Republicans finalize plan, expand benefits for working families in bid to win over Rubio … Congressional Republicans finished rewriting their massive plan to overhaul the tax code on Friday, adding in a significant expansion of the Child Tax Credit aimed at boosting benefits for low-income families.

Kansas Dem Andrea Ramsey, accused of sexual harassment, will drop out of US House race  —  McClatchy Washington Bureau and The Kansas City Star  —  WASHINGTON  —  Andrea Ramsey, a Democratic candidate for Congress, will drop out of the race after the Kansas City Star asked her about accusations …

Trump judicial nominee fumbles basic questions about the law  —  Nomination hearings for U.S. district judges tend to be dry affairs that offer little in the way of mass entertainment — in other words, they're not typically the stuff of viral videos.  —  But a clip of one of President …

Exclusive: Prominent lawyer sought donor cash for two Trump accusers  —  A well-known women's rights lawyer sought to arrange compensation from donors and tabloid media outlets for women who made or considered making sexual misconduct allegations against Donald Trump

This Tax Bill Is a Trillion-Dollar Blunder  —  Congress and President Trump put politics ahead of smart reform.  —  Last month a Wall Street Journal editor asked a room full of CEOs to raise their hands if the corporate tax cut being considered in Congress would lead them to invest more.

Trump allies say Tillerson has ‘not learned his lesson’ and cannot continue in job for long … Secretary of State Rex Tillerson seemed focused this week on rebooting his image as a beleaguered Cabinet member on the outs with his boss and his own employees — holding a rare town hall with employees …

Mueller Sought Emails of Trump Campaign Data Firm  —  Special counsel asked Cambridge Analytica to hand over employees' emails, in sign of investigators' interest in campaign data operation  —  Special Counsel Robert Mueller has requested that Cambridge Analytica, a data firm that worked …

Dems: Black voters deserve more from party  —  Democrats say their party needs to “wake up” and stop ignoring major parts of their coalition, particularly black voters.  —  The party, they say, must build off Doug Jones's win in the Alabama Senate race this week by working hard on issues …

Democrats want to know why Justice Department released FBI texts  —  Democrats pressed the Justice Department on Thursday to explain why it released salacious, anti-Donald Trump text messages exchanged between two FBI employees who are still under investigation for their work on the Russia special counsel investigation.

White House: FBI records show ‘extreme bias’ against Trump  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House said Friday newly revealed FBI records show there is “extreme bias” against President Donald Trump among senior leadership at the FBI.  The accusation came hours before Trump was scheduled …

Dustin Hoffman Accused of Exposing Himself to a Minor, Assaulting Two Women (EXCLUSIVE)  —  Cori Thomas was in high school when she says Dustin Hoffman exposed himself to her in a hotel room.  Melissa Kester was a recent college graduate when Hoffman allegedly sexually assaulted her while recording audio for the film “Ishtar.”

Americans pessimistic about Trump, country: AP-NORC Poll  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump frequently casts his first year in office as a string of successes and campaign promises fulfilled.  But less than a quarter of Americans think Trump has made good on the pledges he made to voters …

Senate parliamentarian strikes language allowing churches to endorse candidates from tax bill  —  The Senate parliamentarian has blocked language repealing the Johnson Amendment and allowing churches and 501(c)3 nonprofits to endorse candidates and engage in partisan politics from inclusion in the tax bill.

The Internet Is Free Again  —  Killing Obama-era rules will remove the FCC as political gatekeeper.  —  The Editorial Board  —  Disney's deal announced Thursday to buy some premium 21st Century Fox properties for $52.4 billion underscores how technology is remaking the media landscape.

Inside Matt Lauer's Secret Relationship With a ‘Today’ Production Assistant (EXCLUSIVE)  —  In 1999, Addie Collins arrived at NBC's “Today” as a young intern with big aspirations.  A few months later, she landed her dream job as production assistant, forming close bonds with her new colleagues Katie Couric, Ann Curry and Al Roker.

The EPA Hired a Major Republican Opposition Research Firm to Track Press Activity  —  Using taxpayer dollars, the Environmental Protection Agency has hired a cutting-edge Republican PR firm that specializes in digging up opposition research to help Administrator Scott Pruitt's office track and shape press coverage of the agency.

U.S. Accuses Iran of U.N. Violation, but Evidence Falls Short  —  WASHINGTON — The Trump administration tried to mount a case on Thursday that Iran violated an international agreement to limit its arms dealing, but American officials failed to show how an array of weaponry presented as evidence proved the charges.

Good Riddance to the Biggest Fake in American Politics  —  Paul Ryan makes noises about going back to Janesville.  —  Ring and run, you wretched cur.  —  In what passes for a genuine scoop  —  , Tim Alberta and Rachael Cade broke the news in  —  Politico  —  o

New Mexico School Shooter Had Secret Life on Pro-Trump White-Supremacy Sites … In real life, William Edward Atchison—people called him Bill—lived in a little yellow house with his parents, about a mile away from the Giant gas station where he worked and from Aztec High School …

Farewell  —  To Our Readers:  —  When I turned 80 three years ago, I retired my weekly PBS series and have since focused on the web with a small, dedicated team as the avenue for our journalism.  Your response rewarded our efforts, and we have been pleased and grateful for your interest and attention.

At ESPN, the problems for women run deep  —  When ESPN canceled its new program with Barstool Sports this fall after just one episode, the network tried to distance itself from the men's blog that has stoked criticism for everything from calling Rihanna fat to saying girls wearing skinny jeans deserve to be raped.