Scoop: Trump has accepted Nikki Haley's resignation  —  President Trump has accepted Nikki Haley's resignation as UN Ambassador, according to two sources briefed on their conversation.  The timing of her departure is still unclear.  —  What we're hearing: Haley discussed her resignation …

Superior ruthlessness isn't why Republicans control the Supreme Court  —  They had some good luck — and, most importantly, they had the votes.  —  A strange explanation for Brett Kavanaugh's ascension to the Supreme Court emerged soon after the Senate confirmed him.

CNN poll: Democrats are fired up and maintain a strong 2018 lead  —  Washington (CNN)Four weeks out from Election Day, Democrats remain well ahead of Republicans in a generic ballot matchup, with 54% of likely voters saying they support the Democrat in their district and 41% backing a Republican …

Infamous St. Petersburg ‘Troll Factory’ Set on Fire  —  The office of Russia's infamous troll factory believed to be at the vanguard of Russia's information war has been set on fire in St. Petersburg overnight.  —  An investigation revealed last year that the secretive troll factory …

Taylor Swift's Instagram Post Has Caused A Massive Spike In Voter Registration  —  Since Taylor Swift flexed her star power Sunday with an Instagram post that encouraged her 112 million followers to register to vote, Vote.org has experienced an unprecedented flood of new voter registrations nationwide.

Building A Global Democratic Movement to Counter Authoritarianism  —  In the United States, we pay a whole lot of attention to issues impacting the economy, healthcare, education, environment, criminal justice, immigration and, as we have recently seen, Supreme Court nominees.

The one conspiracy theory that Republicans won't believe  —  The Party of Trump has proved itself keen to propagate any conspiracy theory, no matter how ridiculous or racist.  —  Well, almost any conspiracy theory.  —  There were the microwave ovens that surveil your every move.

POLITICO race ratings: The GOP House is crumbling  —  There are now 209 seats either firmly or leaning in the Democratic column — only 9 shy of the 218 needed to win control.  —  The Republican House majority continues to show signs of collapsing, with Democrats steadily gaining ground toward erasing …

US student detained in Israel for alleged boycott support  —  JERUSALEM (AP) — In a first-of-its-kind case, Israel has held an American graduate student at its international airport for a whole week, accusing her of supporting a Palestinian-led boycott movement against the Jewish state.

‘This is MY son’: Navy vet horrified as mom's tweet miscasts him as #HimToo poster boy — and goes viral  —  Pieter Hanson was in the middle of a marketing exam when his phone started blowing up, buzzing and buzzing until he was convinced something terrible had happened.

Kanye West Expected to Visit Trump at the White House  —  President Trump and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, are expected to meet with the musician Kanye West on Thursday at the White House, two people familiar with the plans said.  —  Mr. West, who has faced a backlash over his vocal support …

Weiner on track for early release … Disgraced ex-Congressman Anthony Weiner has finally found something he can do without screwing it up.  —  Nearly a year after he began his 21-month prison sentence for sexting with an underage girl, Weiner, 54, is set to be released early for good conduct.

Trump Campaign Aide Requested Online Manipulation Plans From Israeli Intelligence Firm  —  WASHINGTON — A top Trump campaign official requested proposals in 2016 from an Israeli company to create fake online identities, to use social media manipulation and to gather intelligence …

Trump country had bad football  —  A flailing home team dampens interest in football in a market, regardless of politics.  —  Take a look at those five Trump-leaning markets with the worst NFL ratings drops and you'll find bad football.  —  The worst plunge happened in Phoenix.  There, Trump was strong.

‘They Told Me I Would Never See Her Again’: Deported Parents Lose Kids To Adoption  —  As the deportees were led off the plane onto the steamy San Salvador tarmac, an anguished Araceli Ramos Bonilla burst into tears, her face contorted with pain: “They want to steal my daughter!”

Is Ted Cruz “Tough As Texas”?  —  Is Ted Cruz really “Tough as Texas”?  Hardly.  Here's one Texan's take on that Ted Cruz fella... - Directed by Richard Linklater

I discovered the rest of America on my summer holiday  —  Economists like me see the world through the prism of models, fitted to statistical data and tested against market realities.  Economic models provide uniquely powerful perspectives: I have used them to argue that had the economy been left to itself …

Treasure hunters challenge FBI over dig for Civil War gold  —  DENTS RUN, Pa. (AP) — Surrounded by dozens of stone-faced FBI agents on a frigid winter's day, Dennis and Kem Parada stared down at the empty hole and knew something wasn't right.  —  The father-son duo spent years combing …

The Mueller Investigation Is Bigger Than Rod Rosenstein  —  Even if he got fired, a replacement dead set on shutting down the investigation would find it nearly impossible to pull off.  —  Ms. Rangappa was an F.B.I. special agent focusing on counterintelligence investigations.

Why Some Amazon Workers Are Fuming About Their Raise  —  SEATTLE — Last week, Dave Clark, Amazon's senior vice president in charge of operations, stood on a ladder in a warehouse near Los Angeles and announced to employees that Amazon was raising pay for its vast blue-collar work force.

Shock report: US paying more for illegal immigrant births than Trump's wall  —  Americans are paying more to cover the costs of illegal immigrants having children in the United States than Congress plans to give President Trump in border wall funding this year, according to an explosive new analysis of Census Bureau data.

The Kavanaugh cash surge  —  The Brett Kavanaugh confirmation fight has led to a huge increase in donations to Democrats and groups that support them — and Republicans say the battle has been good for their fundraising, too.  —  Why it matters: It's tangible evidence that the bitter Supreme Court showdown …