I Wrote Some of the Stolen Memos That Brett Kavanaugh Lied to the Senate About  —  Much of Washington has spent the week focusing on whether Judge Brett Kavanaugh should be confirmed to the Supreme Court.  After the revelations of his confirmation hearings, the better question is whether …

When I challenge the president, I do it directly.  My anonymous colleague should have, too.  —  Nikki Haley is U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.  —  We have enough issues to deal with in the world, so it's unfortunate to have to take time to write this, but I feel compelled to address …

Excerpts From the New York Times Interview With George Papadopoulos  —  Mr. Papadopoulos said he lied to federal investigators because he wanted to protect himself and the Trump campaign from “what was probably an illegal action or dangerous information.”  —  George Papadopoulos …

Manafort Weighing Plea Deal to Avoid New Criminal Trial, Source Says  — Talks said to center on possible admissions, sentencing length  — Ex-Trump campaign chief was convicted in Virginia last month  —  Paul Manafort's lawyers have talked to U.S. prosecutors about a possible guilty plea …

Michael Cohen seeks to tear up Stormy Daniels deal, wants money back  —  (CNN)Michael Cohen's shell company, Essential Consultants, filed a status report Friday evening agreeing to tear up the original 2016 agreement with adult film star Stormy Daniels, in which Cohen arranged to pay her $130,000 …

Elliott Broidy's Mistress Shera Bechard Says He Demanded She Get Abortion  —  Shera Bechard also accused Elliott Broidy of having unprotected sex with her—'without telling her he had genital herpes.' Broidy denies the claims.  —  Lachlan Cartwright  —  A major Republican fundraiser allegedly demanded …

Trump Executives Face U.S. Campaign-Finance Probe, Source Says  — Manhattan prosecutors continue inquiry after Cohen guilty plea  — What did Weisselberg know and sign off on as company's CFO?  —  Federal prosecutors in Manhattan are investigating whether anyone …

HE'S BACK!  Obama refers to himself 102 times during 64-minute speech  —  Former President Barack Obama visited The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Friday to accept the school's ethics in government award, and to offer his take on “the state of our democracy.”

Apple Just Permanently Banned Infowars' App From The App Store  —  A day after being banned from Twitter, Alex Jones and Infowars have been booted from yet another platform: Apple's popular App Store.  As of Friday evening, searches on the App Store for Infowars return no results.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Announces Extradition Of Alleged Russian Hacker Responsible For Massive Network Intrusions At U.S. Financial Institutions, Brokerage Firms, A Major News Publication, And Other Companies  —  Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York …

We Found the ‘Plaid Shirt Guy’ Who Trolled Trump's Rally With Hilarious Faces  —  The plaid-clad man who flashed puzzled grins behind Trump's back is a 17-year-old student and self-described social democrat.  The Daily Beast spoke with him about his wild night.

None of You Idiots Is Spartacus  —  Our politics are getting dumber because we're defining ourselves by the caricatures of our enemies. … Dear Reader (Including all of you at Kasowitz, Benson & Torres to whom I may or may not have spoken about the Mueller investigation),

A Mutiny Amid the Republican Party? … One man does not a revolution make, even when that man is the president of the United States.  Donald Trump has shaken up Washington as no one else has in living memory.  But within his own administration, he faces stiff resistance.

Colin Kaepernick Campaign Gives Nike a Big Sales Boost  —  Nike's selection of Colin Kaepernick as one of the new faces of the company has certainly brought media attention and controversy, but it's also having a noticeable effect on the bottom line.  —  A new report from Edison Trends …

Dallas police seek manslaughter warrant against officer who killed neighbor  —  Dallas police said the officer called for help and told responding officers that “she entered the victim's apartment believing that it was her own.”  —  Dallas police: Off-duty cop enters wrong apartment, fatally shoots man

Murdered Russian exile survived earlier poisoning attempt, police believe  —  Exclusive: Nikolai Glushkov spoke of collapse in Bristol hotel after meeting two Russians  —  Detectives investigating the murder of a Russian exile in London believe he was previously the target of a poisoning attempt carried …

I Refused to Write Steve Bannon's Bio for The New Yorker Festival  —  I've been on this planet for 33 years, and I have had more than that many jobs.  Most recently, I worked on the upcoming season of The New Yorker Festival.  —  When you have many jobs, you get asked to do many strange things.

'I Don't Talk' That Way, Trump Says.  Except When He Does.  —  President Trump said he has never used terms like “mentally retarded” or “dumb Southerner,” as he is quoted in Bob Woodward's new book.  But the record shows he has.  —  Numerous Trump officials denied writing the anonymous Op-Ed published by The New York Times.

Trump warns he could cause the ‘ruination’ of Canada  —  WASHINGTON— Returning to his bellicose trade rhetoric, U.S. President Donald Trump warned Friday that he would cause the “ruination” of Canada if he imposed tariffs on Canadian-made cars.  —  Trump issued the threat during another …

This Space Available  —  New York City's streetscape has been transformed — visually and economically — by the staggering numbers of vacant storefronts now dotting its most popular retail corridors.  The Times set out with a panoramic camera to capture what this commercial blight feels like on the ground.

Top states say they haven't been invited to the Justice Dept.'s meeting about tech companies  —  Democratic attorneys general from key states said they have not yet been invited by the Justice Department to its upcoming review of tech companies, prompting criticism that the Trump administration's inquiry …

Trump: 'I don't want to be set up with a perjury trap' in the Mueller probe  — President Donald Trump on Friday said he does not “want to be set up with a perjury trap” by special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating possible obstruction of justice by the president.

Vatican officials knew of McCarrick allegations in 2000, letter confirms  —  VATICAN CITY (CNS) — A top official from the Vatican Secretariat of State acknowledged allegations made by a New York priest in 2000 concerning Archbishop Theodore E. McCarrick, according to a letter obtained by Catholic News Service.

Ryan, McConnell try to coax Trump away from shutdown — using props and flattery  —  The top two Republicans in Congress arrived at the White House this week armed with props aimed at flattering and cajoling President Trump out of shutting down the government at the end of this month.