1/ Advisers are worried that Trump will back Erik Prince’s plan to privatize the war in Afghanistan with Blackwater security contractors. Trump’s national security team are concerned that his impatience will cause him to seriously consider proposals like Prince’s or abruptly order a complete U.S. withdrawal. Prince hasn’t spoken directly to Trump about the plan, but plans to launch an aggressive media “air campaign� in coming days. Prince’s sister is Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. (NBC News)

2/ Trump canceled his military parade and blamed “the local politicians who run Washington, D.C. (poorly)� for inflating the cost. “When asked to give us a price for holding a great celebratory military parade,� Trump tweeted, “they wanted a number so ridiculously high that I cancelled it. Never let someone hold you up!� The Pentagon postponed Trump’s parade to 2019 yesterday – before Trump “decided� to cancel it via tweet this morning – as the costs ballooned from an estimated $12 million to $92 million. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser called Trump’s parade a “sad� plan. (New York Times / Politico / Washington Post)

The local politicians who run Washington, D.C. (poorly) know a windfall when they see it. When asked to give us a price for holding a great celebratory military parade, they wanted a number so ridiculously high that I cancelled it. Never let someone hold you up! I will instead...

....attend the big parade already scheduled at Andrews Air Force Base on a different date, & go to the Paris parade, celebrating the end of the War, on November 11th. Maybe we will do something next year in D.C. when the cost comes WAY DOWN. Now we can buy some more jet fighters!

3/ Trump plans to revoke more security clearances from officials who have been critical of him or played a role in Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation. Over the past 19 months, Trump has fired or threatened nearly a dozen current and former officials associated with the probe, which he calls a “rigged witch hunt.� According to his aides, Trump believes he came out looking strong after he revoked former CIA Director John Brennan’s security clearance, adding that Trump shows visible disdain for Brennan when he sees him on TV. (Washington Post)

4/ Trump called a career Justice Department official “a disgrace� and threatened to revoke his security clearance “very soon.� Bruce Ohr has no involvement in Mueller’s investigation, but conspiracy theorists claim he helped start the investigation in...

1/ Rudy Giuliani said Trump’s legal team is prepared to fight a subpoena all the way to the Supreme Court. “We would move to quash the subpoena,� Giuliani said, “and we’re pretty much finished with our memorandum opposing a subpoena.� Giuliani added that Trump’s legal team is ready to “argue it before the Supreme Court, if it ever got there.� Trump’s lawyers plan to argue that a sitting president cannot be indicted by citing Article II of the Constitution and a 2000 memo from the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel following Clinton’s affair with Monica Lewinsky. (Washington Post / Business Insider)

2/ Robert Mueller doesn’t have to shut down his investigation before the midterms despite claims by Trump’s lawyers that he faces a September 1st deadline, according to current and former U.S. officials. Giuliani, meanwhile, said that if Mueller “doesn’t get it done in the next two or three weeks we will just unload on him like a ton of bricks.� (Bloomberg)

3/ Trump admitted that he revoked John Brennan’s security clearance because of his role in the Russia investigation. “I call it the rigged witch hunt, [it] is a sham,� Trump said. “And these people led it. So I think it’s something that had to be done.� Brennan called Trump’s claims of “no collusion� with Russia to influence the 2016 election “hogwash� and that Trump “clearly has become more desperate to protect himself and those close to him, which is why he made the politically motivated decision to revoke my security clearance in an attempt to scare into silence others who might dare to challenge him.� (ABC News / New York Times)

The retired commander of the U.S. Joint Special Operations Command who oversaw the 2011 Navy SEAL raid in Pakistan that killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden: “I would consider it an honor if you would revoke my security clearance as well, so I can add my name to the list of men and women who have spoken up against your presidency.� (Washington Post)

Trump has fired or threatened most senior officials related to the Russia investigation. Sally Yates was fired for refusing to defend Trump’s travel ban and her security clearance threatened. Trump has repeatedly threatened to fire Jeff Sessions and Rod Rosenstein. ...

