EXCLUSIVE: Heitkamp reveals Kavanaugh vote and reasoning to WDAY News  —  FARGO — U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp will vote NO on U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh's nomination.  —  Heitkamp sat down exclusively with WDAY News to share what she will do when the U.S. Senate votes …

The Big Hack: How China Used a Tiny Chip to Infiltrate U.S. Companies  —  In 2015, Amazon.com Inc. began quietly evaluating a startup called Elemental Technologies, a potential acquisition to help with a major expansion of its streaming video service, known today as Amazon Prime Video.

Rifts Break Open at Facebook Over Kavanaugh Hearing  —  SAN FRANCISCO — “I want to apologize,” the Facebook executive wrote last Friday in a note to staff.  “I recognize this moment is a deeply painful one — internally and externally.”  —  The apology came from Joel Kaplan, Facebook's vice president for global public policy.

Democrats Fear the Party's Kavanaugh Obsession Could Backfire  —  Sensing a bump for Republicans, some strategists want to pivot if he's confirmed.  Problem is the base may not be so ready to let it go.  —  With Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation to the Supreme Court looking more likely …

Trump Considers Ousting Air Force Head Over Space Force Pushback  —  The president appears to be tired of Pentagon officials slow rolling his orders.  —  U.S. President Donald Trump is peeved with Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson over her handling of his directive to stand up a separate Space Force …

Alex Trebek apologizes for his performance as moderator of Pa. Gov. debate  —  Alex Trebek, the Jeopardy! host roundly criticized for his Monday night performance as moderator of the lone Pennsylvania gubernatorial debate this fall, apologized Wednesday, saying he had “failed to recognize the seriousness of the event for the voters.”

Beto O'Rourke on possible endorsement from Obama: “I don't think we're interested.”  —  Former President Barack Obama has endorsed nearly a dozen Texas Democrats so far this election year.  But Beto O'Rourke isn't one of them.  On Thursday the border Democrat said that was fine by him.

GOP County Chair Shares Fake 1980s Christine Blasey Ford Picture, Suggests She's Too Ugly to Sexually Assault  —  A North Carolina Republican leader attempted to ridicule an alleged 1982 photo of Christine Blasey Ford on Facebook, but the picture is actually just a random internet meme.

Trump, GOP Get A Big Kavanaugh Bounce — IBD/TIPP Poll  —  The Democrats' all-out attack on Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh, which culminated in a blisteringly partisan hearing last Thursday, may have backfired on the party just before the November elections.

Accused doxxer of GOP senators allegedly threatened to publish their children's health information  —  A Democratic congressional intern accused of publishing the private information of at least three Republican lawmakers allegedly threatened to leak senators' children's health information if a witness told anyone about his activities.

Here Are The Winners Of The 2018 MacArthur ‘Genius’ Grants  —  What could possibly bring together a painter, an economist, a pastor and a planetary scientist?  If you ask the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the answer is simpler than you may think: They've all shown creativity …

EXCLUSIVE: Mayor de Blasio hands out nearly $1.6 million in raises to City Hall staffers  —  Mayor de Blasio doled out about $1.6 million in raises to favored City Hall staffers in the last fiscal year — including a 60% pay bump for a long-serving aide Wiley Norvell, a Daily News analysis found.

The rise and the reckoning: Inside Brett Kavanaugh's circles of influence  —  He would be, in the words of his prep school's motto, a man for others.  At an age when most young people struggle to figure out their path forward, he knew he would devote his life to public service.