Top Political News provided by The Washington Post©

• How Stephen Miller authors Trump’s immigration policy
  With unswerving loyalty, Miller has singular control of an issue central to the presidency
• Former vice president Dick Cheney to appear at fundraiser for Trump and RNC
  Cheney has been critical of the Trump administration’s foreign policy moves.
• Like Jeffrey Epstein’s accusers, justice has been elusive for women allegedly abused by his modeling agent friend
  Jean-Luc Brunel, who has been the subject of allegations for decades, befriended the financier.
• Trump has one playbook, and very few plays left in it
  He’s mastered tweeting from the bleachers but still struggles with the complexities of governing.
• Siding with Trump could hurt Israel’s long-term relations with U.S.
  President Trump could be making Israel part of his culture war, imperiling the nation's traditional bipartisan support.
• The third-person-in-chief: How Trump talks about himself
  For years, President Trump has returned to an oft-used rhetorical habit in his speeches and interviews: referring to himself in the third person.
• Why is Trump trying to import Greenlandic socialism?
  It's not clear whether Trump intended to make Greenland a state, but what would it mean if he did?
• Siding with Trump could hurt Israel’s long-term relations with U.S.
  President Trump could be making Israel part of his culture war, imperiling the nation's traditional bipartisan support.
• The third-person-in-chief: How Trump talks about himself
  For years, President Trump has returned to an oft-used rhetorical habit in his speeches and interviews: referring to himself in the third person.
• It’s a campaign talking point, but reports of the filibuster’s demise might be premature
  A divided Congress and the lack of a guaranteed victory lessen the odds of its departure.
• A toxic rift opens between Democrats and Israel after the nation refuses entry to two members of Congress
  Support for the Middle Eastern democracy had ebbed as President Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu became fast allies, fracturing what has been decades of bipartisan support for Israel.
• Warning or threat? Democrats ignite controversy with Supreme Court brief in gun case
  Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse draws right’s ire; he says he was cautioning the court, not threatening it.
• Why is Trump trying to import Greenlandic socialism?
  It's not clear whether Trump intended to make Greenland a state, but what would it mean if he did?
• Once the Democratic field starts to narrow, Biden’s path may get rockier
  New Pew polling shows that he's not the second choice of most supporters of his opponents.
• Trump and senior aides discuss withdrawal from Afghanistan as talks with Taliban advance
  The two sides are close to agreement on an initial withdrawal in exchange for concessions by the militants and wider peace negotiations, officials said.
• The freewheeling, uncontainable nature of Trump’s anti-elite get-togethers
  Trump offers his hardcore fans something Democrats can never offer.
• Lewandowski says he’ll happily appear before Judiciary panel next month and defend Trump
  The president’s former campaign manager, who received a subpoena Thursday, is mulling a Senate bid from New Hampshire. He said he’ll decide whether to run in October.
• The Wall Street Journal tried to gently shift trade-war blame away from Trump. He savaged it anyway.
  The editorial board suggested Trump was ill-served by his advisers. He dedicated a portion of his speech to attacking it anyway.
• The Daily 202: The newest purity test for Democrats is whether to mandate assault weapons buybacks
  Critics call it confiscation.
• Elizabeth Warren proposes plan to aid Native American communities
  The Massachusetts Democrat has been targeted by President Trump for her past claims of Native American ancestry.
• Corey Lewandowski’s potential New Hampshire Senate run is a very Trumpian move
  Trump's former campaign manager is the latest, and brashest, politician to ignore all the rules of political decency and seriously consider running for office anyway.
• QAnon supporters claim they were censored at Trump’s New Hampshire rally
  While the claim isn't new, it comes at a tricky time for the conspiracy theory's adherents.
• 2 troubling signs for Trump in this new Fox News poll
  The poll shows Trump sinking into the 30s in percentage of the vote in the general election, but that's not the worst of it.
• The man Trump mocked as heavyset at his New Hampshire rally was a Trump supporter
  The man had just ripped a banner away from actual protesters.

Roll Call©

• Democrats line up three gun bills in early House Judiciary return
  The House Judiciary Committee will consider three gun control bills when it convenes September 4, an early return from a summer break that could lob political pressure onto Senate Republicans to respond to recent mass shootings. The committee announced Friday it will mark up a bill to outlaw large capacity magazines and other ammunition feeding devices, along with a bill that would prevent people who have been convicted of a misdemeanor hate crime from owning a weapon.
