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There is a time for military action, such as after 9/11, he wrote. There is a time for diplomacy and the strategic use of soft power, such as now with Russia.

That stand neatly encompasses where right meets left: A year ago, Mr. Paul and Senator Bernie Sanders, independent of Vermont, were the only opponents of a bill imposing further sanctions on Russia and Iran. This spring, Mr. Paul threatened to do whatever it takes to block the confirmation of Mike Pompeo as secretary of state, saying that Mr. Pompeos support for military intervention in Iraq, Iran, Syria and Afghanistan did not square with Mr. Trumps own views. Mr. Paul next delayed, then voted against, the nomination of Gina Haspel to replace Mr. Pompeo as C.I.A. director, saying, Im still concerned about her role in extreme rendition and torture.

Mr. Paul now says he is questioning Mr. Trumps nomination of Brett M. Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, over Judge Kavanaughs stances on privacy and government surveillance.

But as with his threats to vote against the Affordable Care Act repeal that did not go far enough; against the presidents tax cuts, which did not cut deep enough; and against Mr. Pompeo, few believe Mr. Paul will make good on his threat against Judge Kavanaugh if his vote matters.

It has, in fact, been a rough patch for Mr. Paul. Last fall, Mr. Paul had gotten off his riding mower at his home in Bowling Green, Ky., to move some branches when he was tackled from behind by Rene A. Boucher, his next-door neighbor. Mr. Boucher, who took a running start down a steep slope in Mr. Pauls front yard, landed on him with such force that he broke several ribs and bruised the senators lungs.

Mr. Bouchers lawyers said the fight was the climax of a long-simmering dispute over Mr. Pauls stacking brush too near his property. Mr. Boucher was sentenced last month to a 30-day jail term, and Mr. Paul is suing him for damages.

The velocity of the hit was just more than pushing somebody down in their yard, said Mr. Pauls mother, Carol Paul. He had no idea he was coming until he landed on him.

She is struggling not to see the blindsiding as a metaphor for the nations politics.

This is not the America I grew up in, she said. Everyone loved our country, loved our president and didnt say horrible things and make up stories, she said. Rand is so intelligent and has so many good ideas. Hes not the kind that wont listen, but hes not going to go along to get along.

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Once a Trump Antagonist, Rand Paul Emerges as His Russia ...

Editors, USA TODAY Published 3:54 a.m. ET July 30, 2018 | Updated 10:00 a.m. ET July 30, 2018

A firefighter monitors flames from an advancing wildfire July 28, 2018, in Redding, Calif.(Photo: Marcio Jose Sanchez, AP)

A deadly wildfire continues to roar through Northern California, as high winds and hot temperatures complicate efforts to fight the blaze. At least six people are dead, hundreds of homes have been destroyed and more than 30,000 residents have been evacuated. The fire is near Redding, along the Sacramento River 170 miles north of the state capital and 120 miles south of Oregon. But it's only one of many blazes cropping up throughout the state: Another wildfire has burned 80 square miles near Yosemite National Park.

An explosive wildfire that has torn through several Northern California communities, forcing thousands to flee and burning hundreds of home houses, continues to grow out of control. (July 29) AP

Yet another fight over government funding is heating up: President Donald Trump indicated that he's willing to shut down the government if he doesn't secure funding for his long-sought wall on the Mexicanborder. Trump met in recent days with Republican leaders in Congress to work out a deal that would avoid a shutdown in the fall and postpone an immigration debate until after the November midterms, but Trump tweeted Sunday morning that he'd be "willing to 'shut down'government if the Democrats do not give us the votes for Border Security." The government has briefly shut down twice this year, once after a similar spending-and-immigration impasse and again when Sen. Rand Paul was concerned about spending increases.

President Donald Trump acknowledges the crowd as he addresses the Veteran's of Foreign Wars national convention July 24, 2018, in Kansas City, Mo.(Photo: Charlie Riedel, AP)

Jarrod Ramos, the man accused of killing five people at Maryland's Capital Gazette newspaper on June 28, is scheduled to appear in court for the first time Monday morning. He's facing 23 charges, including five counts of murder for the deaths of Gerald Fischman, Rob Hiaasen, John McNamara, Rebecca Ann Smith and Wendi Winters. Meanwhile, the Annapolis community honored the victims with a music festival this weekend, attended by U.S. senators and high-profile journalists.

