Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) tore into Republicans at the outset of Hillary Clinton's Thursday hearing before the House Select Committee on Benghazi. Immediately after Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) finished an introductory statement that largely focused on a scandal surrounding Clinton's private email server, Cummings dismissed the hearing as a cynical political attack.

"Republicans are squandering millions of taxpayer dollars on this abusive effort to derail Secretary Clinton's campaign," Cummings said, charging that Republicans set up the committee "because [Clinton is] running for president" and that "everyone on this panel knows these accusations are baseless."

"It's time now for Republicans to end this taxpayer-funded fishing expedition," Cummings said. Becca Stanek

HBO's Game of Thrones will air its penultimate finale Sunday, coinciding with the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs). Surely frustrating for many viewers is the fact that the evening's television events are scheduled for the same time — in some time zones, that is.

The VMAs will air live at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PDT on MTV, with pre-show commentary and red carpet arrivals starting two hours earlier. Game of Thrones is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET and 9 p.m. PDT, meaning western viewers will probably be able to watch both shows consecutively, depending on how long the VMAs run, while those watching on the eastern schedule will have to save one show for Monday — or stream on two screens.

The Game of Thrones finale is closing out a short seventh season and setting the stage for the six-episode Season 8, which begins filming in October. The Season 7 finale, "The Dragon and the Wolf," will clock in at 80 minutes and is titled in reference to the sigils of the houses of Targaryen and Stark, indicating important strategic and perhaps relational developments for Daenerys and Jon Snow. Season 8 does not yet have a premiere date; fans may have to wait until 2019 to see the juggernaut series conclude.

The VMAs hosted this year by singer Katy Perry, who will give a "zero-gravity" show of a medley of her recent songs. Perhaps more anticipated is the performance from Kendrick Lamar, who is nominated for eight VMAs, most notably Video of the Year and Artist of the Year. Also possibly on the evening's agenda is a surprise appearance by Taylor Swift, who just dropped her first solo single in three years. Bonnie Kristian

"I wouldn't have done it this way," Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) said on NBC Sunday of President Trump's decision to pardon his long-time political ally, controversial former sheriff Joe Arpaio. "And it absolutely should be out of bounds for somebody to use that as some sort of a political wedge," Kasich continued. "It appears as though that's what it, what it was. It's not the way I operate here with the power to be able to give people a second chance. But the president has that power. I don't agree with what he did."

Later in the interview, host Chuck Todd asked Kasich if Trump's apparently political pardon should be subject to congressional scrutiny. "Paul Ryan, like you, criticized the president's decision to pardon," Todd said, noting Congresses past have scrutinized pardon decisions by former presidents and asking, "Should Speaker Ryan instruct the House judiciary committee to scrutinize this pardon?"

Kasich dodged the question, saying Ryan should focus on health-care reform. "Chuck, we've got enough problems," he said. "We have enough problems to start, you know, figuring out why he did this, okay. I don't know." Watch the full interview below. Bonnie Kristian

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson distanced himself from President Trump's controversial responses to the white nationalist violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, while speaking with Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday.

"I don't believe anyone doubts the American people's values, or the commitment of the American government, or the government's agencies to advancing those values and defending those values," Tillerson said in reference to Charlottesville. "And the president's values?" Wallace replied. "The president speaks for himself, Chris," Tillerson answered.

The secretary of state did not accede to Wallace's suggestion that Trump's words complicated U.S. diplomatic efforts abroad. Watch Tillerson's comments in context below, and read The Week's Simon Maloy for more on why Trump's remarks were so widely condemned. Bonnie Kristian

President Trump's tweets Sunday morning focused on two main themes: praise for those responding to the chaos wreaked by Harvey, the tropical storm flooding eastern Texas, and attacks on the United States' southern neighbor, Mexico.

Harvey has been Trump's primary Twitter topic this weekend, and his Sunday posts again emphasized the storm's deadly impact:

The president announced his plan to visit Texas "as soon as that trip can be made without causing disruption," and critics quickly noted Trump's censure of then-President Obama's decision not to immediately visit Louisiana flooding victims this time last year.

Mixed among the Harvey tweets were two comments on Mexico, the border wall, and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which Trump has promised to renegotiate or exit:

The president also sent out one post praising a new book by controversial Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke, whom Trump called "a great guy." Clarke is known for mistreatment of prisoners and has recommended arresting up to 1 million Americans suspected of "sympathizing" with terrorists and detaining them indefinitely at Guantanamo Bay. Bonnie Kristian

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in an interview published Sunday that she does not regret her decision to welcome hundreds of thousands of refugees into Germany in the past two years despite its negative consequences for her own political fortunes.

"I'd make all the important decisions of 2015 the same way again," Merkel said. "It was an extraordinary situation, and I made my decision based on what I thought was right from a political and humanitarian standpoint."

Merkel is expected to win a fourth term in September, though her party may lose parliamentary seats to the far-right Alternative for Germany party. Bonnie Kristian

An estimated 500,000 people turned out in Barcelona, Spain, on Saturday to demonstrate against the recent spate of terrorist attacks in and near the city that left 16 people dead. Marchers chanted "No tinc por!" ("I'm not afraid!" in Catalan) and carried signs with slogans like, "The best answer: peace" and "No to Islamophobia."

"We have to know how to speak to each other and understand others," said a demonstrator, Juan Ripoll. "Everyone has to learn how to be more human." Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and King Felipe VI joined the demonstration, a first for the monarch. Bonnie Kristian

Hurricane Harvey was downgraded to a tropical storm Saturday afternoon, but slower winds have not meant safety for drenched and battered eastern Texas. Harvey is moving inland in the Houston area, bringing with it torrential rains and catastrophic flooding.

At least two people, a woman and child caught inside a submerged vehicle, have died in connection to the storm, and a report from Houston of a body sighted in a flash flood suggested a third fatality. "This is a life-threatening situation," said Michael Palmer, the Weather Channel's lead meteorologist, predicting this will "be one of the worst floods in U.S. history."

Houston's emergency services are struggling to handle a deluge of requests. "911 services at capacity," the city tweeted early Sunday. "If u can shelter in place do so, a few inches in your home is not imminent danger. Only call if in imminent danger." All flights out of Houston's airport have been canceled and all bus and rail services suspended.

Rain is expected to continue through Thursday. See scenes from the destruction in Texas below. Bonnie Kristian