Consumer bureau's top lawyer sides with Trump in leadership clash  —  The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's top lawyer sided with the Justice Department over President Donald Trump's appointment of Mick Mulvaney to lead the CFPB as a leadership battle over the controversial watchdog agency escalated.

Bharara compares Trump to Jan Brady after Russia tweet  —  For U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara invoked the classic sitcom “The Brady Bunch” after President Trump lamented coverage of the Russia investigation, comparing Trump's “Russia, Russia, Russia” comment to Jan Brady's famous “Marcia, Marcia, Marcia” line.

Readers Accuse Us of Normalizing a Nazi Sympathizer; We Respond  —  The Reader Center is a newsroom initiative that is helping The Times build deeper ties with our audience.  —  We have asked our national editor, Marc Lacey, to respond to feedback on our recent profile of a white nationalist.

‘Ashamed’ Franken says he'll return to work on Monday  —  Breaking an eight-day silence, the Minnesota senator tells the Star Tribune that he needs to regain trust of those he's let down.  —  Sen. Al Franken broke his eight-day silence Sunday, reaching out to Minnesota media outlets to talk …

More Than 180 Women Have Reported Sexual Assaults at Massage Envy  —  Across the US, people go to Massage Envy spas in search of a soothing, affordable escape.  More than 180 people say what they got instead was sexual assault.  But the billion-dollar company says that's not its problem to solve.

GOP leaders in advanced talks to change tax plan in bid to win over holdouts  —  Senate Republicans are seriously considering several last-minute changes to their tax legislation in an effort to mollify wavering members, four people familiar with the discussions said, as GOP leaders seek …

Time Inc. Sells Itself to Meredith Corp., Backed by Koch Brothers  —  A long chapter in media history came to an unlikely close on Sunday night with a sale agreement for Time Inc., the publisher of once-prestigious magazine titles including Time, Sports Illustrated and People.

Pelosi Chokes, Won't Say That “Icon” Conyers Should Resign Over Settlement Of Harassment Allegations; Update: Conyers Quits Top Spot On Judiciary Committee  —  An astounding performance, in which the first woman Speaker in American history goes to bat for a credibly accused harasser in the midst …

Roy Moore Is Deplorable, and Donald Trump Condoning His Sins Is Unforgivable … A society where nothing is forgivable is as untenable as one where every transgression is hand-waved away.  The things we forgive in the name of compassion should be many.  The things we forgive in the name of comity should be large.

Trump's long history of misleading the media  —  Trump has been playing the media like a fiddle for more than 30 years.  I was reminded of that fact this week while reading Harry Hurt's 1993 book, “Lost Tycoon: The Many Lives of Donald J. Trump.”  —  Hurt recounts how Trump used …

Archbishop of Canterbury baffled by Christians who back Trump  —  LONDON — England's top religious authority, the Archbishop of Canterbury, said Sunday that he doesn't understand why so many Christians in the U.S. support President Donald Trump.  —  The Most Reverend Justin Welby told ITV's …