Photos of five journalists adorn candles during a vigil across the street from where they were slain in their newsroom in Annapolis, Md., Friday, June 29, 2018. Prosecutors say Jarrod W. Ramos opened fire Thursday in the Capital Gazette newsroom. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)(Photo: The Associated Press)

America is currently facing a mid-summer blood shortage crisis, and Amazon is offering a special incentive to volunteers who sign up to donate.Starting Monday and running through August 30, anyone who donates blood or platelets will receive an Amazon gift card. In a season of fewer blood drives and more vacations, the Red Cross expecting a shortfall of more than 56,000 donations worldwide, and will need to collect roughly 13,000 donations a day to prevent a shortage.

Tech columnist Kim Komando shows you the settings you need to change on Amazon settings to safeguard your privacy. Kim Komando, for USA TODAY

Monday is National Cheesecake Day: Diners can snag a half-price slice of cheesecake at any of The Cheesecake Factory's 198 U.S. locations(with a limit of one discounted slice per guest). The company's also celebrating by rolling out two brand new cheesecakes: Cinnabon Cinnamon Swirl Cheesecake and Very Cherry Ghirardelli Chocolate Cheesecake.

Birmingham, Ala.’s most geotagged restaurant on Instagram is The Cheesecake Factory.(Photo: @cheesecakefactory, Instagram)

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As many Democrats and activists worked to stop Gina Haspel from becoming CIA director this spring, Sen. Joe Manchin derailed them with one move: blurting out his support for the controversial pick in a TV interview, effectively clinching her confirmation for President Donald Trump.

Now Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer faces the monumental task of defeating Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, and hes counting on Manchin and a half-dozen other vulnerable Democrats to keep any hint that they might support the high court nominee to themselves.

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All Chuck ever says in caucus [meetings], its pretty well known: Keep your powder dry. Dont commit. Stay as neutral as you can, as long as you can, said Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.). It gives him some room to maneuver.

Manchin is meeting with Kavanaugh on Monday afternoon, the first test of whether he can hold his poker face deep into the summer. And if the moderate West Virginia Democrat and his centrist colleagues can remain on the fence for several more weeks, it boosts Schumers long odds of beating the nomination.

Schumers strategy starts like this: Hold his caucus in line and force Republicans to cough up 50 votes on their own.

While his red-state members stall in the face of attacks from their GOP challengers, Schumer hopes to place massive pressure on moderate Republicans by raising damaging questions about Kavanaughs views on abortion, health care and presidential power. His top GOP targets are Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. Libertarian-leaning Republican Rand Paul of Kentucky is also publicly wavering.

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The longer that GOP trio stays undecided, leaving Kavanaugh short of the simple majority needed to get confirmed, the better Democrats believe their chance is of prevailing while also giving cover to endangered Democratic incumbents.

If youre in the business of trying to defeat Kavanaugh, then of course its helpful to have Democrats who are undecided keep their powder dry for as long as possible, said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.). Were trying to make sure that people have the space in our caucus to do the right thing for their states.

Even if Kavanaugh is eventually confirmed, the partys base is demanding Schumer and his colleagues wage a knock-down, drag-out fight.

Still, how long at-risk Democrats can or should hold out is a complicated political equation that could affect their survival in November. As long as they remain undecided, deep-pocketed conservative groups like the Judicial Crisis Network and Americans for Prosperity will continue pounding them with pro-Kavanaugh ads and activism in their states.

A spokeswoman for JCN said it would pull ads when and if Democratic senators come out in support of Kavanaugh and shift to thanking the nominee's supporters. Meanwhile, GOP opponents, who expect some of these Democrats to ultimately support Kavanaugh, are hitting them for their supposed indecision.

GOP leaders are betting that dynamic will prove untenable for Manchin, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Joe Donnelly of Indiana, all of whom voted to confirm Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch last year.

Schumer is waiting to see us put 50 on the board and then hell cut his folks loose that need to vote for him, said Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, the No. 3 GOP leader and frequent Senate gym buddy of the Democratic leader. I dont think [red-state Democrats] can hold out very long.

Republican challengers are making as much hay of the issue as they can. Mike Braun, who is running against Donnelly, says he has no doubt Donnelly will wait until the liberal wing of his party gives him permission to support Judge Kavanaugh. Patrick Morrisey, Manchins GOP foe, said on Fox News that the longer Joe Manchin waits, the more its clear hes only in this to appease his liberal donors.

And Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), who is running against Heitkamp, said that she has no choice but to vote for Brett Kavanaugh.

The best thing she could do for herself politically would be to announce her support for him very early and not have to be viewed through the cynical lens of a last-minute trick, Cramer said in an interview earlier this month.

