What the Arab world needs most is free expression  —  I received this column from Jamal Khashoggi's translator and assistant the day after Jamal was reported missing in Istanbul.  The Post held off publishing it because we hoped Jamal would come back to us so that he and I could edit it together.

Rod Rosenstein Defends Mueller Probe as ‘Appropriate and Independent’  —  In interview, deputy attorney general says investigation has revealed widespread Russian effort to meddle in 2016 election  —  Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein defended the special counsel's investigation …

Trump threatens to call US military to close southern border as 4,000-strong migrant caravan pushes north  —  President Trump warned Thursday he will “call up the U.S. Military and CLOSE OUR SOUTHERN BORDER” with Mexico if officials there don't stop the northward flow of a growing migrant …

Dem operative for Soros-funded group arrested for ‘battery’ against Nevada GOP candidate's campaign manager  —  A Democratic operative for American Bridge 21st Century, a group founded by David Brock and funded by liberal billionaire George Soros, was arrested Tuesday after the female campaign manager …

Senate Truce Collapses as G.O.P. Rush to Confirm More Judges Begins Anew  —  WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats struck a deal last week with Republicans that saw the quick confirmation of 15 more conservative judges in exchange for a rapid flight to the campaign trail.

Revealed: Russian billionaire set up US company before Trump Tower meeting  —  Aras Agalarov, who attended the meeting with Donald Trump Jr in June 2016, formed a shell company with an accountant who has had clients accused of money laundering and embezzlement

McCaskill demands Hawley's office investigate hidden-camera videos of her campaign  —  JEFFERSON CITY  —  U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill's campaign is demanding Attorney General Josh Hawley open a fraud investigation into hidden-camera videos released this week by a nonprofit run by conservative activist James O'Keefe.

The 2018 Midterms Are All About Trump  —  In its final stages, the tumultuous 2018 midterm election appears to be moving in contradictory directions, with Democrats and Republicans alike finding legitimate reasons for optimism amid the daily flurry of new polls.

State Department provided ‘clearly false’ statements to derail requests for Clinton docs, ‘shocked’ federal judge says  —  In a combative exchange at a hearing Friday in Washington, D.C., a federal judge unabashedly accused career State Department officials of lying and signing “clearly false” …

Blackburn backlash shocks Mt. Juliet restaurant owner  —  Courtney's Restaurant and Catering owner Tom Courtney said he's experienced a strong social media backlash because he rented the event room at his Mt. Juliet business to U.S. Senate candidate Rep. Marsha Blackburn on Saturday.

Is Fraud Part of the Trump Organization's Business Model?  —  A new investigation shows a pattern in different projects around the country and the world.  —  What, exactly, is Donald Trump's business?  The Trump Organization is unusual in that it doesn't appear to do the same thing for very long.

Denver TV station pulls GOP ad attacking Jared Polis  —  Denver TV station KMGH-Denver7 decided Wednesday to pull a pro-Republican independent expenditure committee's TV ad attacking gubernatorial candidate Jared Polis.  The move came after the Colorado Democrat's attorneys demanded …

You Want 20% for Handing Me a Muffin?  The Awkward Etiquette of iPad Tipping  —  Countertop payment tablets turn gratuities into a public ordeal; ‘It guilts you into it’  —  Mina Dimyan frequents a Stamford, Conn., cafe, where he orders a cup of strong coffee for $3.  It comes with a splash of guilt.

Collins Husband: Ricin Threat Specified Kavanaugh Vote  —  “There's absolutely no reason to have this level of vitriol over a single vote,” says Thomas Daffron, who found out firsthand that it doesn't take a reason.  Daffron, the husband of Susan Collins, tells local CBS affiliate WABI …

The Proud Boys, The GOP And ‘The Fascist Creep’  —  Gavin McInnes spoke at a GOP club, then his followers violently attacked leftist protesters.  Modern American fascism finds its foot soldiers.  —  NEW YORK — Gavin McInnes, the founder of the violent neo-fascist gang the Proud Boys …

Twitter Won't Suspend Louis Farrakhan For His Tweet Comparing Jews To Insects  —  Twitter will not suspend controversial Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan for a tweet comparing Jews to insects, the company said in a statement to BuzzFeed News.  —  Farrakhan, who has been dogged …

Afghan Leader Blindsided by U.S. Meeting With Taliban, Officials Say  —  KABUL, Afghanistan — When the White House ordered American diplomats this summer to engage the Taliban directly in the hopes of jump-starting an Afghan peace process, many in Afghanistan welcomed it as a vital first step …

Nikki Haley at the Council for National Policy  —  Inside the conference rooms of power: the former US ambassador to the United Nations speaks about working with Trump  —  Nikki Haley's surprising resignation on October 4 as US ambassador to the United Nations fueled rumors about the underlying reasons for its suddenness and timing.

A New Facebook Lawsuit Makes ‘Pivot to Video’ Seem Even More Shortsighted  —  Facebook acknowledged in 2016 that it had been overstating to advertisers the average time users spent watching videos on the platform.  But when exactly Facebook found out about that error—and how long the company kept …

Cosmologist Martin Rees gives humanity a 50-50 chance of surviving the 21st century  —  But he's still an optimist.  —  Martin Rees is Britain's astronomer royal, a professor at Cambridge University, and one of the leading cosmologists in the world.  In a 2003 book, titled Our Final Hour …