• So much Iowa, so little time
  DES MOINES, Iowa — It is difficult for some people to accept that Iowa, a relatively small state in the middle of the country, has such an outsize role in determining the next president. But the Hawkeye State is more of a microcosm of U.S. politics and the country than it might first appear. Iowa’s population of roughly 3 million people is tiny compared to mega-states like California, Texas and Florida, and it has a lack of racial diversity (it is about 87 percent white, according to the U.S. Census Bureau). But its voting patterns and political infrastructure make it a valuable barometer. 
• Hinson on Republican Party and suburban women: ‘Words matter’
  Ashley Hinson thinks she can bridge the divide between the Republican Party and suburban women. “I am one,” she said. The Iowan, currently a state lawmaker, is running for Congress in the 1st District. “Words matter,” she told Roll Call on Thursday, as Rep. Steve King’s inflammatory comments about rape and incest continued to roil the Iowa State Fair.
• Iowa culture shock: Moving to the Midwest to staff a presidential campaign
  Former Rep. John Delaney has been running for president for over two years, and his campaign has had a presence in Iowa for much of that time. CQ Roll Call sat down with Gregory Christensen, a staffer for Delaney’s Iowa campaign team, to talk about the culture shock of uprooting from the coasts to Iowa. Get breaking news alerts and more from Roll Call on your iPhone.
• Why the bike lane planned for Louisiana Avenue remains stalled
  Downtown Washington, D.C., has a network of bike lanes, but there is there is a glaring gap at Louisiana Avenue near the Capitol. Unlike other city streets, Louisiana Avenue is under the control of the Architect of the Capitol. And while the AOC is on board with building a protected bike lane, that would require removing a block of parking for Senate staffers. And the Senate Sergeant at Arms objects.
• Google under pressure from Congress, activists, shareholders
  In the face of gridlock in Congress, investors, pension funds, and some states are pushing public companies to do more to diversify their boards, combat climate change, stamp out sexual harassment and give workers a voice. CQ Roll Call's Laura Weiss talks about what happened at Google's annual shareholder meeting where board members were confronted with protests and calls for change. 
• See the Iowa Caucuses early on Aug. 30!
  DES MOINES, Iowa — If you just cannot wait until Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucuses on Feb. 3, 2020, then consider visiting here on Aug. 30, when Minor League Baseball’s Iowa Cubs rebrand themselves for the night as, yes, the Iowa Caucuses.  “I absolutely love it,” said David Redlawsk, chairman of the political science department at the University of Delaware and author of “Why Iowa?: How Caucuses and Sequential Elections Improve the Presidential Nominating Process.”
• Rep. Rashida Tlaib rejects Netanyahu’s terms and forgoes trip to visit grandmother
  Rep. Rashida Tlaib will forgo a trip to see her aging grandmother in the West Bank after the Israeli government said it would allow a visit on “humanitarian” grounds. In a reversal, Tlaib rejected the conditions laid out by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the humanitarian visit, namely, that she not broadcast her support for boycotting Israel over its actions against Palestinians during her stay. 
• White House readies $4 billion foreign aid cuts package
  The White House budget office on Thursday evening sent a proposal to trim unspent foreign assistance funds by “north of $4 billion” to the State Department for review, according to a senior administration official. The final price tag of the rescissions package, which could also target unspent balances at the U.S. Agency for International Development, would likely change before being formally submitted to Capitol Hill, the official said.
• The Iowa State Fair: Our hits, misses and lessons learned
  DES MOINES, Iowa — For all its quaintness and fun, the Iowa State Fair does a pretty good job of approximating politics at the national level, be it questions about electability and charisma or trade and agricultural policy. “The debate within the party that is happening right now, is happening right in front of me at the Iowa State Fair between these two people,” CQ Roll Call senior politics writer Bridget Bowman says, recounting a conversation between a couple after hearing South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg speak at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox on Aug. 13. The couple, both of whom told Bridget they were impressed with Buttigieg, were torn between what was more important for a Democratic candidate: offering bold ideas or being more likely to beat President Donald Trump.
