White House Envisions Tillerson Ouster From State Dept., to Be Replaced by Pompeo, Within Weeks  —  WASHINGTON — The White House has developed a plan to force out Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson, whose relationship with President Trump has been strained, and replace him with Mike Pompeo …

Army veteran says Franken groped her during USO tour in 2003  —  STORY HIGHLIGHTS  —  (CNN)An Army veteran says Sen. Al Franken groped her in December 2003, telling CNN that while she was deployed in Kuwait, the Minnesota Democrat cupped her breast during a photo op.

It Started as a Tax Cut.  Now It Could Change American Life.  —  The tax plan has been marketed by President Trump and Republican leaders as a straightforward if enormous rebate for the masses, a $1.5 trillion package of cuts to spur hiring and economic growth.

Rep. Joe Barton: I will not seek re-election  —  WASHINGTON — Rep. Joe Barton, whose private life came under national scrutiny after sexual images he shared in an extramarital relationship were made public, won't seek re-election.  —  The Ennis Republican announced his retirement in an interview …

Woman's effort to infiltrate The Washington Post dated back months … The failed effort by conservative activists to plant a false story about Senate candidate Roy Moore in The Washington Post was part of a months-long campaign to infiltrate The Post and other media outlets in Washington and New York …

Pelosi ‘sure as hell’ won't decide resignation, Conyers lawyer says  —  Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) has not decided whether to resign, his lawyer said Thursday, despite calls from congressional leaders to step down amid several allegations of sexual harassment.

Writer Jenny Lumet: Russell Simmons Sexually Violated Me (Guest Column)  —  The screenwriter of ‘Rachel Getting Married’ and ‘The Mummy’ (and the daughter of filmmaker Sidney Lumet) details a terrifying encounter with the legendary music producer, who says he is stepping down from his businesses in the wake of the new claims.

Britain furious, Trump unapologetic as fallout swells from anti-Muslim videos … LONDON — The British backlash to President Trump picked up steam Thursday with parliament members openly deriding him and Britain's prime minister standing by her denunciations of Trump's retweets of a fringe anti-Muslim group.

McCain a yes on tax reform, boosting Republicans  —  (R-Ariz.) said on Thursday that he will support the Senate Republicans' tax plan, which GOP leadership wants to pass this week.  —  “After careful thought and consideration, I have decided to support the Senate tax reform bill.

Read Matt Lauer's full apology  —  Watch how Matt Lauer covered sexual harassment  —  Matt Lauer has apologized after he was fired from NBC News.  —  An employee at the network filed a complaint earlier this week against the former “Today” show anchor about “inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace.”

The White House expects Trump to get even more outrageous  —  Exhausted by the Trump presidency?  Brace yourself: White House officials expect Trump to be even more outrageous and cocksure in coming months.  —  What we're hearing: Officials tell us Trump seems more self-assured …

Why Alabamians Should Vote For Roy Moore  —  I am going to argue for the very unpopular, even shocking, view that, even if Roy Moore did what he is accused of doing, Alabamans are within their rights to vote for him, and they shouldn't let Democrats and Never Trumpers shame them into not voting.

Rubio: Offset Tax Cuts By Reducing Social Security, Medicare Benefits  —  Tax reform is only one piece of the overall puzzle needed to revitalize the American economy, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) told a group of Washington, D.C., lobbyists and policy analysts this morning at a Politico Playbook …

Scarborough: Trump allies told me he has dementia  —  MSNBC's Joe Scarborough said on Thursday that people close to President Trump told him during the campaign that Trump has “early stages of dementia.”  —  During MSNBC's “Morning Joe,” Scarborough said Trump is “completely detached from reality.”

The case for normalizing impeachment  —  Impeaching an unfit president has consequences.  But leaving one in office could be worse.  —  In recent months, I have grown obsessed with a seemingly simple question: Does the American political system have a remedy if we elect the wrong person to be president?

Nine Women Accuse Israel Horovitz, Playwright and Mentor, of Sexual Misconduct  —  In 1986, Maddie Corman was a 16-year-old actress performing Off Broadway as her mother lay dying in a hospital bed, hours after having a stroke.  Backstage, Ms. Corman was consoled by Israel Horovitz, the show's 47-year-old playwright and her mentor.

Trump Bragged: ‘Nothing in the World Like First-Rate P**sy’ … In a previously unreported comment to the now-defunct Maximum Golf magazine, Donald Trump singled out a “young socialite” at his club at Mar-a-Lago by telling a reporter, “there is nothing in the world like first-rate pussy.”

Minister who sang for Roy Moore lied for son accused of molesting Honduran orphans  —  One of the ministers who serves a Theodore church where Roy Moore spoke Wednesday night was federally convicted of trying to block an investigation involving claims his son molested children in Honduras.

Aurora 10-year-old takes her own life after suspected bullying incident caught on camera  —  AURORA, Colo. — An Aurora couple are dealing with an unimaginable loss as they prepare to lay their 10-year-old daughter to rest.  —  “She was just a child of joy and she brought joy to everyone,” her father Anthony Davis said.

We're All Part of Trump's Show  —  If you want to understand the ways in which Donald Trump's presidency is systematically corrupting the American mind, I have a book recommendation for you.  It's about Vladimir Putin's Russia.  —  The book is Peter Pomerantsev's “Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible.”