How the El Paso Killer Echoed the Incendiary Words of Conservative Media Stars  —  Tucker Carlson went on his prime-time Fox News show in April last year and told his viewers not to be fooled.  The thousands of Central Americans on their way to the United States were “border jumpers,” not refugees, he said.

‘It was inevitable’: Officers watching Epstein were on overtime due to jail staffing shortage, union president says  —  The two correctional officers assigned to watch the special unit in the detention center where financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was being housed …

U.S. Officials Suspect New Nuclear Missile in Explosion That Killed 7 Russians  —  American intelligence officials are racing to understand a mysterious explosion that released radiation off the coast of northern Russia last week, apparently during the test of a new type of nuclear-propelled …

'Using the Lord's name in vain': Evangelicals chafe at Trump's blasphemy  —  Paul Hardesty didn't pay much attention to President Donald Trump's campaign rally in Greenville, N.C., last month until a third concerned constituent rang his cell phone.  —  The residents of Hardesty's district …

Trump Administration Weakens Protections for Endangered Species  —  WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Monday announced that it would change the way the Endangered Species Act is applied, significantly weakening the nation's bedrock conservation law credited with rescuing the bald eagle …

What I learned about the Democrats at a family barbecue in North Carolina  —  Every second Saturday in August, my mother and her siblings host a family barbecue, a simple gathering under the enormous pecan tree in the side yard of the house where they grew up in Severn, N.C. In the mix …

Hong Kong Cancels All Remaining Monday Flights as Protesters Swarm Airport  — Flights to and from city scrapped; Cathay shares tumble  — Chinese official warns protesters showing signs of ‘terrorism’  —  Hong Kong airport authorities canceled remaining flights on Monday …

Exclusive: Anthony Scaramucci says Trump may need to be replaced for 2020  —  Anthony Scaramucci, who famously served as President Trump's communications director for 11 days, says Republicans may need to pick a different candidate in 2020.  —  Driving the news: In a phone interview on Sunday afternoon …

Sarah Silverman fired from new movie for blackface photo  —  Sarah Silverman revealed that she was recently fired from a movie over an old photo of her in blackface.  —  She said the photo, which was snapped on the set of “The Sarah Silverman Show” in 2007, recently resurfaced and caught the eye of the film's producers.

Texas Republicans brace for 2020 drubbing  —  As bad as it's been for Texas Republicans lately, some members of the party are warning that 2020 could be even worse.  —  The rash of recent House GOP retirements is just the latest sign of a state party in distress: In last year's midterms …

Tulsi Gabbard to report for active duty for 2 weeks  —  Tulsi Gabbard, Democrat from Hawaii and presidential candidate, will be taking a two-week absence from her campaign Monday to report for active duty with the Hawaiian Army National Guard in Indonesia, she said in an interview with CBSN's Caitlin Huey-Burns.

Trump is losing ground in America's suburbs  —  First Read is your briefing from “Meet the Press” and the NBC Political Unit on the day's most important political stories and why they matter.  —  WASHINGTON — For all of the discussion about whether Democrats can win Texas in 2020 …

Abrams: Election ‘Stolen From the People of Georgia’  —  In MSNBC special, Abrams blames 2013 Supreme Court decision for her defeat  —  Democrat Stacey Abrams repeated her claim that her 2018 governor's race was “stolen from the people of Georgia” in an MSNBC special on voting that aired Sunday.

Scoop: Inside Trump's strange pen-pal diplomacy with Justin Trudeau  —  President Trump has sent highly unusual, Sharpie-written notes to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at least twice, Axios has learned.  —  One missive was so odd, the Canadian ambassador double-checked with the White House to be sure it wasn't a prank.

President Trump has made 12,019 false or misleading claims over 928 days  —  President Trump's proclivity for spouting exaggerated numbers, unwarranted boasts and outright falsehoods has continued at a remarkable pace.  As of Aug. 5, his 928th day in office, he had made 12,019 false or misleading claims …

Sentries, not ‘squad’: Moderate Dems ones to watch for 2020  —  CULPEPER, Va. (AP) — Abigail Spanberger talked about rural broadband.  She held court on health care, solar energy and the border crisis.  —  But as the freshman Democrat from Virginia fielded a dozen questions during …

Did a Far-Right Star Recruit Jacob Wohl to Terrorize Women?  —  “I'll make it my mission to torture you so much that you end up killing yourself,” reads a text message from a phone number belonging to notorious smear merchant Jacob Wohl.  —  A perennial House candidate's alleged harassment …

The Great Land Robbery  —  Images above: A sign on a utility pole to deter hunters, near the old Scott-family homestead, Drew, Mississippi; Willena's brother Isaac Daniel Scott Sr. amid soybeans in Mound Bayou.  —  I. Wiped Out  —  “You ever chop before?”  Willena Scott-White was testing me.