Whistleblower complaint about President Trump involves Ukraine, according to two people familiar with the matter  —  A whistleblower complaint about President Trump made by an intelligence official centers on Ukraine, according to two people familiar with the matter, which has set off …

HUD Secretary Ben Carson makes dismissive comments about transgender people, angering agency staff  —  Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson expressed concern about “big, hairy men” trying to infiltrate women's homeless shelters during an internal meeting, according to three people present …

Trump Lawyers Argue He Cannot Be Criminally Investigated  —  The president's legal team is trying to block a subpoena seeking his tax returns, claiming that any criminal investigation of Mr. Trump is unconstitutional.  —  Lawyers for President Trump argued in a lawsuit filed on Thursday …

A Brief History of the Warren Presidency  —  A look back at American politics from the year 2050.  —  A crisis of legitimacy swept across American politics in the second decade of the 21st century.  Many people had the general conviction that the old order was corrupt and incompetent.

Black Leaders Condemn Attacks by Sanders Supporters Amid Fallout From WFP's Warren Endorsement  —  In a draft letter obtained by Splinter on Thursday, dozens of prominent black progressive leaders condemned the “hateful, violent, and racist threats” they said have been leveled by “self-identified …

Birds Are Vanishing From North America  —  The number of birds in the United States and Canada has declined by 3 billion, or 29 percent, over the past half-century, scientists find.  —  The skies are emptying out.  —  The number of birds in the United States and Canada has fallen by 29 percent since 1970 …

Trump appointee Darrell Issa's confirmation hearing held up because he couldn't pass the background check: report  —  Former Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) was once the chair of the House Intelligence Committee, but as of Thursday, he's no longer being considered for a position in President Donald Trump's administration.

U.S. Orders Duke and U.N.C. to Recast Tone in Mideast Studies  —  WASHINGTON — The Education Department has ordered Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to remake the Middle East studies program run jointly by the two schools after concluding that it was offering students …

Colt suspends production of AR-15 for civilian market  —  WEST HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Gunmaker Colt says it is suspending its production of rifles for the civilian market including the popular AR-15.  —  Colt's chief executive officer, Dennis Veilleux, says it is not permanently ending production …

Rex Tillerson details his frustrations on Iran, Israel, Russia, and his revamp of the State Department  —  Rex Tillerson had seen and learned much in his 41-year career at ExxonMobil Corp., and some of it proved useful in his 13 months as U.S. secretary of state.

For Trump, a Time of Indecision  —  WASHINGTON — Speaking to a Fox News reporter near the Mexican border on Wednesday, President Trump seemed taken aback when asked if the White House were preparing to roll out gun control proposals the next day, a timeline administration officials had suggested was likely.

Kamala Harris's big blunder  —  Sen. Kamala Harris started this year with a smooth rollout that had many insiders predicting she was the likeliest Democratic nominee in 2020.  Now, as the fall campaign season kicks off, she finds herself well out of the top tier of candidates, struggling just to stay relevant.

McConnell changes position and backs $250 million for election security  —  Democrats said the Senate majority leader had finally caved into their pressure to safeguard the voting system.  —  WASHINGTON — In a surprise development, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced his support …

Trump officials considering plan to divert billions of dollars in additional funds for border barrier  —  Senior Trump administration officials are considering a plan to again divert billions of dollars in military funding to pay for border barrier construction next year …

Donald Trump's Approval Rating Surpasses Obama's, Not Just on Rasmussen Reports  —  President Donald Trump's job approval rating this week averaged across major polls surpassed that of his predecessor President Barack Obama at the same time eight years ago, giving some actual good news to Trump …

House Judiciary Committee weighs holding Lewandowski in contempt  —  (CNN)The House Judiciary Committee is preparing to take initial steps to potentially hold former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski in contempt over his refusal to answer questions at this week's hearing before the panel, multiple sources tell CNN.

U.S. drone strike kills 30 pine nut farm workers in Afghanistan  —  JALALABAD/ KABUL (Reuters) - A U.S. drone strike intended to hit an Islamic State (IS) hideout in Afghanistan killed at least 30 civilians resting after a day's labor in the fields, officials said on Thursday.

U.S. Marine unit wants to hold annual ball at presidential venue: Trump's Mar-a-Lago club  —  At a time when taxpayer and foreign-government spending at Trump Organization properties is fueling political battles, a U.S. Marine Corps reserve unit stationed in South Florida hopes to hold …

“It Won't End Well”: Trump and His Obscure New National-Security Chief  —  Flattery will get you everywhere with Donald Trump.  The President demonstrated this powerfully on Wednesday, when he named the State Department's little-known hostage negotiator, Robert O'Brien …

A Reporter From Hell  —  The title of the talk was “The War in Syria Is Not Over,” but it was more like Nir Rosen's valedictory address.  For roughly 20 minutes, the gonzo war-journalist-turned-mysterious- diplomatic-operator—who counts top advisers to both former U.S. President Barack Obama …

White House abruptly cancels meeting with vaping advocates  —  The White House abruptly organized — and then quickly canceled — a meeting Thursday with frustrated conservative policy leaders, to try to tamp down anger about a sweeping vaping ban that's inflamed the Trump administration's traditional allies …

What's the Environmental Crisis?  —  Liberals think that an increase of a few ppm in a trace gas like carbon dioxide is an environmental crisis, even though it has no apparent effect on the environment.  (Don't get me started on “extreme weather events.")  On the other hand …

Zuckerberg meets with Trump, Republican senators  —  Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg met with President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday, the latest sign of the tech mogul's personal outreach amid mounting scrutiny from Washington.  —  Despite the president's history of accusing Facebook …

Hogan raising ‘dark’ money to boost his agenda, stop costly education plan  —  Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan is reprising his role as a grass roots agitator, asking top supporters to raise at least $2 million for a lobbying and public relations campaign that would herald his Republican agenda …