Judge orders White House to return Jim Acosta's press pass  —  (CNN)Federal judge Timothy J. Kelly sided with CNN on Friday, ordering the White House to reinstate chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta's press pass.  —  The ruling was an initial victory for CNN in its lawsuit against President Trump and several top aides.

Julian Assange has been charged, prosecutors reveal in inadvertent court filing  —  WikiLeaks' founder Julian Assange has been charged under seal, prosecutors inadvertently revealed in a recently unsealed court filing — a development that could significantly advance the probe into Russian interference …

Grassley to trade Judiciary gavel for Finance  —  His departure paves the way for Lindsey Graham to lead Judiciary.  —  Chuck Grassley plans to trade his Senate Judiciary Committee gavel to lead the Finance Committee next year, he said on Friday — leaving Lindsey Graham in line to replace him as chairman.

Top Cheney Aide in Mueller's Sights as Probe Expands  —  Mueller's investigators have examined an array of operatives with ties to Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the UAE—including John Hannah, Dick Cheney's former national security adviser.  —  Dick Cheney's former top national security aide …

George Conway: Republican Party has become a ‘personality cult’ under Trump  —  WASHINGTON — George T. Conway III, the husband of White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, said the Republican Party has become “a personality cult” under President Trump and that he would “move to Australia” rather than vote for the president again.

Only on AP: Abrams prepares push for new Georgia Gov. vote  —  ATLANTA (AP) — Stacey Abrams' campaign and legal team is preparing an unprecedented legal challenge in the unresolved Georgia governor's race that could leave the state's Supreme Court deciding whether to force another round of voting.

U.S. Marshals Service spending millions on DeVos security in unusual arrangement  —  The cost to taxpayers could be as much as $19.8 million through next year, according to figures provided to NBC News.  —  WASHINGTON — Education Secretary Betsy DeVos began receiving around-the-clock security …

I Found the Best Burger Place in America.  And Then I Killed It.  —  n my office, I have a coffee mug from Stanich's in Portland, Oregon.  Under the restaurant name, it says “Great hamburgers since 1949.”  The mug was given to me by Steve Stanich on the day I told him that …

Sheryl Sandberg and the emptiness of leaning in  —  Sheryl Sandberg leaned way, way in — to shut the rest of the country out.  —  A recent report in the New York Times details how Facebook hushed up Russian interference on its platform, and how chief operating officer Sandberg led the charge to hush up the hush-up.

GOP Senator Says Voter Suppression Is A ‘Great Idea’  —  Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) said it should be harder for “liberal folks” to vote.  —  Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) appeared to endorse voter suppression during a campaign stop this month, saying efforts to undermine voting among liberals …

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wore clothing, a journalist tweeted a photo, and the Internet pounced  —  Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wore clothing to work on Thursday, and it became a thing.  —  Eddie Scarry, a Washington Examiner writer who covers media and politics, tweeted a photograph …

So, Was It A Wave?  —  There's been an ongoing discussion about whether the 2018 midterms can be properly considered a “wave” election.  While I think they certainly can be considered a wave, that doesn't get to the question of whether they ought to be considered as such.  —  At its core, this debate is pretty silly.

Two Years In, Trump Struggles to Master Role of Military Commander  —  WASHINGTON — He canceled a trip to a cemetery in France where American soldiers from World War I are buried.  He did not go to the observance at Arlington National Cemetery on Veterans Day.  He has not visited American troops in Iraq or Afghanistan.

The Democratic Insurgents Who Want to Topple Nancy Pelosi  —  What do Tim Ryan and Seth Moulton really want?  —  There's an insurrection brewing in the House of Pelosi.  —  An intractable group on the Democratic Party's center flank is working to deny Nancy Pelosi the speaker's gavel.

Man Who Shouted ‘Heil Hitler, Heil Trump’ at Play Was Actually Very Drunk and Hates Trump  —  It seems that the man who disrupted a recent production of Fiddler on the Roof with pro-Donald Trump outbursts is actually a critic of the president.  —  There was a commotion in Baltimore …

Why the Perfect Red-State Democrat Lost  —  Taylor Sappington is exactly the kind of candidate his party should want in Ohio.  But he couldn't get union support.  —  Mr. MacGillis is a political reporter.  —  Taylor Sappington heard the call like so many other Democrats in the year after Nov. 8, 2016.