• Trump appointees routinely bullied State Department staffers, IG reports
  A long-awaited investigation by the State Department’s inspector general concluded in a report released Thursday that multiple career employees were subjected to “disrespectful,” “hostile” and “inappropriate” treatment at the hands of political appointees. The review specifically focused on allegations of political retaliation against career employees at the Bureau of International Organization Affairs, which leads and coordinates U.S. policy toward the United Nations. For over a year, House and Senate Democrats have pushed for a thorough investigation into whistleblower complaints and news reports that political appointees were vetting career employees at the State Department and retaliating against those they deemed insufficiently loyal to President Donald Trump and his administration’s conservative agenda.
• Democrats go on defense in crucial heartland House race in Iowa
  WHEATLAND, Iowa — Republicans sense an opportunity in the rolling corn and soybean fields in southeastern Iowa. But Democrats won’t be giving up their hold on this heartland district without a fight. Republicans’ path to the House majority runs through the 31 Democrat-held districts that President Donald Trump won in 2016. And one of them, Iowa’s 2nd District, ranks among the GOP’s best pickup opportunities next year because it’s the only one of the 31 without an incumbent defending the seat.
• Election officials want security money, flexible standards
  State officials from Louisiana and Connecticut on Thursday asked for more money and clear standards from the federal government to help secure voting systems before the 2020 elections. But the officials, Louisiana Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin and Connecticut Secretary of State Denise Merrill, stressed the differences between their election systems and asked for leeway from the federal government in deciding how to spend any future funding.
• Democrats seek info on CFPB official’s ties to Christian group
  A group of Democrats, including presidential hopeful Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, are continuing to pressure the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau over a senior official’s ties to a conservative Christian group. In a letter sent Wednesday to CFPB Director Kathleen Kraninger, Warren — along with Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois, Ayanna S. Pressley of Massachusetts and Katie Porter of California — demanded documents related to hiring Paul Watkins as director of the Office of Innovation, which has the power to grant fintech firms limited immunity from consumer protection laws.
• Roy Blunt pitches Negro League coin idea
  Sen. Roy Blunt wants a commemorative coin to honor Negro League Baseball when it celebrates its 100 year anniversary in 2020. The Missouri Republican talked about his coin push during a tour of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri, this week.
• Hickenlooper ends presidential campaign, but doesn't rule out Senate
  On Thursday, former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper announced the end of his 2020 presidential campaign. Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, have urged him to take on Republican Sen. Cory Gardner instead, and he said he would give that “serious thought.”
• Hickenlooper says he’ll give ‘serious thought’ to Senate run after dropping presidential bid
  Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper ended his campaign for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination on Thursday, and said he will consider a run against Republican Sen. Cory Gardner in a battleground state Democrats need to win to take control of the upper chamber. “People want to know what comes next for me,” Hickenlooper said in a statement. “I’ve heard from so many Coloradans who want me to run for the United States Senate. They remind me how much is at stake for our country. And our state. I intend to give that some serious thought.”
• It’s moving day at Liberty University for two Budds and a Brat
  It’s that long-awaited time of year when parents get to kick their kids out of the house again. August is back-to-school month, and for some lucky parents, “school” means “college.” That’s the case for North Carolina Republican Rep. Ted Budd, who’s sending his son Joshua off to Liberty University’s School of Business. The father-son duo tag-teamed the move into Joshua’s dorm room with help (or lack thereof) from an old colleague, former congressman and tea party favorite Dave Brat.
• Undeterred Trump to tout economy in ‘toss-up’ New Hampshire despite stock tumble
  A White House official grimaced slightly Wednesday as a cable news chyron showed stocks plummeting, potentially undercutting President Donald Trump’s Thursday plans to say his stewardship of a strong economy should help earn him a second term. Trump will make another campaign-trail pitch to voters Thursday evening in what his aides see as a likely 2020 battleground state that could be a photo finish next November: New Hampshire.
• Suicide prevention hotline to get three-digit phone number
  It should soon be easier to call a suicide prevention hotline. The Federal Communications Commission plans to move forward with establishing a three-digit number for the federally-backed hotline.
• New FDA cigarette labels include realistic images of smoking-related health problems
  The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday proposed long-delayed graphic health warnings for cigarette packages, taking a step toward fulfilling a requirement of a decade-old smoking prevention law. The new warning label proposal will now be subject to a public comment period, and is under a court-ordered deadline to be finalized by March 15, 2020.