1/ Trump revoked former CIA director John Brennan’s security clearance, citing what he called Brennan’s “erratic conduct and behavior.� Brennan has been one of Trump’s most prominent critics. Last month, the White House threatened to revoke the clearances for Brennan, Susan Rice, and James Clapper. Trump is also reviewing James Comey’s security clearance. Revoking their access to classified information could impact their ability to work as consultants, lobbyists and advisers in Washington. (Washington Post / New York Times / CNBC)

2/ The FBI has investigated several cyberattacks over the past year targeted at the Democratic opponent of Rep. Dana Rohrabacher. The 15-term incumbent is widely seen as the most pro-Russia and pro-Putin member of Congress, who has voted against Russian sanctions and was warned by the FBI that Moscow was trying to recruit him as an asset. Last month, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said the warning lights for future cyberattacks aimed at the U.S. were “blinking red� and last week Sen. Bill Nelson said that Russian hackers had “penetrated� county voting systems in Florida. (Rolling Stone)

3/ The Treasury Department has delayed turning over financial records related to the Russia probe and has refused to provide an expert to make sense of the money trail. Some of the department’s personnel have questioned whether the Treasury is intentionally impeding the investigation. At one point, the Treasury went at least four months before responding to a Senate Intelligence Committee request for sensitive financial documents. (BuzzFeed News)

4/ The Treasury Department retweeted-and-then-deleted a Trump tweet celebrating Republican midterm chances this fall, which experts say was a potential violation of federal campaign law. The department’s official Twitter account shared a tweet from Trump touting an upcoming “Red Wave.� The Hatch Act bans federal employees from engaging in political activity while on duty or serving in an official capacity. (The Hill / CNBC)

5/ Sarah Huckabee Sanders apologized for claiming that Trump has created three times as many jobs for black people as Obama did during his tenure. Sanders claimed that Obama created 195,000 jobs for black people during his eight years in office, while “Trump in his first year and a half has already tripled what President Obama did in eight years.� The statement was false, as black employment between January 2009 and January 2017 increased by 3 million jobs. Since then, black employment has increased by about 700,000 jobs. (Washington Post /

1/ Omarosa released audio of Trump campaign aides discussing how to handle the potential release of a tape where Trump used the “n-word.� Trump claims he never said the word, tweeting that “I don’t have that word in my vocabulary and never have� and that Omarosa “made it up.� The audio appears to corroborate Omarosa’s claims that Trump aides were aware of the recording and talked about how to handle it. Trump tweeted that, according to “The Apprentice� producer Mark Burnett, the long-rumored tape of him using a racial slur doesn’t exist. (CBS News)

.@MarkBurnettTV called to say that there are NO TAPES of the Apprentice where I used such a terrible and disgusting word as attributed by Wacky and Deranged Omarosa. I don’t have that word in my vocabulary, and never have. She made it up. Look at her MANY recent quotes saying....

2/ Trump called Omarosa “that dog� and a “crazed, crying lowlife� after she released a recording of his campaign aides in October 2016 discussing how to handle a tape on which Trump is said to have used the n-word. In recent weeks, Trump has attacked several African-Americans, calling Don Lemon “the dumbest man on television,� questioning the intelligence of LeBron James, repeated said Maxine Waters has a “low I.Q.,� among others. (New York Times / Washington Post)

When you give a crazed, crying lowlife a break, and give her a job at the White House, I guess it just didn’t work out. Good work by General Kelly for quickly firing that dog!

3/ Sarah Huckabee Sanders can’t “guarantee� that Trump hasn’t been recorded using the n-word. Sanders also insisted Trump was not using racially coded language when he disparaged Omarosa, who is African-American, as a “dog.� (ABC News / CNN / Washington Post)

4/ Trump called Trump Jr. “a fuckup� after he released his emails about the 2016 Trump Tower meeting with a Russian lawyer, according to Omarosa’s forthcoming book. The book says Trump erupted in anger after Omarosa mentioned that Trump Jr. had released screenshots of his email exchanges with Rob Goldstone on Twitter. “He is such a fuckup,� Omarosa claims Trump said. “He screwed up again, but this time, he’s screwing us all, big-time!� (New York Daily News)

5/ The Trump campaig...