For now, Manchin, Donnelly, Heitkamp and Doug Jones of Alabama are nowhere close to announcing where they stand. Donnelly said he will wait at least until after hes met with Kavanaugh on Aug. 15 to decide; the other three say they want to process Kavanaughs hearing, which has not been scheduled yet.

The only timeline I have is that I have to watch the hearings, Heitkamp said.

Manchin said he might even request a second meeting with the high court nominee after his hearing. Asked how long he might wait to announce a position, Manchin challenged a reporter to make it interesting: How are you betting? Whats the odds?

I think after the hearings Im going to know, because Ill have another meeting, probably, if there are any discrepancies from his first meeting and the hearings, Manchin said. Im not dragging.

Other vulnerable senators viewed as less likely to support Kavanaugh are taking a similar tack. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) said he will likely schedule an interview with the nominee after Judiciary Committee Democrats meet with the appellate court judge, while Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) said he would likely wait until after Kavanaughs confirmation hearings.

And typically chatty Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) doesnt even want to talk about Kavanaugh until shes decided how she will vote.

Im not going to speak about it until after Ive learned more and have made up my mind, McCaskill said.

Though both Democratic and Republican leaders believe Paul is likely to support Kavanaugh sooner rather than later, Collins and Murkowski might take their time. Each has yet to schedule an interview with Kavanaugh, and each says the Democratic pressure campaign wont factor into their decision. Demand Justice, a new liberal group, is running ad campaigns in their home states urging them to reject Kavanaugh.

Murkowski even delayed a meeting with Kavanaugh this month so that she could concentrate on the spending bill she oversees as it was moving on the Senate floor. When the Alaskan does meet with Kavanaugh, she said in an interview, she wants a conversation as long as two hours far longer than most GOP senators have demanded and she may also request a second meeting after his hearing.

I have to do my own due diligence as a senator. And if that means that I take longer than others, Im OK with that, Murkowski said. I don't make any apologies for being too thorough.

The longer Murkowski holds out, the better chance Kavanaugh could have of being defeated. But so too will the pressure increase on red-state Democrats. Already Republicans are whispering of a confirmation vote in mid-to-late October to make Democrats squirm as they attempt to remain publicly undecided for another two months.

Republicans would be happy to see a member of the minority party cave first, just as Manchin did on Haspel earlier this year, but theyd also welcome a decision from their own three swing-vote senators. With the biggest confirmation vote of the year on the line, they want 50 votes as soon as they can, however they can get them.

If youre running for reelection in a red state won by President Trump ... your priority is going to be survival, said Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn of Texas. I would assume that people would begin to say: Based on my review, based on my meeting with the judge, Im comfortable supporting him.

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President Donald Trump threatened Sunday to push the government into a shutdown ahead of the coming spending deadline in September if Congress does not fund his border wall and change the nations immigration laws.

I would be willing to shut down government if the Democrats do not give us the votes for Border Security, which includes the Wall! Must get rid of Lottery, Catch & Release etc. and finally go to system of Immigration based on MERIT! We need great people coming into our Country! Trump tweeted.

Trumps Twitter threat introduced a fresh wild card for congressional negotiators to deal with as the remaining legislative days tick down before government funding runs out an explosive prospect for both parties withjust 100 days untilthe midterm elections.

Trumphas previously floatedthe possibility of a government shutdown over border security and immigration, and on Sunday he made his threat explicit, saying he would do so unless Congress funds his proposed wall, which he promised Mexico would pay for, and puts in place his preferred immigration policies.

In May, Trumpsuggestedclosing up the country for a while if he did not get his wall.

They dont want the wall, Trump said. But were going to get the wall, even if we have to think about closing up the country for a while.

Sundays shutdown threat from Trump alsoechoed a remarkhe made in February when he said Id love to see a shutdown if the government did not agree to address immigration.

Congress ultimatelypassed a spending bill in Marchthat funded the government through September. Trump threatened at the time to veto the spending agreement, buteventually signed the billwhile expressing his displeasure with Congress.

I said to Congress, I will never sign another bill like this again, Trump said in March.

A shutdown over Trumps wall at the September deadline would mark the third lapse in appropriations this year, followinga shutdownin January as Democrats battled with the Trump administration and congressional Republicans on protections for Dreamers as well as a brief shutdown when Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentuckyblockeda spending vote.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnellannounced in Junethat he was canceling much of the Senates August recess, saying the chamber needed the additional time to make progress on Trumps nominees and pass appropriations bills. And with the House out on August recess, theres not much time left before the deadline that both chambers will be in session.

Both Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and McConnell met with Trump last week to discuss funding the government.

