Trump's personal assistant fired after comments about Ivanka, Tiffany  —  Madeleine Westerhout, who left her White House job suddenly on Thursday as President Trump's personal assistant, was fired after bragging to reporters that she had a better relationship with Trump than his own daughters …

Trump says the US wasn't involved in apparent launch pad explosion in Iran  —  KEY POINTS  — President Donald Trump on Friday insisted that the U.S. had nothing to do with the apparent launch pad explosion of an Iranian rocket.  — Trump's denial also included what looked …

Bolton sidelined from Afghanistan policy as his standing with Trump falters  —  As the president's top aides prepared for a high-stakes meeting on the future of Afghanistan earlier this month, one senior official was not on the original invite list: national security adviser John Bolton.

KMOX EXCLUSIVE: Illinois GOP congressman John Shimkus will not run in 2020  —  He announced it Friday on the Mark Reardon Show.  —  ST. LOUIS (KMOX) — Illinois GOP Rep. John Shimkus announced Friday on the Mark Reardon Show that he will not run for reelection in 2020.

Comey's classified misconduct and the media's flawed coverage of it  —  A major headline from the Department of Justice's (DOJ) latest inspector general report is that fired FBI Director James Comey mishandled classified information.  But you'd never know it from most of the day-after media reporting on the historic findings.

A Fox host's tirade against Trump exposes depths of the president's corruption  —  The impunity is the point.  —  For days now, President Trump has been embroiled in a public feud of sorts with Fox News, because he's angry that the network isn't functioning dutifully enough as his 24/7 propaganda channel.

Pro-Trump super PAC paid thousands to firm owned by Brad Parscale's wife  —  (CNN)A company owned by the wife of Brad Parscale, President 239; Donald Trump's campaign manager, has received hundreds of thousands of dollars from the President's flagship political action committee …

Hurricane Dorian already stirring political storm as Dems rip Trump  —  As Florida stared down a massive hurricane that could soon engulf the state, a political storm is already brewing over President Trump's response.  —  Democrats railed against Trump even before the storm makes landfall over the state …

North Carolina 9: McCready Has Narrow Lead in New Bipartisan Poll  —  By Nathan L. Gonzales and Leah Askarinam  —  Democrat Dan McCready has a narrow advantage over Republican Dan Bishop heading into the final days of the Sept. 10 redo election in North Carolina's 9th District, according to a new bipartisan poll for Inside Elections.

Pull it together, Joe Biden  —  As you may have heard, speaking to an audience in New Hampshire, Joe Biden told a very moving story about his interaction with a war hero.  The only problem is that he got just about every detail in the story wrong, as a Post investigation subsequently revealed.

Michael Flynn's Lawyers Escalate Attacks on Prosecutors  —  WASHINGTON — Lawyers for Michael T. Flynn, the president's first national security adviser, escalated their attacks on prosecutors on Friday, recycling unfounded conspiratorial accusations in a last-ditch bid to delay his sentencing …

World's ‘Saddest’ Rally?  Donald Trump Jr. Mocked For Speaking To Mostly Empty Arena  —  Just a couple hundred people turned out for the event meant to help Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin (R).  —  Don't expect to hear much bragging about this crowd.  —  Donald Trump Jr., son of President Donald Trump …

World War II and the Ingredients of Slaughter  —  The spirit of certitude that dominated the politics of the 1930s is not so distant from us today.  —  World War II began 80 years ago this Sunday after Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed a “nonaggression” pact that was, in fact, a mutual aggression pact.

Diamond and Silk Lawyer Up  —  Plus, Santa Claus fanatics have opened up a civil war in QAnon, and the Iraqi dinar gets a rival scam.  —  NEWSLETTERS  —  Right Richter  —  See what's happening with the extreme right wing from the safety of your inbox.  —  Subscribe  —  This week:

Tomi Lahren Admits Her ‘Freedom’ Clothing Line Not Made in USA  —  Fox News commentator Tomi Lahren admitted Friday that her new “Freedom” athleisure line, a collaboration with athletic-wear line Alexo Athletica, was not made in the United States.  —  “Like many American small business owners, Alexo aims to be Made in America.

Britain's Reichstag Fire moment  —  Weimar warns us about what happens when politicians give up on their own parliaments—as one of our most distinguished historians argues in this exclusive essay  —  Democracy is in trouble.  The optimism that swept the world in the wake of communism's collapse has vanished.

Historic Asset Boom Passes by Half of Families  —  Scant wealth leaves families vulnerable if recession hits, economists say  —  The decadelong economic expansion has showered the U.S. with staggering new wealth driven by a booming stock market and rising house prices.  —  But that windfall has passed by many Americans.

How the Trump administration limited the scope of the USDA's 2020 dietary guidelines  —  The 80 topics that will be addressed do not include the health effects of consumption of red and processed meat. the dramatic increase in ultraprocessed foods and sodium levels.

Trial for Men Accused of Plotting 9/11 Attacks Is Set for 2021  —  WASHINGTON — Moving toward a final reckoning as the nation approaches the 20th anniversary of the day that led to the longest war in American history, a military judge on Friday set a date for the death penalty trial …

The Man Trump Wishes He Were  —  Jim Mattis and the formation of character.  —  In the first few months of his presidency, Donald Trump surrounded himself with a certain sort of ramrod military man: John Kelly, Michael Flynn, H.R. McMaster and Jim Mattis.  These men had or appeared …

Emily Yoffe Back on Her Bullshit—Here's What an Alleged Victim Says She Left Out in Her Latest Contested MeToo Story  —  Emily Yoffe, a current contributing editor at the Atlantic and Slate's former advice columnist, has a specialty, of sorts: as I wrote in the prehistoric days of 2015 …

Their Own Two Feet  —  As the new public face of the Trump administration's draconian immigration policies, acting USCIS Director Ken Cuccinelli has wasted no time stirring up collective ire.  Most notably, he set off a firestorm of criticism by rewriting the iconic Emma Lazarus poem …

Alabama man who spent 36 years behind bars after stealing $50 set free  —  He was convicted of robbing a bakery in 1983, which netted him $50.75, and had previously broken into a vacant service station.  He was sentenced to life.  —  An Alabama man who has spent almost 36 years in prison …

China expels Wall Street Journal reporter over coverage of Xi's family  —  BEIJING — China effectively expelled a Wall Street Journal reporter from the country, one month after the newspaper published a report detailing allegations that a cousin of Chinese leader Xi Jinping was involved …

Longtime lobbyist and former congressman Vin Weber resigns from consulting firm  —  Vin Weber, the former Minnesota congressman who has provided guidance to Republican presidential candidates and corporate executives, resigned his position Friday as a partner in a prominent consulting firm …

Women voters spell trouble for Trump in 2020  —  Polls show President Trump losing women voters by huge margins, presenting his reelection campaign with a massive hurdle to overcome as he seeks a second term in office.  —  Perhaps most alarmingly for Trump, the president is losing support …