I Am an Independent, Impartial Judge  —  Yes, I was emotional last Thursday.  I hope everyone can understand I was there as a son, husband and dad.  —  I was deeply honored to stand at the White House July 9 with my wife, Ashley, and my daughters, Margaret and Liza, to accept President Trump's nomination …

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.

Trump mocks Al Franken over resignation: He folded ‘like a wet rag’  —  President Trump mocked former Senator Al Franken (D-Minn.) at a campaign rally in Minnesota Thursday for resigning following multiple allegations of sexual misconduct.  —  “That guy was wacky.  Boy did he fold up like a wet rag, huh?”

Girl, 8, pulls a 1,500-year-old sword from a lake in Sweden  —  An eight-year-old found a pre-Viking-era sword while swimming in a lake in Sweden during the summer.  —  Saga Vanecek found the relic in the Vidöstern lake while at her family's holiday home in Jönköping County.

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.

Still Anonymous: White House hunt for op-ed author fades  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Remember Anonymous?  —  One month ago Friday, an unidentified Trump administration official set off a White House firestorm by claiming in a New York Times opinion piece to be part of a secret “resistance” …

The Kavanaugh Hearings Have Women Fired Up ... to Vote Republican  —  The accusations of sexual assault against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh are widely perceived to be a boon to Democrats heading into the midterm elections in November.  “The women of this country identify with Dr. Ford …

This should be a column by Jamal Khashoggi  —  Editor's note: Jamal Khashoggi is a Saudi journalist and author, and a columnist for Washington Post Global Opinions.  Khashoggi's words should appear in the space above, but he has not been heard from since he entered a Saudi consulate in Istanbul …

Interpol chief missing: French police launch investigation into President Meng Hongwei's disappearance  —  Meng Hongwei, 64, has not been heard from since travelling to China in late September  — {{#singleComment}}{{value}} comment{{/singleComment}}{{^singleComme nt}}{{value}} comments{{/singleComment}}

New York Regulators Examine the Trump Family's Tax Schemes  —  New York City officials said on Thursday that they had joined state regulators in examining whether President Trump and his family underpaid taxes on his father's real estate empire over several decades.

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 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 …

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 …

Exclusive poll: America riveted by Kavanaugh fight  —  More than half of Americans say they've been having conversations about the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation battle at work, and almost three quarters of Americans have been talking about it with their friends and families, according to a new Axios/SurveyMonkey poll.

Trying to understand how Jeff Flake is leaning?  We analyzed his Twitter feed — and were surprised.  —  How did the president's deep-red critic, Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), become the surprise roadblock to Brett M. Kavanaugh's confirmation vote?  That's what happened last week when he voted …