Playbill reports: Singer-songwriter Barry Manilow officially opened his latest Broadway engagement, Manilow Broadway, at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre July 30 after beginning performances July 26. The Grammy Award winner is scheduled to play a limited run through August 17. “I am thrilled to be returning to my hometown of New York City and performing once again on Broadway,” said Manilow in …

The Independent reports: Two members of Rammstein kissed onstage in Moscow as a sign of defiance at the country’s notoriously anti-LGBT+ stance. Guitarists Paul Landers and Richard Kruspe were seen moving towards one another before kissing during a performance of “Aüslander”. The German heavy metal band posted a photo of the moment on their Instagram page with the caption: “Russia, …

CNN reports: Tonight’s debate will start at 8 p.m. ET and end around 10:30 p.m. ET. The debate will air exclusively on CNN and will stream live in their entirety, without requiring log-in to a cable provider, exclusively to CNN.com’s homepage, across mobile devices via CNN’s apps, and via CNNgo apps for Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, Chromecast and Android …

The Columbus Dispatch reports: The Columbus Division of Police has filed departmental charges against Commander Terry Moore and four other members of the now-defunct vice unit in connection with the arrests last year of porn star Stormy Daniels and two local strip club performers. Facing departmental charges are: Cmdr. Terry Moore, a 29-year veteran; Lt. Ron Kemmerling, 23 years; Sgt. …

The Huffington Post reports: Republican Party leaders scoping out locations to renominate Donald Trump for president next year have arrived in a city that has labeled his statements “racist” and that wishes it had never invited them in the first place. Last week, the council went so far as to discuss the possibility of backing out of the agreement, but …

Just in from hate group leader Monica Cole: A retailer that once promoted organics and clean food is now saturated in absolute filth, exploiting America’s children to be “groomed” by drag queens. Whole Foods Market is now sponsoring a Drag Queen Story Hour event to indoctrinate children into transgenderism and homosexuality. Their goal is to normalize the LGBTQ lifestyle. Whole …

People Magazine reports: Mario Lopez is facing backlash over comments he made in a recent interview that suggested it was “dangerous” for parents to label their kids transgender. In a statement to PEOPLE on Wednesday, Lopez apologized for his remarks. “The comments I made were ignorant and insensitive, and I now have a deeper understanding of how hurtful they were,” …

The New York Times reports: Jeffrey E. Epstein, the wealthy financier who is accused of sex trafficking, had an unusual dream: He hoped to seed the human race with his DNA by impregnating women at his vast New Mexico ranch. Mr. Epstein over the years confided to scientists and others about his scheme, according to four people familiar with his …

Talking Points Memo reports: It appears likely New York will have to wait to produce any of President Trump’s tax returns Congress may request, until certain legal questions surrounding a dispute over such a hypothetical request are settled. At a teleconference hearing on Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols said he was “leaning” towards adopting a proposal that New York …

USA Today reports: Earlier this week, Merck released the results of a small and early trial showing a prototype of a pin-sized implant could block HIV from infecting individuals for a full year. Through an upper-arm implant, the same device used to administer certain birth controls, doctors will likely be able to deliver “meaningful doses” of an experimental anti-HIV drug, …

ABC News reports: Housing Secretary Ben Carson, the sole African American Cabinet secretary, directly injected himself into President Donald Trump’s attacks on a black congressman, holding a press conference Wednesday in the Democrat’s district and comparing Baltimore to a cancer patient wearing a “nice suit.” He said the city has serious problems, including buildings with mold, lead and rodent infestation, …

Will Sommer reports at The Daily Beast: Believers in the QAnon conspiracy theory will head to Washington on September 11th for a rally at the foot of the Washington Monument under the ominous tagline “Q Sent Us.” While the rally’s agenda is thin so far, you can expect QAnon believers to call for Trump to make QAnon’s prophecies come true …

From the editorial board of the Cincinnati Enquirer: On Thursday, the eyes of the nation will be on Cincinnati when President Donald Trump takes the stage at U.S. Bank Arena for his seventh visit to the region since announcing his presidential candidacy in 2015. Pundits will be watching and waiting for chants of “send them/her back” or some other trope …

The Economist reports: Democrats extended their lead over Republicans in a generic 2020 congressional ballot, according to a new poll. The Economist/YouGov survey of registered voters found that 48 percent of respondents said they would vote Democratic next year, 37 percent would vote Republican and 11 percent were not sure. The 11 point lead is up from an Economist/YouGov poll …

The Daily Beast reports: Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking trial will have a million pages of discovery, including materials on devices seized from his Manhattan mansion, lawyers said today. The sex offender financier was back in court on Wednesday as his defense attorneys duked it out with prosecutors over how quickly to go to trial. The prosecution has requested a June …

The International Monetary Fund reports: A curious thing recently happened in US currency: in 2017 the $100 bill overtook the ubiquitous $1 bill in circulation volume, for the first time in history. In other words, the most valuable US banknote became the most widely circulated. (The $20 bill is in third place.) According to the Federal Reserve, there are more …

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports: Fayette County Republicans took down a fair booth dartboard with taped-on pictures of first-term Democratic congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, and Ayanna Pressley, after a fair attendee posted about the dartboard on Facebook, sparking complaints to the booth organizers and the fair. “I rarely post anything political on Facebook, however, after seeing this, I …

“It [the First Amendment] gave me more protection because I get my speech but if it’s religious, I get it twice, and if it is religious with others, I get it three times. In addition to free speech, there is also free exercise of religion, which often involves free speech. For me to exercise my faith means I will speak …

The New York Times reports: Hal Prince, the Broadway royal who was its most prolific Tony winner, the producer or director, or both, of many of the theater’s most enduring musicals, including “Damn Yankees,” “West Side Story,” “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Cabaret,” and “Phantom of the Opera,” the longest-running show in Broadway history, died on Wednesday. He was 91. Mr. …

The Birmingham News reports: Peggy Wallace Kennedy went to political rallies with her dad – George Wallace – as he ran for president in the ‘60s and ‘70s. She saw hate and anger that a child should not have to see. She felt a bitterness she did not at the time comprehend.But then, she didn’t understand the virulence of her …