White House officials flagged Trump's behavior to psychiatrist last year  —  White House officials reached out to a noted Yale University psychiatrist last fall out of concern over President Trump's increasingly erratic behavior.  —  Dr. Bandy Lee, who edited the best-selling book …

Giuliani to AP: Trump will not answer obstruction questions  —  NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump will not answer federal investigators' questions, in writing or in person, about whether he tried to block the probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Trump to Preside Over U.N. Security Council, Prompting Anxiety All Around  —  WASHINGTON — Three weeks from now, in New York, President Trump will find himself in the setting he most relishes: seated at the head of a polished table, calling on those seated around him, rewarding those he likes and cutting off those who displease him.

Opioid billionaire granted patent for addiction treatment  —  A billionaire pharmaceuticals executive who has been blamed for spurring the US opioid crisis stands to profit from the epidemic after he patented a new treatment for drug addicts.  —  Richard Sackler, whose family owns Purdue Pharma …

Brett Kavanaugh Refers To Birth Control As ‘Abortion-Inducing Drugs’ At Confirmation Hearing  —  Trump's Supreme Court nominee defended his support of Priests for Life on the third day of his hearing.  —  On the third day of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing …

Another Democratic Ambush?  Not in Delaware, as Carper Rebuffs Outsider's Bid  —  Senator Tom Carper of Delaware fended off a primary challenge from his left on Thursday, dispatching a political newcomer, Kerri Evelyn Harris, in the latest test of strength between Democratic insurgents and the party establishment.

College Removes Uniforms Featuring Nike Logo To Protest Kaepernick Deal  —  (AP) — The endorsement deal between Nike and Colin Kaepernick prompted a flood of debate Tuesday.  It was a trending topic on Twitter and other social networks, with some fans urging a boycott of the company's clothes …

Papadopoulos to be sentenced in Russia investigation  —  George Papadopoulos, the novice, unpaid foreign policy adviser to Donald Trump who rose to prominence when he became the first former campaign adviser arrested as part of special counsel Robert Mueller's Russian-influence probe, is scheduled to be sentenced Friday in Washington.

Twitter bans Alex Jones and InfoWars  —  Why Facebook, YouTube and Apple are removing InfoWars content  —  Twitter banned far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and his website InfoWars from its platform Thursday afternoon, a month after several of its Silicon Valley counterparts did so.

POLITICO Playbook: Inside Washington's money machine  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  PLAYBOOK EXCLUSIVE: INSIDE WASHINGTON'S MONEY MACHINE 60 DAYS BEFORE ELECTION DAY ... In the next few grafs, we're going to take you inside the money machines powering the Republican and Democratic parties …

Russia-Linked Money-Laundering Probe Looks at $150 Billion in Transactions  —  Transactions uncovered at Danske's Estonian branch highlight the growing concern about illicit money flows from the former Soviet Union  —  Investigators at Denmark's largest bank are studying around $150 billion …

Polling the 2018 Midterm Elections in Real Time  —  The Upshot has partnered with Siena College to poll dozens of the most competitive House and Senate races across the country.  Our poll results are updated in real time, after every phone call.  We hope to help you understand how polling works, and why it sometimes doesn't.

Tesla chief Elon Musk smokes marijuana on live web show  —  Billionaire risks further investor anger after plan to take Tesla private and false ‘pedo’ claim  —  Elon Musk, the billionaire chief executive of Tesla, risked provoking fresh concern from investors on Friday after smoking marijuana …

Trump crosses a new threshold for anti-media rhetoric, jokingly praising a congressman for assaulting a reporter  —  This post has been updated.  —  President Trump on Thursday night ratcheted up his not-so-veiled attacks on the media, making light of an assault perpetrated by a Republican member …

Economy adds more jobs than expected in August, and wage growth hits post-recession high  — Nonfarm payrolls grew by 201,000 in August.  Economists surveyed by Reuters expected a 191,000 increase.

Frustration and Finger-Pointing as G.O.P. Pulls Out of Deal Talks on Hacked Materials  —  WASHINGTON — House Republicans withdrew on Thursday from negotiations with Democrats over a pact that would have effectively barred both parties from using hacked or stolen material on the campaign trail this fall.

At rally, Trump brings up ‘the impeachment word’ to embolden voters ahead of midterms  —  The president also accused the The New York Times of “treason” for recently publishing an opinion piece by an unnamed administration official.  —  BILLINGS, Mont. — Republicans have to show up to the polls …

To honor John McCain, fight for a greater cause  —  The McCain Institute for International Leadership is now my home, and my mission.  Join me in the arena.  —  CONNECT  —  Last week, our country came together to honor a great man, and a great calling.  The man was my husband, Sen. John McCain.

Trump: I ‘most likely’ won't shut down government over border wall  —  President Donald Trump said Thursday that he “most likely” will not shut down the government before this November's midterm elections over funding for his promised border wall, backing down somewhat from comments he made earlier …

25 Straight Minutes Of Illegal Aliens Crossing Into US Through Arizona Ranch  —  Arizona rancher John Chilton's 50,000-acre spread along the U.S.-Mexico border is allegedly ground zero for human smugglers, drug cartel members and illegal immigrants, and he has videos showing trespassers sneaking through his property.