• Israel bars entry to Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar
  A planned trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories by Democratic Reps. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota has been halted by Israeli officials. “The state of Israel respects the U.S. Congress, as part of the close alliance, but it is inconceivable that anyone who wishes to harm the state of Israel will be allowed, even during the visit,” a media statement from the government read.
• Border emergency hits six months; ball back in Congress’ court
  Thursday marks six months since President Donald Trump declared a national emergency on the southern border, a notable anniversary because it gives Congress another shot at ending it. The flashpoint in the debate remains funding for the construction of a wall along the Mexican border, a prominent pledge made during Trump’s 2016 presidential bid that now hangs over the 2020 campaign.
• The Iowa State Fair: Why do you have to come here to be president?
  Iowa plays a big role in presidential politics because of its first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses. Even by that standard, though, the Hawkeye State this time feels busier, more significant. There are more than 20 Democrats running for president, and unlike in previous years, no one is writing the state off. There are also several competitive congressional races here. That means a very busy Iowa State Fair, because all these politicians want to meet voters, make their case at The Des Moines Register’s Political Soapbox, flip pork chops at the pork tent and eat.
• DCCC adds six more Trump districts to its 2020 target list
  The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is adding six more districts to the list of seats it’s targeting in 2020.  After gaining a net of 40 seats last fall, the House Democrats’ campaign arm released its initial 2020 target list in January that included 32 GOP-held seats and the open seat in North Carolina’s 9th District, which is holding a special election next month.
• Ken Cuccinelli wants to be a poet. First he needs a history lesson
  OPINION — It happened like clockwork. Every few weeks, especially in the winter months, when snowbirds traveled to my then-home in Tucson, Arizona, from parts north that included Michigan and Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois, a letter to the editor would turn up at the paper where I worked. With slight changes, it would go something like: “I stopped in a store and overheard some people speaking Spanish. Why don’t they speak English?” It took a little bit of time and a lot of convincing to explain that the families of many of these folks had been on the land the new arrivals so expansively and immediately claimed for generations, in the state since before it was a state, which Arizona didn’t become until 1912. It also has the greatest percentage of its acreage designated as Indian tribal land in the United States. And would it hurt you to know a word or two of Spanish?
• Former Iowa governor: Take rural voters seriously
  Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack helped devise a handful of Democratic presidential candidates’ rural platforms, including those of Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg and former Vice President Joe Biden, as part of his effort to boost Democrats’ appeal to rural voters. The former Agriculture secretary sat down with CQ Roll Call during the Iowa State Fair to discuss why Republicans have had an edge over Democrats in rural areas, and how his party is working to connect with rural voters in Iowa and across the country.
• Why North Carolina candidates aren’t talking about the ‘bathroom bill’
  ELIZABETHTOWN, N.C. — Asked about immigration at a town hall last weekend, Dan McCready talked about securing the border and respecting the law. He didn’t sound like “an Elizabeth Warren Democrat,” which is how the National Republican Congressional Committee is trying to tar him. 
• Matt Gaetz says Florida Bar finds ‘no probable cause’ he violated rules with Cohen tweet
  Rep. Matt Gaetz announced Wednesday that the Florida Bar had found “no probable cause” that he violated the rules of his profession over a tweet that appeared to intimidate President Donald Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen. “They are taking no disciplinary action against me & are sending a letter of advice,” the Florida Republican tweeted. Gaetz is licensed to practice law in the Sunshine State.
• Trump names new nominee to oldest federal judicial vacancy
  President Donald Trump named a new nominee Wednesday for a spot on the federal bench in North Carolina that has remained vacant for more than 13 years and has been one of the most contentious in Senate judicial confirmation fights. Richard E. Myers II, a Jamaica native and a professor at the University of North Carolina law school who focuses on criminal law, will be the next pick for the Eastern District of North Carolina, the White House announced. The seat is the only vacancy in that district, according to the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.
• New calls for Rep. Steve King to resign in wake of graphic comment about rape and incest
  Iowa Rep. Steve King is facing new calls to resign in the wake of his latest inflammatory remarks — this time for saying humanity might not exist were it not for rape and incest. Speaking before the Westside Conservative Club in Urbandale, Iowa, the Republican congressman made the comment while defending his opposition to exceptions for rape and incest in anti-abortion legislation, The Des Moines Register reported. 
