Why Michael Cohen Agreed to Plead Guilty—And Implicate the President  —  Prosecutors had reams of evidence and a long list of counts, which also could have included the lawyer's wife  —  Michael Cohen had many reasons to play ball last weekend when his legal team sat down to talk to federal prosecutors.

Manafort juror reveals lone holdout prevented Mueller team from convicting on all counts  —  NORTHERN VIRGINIA - Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team was one holdout juror away from convicting Paul Manafort on all 18 counts of bank and tax fraud, juror Paula Duncan told Fox News in an exclusive interview Wednesday.

DNC says suspected hack attempt turned out to be a security test  —  Whoops.  —  What the Democratic National Committee this week thought was an attempted hack of its valuable voter file turned out to be a security test organized by a state party, unbeknownst to the national organization.

Betsy DeVos Is Said to Weigh Letting School Districts Use Federal Funds to Buy Guns  —  WASHINGTON — Betsy DeVos, the education secretary, is considering whether to allow states to use federal funding intended to increase academic and enrichment opportunities in the country's poorest schools …

Trump called this White House defender ‘wonderful.’ He was fired from his previous job for alleged sexual harassment.  —  A conservative commentator who was lauded by President Trump this week as “wonderful” and who has argued that past sexual indiscretions should have no bearing on Trump's presidency …

Despite Comey Assurances, Vast Bulk of Weiner Laptop Emails Were Never Examined  —  When then-FBI Director James Comey announced he was closing the Hillary Clinton email investigation for a second time just days before the 2016 election, he certified to Congress that his agency had …

Tucker Carlson Cuts Off Immigration Analyst's Mic After Getting Bested in Debate  —  Tucker Carlson's ability to embarrass his guests in bitter debates on his Fox News show has been well documented.  But there is one recurring guest who manages to trounce Carlson at his own game: Alex Nowrasteh …

Sessions ‘Never Took Control’ of Justice Department, Trump Says  — Blames bias for what he claims is the targeting of Republicans  — Trump tells Fox News that flipping defendent should be barred  —  President Donald Trump complained his Attorney General Jeff Sessions …

A new poll shows 5 big challenges facing the Republicans in November  —  With the midterm election less than a month away, there is considerable agreement among forecasters on the Democrats' chances of regaining a House majority: 73 percent (538), 70 percent (The Economist), 67 percent …

Trump tweets the word ‘Africa’ for first time as president — in defense of whites in South Africa  —  President Trump on Wednesday night said he was directing Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to “closely study the South Africa land and farm seizures,” as well as the “killing of farmers.”

How Donald Trump turned Omarosa's ‘Unhinged’ tell-all into a bestseller  —  The Tweeter-in-chief has done it again.  —  “Unhinged,” the tell-all memoir by former White House senior adviser Omarosa Manigault Newman is officially a bestseller.  The book sold more than 33,000 hardback copies during its first week.

Impeachment debate moves to center of midterm fight  —  Impeachment has moved to the center of the midterm debate following the remarkable assertion from Michael Cohen that President Trump  —  orchestrated illegal hush-money payments through his former personal attorney to silence two women ahead of the 2016 elections.

Could a super snake emerge from Everglades pythons?  New DNA study raises possibility  —  What started out as a straightforward genetic study of Florida's invasive python population has turned up a surprising plot twist: a small number of crossbred Burmese and Indian pythons with the potential …

China slaps back at latest United States tariffs in trade war escalation  —  This story is being published for Pros as part of a content partnership with the South China Morning Post.  It originally appeared on scmp.com on Aug. 23, 2018.  —  China slapped 25 percent tariffs …