1/ The FBI fired Peter Strzok for violating bureau policies. Strzok is the FBI senior counterintelligence agent who sent text messages critical of Trump to a former FBI lawyer, Lisa Page. Strzok helped lead the bureau’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election until officials discovered his text messages. FBI Deputy Director David Bowdich ordered Strzok fired even though the FBI’s Office of Professional Responsibility concluded he should be suspended for 60 days and demoted. (New York Times / Washington Post)

Agent Peter Strzok was just fired from the FBI - finally. The list of bad players in the FBI & DOJ gets longer & longer. Based on the fact that Strzok was in charge of the Witch Hunt, will it be dropped? It is a total Hoax. No Collusion, No Obstruction - I just fight back!

Just fired Agent Strzok, formerly of the FBI, was in charge of the Crooked Hillary Clinton sham investigation. It was a total fraud on the American public and should be properly redone!

2/ A federal judge appointed by Trump ruled that Robert Mueller’s investigation is constitutional and legitimate, rejecting an effort by a Russian company to invalidate the ongoing investigation. Concord Management is accused of financing a massive political influence operation in the U.S. The ruling marks the fourth time a federal judge has ruled that the Mueller investigation is constitutional. (Politico / Axios)

3/ Omarosa Manigault Newman secretly taped John Kelly firing her in December in the Situation Room, as well as a phone call she had with Trump after she was fired. On the recording, Kelly suggests that she could be facing “pretty significant legal issues� and that he wants to “see this be a friendly departure� so it doesn’t “develop into something that, that’ll make it ugly for you.� On the second recording, Trump asks: “Omarosa what’s going on? I just saw on the news that you’re thinking about leaving?� He added: “Nobody even told me about it… I didn’t know that. Goddamn it. I don’t love you leaving at all.� Trump called Omarosa “wacky� and “vicious,� and claimed that Kelly called her a “loser� and “nothing but problems� in a series of tweets following the release of the tapes. (NBC News

1/ Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing is set to begin September 4th and should last three to four days, according Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley. The Supreme Court nominee’s hearing aligns with Mitch McConnell’s plan to get Kavanaugh on the bench before the midterm elections. (Axios / Politico)

2/ A federal judge held a Roger Stone associate in contempt for refusing to testify before Robert Mueller’s grand jury hearing. Andrew Miller lost an attempt earlier this month to block a subpoena to testify before the grand jury. Miller worked for Stone during the 2016 presidential campaign, and is one of at least a half-dozen of Stone’s associates to be called to testify. (Washington Post)

3/ The federal judge overseeing the Paul Manafort trial granted Robert Mueller’s team a request to seal the transcript of a private discussion in front of his bench after prosecutors argued that they needed to protect an “ongoing investigation.� Defense attorney Kevin Downing had asked Rick Gates, “Were you interviewed on several occasions about your time at the Trump campaign?� Prosecutors objected, arguing that they needed to protect the secrecy of their investigation and limit the “disclosure of new information,� suggesting that Gates may also be helping Mueller in the Russia investigation. The judge, T. S. Ellis III, ruled in their favor. (New York Times / CNN)

4/ Eleven newly released top-secret cables show interrogators waterboarded prisoners in Thailand while it was overseen by Gina Haspel, who is now CIA director. The cables describe the waterboarding of Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, the suspected mastermind behind the bombing of the U.S.S. Cole. As al-Nashiri cried and pleaded that he was trying to recall more information, the “water treatment was applied� in order to make him “suffer the consequences of his deception.� While she was trying to win confirmation for CIA director, Haspel claimed the techniques worked, but said their use “should not have been undertaken.� (New York Times)

1/ Mike Pence detailed Trump’s proposal to create a “Space Force� as the sixth branch of the U.S. military by 2020. Pence said the creation of the Space Force, the first new branch of the military since 1947, represented a response to new and emerging threats. The new branch would require a significant reorganization of the Department of Defense and how it handles space operations. Pence said that the U.S. must not only increase its involvement in space-related affairs, but that “we must have American dominance in space.� After the announcement, Trump tweeted: “Space Force all the way!� (Washington Post / USA Today / Fox News / Associated Press / ABC News)

Space Force all the way!

