunday mornings  —  Al Sharpton is leaving MSNBC's weekday dayside lineup, and moving to Sunday mornings.  —  Sharpton's last weekday “PoliticsNation” will be Sept. 4.  He moves to Sundays a month later on Oct. 4, according to a memo sent to MSNBC staff …

Industry issues plea over data reform  —  Companies torn between foreign laws for Europeans' personal data.  —  A broad industry coalition is lobbying the European Union to strike out part of an impending privacy law that could force companies to deny requests for personal data from non-member countries.

Dope and glory  —  Only Usain Bolt keeps the murkiness of world athletics in check.  —  When Usain Bolt battled to victory in the 100-meter final on the second day of the Track and Field World Championships in Beijing, he struck a blow not only for his competitive reputation but also for the image of his besieged sport.

First State Legalizes Taser Drones for Cops, Thanks to a Lobbyist  —  North Dakota police will be free to fire “less than lethal” weapons from the air thanks to the influence of Big Drone.  —  It is now legal for law enforcement in North Dakota to fly drones armed with everything from Tasers …

Trump Telling GOP Brass He Will Forgo A Third-Party Run: Sources  —  Trump makes a big move.  —  Ryan Grim  —  Washington Bureau Chief, The Huffington Post  —  WASHINGTON - Businessman Donald Trump has told several top Republicans that he will swear off the possibility of an independent bid …