Trump insists vandals damaged Reflecting Pool, blasts DOJ for dropped charge  —  The president acknowledged “there may have been some contractor difficulty” but said he disagreed with U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro for dropping a criminal charge against a former Olympian.  —  Summary

Capital One says it closed Trump Organization's accounts after anti-money laundering probe  —  Capital One Financial (COF.N) hit back on Friday against a lawsuit over its decision to close the Trump Organization's bank accounts years ago, stating that it did so after a review by anti-money laundering experts.

Trump Threatens to Revive $1.8 Billion Fund for Allies Over Blanche Standoff  —  The president vowed to push for the payout fund if Senate Republicans fail to confirm Todd Blanche as attorney general, reigniting a dispute over the settlement.  —  President Trump said on Saturday …

Scoop: MBS raises concerns over Trump's plans for massive Iran strikes  —  Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke to President Trump on Saturday and expressed concern over his plans for massive new strikes against Iran, according to two U.S. officials and a third source with knowledge of the call.

Scope of Hacks on U.S. Water Supply Widens as Evidence Points to Iran  —  Michigan and Minnesota are among at least seven states coping with cyberattacks aimed at disrupting water systems nationwide.  —  The scope of cyberattacks on U.S. water systems has grown to include at least seven states …

MAGA Exiles Declare War on Trump: ‘He Betrayed Us All’  —  MIDTERM MAYHEM?  —  “There's going to be a third party, and I'm going to do everything I can to bring that about,” Tucker Carlson vowed.  —  More trouble is brewing for Republicans in the midterm elections as a crew …

Florida's MAGA Attorney Threatens to Defund Catholic Schools Over Vaccine Mandate  —  Make A One-Time Gift to Support My Work  —  Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier sent a letter Friday to the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops demanding that the state's Catholic schools grant religious exemptions …

GOP Staffers Say the Party Has a Groyper Problem … The grownups are worried.  In group chats and at happy hours, some GOP veterans fret about the rising generation of young staffers in their party.  The recurring complaint: The pipeline that feeds young conservative talent into government jobs is defective — if not broken.

Kamala Harris snubs Biden when asked to name ‘most effective’ US presidents at Nashville event  —  Former Vice President Kamala Harris awkwardly snubbed Joe Biden when she was asked who she thought were the “most effective presidents in American history.”  —  The one-term veep was tasked …

The sleeper referendum that could reshape the national judiciary  —  A ballot referendum in Kansas that's generated little national attention could set off a nationwide arms race to politicize state courts.  —  Kansans on Tuesday will decide whether to amend the state constitution to allow voters …

DNI to begin transition from Pulte to Clayton on Monday  —  Bill Pulte will officially kick off the transition process away from serving as acting director of national intelligence on Monday, ultimately ceding the reins of the intelligence hub to the newly confirmed Manhattan attorney Jay Clayton, he announced on social media Saturday.

Justice Dept. Subpoenas Times Freelancer in Effort to Identify Sources  —  A previously undisclosed subpoena, involving reporting on a failed SEAL Team 6 mission in North Korea, reflects the government's expanding campaign to investigate leaks of secrets.  —  A freelance reporter has been fighting …

Trump's Polling Numbers Hit a New Low.  Don't Expect Him to Change Course.  —  Barely a third of Americans approve of Mr. Trump's handling of the job, putting him at historic depths for a second-term president at this stage of his tenure.  —  After a spate of bad polls earlier this summer …

Vincent Pastore, Whose ‘Sopranos’ Character Ratted Out Tony, Dies at 80  —  He played Salvatore Bonpensiero, a mobster's foot soldier turned F.B.I. informant known to his friends as Big Pussy, on the celebrated HBO series.  —  Vincent Pastore, a character actor who specialized …

Data centers have a politics problem — and industry knows it  —  The companies that build and run data centers are on the losing end of a populist backlash — and they're struggling to respond.  —  Fears that the server-packed data hubs will drive up electricity prices …

Congress ended surprise medical bills — doctors and insurers hate it … Lawmakers on both sides celebrated in 2020 when, after years of delicate negotiations, Congress passed the No Surprises Act to shield people from the unexpected bills they sometimes received from out-of-network doctors after emergency medical care.

The Democrats' Biggest Donors Have Gone on Strike  —  Donors have shunned the Washington establishment, and Democratic fundraising groups are lagging behind Republican counterparts  —  George Soros and his son Alex donated more than $400,000 to the Democratic National Committee during the 2018 midterms.

Heat wave bringing record-breaking temps, heightened wildfire risk to parts of Western US  —  A heat wave gripped large swaths of the Western U.S. on Saturday as temperatures hovered near record highs, heightening wildfire risks in areas that already are dry or burning and prompting warnings for people to stay inside.