2/ Russia threatened to cut off a supply of rocket engines crucial to the U.S. space program in response to new sanctions stemming from the poisoning of Sergei Skripal in March. The U.S. announced new sanctions against Russia after determining that Moscow used a nerve agent against the former MI6 spy and his daughter. (Daily Beast / Times of London)

3/ Devin Nunes was caught on a secret recording explaining that the effort to impeach Rod Rosenstein had stalled because it would delay the Senate’s confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. “So if we actually vote to impeach, OK,� Nunes said, “what that does is that triggers the Senate then has to take it up.� He continued: “The Senate would have to drop everything they’re doing … and start with impeachment on Rosenstein. And then take the risk of not getting Kavanaugh confirmed.� Nunes reiterated his belief that Rosenstein should be impeached, but said that “the question is the timing of it right before the election.� He also warned that “if Sessions won’t unrecuse and Mueller won’t clear the president, we’re the only ones� protecting Trump from the Mueller investigation. (MSNBC / Los Angeles Times / CNN)

1/ Trump’s legal team rejected Robert Mueller’s request for a voluntary presidential interview, saying questions about possible obstruction of justice are legally inappropriate. Trump’s lawyers instead offered an “avenue� of a narrower set of questions that they’d accept. Both Rudy Giuliani and Jay Sekulow declined to describe the details of their counteroffer other than “it is a good faith attempt to reach an agreement.� According to Giuliani, it’s ultimately “his decision� – Trump’s – as to whether or not to grant Mueller an interview. Giuliani added that “this should be over by September 1,� because “we do not want to run into the November elections.� (New York Times / Washington Post / CNN / Politico / ABC News)

2/ Omarosa Manigault-Newman secretly recorded conversations with Trump in the West Wing on her smartphone. The former Apprentice star has played the recordings for people, who describe them as inoffensive. (Daily Beast)

3/ The Trump administration will sanction Russia for its use of a chemical weapon against a former Russian spy living in England. Sergei Skripal and his daughter were poisoned with a rare and toxic nerve agent on March 4th. British authorities accused Russia of being behind the attempt, a charge Moscow has denied. The new sanctions are expected to go into effect on Aug. 22. (NBC / New York Times)

4/ Putin lobbied Trump on nuclear arms control, banning weapons in space, and several other issues during their private two-hour meeting in Helsinki last month, according to a leaked Russian document. Putin shared the document of proposed topics for negotiation with Trump during their two-hour conversation, which Trump’s top advisers were not privy to at the time. Among the priorities, Putin wanted to extend an Obama-era nuclear-reduction treaty to ensure the “non-placement of weapons in space,� which would hamper Trump’s ability of establishing a Space Force. (Politico)

Rand Paul delivered a letter from Trump to Putin during his trip to Moscow earlier this week. Paul said he was “honored� to share the letter from Trump, which “emphasized the importance of further engagement in various areas including countering terrorism, enhancing legislative dialogue and resuming cultural exchange.� Rand also said members of the Russian Federation agreed to visit Washington at his invitation despite the White House recently announcing that Trump would delay any meeting with Putin until the Russia investig...

