Truth, whole truth and nothing but

As a lifelong newspaperman, I find the debate over what is or is not "truth" and what may or may not be "fake news" both frustrating and fascinating. Gave it even more thought Tuesday after a discussion on Facebook that started when I posted a link to last Sunday's lead editorial in the New York Times, headlined " The Failing Trump Presidency ."

Jury selection for US senatora s corruption trial underway

The New Jersey Democrat was charged in 2015 with accepting campaign donations and gifts, which included vacation trips to Paris and the Dominican Republic , from a Florida eye doctor in exchange for using his position in Congress to lobby for the man's business interests. Menendez and Melgen have argued in court papers that the gifts and donations were innocent and that there was no bribery agreement.

#SC2018: Henry McMaster’s “Big Gun” Fundraiser

At every turn thus far, South Carolina governor Henry McMaster has been caught flat-footed in the 2018 Palmetto State governor's race. The 70-year-old establishment "Republican" - tainted by his proximity to an ongoing multi-jurisdictional investigation into corruption in state government - has seen what should have been a guaranteed reelection victory become a battle for his political life .

Former health chiefs to Trump: Avoid new “Obamacare” crisis

That's the advice of former U.S. health secretaries of both parties to President Donald Trump and the GOP-led Congress, now that "Obamacare" seems here for the foreseeable future. The 2018 sign-up season for subsidized private health plans starts Nov. 1, with about 10 million people currently served through HealthCare.gov and its state counterparts.

Judge shot, wounded near Ohio courthouse; gunman killed

STEUBENVILLE, Ohio - A judge walking from his car into the county courthouse was shot by a gunman Monday morning but managed to fire back before a probation officer stepped in and ultimately killed the suspect, authorities said. Jefferson County Judge Joseph Bruzzese Jr. was shot at around 8 a.m. near the courthouse in Steubenville, just across the Ohio River from West Virginia's northern panhandle, roughly 30 miles west of Pittsburgh.

Jane Coaston: Trump is Palin, but better at it; his base will never leave him

Nine years ago this month, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., picked Sarah Palin as his running mate for his presidential campaign. Conservatives immediately fell for the popular Alaska governor, proclaiming her the new star of the right for years to come.

John Oliver: Steve Bannon Ouster Unsatisfying While “Panderer…

Chief White House Strategist Steve Bannon became the White House flotsam, John Oliver noted at the top of HBO's Last Week Tonight . Like various TV news programs before him, Oliver showed that infamous Oval Office photo of Trump talking on phone to Russian ruler Vladimir Putin while surrounded by his team of Reince Priebus, Michael Flynn, Sean Spicer, Bannon and Veep Mike Pence all now gone, save Pence.

Kasich downplays notion of a 2020 challenge to Trump, saying the president can learn from challenges

Ohio Gov. John Kasich on Sunday downplayed reports that he's moving closer to mounting a primary challenge to President Trump in 2020, saying he's "rooting for him to get it together." Kasich, who ran unsuccessfully for the GOP nomination last year, insisted during an appearance on CNN's "State of the Union" that he wants Trump to be successful and that he believes the president can move beyond the controversy over his comments on the Charlottesville violence.