David Brock I knew Brett Kavanaugh during his years as a Republican operative.  Don't let him sit on the Supreme Court.  —  We were part of a close circle of cynical hard-right operatives being groomed for much bigger things.  —  Created with Sketch.  —  I used to know Brett Kavanaugh pretty well.

plaidshirtguy at Trump rally is ... a Billings high schooler  —  Billings West High School senior Tyler Linfesty learned Thursday morning during first period that he had been selected for VIP treatment at President Donald J. Trump's rally at MetraPark.  —  Linfesty had applied for tickets to the rally earlier in the week.

Trump Administration Discussed Coup Plans With Rebel Venezuelan Officers  —  The Trump administration held secret meetings with rebellious military officers from Venezuela over the last year to discuss their plans to overthrow President Nicolás Maduro, according to American officials …

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 …

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 …

Last Slide  —  Sutton's campaign office defended the candidate's record on taxes in an emailed statement.  —  “In the (South Dakota State) Senate, Billie Sutton has supported more than three dozen tax cuts for South Dakota families,” the statement said.  “Billie knows South Dakotans …

To Secure Better Housing, Top Diplomat Pulls Rank on the Military  —  WASHINGTON — As a congressman and before he moved to Washington full-time, Mike Pompeo lived in a 5,500-square-foot house in Wichita, Kan., replete with vaulted ceilings, four bedrooms and five bathrooms …

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 …

Letter confirms Vatican received McCarrick complaint in 2000 … VATICAN CITY — A 2006 letter from a top Vatican official confirms that the Holy See received information in 2000 about the sexual misconduct of now-resigned U.S. cardinal, lending credibility to bombshell accusations of a cover …

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 …

Papadopoulos breaks silence, 'can't guarantee' he didn't tell Trump campaign about Russian dirt  —  Watch Jake Tapper's exclusive interview with the ex-Trump campaign aide in CNN Special Report “The Mysterious Case of George Papadopoulos” Friday at 11 p.m. ET.

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.

Amazon has patented a system that would put workers in a cage, on top of a robot  —  Amazon said it never implemented the technology described in the patent, granted in 2016, and has no plans to.  —  A patent Amazon has received would pair humans and machines.  In this case, the humans would be in a cage.

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.

Dallas Police Officer Kills Her Neighbor in His Apartment, Saying She Mistook It for Her Own  —  A Dallas police officer fatally shot a neighbor inside the man's apartment late Thursday night, claiming that she mistook his apartment for her own and believed he was an intruder, the police said.

DNC Lawyers Raise Prospect That Papadopoulos's U.K. Contact May Be Dead  —  On the day Donald Trump's former foreign-policy adviser George Papadopoulos was sentenced to two weeks in jail for lying to investigators about his contacts with a U.K. professor peddling dirt from Russian officials …

Echoes of Watergate in Trump tumult  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House seethes with intrigue and backstabbing as aides hunt for the anonymous Deep (state) Throat among them.  A president feels besieged by tormentors — Bob Woodward is driving him crazy — so he tends his version of an enemies list …

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),

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.”

Nick Saban: NFL players have a “right” to protest during anthem  —  A caller to Nick Saban's radio show this week identified himself as a retired veteran before asking the Alabama coach what he thinks of NFL players who use the national anthem to protest social injustice and police brutality.

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 …