Asked about Trumps Twitter threat, a pair of Republican lawmakers said Sunday that they didnt think the government should or would shut down this September.

Lets hope not, Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson said on CBSs Face the Nation.

Johnson added that he didnt think a shutdown would be helpful to Republicans in the November elections, so lets try and avoid it.

Ohio Rep. Steve Stivers, the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, said on ABCs This Week said he did not think it would come to a shutdown.

I dont think were going to shut down the government, Stivers said. You know, I think were going to make sure we keep the government open, but were going to get better policies on immigration.

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FRANKFORT Politics in Kentucky are the damnedest, according to the 1902 poem In Kentucky by James Mulligan.

Perhaps thats why so many are drawn to the political speaking at the annual Fancy Farm Picnic in far western Kentucky on the first Saturday of each August.

Kentuckians especially love a good governors race, and although thats not on tap until next year, it will nonetheless this year permeate the pavilion where the political speaking occurs.

For now, we dont know if incumbent Republican Gov. Matt Bevin will attend all he will say when asked is, Well see. We dont even know if he will run next year. He said this week hell make an announcement sometime before next January.

But one Democrat has announced hes running and Democratic Attorney General Andy Beshear will be on the speakers stand at Fancy Farm because of his constitutional office. Many going to Fancy Farm this year surely hope Bevin comes so they can see those two square off on the same stage.

This years crowd will include a lot of angry teachers who arent happy about things Bevin said about those who protested a pension reform bill enacted this spring.

Stephanie Winkler, president of the Kentucky Education Association, said there will definitely be more teachers at Fancy Farm this year. She expects teachers from western Kentucky who didnt make the long drive to Frankfort during the pension protests earlier this year to show up next weekend. Many teachers have vowed to take their frustrations out on lawmakers who voted for the bill in this years election.

They, too, are hoping Bevin shows up. Winkler called this years Fancy Farm the kickoff to our Remember in November campaign.

Mark Wilson, chairman of the political speaking event, said organizers follow tradition in determining who will speak but theyve departed from the tradition at times.

We generally have office holders and candidates on that years ballot, Wilson said, but we always leave a little room to adapt the roster if we need to.

Beshear is the son of Bevins predecessor, Gov. Steve Beshear, and has battled Bevin in court over executive actions and the pension reform bill. Bevin has feuded with both Beshears almost from the moment he won election and it often gets personal.

Another potential Democratic gubernatorial candidate is Alison Lundergan Grimes, the term-limited Secretary of State who will also speak.

Shes expecting her first child in December, and shes been coy about 2019. She could also run for Attorney General or she could sit out next years election to stay home with a new baby. Grimes has signaled she wont make an announcement prior to this years election when Democrats hope to make significant gains in the state House.

The other most frequently mentioned potential Democratic gubernatorial candidate is House Minority Leader Rocky Adkins. Adkins faces the same choice as Grimes: does he cede the field and fundraising advantage to Beshear for most of 2018? Or does he alienate Democratic House colleagues by running for governor next year when they want him to focus on House races?

Wilson said some invited speakers declined to speak this year while hes still awaiting word from some others, including Bevin.

U.S. Senators Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul havent confirmed, but its not unusual for them to wait until the last minute due to schedules and obligations in Washington. Like Bevin, Paul isnt fond of the raucous Fancy Farm atmosphere where partisans cheer their partys candidates while sometimes hurling insults at speakers from the other party.

McConnell, on the other hand, relishes the event which he has almost single-handedly transformed from a once essentially all-Democratic affair to one increasingly dominated by Republicans.

The emcee this year is Republican Commissioner of Agriculture Ryan Quarles. Republican Auditor Mike Harmon will speak as will James Comer, Republican Congressman from the 1st District. But Lt. Gov. Jenean Hampton wont be there and Republican Treasurer Allison Ball, who recently gave birth to her first child, will not attend.

The picnic is a major fundraiser for the St. Jerome Parish in the small hamlet of Fancy Farm of less than 600 residents, and the political speaking draws crowds and media from all over the state. This will be the 138th Fancy Farm Picnic but the tradition of political speaking began in the 1930s when Alben Barkley and A. B. Happy Chandler began attending each year.

Volunteers barbecue 19,000 pounds of pork, mutton and chicken, cook locally grown vegetables and bake homemade pies and cakes, all of which attract paying customers. Theres a raffle for a new car or truck, bingo stands and games for children.

Wilson said the event typically draws around 10,000 visitors.

Ronnie Ellis writes for CNHI News Service and is based in Frankfort. Reach him at rellis@cnhi.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnhifrankfort.

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