President Donald Trump on Wednesday disbanded two of his economic councils after a wave of defections from high-profile CEOs, reports The Hill. “Rather than putting pressure on the businesspeople of the Manufacturing Council & Strategy & Policy Forum, I am ending both. Thank you all!” Trump wrote in a tweet disbanding his Manufacturing Advisory Council and the Strategic and Policy Forum. Both councils were already facing the loss of multiple members, The Hill.

• Politico: Trump, McConnell Will Try to Avoid Alabama Embarrassment
• The Hill: Georgia Judge Suspended for Comparing Anti-Confederate Protesters to ISIS: Report
• Engadget: Facebook and Reddit Ban Hate Groups in Wake of Charlottesville
• Politico: White House Aides Wrestle With Their Own Futures After Trump’s Race Comments
• Townhall: Oregon Gov Signs Most Progressive Abortion Legislation in History

While North Korea has shown its willingness to become a nuclear power, its willingness to actually use those weapons against another nuclear power is less clear, said Kathryn Boehlefeld, a visiting assistant professor in Valparaiso University’s political science and international relations department, reports The Chicago Tribune.

• ZDNet: Trump Administration Demands Data on Over a Million Visitors to Anti-Trump Site
• Independent: Donald Trump Met by Angry Protesters Chanting ‘New York Hates You’ on Return to Trump Tower
• Reuters: Undeterred, US Cities Ramp up Removal of Confederate Statues
• WashPost: Trump Campaign Emails Show Aide’s Repeated Efforts to Set up Russia Meetings
• The Hill: Pataki: Kid Rock Is ‘Exactly the Kind of Candidate the GOP Needs’

President Donald Trump bowed to overwhelming pressure that he personally condemn white supremacists who incited bloody demonstrations in Charlottesville, Va., over the weekend — labeling their racists views “evil” after two days of equivocal statements, reports The New York Times.

• WashExaminer: Trump to Meet With Jeff Sessions, Christopher Wray to Discuss Violence in Charlottesville
• Richmond Times-Dispatch: Virginia Receives Request for a September Rally at the Robert E. Lee Monument in Richmond
• Daily Beast: Steve Bannon’s Enemies See a Friend in John Kelly
• The Hill: Merck Stock Spikes After Ceo Leaves Trump Council
• Independent: North Korea: America Preparing Military Options in Case Sanctions Fail, Says Most Senior Us Army General