GOP Operative Made “Suspicious” Cash Withdrawals During Pursuit Of Clinton Emails  —  In one of the most intriguing episodes of the 2016 presidential campaign, Republican activist Peter W. Smith launched an independent effort to obtain Hillary Clinton's emails to help defeat her and elect Donald Trump.

Omarosa Tells NPR She Heard Trump ‘N-Word Tape,’ Contradicting Her Own Tell-All Book  —  “Hearing it changed everything for me,” former White House aide Omarosa Manigault Newman told NPR on Friday.  —  Manigault Newman was referring to what she calls the “N-word tape” …

Twitter Suspends Proud Boys And Founder Gavin McInnes Accounts Ahead Of Unite The Right Rally  —  Twitter suspended several accounts associated with the Proud Boys, a right-wing group present at last year's Unite The Right rally in Charlottesville, ahead of a similar rally in Washington, DC this weekend.

Witness in Mueller probe refuses to appear before grand jury  —  A witness in special counsel Robert S. Mueller III's investigation has refused to appear for scheduled grand jury testimony Friday, prompting a sealed hearing before a federal judge.  —  Andrew Miller, a former aide …

Michael Avenatti Urges Democrats to Reject Michelle Obama's Advice on Trump  —  CLEAR LAKE, Iowa — Michael Avenatti, fresh off his declaration that he may run for president in 2020, used his first big speech as a prospective candidate to call on the Democratic Party to reject Michelle Obama's …

Iran test-fires ballistic missile for first time in 2018, officials say  —  EXCLUSIVE - For the first time in more than a year, Iran test-fired a ballistic missile in a brazen display of defiance months after President Trump pulled the United States out of a landmark nuclear deal and days …

Democrats all but acknowledge Kavanaugh is headed toward confirmation to Supreme Court  —  ORONO, Maine — Democrats have all but acknowledged that they are unable to stop the Senate from confirming Trump nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court this fall.

The Manafort scramble: Raising millions for himself even as he ran Trump's campaign  —  Paul Manafort, a valued customer of the Trump Organization who had spent $3.7 million to buy Apartment 43G in Trump Tower, appeared to be just what Donald Trump wanted in March 2016: A consummate Washington insider …

Sheriff Joe on Sacha Baron Cohen interview: ‘I made a bad mistake’  —  PHOENIX — Former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio admits that he made a “bad mistake” by allowing himself to be interviewed by Sacha Baron Cohen as part of an undercover television show.

Newspaper calls for war of words against Trump media attacks  —  BOSTON (AP) — A Boston newspaper is proposing a coordinated editorial response from publications across the U.S. to President Donald Trump's frequent attacks on the news media.  —  “We are not the enemy of the people,” …

The inside story of a toxic culture at Maryland football  —  Several current University of Maryland football players and people close to the Terrapins program describe a toxic coaching culture under head coach D.J. Durkin before offensive lineman Jordan McNair's death in June after a football workout.

Democratic National Committee Proposes Reversing Its Ban On Fossil Fuel Donations  —  The move comes just two months after the party adopted a resolution to prohibit oil, gas and coal company contributions.  —  The Democratic National Committee plans to vote on a resolution Friday afternoon …

Newly released video shows incredible Afghanistan heroics of Air Force sergeant, 36, killed in battle with Al Qaeda 16 years ago and he will finally receive a posthumous Medal of Honor  — A new video shows him taking on Al Qaeda fighters single-handedly after coming back from unconsciousness …

Mulvaney Looks to Weaken Oversight of Military Lending  —  The Trump administration is planning to suspend routine examinations of lenders for violations of the Military Lending Act, which was devised to protect military service members and their families from financial fraud …

NPR interviewed the racist behind ‘Unite the Right 2’ and it was a disaster  —  Two days ahead of what is expected to be a small white supremacist rally in Washington, D.C., NPR gave rally organizer Jason Kessler a national platform to peddle junk “race science.”

Once ‘No Longer a Nuclear Threat,’ North Korea Now in Standoff With U.S.  —  WASHINGTON — North Korea is insisting that the United States declare that the Korean War is over before providing a detailed, written disclosure of all its atomic weapons stockpiles, its nuclear production facilities …

‘Do you know who I am?’  Bill Murray, photographer get into dispute on Martha's Vineyard  —  Actor and comedian Bill Murray was involved in a dispute with a photographer at a Martha's Vineyard restaurant Wednesday night, according to a police report.  —  Peter Simon, 71, said he was on …

Flat Earthers Call Trump's Space Force Idea ‘Impossible’ … President Donald Trump wants a Space Force to expand U.S. military power beyond the globe.  That's a problem for flat earthers who incorrectly believe the world is a flat disc floating through space.

Explain the Chinese spy, Sen. Feinstein  —  Imagine if it emerged that the Republican chairman of the House or Senate intelligence committee had a Russian spy working on their staff.  Think it would cause a political firestorm?  Well, this month we learned that Sen. Dianne Feinstein …

Trump Administration Seeks to Withhold Millions in Aid to Palestinians  —  Kushner hopes cuts will pressure Palestinians to accept a U.S. peace plan.  —  The White House is seeking to withhold up to $200 million in relief aid for Palestinian civilians in Gaza and the West Bank …

How Turkey Sees the Crisis With the U.S.  —  Unilateral actions against Turkey by the United States will undermine American interests and force Turkey to look for other friends and allies.  —  Mr. Erdogan is the president of Turkey.  —  ANKARA, Turkey — For the past six decades …

Study: 78,000 transgender Americans could be prevented from voting in 2018  —  Congressional races in 8 states could be affected by the absence of transgender people due to strict photo ID requirements  —  A new study estimates that approximately 78,000 transgender people in eight crucial states …

FROM THIS EPISODE  —  Does President Trump deserve the credit he took for dragging the Republican candidate in that Ohio House race over the finish line?  Tuesday was also not a good night for high-profile progressive candidates in Democratic primaries.  Is this the revenge of the Democratic establishment?

Trump Threatens Tariffs on Canadian-Made Cars  —  President also says Nafta deal with Mexico ‘is coming along nicely’  —  President Trump on Friday threatened tariffs on Canadian-made cars if U.S. officials can't strike a deal with the country on overhauling the North American Free Trade Agreement.

NEW: Daily Beast Working on Major NBC News Sexual Harassment and Misconduct Story  —  The Daily Beast is working on a major story about sexual harassment and misconduct at NBC News, sources tell Mediaite.  —  The story involves varying allegations against senior NBC News executives …

Russian state TV warns Trump to ‘do what we say’ if you want ‘support in the elections’  —  One of Russia's state-run TV news programs this week expressed displeasure with newly announced sanctions being leveled against the Kremlin — and one guest said that it was time to put direct pressure …