Kelly emotionally defends Trump's call to military widow  —  White House chief of staff John Kelly on Thursday forcefully and emotionally defended President Donald Trump's call to the widow of a U.S. soldier recently killed in Niger, accusing a Florida congresswoman of being “selfish” …

Tarantino on Weinstein: ‘I Knew Enough to Do More Than I Did’  —  Quentin Tarantino, the Hollywood director most closely tied to Harvey Weinstein, has known for decades about the producer's alleged misconduct toward women and now feels ashamed he did not take a stronger stand and stop working with him, he said in an interview.

George W. Bush's unmistakable takedown of Trumpism — and Trump  —  For the past nine years, George W. Bush has largely stayed out of presidential politics; he declined to criticize his successor, Barack Obama, and he chose not to endorse but largely ignored President Trump.

Trump is thrashing around in a straitjacket of GOP lies  —  THE MORNING PLUM:  —  It is common enough for lawmakers to set policy goals and devise talking points that are designed to build a case for them.  But in the battle over President Trump's ongoing sabotage of Obamacare …

Meet Your November 2017 Playmate, Ines Rau  —  To the astute playboy reader, and to anyone who keeps tabs on the fashion world, Ines Rau may look familiar.  In addition to commanding couture runways, appearing in Vogue Italia and starring in a Balmain campaign, Ines has graced these pages before …

A Cub Scout questioned a Colorado state senator at a meeting.  Now he's been kicked out of his den.  —  Sen. Vicki Marble spoke to Broomfield scouts last week  —  A Cub Scout in Broomfield has been kicked out of his den, allegedly for asking pointed questions of a Colorado state senator at meeting organized by the Boy Scouts.

LEAKED MEMO REVEALS WHITE HOUSE WISH LIST  —  Since federal courts first enjoined President Donald Trump's Muslim travel ban, lawyers for his administration have been at pains to insist that anti-Muslim animus is not a driving force of policymaking in his government.

Trump leaning toward Powell for Fed chair, officials say  —  Powell has been heavily favored by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who is leading the search.  —  Federal Reserve Governor Jerome Powell is the leading candidate to become the chair of the U.S. central bank …

Trump Isn't Hitler.  But the Lying ...  It is a commonly accepted rule among those who are in the business of argument, especially online, that he or she who invokes Adolf Hitler, either in oratory or essays, automatically forfeits the argument.  —  The reference is deemed far too extreme …

Never Mind Trump: Worry About His Supporters  —  Nuclear war has moved from unthinkable to possible — and Trump's political army thinks that's fine.  —  If you were born after, say, 1980, you are too young to remember the years of dread provoked by nuclear weapons.

Trump personally interviewed U.S. attorney candidates  —  President Donald Trump has personally interviewed at least two potential candidates for U.S. attorney positions in New York, according to two sources familiar with the matter — a move that critics say raises questions about whether …

Corker calls budget ‘a hoax’  —  (R-Tenn.) lambasted the budgetary process ahead of a key vote Thursday, calling the Senate budget a hoax and saying that he would dismantle the Senate Budget Committee.  —  “The only thing about this that matters is preparation for the tax reform,” said Corker …

Brennan: Trump Aides May Need to Talk Him Out of War  —  Former CIA Director John Brennan, noting that President Donald Trump has escalated tensions with North Korea to a dangerous level, said Thursday that Cabinet members and other senior officials may need to step in as “governors” over the president to prevent war.

Richard Spencer: Protesters heckle him at Univ. of Florida talk  —  (CNN)Protesters greeted white supremacist Richard Spencer with boos and chants during his speech Thursday afternoon at the University of Florida in Gainesville.  —  It was Spencer's first planned visit to a college campus since …

Hear Trump's judge pick admit he discriminates against gay people  —  President Donald Trump's nominee to become a district judge in Texas admitted that he discriminates based on sexual orientation.  But he didn't think that should prevent him from serving on the federal bench.  —  “Guess what?

As Danny Meyer Continues to Eliminate Tips, His Staff Struggles to Adapt  —  It's been two years since Danny Meyer announced he would eliminate tipping at all of his company's restaurants.  At the time, it was hailed as a move that could “save the hospitality industry,” and restaurateurs around the country followed suit.

Senators Demand Online Ad Disclosures as Tech Lobby Mobilizes  —  WASHINGTON — Senator John McCain and two Democratic senators will move on Thursday to force Facebook, Google and other internet companies to disclose who is purchasing online political advertising, after revelations …

Russia-sponsored troll networks still operating, targeting America  —  WASHINGTON  —  The number of networks of Russian-sponsored trolls spreading propaganda to the United States and Europe may number in the hundreds, including the one team drawing wide attention for blitzing American social media outlets …

Signaling Frustration, Senior House Republican Plans to Quit Early  —  In a sign of mounting frustration among Republicans in Washington, Representative Pat Tiberi of Ohio, a senior lawmaker with close ties to his party's leaders, is expected to resign and take up an executive post …