• Watch: King calls principles ‘timeless’
  Iowa Rep. Steve King spoke with CQ Roll Call about how he’ll approach the 2020 primary for the 4th District seat he first won in 2002. Along with criticizing media coverage, he said he would use social media as a form of public record of his town hall meetings. Moving forward, King said he would stand on “timeless” principles that appeal to his rural district.
• Sen. Ted Cruz gifted Houston Rockets tickets worth $12K
  Sen. Ted Cruz stood courtside, gleefully grinning during pregame on the night the Houston Rockets were bounced from the 2018 NBA playoffs in a devastating Game 7 Western Conference finals home loss to the Golden State Warriors, a marquee matchup the Texas Republican was able to watch for free thanks to a powerful Republican donor. Cruz attended the May 28, 2018, game with a ticket gifted to him by Robert Marling, the CEO of Woodforest National Bank and a financial supporter who contributed to his Senate and presidential campaigns.
• Katko challenger Dana Balter accepted campaign salary too early, FEC says
  A two-time Democratic challenger to New York Rep. John Katko has been dinged for a campaign finance error early on in her campaign. Dana Balter improperly accepted a salary paid out by her campaign before campaign finance rules permit that sort of arrangement, federal regulators wrote in a letter. 
• Rep. Espaillat ‘grateful’ A$AP Rocky is home and detention ordeal is over
  The winding saga of rapper A$AP Rocky’s Swedish detention has finally come to an end, but not before Congress, President Donald Trump, the State Department, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian all had a chance to weigh in. Swedish authorities said the Harlem rapper and two of his associates are guilty of assault but will face no further jail time after spending almost a month in confinement.
• GOP will need more than promoting their preferred opponent to affect Democratic primaries
  A Democratic state senator bragged this week about drawing the attention of national Republicans in the competitive race for U.S. Senate in North Carolina. But Erica Smith shouldn’t wear the attacks as a badge of honor. And if Republicans really want to make an impact, they’re going to have to spend a lot more money. “The @NRSC has purchased a billboard attacking me in Raleigh — calling me ‘too liberal,’” Smith tweeted Monday, referring to the National Republican Senatorial Committee effort. “I am the only candidate that they are spending money against — it shows you who @ThomTillis is worried about. Can’t attack @CalforNC bc no one knows what he stands for.”
• Hickenlooper still fundraising, despite reports he may drop presidential bid
  Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper sent out a fundraising email for his presidential campaign on Tuesday despite reports that he is weighing an end to his bid for the White House in order to run for a GOP-held Senate seat. Before the Wing Ding dinner at the Iowa State Fair last Friday, Hickenlooper jumped into the passenger seat of Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet’s car to talk about his political future, the New York Times reported.
• Crenshaw got $250,000 advance for book about ‘outrage culture,’ new filing shows
  Rep. Dan Crenshaw has signed a $250,000 deal to publish a book.  Crenshaw inked a contract with Grand Central Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Group, according to the freshman Texas congressman’s most recent financial disclosure form, which was filed Monday. 
• Large employers question ‘Medicare for All’ plans, survey shows
  Most large employers say a “Medicare for All” system would lower the number of uninsured people in the United States, but they are concerned it could increase health care costs and taxes while stifling innovation and quality, a new survey shows. The concerns come as health industry groups seek to block momentum for plans from Democratic presidential candidates and lawmakers to expand Medicare through a single-payer program or to allow people under age 65 to enroll in the program.
• Rep. Duncan Hunter’s trial pushed to 2020
  Rep. Duncan Hunter’s trial on charges that he improperly spent hundreds of thousands in campaign funds on lavish vacations, golf outings and copious amounts of alcohol has been moved to Jan. 14. The California Republican’s trial was originally scheduled to start Sept. 10.
• When we stop talking to each other, democracy dies in silence
  OPINION — What happens to a democracy when people stop talking to one another about what matters to them and the country?  When people are afraid to speak their minds because they fear the personal blowback likely to come their way? Or worse, when they come to believe that their concerns, their views and their values just don’t matter to anyone anymore, and so they “turn off and tune out,” to quote an old line? What happens?  That’s when democracy dies. Not necessarily in darkness but in silence. 
