CHARLES BLOW. Trump’s N-word tape will probably excite his base. “We would be insane if we kept questioning and saying this is a matter of opinion of whether he’s a racist or not. He is. People have cooked that into the books. I think that if you found the tape of him using the N-word, it might actually increase his support. This does nothing to them, they believe wholeheartedly in this approach, and none of these insults to people who look like me hurt them because it is not them. There is not a betrayal of their belief in him, there is not a betrayal in what they want him to do, this is what they want him to do. This is what they accepted. This is what they want.”

VOGUEING. The entire Beckham family.

JOHN BOLTON. Trump national security adviser to meet with Russia next week.

JACK PHILLIPS. Bigoted Masterpiece Cakeshop owner sues Gov. John Hickenlooper and Colorado officials: “Even though Jack serves all customers and simply declines to create custom cakes that express messages or celebrate events in violation of his deeply held beliefs, the government is intent on destroying him—something the Supreme Court has already told it not to do. Neither Jack nor any other creative professionals should be targeted by the government for living consistently with their religious beliefs.”

KATRINA PIERSON. Ed Henry gets into it with the Trump supporter who changed her story about the N-word tape. ‘Pierson dealt with the apparent inconsistencies of her story by raising a fog of multiple discussions and multiple recordings. But a remarkably nonplussed Henry was having none of it, ultimately lashing out at his guest, asking her “If that’s the truth, why didn’t you tell me, ‘Ed, you know, I don’t know all the details of this book, I haven’t seen it, but I did say, yes, he used the N-word to move the conversation along?’” before adding ” You didn’t say that last night. You changed the story today.”’

GOP MIDTERM STRATEGY. No red meat to the base: “The Senate will return to work on Wednesday to take up an array of bills with bipartisan support — such as the Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services spending bill, opioids legislation and the Water Resources Development Act. Also on the agenda is the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization and the conference report for the farm bill, as well as conference reports for the seven appropriations bills the Senate passed before taking an abbreviated August recess.

IT’S A CELEBRATION. Queer Eye celebrates their four Emmy nominations with GLSEN.

ORRIN HATCH. “Not comfortable” with Trump calling Omarosa a dog.

Orrin Hatch, an ally of Trump's and president pro tempore, tells me this of Trump calling Omarosa a "dog:" "No, I'm not comfortable with that. I don't think words like that should be used — especially by the president. … I think he should rise above that." pic.twitter.com/skjAqgEfyD

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) August 15, 2018

ALEX JONES. Twitter finally suspends the InfoWars extremist.

BENDELACREME. Drag Race alum cancels Australian tour: “At this point in time, queens have no unions to protect us, and we have to stick together as advocates for each other. It is important for all performers to stand up for the fair treatment and pay of everyone working in drag, burlesque, cabaret, and all of the many designers and artists that support us.
I cannot in good faith continue to tour with a promoter who is not treating performers without my platform with the same consideration as those who have been on TV. It is my hope that this situation will be rectified very soon. ”

AUSTRIA. Afghan asylum seeker rejected for not being gay enough: ‘An Afghan teenager who said he feared being persecuted in his home country for being gay has had his asylum application rejected by Austria after an official said he did not “walk, act or dress” like a gay man, according to reports. An official in Lower Austria found no grounds for fear of persecution based on the sexual orientation of the 18-year-old, the Falter newspaper reported.’

INDIA. French tourist murdered by lover, chopped up: “The 68-year-old’s body was found packed into three sandbags in Tamil Nadu state’s Thanjavur district on Sunday. A 29-year-old student, who has been arrested, confessed to killing the Frenchman in an altercation after the pair had sex, senior police officer Senthil Kumar told AFP.”

MEAN GIRLS. Taylor Smith may face charges for pushing her friend off a bridge 60-feet above the water.