Trump Wanted Tenfold Increase in Nuclear Arsenal, Surprising Military  —  WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said he wanted what amounted to a nearly tenfold increase in the U.S. nuclear arsenal during a gathering this past summer of the nation's highest ranking national security leaders …

How NBC ‘Killed’ Ronan Farrow's Weinstein Exposé … Freelance NBC News correspondent Ronan Farrow, whose months-long investigation into reports of Harvey Weinstein's sexual misconduct was spiked by the network but morphed into a journalistic blockbuster at The New Yorker …

Undisclosed deal guaranteed Roy Moore $180,000 a year for part-time work at charity  —  Former Alabama judge Roy Moore, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, once said publicly that he did not take a “regular salary” from the small charity he founded to promote Christian values because he did not want to be a financial burden.

Mitch McConnell Goes to the Mattresses for Trump's Judicial Nominees  —  The Senate majority leader takes charge of the confirmation process.  —  The Republican drive to confirm federal judges has gained momentum from a series of actions by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Trump expected to name Kelly's White House deputy as DHS secretary  —  Kirstjen Nielsen, who also served as Kelly's No. 2 at DHS, was his pick to fill his old job, which has been vacant since July.  —  President Donald Trump is expected to nominate Kirstjen Nielsen to run the Department …

An old-school pharmacy hand-delivers drugs to Congress, a little-known perk for the powerful  —  ASHINGTON — If House Speaker Paul Ryan comes down with the flu this winter, he and his security detail won't be screeching off toward the closest CVS for his Tamiflu.

Boy Scouts Will Admit Girls, Allow Them to Earn Eagle Scout Rank  —  The Boy Scouts of America announced Wednesday that girls will soon be allowed to become Cub Scouts and to earn the coveted rank of Eagle Scout, the organization's highest honor.  —  “We believe it is critical to evolve …

Puerto Rico Relief Bill Cancels $16 Billion in Debt — But Not for Puerto Rico  —  House Republicans unveiled a $36.5 billion disaster relief supplemental package Tuesday night, intended to pay for relief and rebuilding efforts for the floods, hurricanes, and wildfires of the past several months.

'He's better than this,' says Thomas Barrack, Trump's loyal whisperer  —  NEW YORK — Thomas J. Barrack Jr., a billionaire who is one of President Trump's oldest friends, had spent weeks trying to smooth the way for a May presidential meeting in Saudi Arabia with Gulf leaders.  —  All initially went well.

A Surprise From the Supervolcano Under Yellowstone  —  Beneath Yellowstone National Park lies a supervolcano, a behemoth far more powerful than your average volcano.  It has the ability to expel more than 1,000 cubic kilometers of rock and ash at once — 250,000 times more material than erupted …

‘Pure devastation’: At least 17 dead, with hundreds missing, as California wildfires spread  —  SANTA ROSA, Calif. — A series of historically deadly Northern California wildfires regained momentum Wednesday as winds whipped back up, pushing blazes through parched hills and vineyards and prompting …

Pledge to Impeach Trump, a Key Donor Demands of Democrats  —  One of the Democratic Party's most prominent financial backers is demanding that lawmakers and candidates on the left support removing President Trump from office, putting pressure on Democrats to make Mr. Trump's ouster a defining issue in the 2018 midterm elections.

Gerald McCoy: 'It's going to be an uproar' if players forced to stand  —  Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive lineman Gerald McCoy, speaking on Adam Schefter's Know Them From Adam podcast, said he thinks there might “be an uproar” if NFL players are forced to stand for the national anthem.

Trump's Benghazi?  Ambush of U.S. soldiers in Niger goes unnoticed  —  Four dead Americans.  —  It's been five years since terrorists attacked the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, on Sept. 11, 2012, leaving four Americans dead.  Last week, as CIA officers disguised in wigs and mustaches testified …

The N.F.L. Is Now One of the Most Divisive Brands in the U.S.  —  About three weeks ago — before President Trump said that N.F.L. owners should fire players who kneel during the national anthem — Democrats and Republicans held relatively similar views about the league.

Black man attacked by white supremacists in Charlottesville faces felony charge  —  The black man beaten in a Charlottesville parking garage by white supremacists after a “Unite the Right” rally has been charged with a crime in connection with the incident, even as police continue searching …

House Democrat unveils articles of impeachment against Trump, but misses chance to force vote  —  (D-Texas) on Wednesday unveiled articles of impeachment against President Trump in an effort to force a House vote on removing him from office.  —  Green's articles of impeachment were introduced as …

Eminem unleashes on Trump: The 11 fiercest lines  —  STORY HIGHLIGHTS  —  " to a “racist grandpa” in an explosive 4.5-minute freestyle rap.  —  The Detroit rapper challenged his fans at the BET Hip Hop Awards to “decide who you like more” — Eminem or Trump.

Can IQ tests settle whether Trump is a moron or not?  —  Following reports that Rex Tillerson questioned the US president's brain power, the latter has offered to settle the matter with an IQ test.  But are they really a way to reliably quantify intelligence?