• Mother of Rep. Bill Huizenga dies at age 88
  The mother of Rep. Bill Huizenga has died. “Our family is saddened at the loss of our mother and grandmother, Ann, who went to be with our Lord on Monday,” the Michigan Republican tweeted Tuesday afternoon. “Mom was a strong and determined woman who fought through difficulties growing up in Depression-era Flint, MI. She loved music, dance, art, and travel but most of all her family.”
• Trump reprises his pitch as the only savior for a Rust Belt battleground
  President Donald Trump interrupted his summer vacation Tuesday to again court Rust Belt voters that helped deliver him the White House, espousing false statements and bold promises as he seeks a second term. “The political class in Washington gutted … your factories,” Trump told workers at a new Shell-owned petrochemical plant in Beaver County, along the border with Ohio, another perennial swing state he also won in 2016. Trump also blamed other countries for American industrial decline, drawing cheers when he told the audience “they have been screwing us for years.”
• Engel wants staffers to warn foreign governments about spending at Trump’s hotels
  A new directive this week from House Foreign Affairs Chairman Eliot L. Engel instructs staffers to warn foreign governments that spending at Trump-owned properties could violate the Constitution’s emoluments clause. The memo, released Monday, issues guidelines for staff engaging with foreign governments. The directive signed by the New York Democrat is aimed specifically at the committee’s majority staff. Republican staffers were not given the same instructions.
• Hoyer cautions Senate against ‘cop-out’ approach on gun safety legislation
  House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer is cautioning the Senate against taking up narrowly focused gun safety legislation instead of a more comprehensive House-passed bill to expand background checks on gun purchases.  In the weeks following three recent deadly mass shootings, House Democrats have issued a steady drumbeat of calls for the Senate to return early from its summer recess to consider HR 8, which the House passed in February. The bill would expand background checks conducted for in-store firearm purchases to include online and gun show sales. 
• Schumer: Use funds to fight gun violence instead of for the border wall
  Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer is preparing to formally request that the $5 billion Trump’s administration would like spent on a border wall go instead to countering gun violence. “The dual scourges of gun violence and violent white supremacist extremism in this country are a national security threat, plain and simple, and it’s time the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress started treating them as such,” the New York Democrat said in a statement. “Now Republicans and this administration need to put their money where their mouth is when it comes to addressing gun violence and stopping the rise of domestic terrorism, especially stemming from white supremacy.”
• Trump endorses a Curt Schilling bid for Congress in Arizona: ‘Terrific!’
  Former Arizona Diamondbacks and Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling can count on the endorsement of President Donald Trump if he decides to run for Congress in Arizona. The former Major League Baseball player turned conservative talk show host is weighing a congressional run in the Copper State, he told the Arizona Republic this week.
• The Iowa State Fair: A day in the deep-fried life
  Yes, there are a lot of politicians who attend the Iowa State Fair to court voters. But there is so much else to this unique event, from the almost 70 fried foods on a stick, to giant slides, sea lions, butter cows and butter Big Birds; even arm-wrestling. A day in the life of the Iowa State Fair with Political Theater.  Show Notes:
• Census Bureau defends ‘efficiency’ changes ahead of 2020 count
  Census officials on Monday defended plans for next year’s count that they said would make it the “most efficient ever," as Democrats pressed the bureau to do more to ensure hard-to-count populations are not overlooked. The latest salvo from Democrats came from members of the Illinois congressional delegation, led by Richard J. Durbin, the Senate minority whip, and Sen. Tammy Duckworth, along with the rest of the state’s Democratic representatives. In a letter, they urged greater investment in outreach like Questionnaire Assistance Centers to avoid missing minorities, children, rural residents and the urban poor.
• White House foreign aid cuts to spare Ivanka, Pence favorite programs
  Funding to support global health programs, promote women’s economic development and protect Christians and other religious minorities abroad from persecution would be exempt from a package of cuts to foreign aid that the White House is developing. A senior administration official said Monday those programs are a high priority for President Donald Trump.