1/ Rudy Giuliani to Robert Mueller: “We have a real reluctance about allowing any questions about obstruction� of justice. Trump’s lead attorney plans to largely rebuff Mueller’s latest offer for an in-person interview with Trump, which included questions about obstruction of justice. Instead of simply rejecting Mueller’s request out of hand, Giuliani expects to continue negotiating with Mueller since “the president still hasn’t made a decision and we’re not going to make a final decision just yet.� (Washington Post)

2/ Federal prosecutors in New York are investigating Michael Cohen for tax fraud and whether income from his taxi-medallion business was underreported in federal tax returns. Cohen’s bank loans are also being scrutinized by prosecutors to see if Cohen made misrepresentations or false statements on loan applications. (Wall Street Journal)

3/ The Trump administration wants to make it harder for legal immigrants to become U.S. citizens. Trump’s proposal would prevent legal immigrants from obtaining citizenship or green cards if they’ve ever used social programs like the Affordable Care Act, children’s health insurance, or food stamps. The proposal is the brainchild of Stephen Miller and would not require congressional approval. If enacted, it would represent the biggest change to the U.S. legal immigration system in decades, and more than 20 million immigrants could be affected. (NBC News)

4/ Brett Kavanaugh argued that it’s a “traditional exercise of power by Presidents� to ignore laws they view as unconstitutional. “If the President has a constitutional objection to a statutory mandate or prohibition, the President may decline to follow the law unless and until a final Court order dictates otherwise,� Kavanaugh wrote in an August 13, 2013, opinion. Trump’s Supreme Court nominee made the 2013 assertion while defending George W. Bush’s use of signing statements to ignore laws passed by Congress. Kavanaugh served as White House staff secretary and had a role in coordinating Bush’s statements accompanying legislation he signed into law. (CNN)

poll/ 43% of Republicans think Trump “should have the authority to close news outlets engaged in bad behavior.� 36%, however, disagreed with the statement. 48% said they believed “the news media is the enemy of the American people� with 79% saying they believe “the mainstream media treats President Trump unfairly.� (Daily Beast)

Jared Kushner used to delete “critical� stories about his friends and real estate peers while he was in charge of the New York Observer. Kushner would sidestep editors and instead order web developers to remove the stories directly from the Observer’s website. (BuzzFeed News / New York Magazine)

Voters will cast ballots in five states today — Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Washington, and Ohio. Here’s what to watch for. (

1/ Trump admitted that the 2016 Trump Tower meeting between top campaign aides and a Russian lawyer was to get dirt on Hillary Clinton. “This was a meeting to get information on an opponent, totally legal and done all the time in politics - and it went nowhere. I did not know about it!� Trump’s tweet contradicted Trump Jr.’s original statement about the meeting – which was dictated by Trump – that the meeting was to discuss the adoption of Russian children. (New York Times / New Yorker / NBC News / NPR)

Fake News reporting, a complete fabrication, that I am concerned about the meeting my wonderful son, Donald, had in Trump Tower. This was a meeting to get information on an opponent, totally legal and done all the time in politics - and it went nowhere. I did not know about it!

2/ Trump told confidants that he is worried about how the Robert Mueller probe could impact Trump Jr.’s life. Mueller is investigating Trump Jr.‘s role in organizing the June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower with Russians promising dirt on Hillary Clinton. One adviser said Trump doesn’t believe his son intentionally broke the law, but that Trump Jr. may have inadvertently wandered into legal ­jeopardy. Trump tweeted that his concern about Trump Jr.’s potential legal exposure from the meeting was “Fake News reporting� and “a complete fabrication.� (Washington Post / ABC News)

Senate Judiciary Committee Chuck Grassley this week said that if Trump Jr. “misled the committee, he’s lying to Congress. That’s a crime. And that’d be up to the prosecutors, not me.� (CNN)

Why this weekend’s Trump Tower tweet matters. The tweet comes at a time when Trump is increasingly anxious about Robert Mueller’s investigation and how it may impact him and his family. (CNN / Washington Post)

Hope Hicks was spotted boarding Air Force Once ahead of Trump’s departure for a campaign rally in Ohio. The former White House communications director resigned from her role in February, a day after testifying before the House Intelligence Committee and saying she told white lies on the job. (The Hill / CNN)

3/ Trump has raised more than $20...