Trump’s son says met with Russian lawyer for damaging information on Clinton: NYT

U.S. President Donald Trump's eldest son told Senate investigators on Thursday that he had set up a June 2016 meeting with a Russian lawyer because she might have had damaging information about Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, the New York Times reported. Donald Trump Jr., in a prepared statement to Senate Judiciary Committee investigators in a meeting behind closed doors, said it was important to learn about Clinton's "fitness" to be president, the paper said.

Obama, Trump elections provide backdrop for Salman Rushdie’s ‘The Golden House’

Salman Rushdie says the idea of setting his latest novel between two historic U.S. elections came to him late, but the contrast between Barack Obama and Donald Trump's presidencies provided the perfect backdrop for his modern American fable. "I knew I was going to try to write a fairly contemporary social novel about this particular moment; but to actually have that structure going across those eight years was not there at the beginning," the celebrated author said in a phone interview from New York.

Obama, Trump elections provide backdrop for Salman Rushdiea s a The Golden Housea

Author Salman Rushdie is seen in this undated handout photo. Salman Rushdie says the idea of setting his latest novel between two historic U.S. elections came to him late, but the contrast between Barack Obama and Donald Trump's presidencies provided the perfect backdrop for his modern American fable.

Mnuchin: Add Harvey to bill

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Sunday called on Congress to combine a $7.9 billion disaster relief package for Harvey with an increase in the nation's borrowing limit, saying it was time to "put politics aside" so storm victims in Texas can get the help they need. "The president and I believe that it should be tied to the Harvey funding.

Still ‘Dreaming’ of Amnesty: NYT Warns Trump Off ‘Hard-Hearted’ Plan to Kill DACA

New York Times reporter Julie Hirschfeld Davis filed the paper's latest passionate defense of an amnesty plan for young illegals -- Deferred Action for Child Arrivals, or DACA -- in Saturday ' s edition. Warning that Trump risked appearing "particularly hardhearted," Davis shamelessly used Hurricane Harvey as a political weapon to prop up the initiative put in place by President Obama in 2012, after Congress failed to pass the DREAM Act, in " Storm Complicates a Decision on Whether to Keep 'Dreamers' Program.

Mnuchin’s controversial trip to Kentucky is under review

The controversial trip Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin took with his wife Louise Linton last week is being reviewed by the U.S. Treasury's Office of Inspector General. Mnuchin flew to Kentucky with Linton, who came under fire for her condescending tirade after a woman criticized the Scottish-born actress for posting an Instagram photo of herself disembarking a government plane.

DACA recipients worry about the future as Trump continues to review program

For the past year, Ms. Luna's middle school classroom lessons have taken a personal turn because for some of her students, old fears have been renewed - fears that they or their parents could be deported.

Key Words: McCain rips ‘poorly informed’ Trump in blistering op-ed

Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain had some choice words for President Donald Trump in a blistering op-ed published just as Congress is getting ready to come back from vacation and face a host of important deadlines. The Washington Post op-ed is titled "It's time Congress returns to regular order," but it is McCain's knocks on Trump that are getting passed around on social media Friday.

Late Night Adventure Tales: “I Was a Mercenary. Trust Me: Erik…

Is there a rationale for having contractors play this role instead of U.S. troops other than "Erik Prince runs a contracting company"? pic.twitter.com/aPyVmw0IpD For the past year, Erik Prince has been peddling an idea that should alarm anyone who has followed his career: We should replace U.S. troops in Afghanistan with mercenaries, preferably his The generals laughed at Prince, and thankfully the president went with the non-mercenary option. But Prince refuses to disappear, excoriating the generals in a recent op-ed for The New York Times , and pushing again for mercenaries, suggesting "it is not too late to alter the course."

‘False and wholly unsubstantiated’: Trump’s lawyer pushes back on…

Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's longtime personal lawyer, submitted a letter to Congress disputing allegations made against him in an explosive and unverified 35-page dossier which claims that Trump and his campaign colluded with Russia to tilt the 2016 election in his favor. The dossier, compiled by ex-British spy Christopher Steele, paints Cohen as a central figure in the Trump-Russia controversy, alleging that he was a key player in "the ongoing secret liaison relationship between the New York tycoon's campaign and the Russian leadership."

Trump’s Texas trip: As critics carp, he looks to be in charge

Donald Trump did what a president is supposed to do yesterday, visiting Corpus Christi for a briefing on hurricane relief efforts, talking up Texas and praising those on the front lines of the catastrophic flooding. As a levee was breached, reservoirs overflowed and Harvey dumped more rain on the battered Houston region, the president and his FEMA director demonstrated that the feds are coordinating with state and local officials in trying to aid the tens of thousands of displaced residents.

Jeff Jacoby: Why do presidents have unfettered power to pardon?

As the sheriff of Maricopa County, Ariz., Joe Arpaio was an authoritarian and incompetent disgrace to public service. He bragged of confining inmates in conditions so harsh that they amounted to a " concentration camp ," and in his zeal to find illegal immigrants he engaged in naked racial profiling - even after a federal court ordered him to stop.

Could Trump’s Harvey Response Take a Chunk Out of Wall?

President Donald Trump's response to Harvey victims, in terms of actual post-hurricane aid, could be a real test for the White House and Congress now that the cost of recovering from the weekend hurricane has been estimated in the billions. This is Trump's first political experience with a big disaster assistance package and comes at a time when budget and spending issues are dividing Congress.

Iowa Dems hope anti-Trump sentiment will help them win GOP House seat

Iowa Democrats apparently ran out of gas between Caucus Day and Election Day in 2016, but nine months later, that's changed. "We've had more enthusiasm since the election results than we had prior to Nov. 8," Linn County Democratic Party Chairman Bret Nilles told Fox News.

White House Preparing Rules for Military’s Transgender Ban

A rainbow flag flies as people protest U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement that he plans to reinstate a ban on transgender individuals from serving in any capacity in the U.S. military, in Times Square, in New York City, New York, July 26, 2017. The White House is expected to soon give the Pentagon guidance on implementing President Donald Trump's order to ban transgender people from serving in the military.

Watchdog group requests information on Stevena

President Donald Trump speaks as Steven Mnuchin, his fiancee Louise Linton, and Vice President Mike Pence participate in a ceremonial swearing in for Treasury secretary. A government watchdog group is looking into the timing of Steven Mnuchin and his wife Louise Linton's trip to Kentucky that gained notoriety following a dramatic exchange on Instagram, saying the trip "seemed to be planned around the eclipse."

Morning Agenda: Fiat Chrysler’s Quest for a Chinese Partner

The emergence of Great Wall Motors as a potential partner for Jeep highlights just how much Fiat Chrysler, Jeep's owner, has looked to China to help bolster its fortunes. The New York Times notes that Fiat Chrysler has openly sought investors for two years and, as early as last year, the carmaker sent a team specializing in mergers and acquisitions to China.