McClatchy©

• Mar-a-Lago intruder accused of ‘playing games with the court.’ Trial pushed to September
  Yujing Zhang, the Chinese woman arrested in March while trying to enter Mar-a-Lago with a trove of electronics, appeared Tuesday in federal court in Fort Lauderdale, where a judge accused … Click to Continue »
• Members of Congress demand answers from Bureau of Prisons on Jeffrey Epstein’s death
  The House Judiciary Committee, shocked and angered by the death by apparent suicide of Jeffrey Epstein while in the custody of the Bureau of Prisons, is demanding answers. In a … Click to Continue »
• FBI raids Jeffrey Epstein’s ‘pedophile island’ estate as investigation continues
  On the same day Jeffrey Epstein was arrested on arrival at a New Jersey airport on sex trafficking charges, federal agents bashed in the door of his $77 million Manhattan … Click to Continue »
• Barr cites ‘serious irregularities’ in death of Epstein, vows to go after his associates
  Using strikingly blunt language, Attorney General William Barr ratcheted up his criticism of the Bureau of Prisons Monday in the wake of Saturday’s death, by apparent suicide, of alleged sex … Click to Continue »
• What happens to Jeffrey Epstein’s money and homes now? Can feds seize everything?
  Jeffrey Epstein’s apparent suicide is a significant obstacle for federal prosecutors, who spent months painstakingly building a case against the multimillionaire who was charged in July in New York federal … Click to Continue »
• How was Jeffrey Epstein able to kill himself so soon after earlier reported incident?
  Accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein’s death by apparent suicide in a Manhattan jail cell on Saturday raised significant questions about whether detention officials made appropriate decisions about his housing status … Click to Continue »
• Accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein kills himself in N.Y. jail; U.S. inquiry launched
  U.S. Attorney General William Barr has opened a federal investigation into the suicide of sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, who was found unresponsive Saturday morning in his cell at the Metropolitan … Click to Continue »
• Huge cache of records details how Jeffrey Epstein and madam lured girls into depraved world
  A chilling picture emerged Friday of how hundreds of girls and young women were allegedly trafficked for sex to a number of wealthy business, political and world leaders by Jeffrey … Click to Continue »
• House Democrats weigh action against U.S. and Israel ambassadors over banned visit
  Senior Democratic members of Congress are considering action against top emissaries of the Israeli government and the Trump administration for their roles in Israel’s decision to bar two House members … Click to Continue »
• A law just for Trump’s presidency? California measure aims to protect state’s environment
  California is considering a far-reaching law that would lock current environmental protections into place and would only be in effect until the end of Donald Trump’s presidency. The premise of … Click to Continue »
• Trump’s U.N. ambassador confronts ethics questions over climate change
  President Donald Trump’s new ambassador to the United Nations will decide whether to recuse herself from issues involving fossil fuels on a case-by-case basis after a recent briefing with ethics … Click to Continue »
• After ‘fake farmer’ claim, Devin Nunes reports he owns small farm that earns no income
  For the first time in more than a decade, Rep. Devin Nunes is reporting that he owns a stake in a farm. The new disclosure comes a year after Democratic … Click to Continue »
• How Devin Nunes turned Twitter parody accounts into political ‘weapons’ – against himself
  Rep. Devin Nunes in a recent court filing referred to the parody social media accounts that taunt him on Twitter as a “weapon.” His lawsuit against them gave them even … Click to Continue »
• Your town could be the set for Hollywood films — if SC allows more tax breaks
  South Carolina’s movie and television industry is getting noticed — a major HBO series filmed in Charleston is debuting this month — and industry officials want more government help to … Click to Continue »
• Trump explains delaying some tariffs in trade war with China
  The U.S. is delaying certain tariffs on Chinese-made cellphones, laptop computers and other items and removing other Chinese imports from its target list altogether. The tariffs will be delayed until Dec. 15. … Click to Continue »
• Trump aides see incompetence, not conspiracy, in Epstein death
  Trump administration officials suspect a portrait of incompetence, rather than conspiracy, will emerge from a series of federal investigations under way into the Bureau of Prisons’ handling of Jeffrey Epstein’s … Click to Continue »
• Trump admin’s new rules define ‘public charge,’ deny green cards to some immigrants
  Federal law requires people seeking green cards to prove they will not be a burden. The new rules could deny green cards to immigrants if they use Medicaid, food stamps, or other forms of public assistance. The rules take effect in October. … Click to Continue »
• Missouri Democrats plot a 2020 comeback strategy after recent election defeats
  Rep. Emanuel Cleaver has been pitching former Vice President Joe Biden on a trip to Missouri, a state that hasn’t gone for a Democrat in a presidential election since 1996. … Click to Continue »
• Americans are sick of robocalls. Can Congress agree on how to block them?
  Fake charity appeals or IRS tax delinquency notices. Tricks that tempt you to call an overseas hotline — and rack up expensive charges. By one estimate, Americans lost more than … Click to Continue »
• ‘A reckoning’: Sanders and Warren supporters see an alliance on the brink
  Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren are Senate colleagues, ideological partners and mutual admirers. But their tacit alliance in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary is approaching a breaking point as they … Click to Continue »
• Will McConnell act on guns? Campaign to pressure Senate leader hits airwaves
  Amid protests outside his house and taunts from late night comedians, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is about to become a focus of a six-figure TV ad campaign in Kentucky … Click to Continue »
• Big money, low polling: Is this as good as it gets for Mayor Pete?
  The crowd laughed and Pete Buttigieg frowned ever so slightly. He wasn’t trying to be funny. Speaking to an audience of thousands of black journalists gathered in Miami for a … Click to Continue »
• Missouri’s Hartzler faces ethics complaint after tweet promoting tractor company
  An attorney with ties to Missouri Democrats has filed an ethics complaint against a Republican congresswoman for a social media post promoting a tractor company. Rep. Vicky Hartzler, a Missouri … Click to Continue »
• McConnell suggests Senate could look at assault weapons ban, background checks
  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, under severe pressure from Democrats and a growing number of Republicans, suggested Thursday that the Senate could look at a ban on assault weapons and … Click to Continue »
• Lead U.S. prosecutor in ’08 Epstein case — who sources say wanted to charge him — resigns
  A. Marie Villafaña, the lead federal prosecutor who helped negotiate a controversial plea deal for accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, has submitted her resignation to the Justice Department, the Miami … Click to Continue »
• ‘Never seen anything like this’: Devin Nunes lawsuits are confusing fellow Republicans
  Republicans who typically support Rep. Devin Nunes are less willing to speak up for him since he filed a lawsuit against one of his own constituents. The lawsuit is Nunes’ … Click to Continue »
• Deadline nears for rural East Texas to get badly-needed federal money
  Almost a dozen pine-covered East Texas counties face dramatic cuts to school and road maintenance budgets if Congress fails to soon approve federal funding meant for counties with National Forest … Click to Continue »
• Kamala Harris becomes first major candidate with TV ad as she debuts ’3 a.m. agenda’
  Kamala Harris is airing the first television ad of her 2020 presidential campaign in Iowa starting Thursday as she tries to introduce herself to a crucial set of Democratic voters. … Click to Continue »
• Trump readies ‘other tools’ beyond blocking assets to target Maduro
  Sweeping U.S. sanctions on Venezuela announced on Monday were the latest effort by the Trump administration to pressure the nation’s embattled leader, Nicolás Maduro, out of power. But it is … Click to Continue »
• Trump administration throws cold water on climate change threat to coral reefs
  When pollsters informed President Donald Trump that he faces political exposure in the 2020 election with swing voters on environment policy, he decided to respond with a White House address … Click to Continue »

Politico©

• Should authenticity matter in politics?
• Pelosi: 'Open discussion' on whether Trump could be indicted in office
• DNC chair praises George H.W. Bush: He 'put country over party every day'
• How will Trump take Amazon move? 'He will think Bezos made this decision to stick it to him.'
• Kasich: ‘A pox on both houses’ for Kavanaugh confirmation process
• Avenatti stars in ‘avenging angel’ role
  For the third time this year, the attorney and 2020 presidential prospect has rolled a grenade into the Trump White House.
• The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics
  Every week political cartoonists throughout the country and across the political spectrum apply their ink-stained skills to capture the foibles, memes, hypocrisies and other head-slapping events in the world of politics. The fruits of these labors are hundreds of cartoons that entertain and enrage readers of all political stripes. Here’s an offering of the best of this week’s crop, picked fresh off the Toonosphere. Edited by Matt Wuerker.
• Behind the scenes as the Kavanaugh nomination hit the rocks
• Former Trump aides break their silence on Woodward book
  Rob Porter, Gary Cohn and Chris Christie are accusing the veteran journalist of creating a misleading portrait of the West Wing.
• New sexual misconduct allegations emerge against CBS boss