Rep. Brian Higgins, in a reversal, will back Nancy Pelosi for speaker  —  WASHINGTON - Rep. Brian Higgins of Buffalo reversed course Wednesday and said he will support Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi to be the speaker of the House, delivering a devastating blow to a weakening rebellion …

Trump Wanted to Order Justice Dept. to Prosecute Comey and Clinton  —  WASHINGTON — President Trump told the White House counsel in the spring that he wanted to order the Justice Department to prosecute two of his political adversaries: his 2016 challenger, Hillary Clinton …

Senators demand Trump say whether Saudi prince ordered Khashoggi killing  —  The bipartisan leadership of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is demanding a definitive determination from President Donald Trump about whether Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia ordered the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

White House approves use of force, some law enforcement roles for border troops  —  The White House late Tuesday signed a memo allowing troops stationed at the border to engage in some law enforcement roles and use lethal force, if necessary — a move that legal experts have cautioned may run afoul of the Posse Comitatus Act.

American killed on Andaman island home to uncontacted people, body yet to be recovered  —  The murder took place on an island inhabited by the Sentinelese people, who are protected under Indian law  —  A rare photo of two members of the Sentinelese tribe, which is protected under Indian law …

Ex-Facebook President Sean Parker Funded Race-Baiting Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith's Super PAC  —  A spokesman for the Napster founder said he denounces Cindy Hyde-Smith's comments but isn't calling for a refund of the money he's given.  —  As embattled incumbent Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) …

Russia loses Interpol presidency vote  —  Interpol has elected South Korean Kim Jong-yang as its president, rejecting the Russian frontrunner who had been accused of abusing the international police body's arrest warrant system.  —  Mr Kim was chosen by Interpol's 194 member states at a meeting of its annual congress in Dubai.

Conservative nonprofit with obscure roots and undisclosed funders paid Matthew Whitaker $1.2 million  —  In the three years after he arrived in Washington in 2014, Matthew G. Whitaker received more than $1.2 million as the leader of a charity that reported having no other employees, some of the best pay of his career.

British academic Matthew Hedges sentenced to life in prison by UAE court for ‘spying for UK government’  —  A British academic has been sentenced by an Abu Dhabi court to life in prison for spying for the UK government, in a shock decision which Jeremy Hunt warned could damage relations between the two allies.

Behind the scenes: Trump vs. Mueller  —  President Trump delivered to Robert Mueller handwritten answers about pre-election dimensions of the Russia probe but did not answer questions about his behavior as president, including allegations of obstruction of justice — and will resist doing so in the future …

You Snooze, You Lose: Insurers Make The Old Adage Literally True  —  Millions of sleep apnea patients rely on CPAP breathing machines to get a good night's rest.  Health insurers use a variety of tactics, including surveillance, to make patients bear the costs.  Experts say it's part of the insurance industry playbook.

Steve Bannon's far-right Europe operation undermined by election laws  —  Exclusive: ambitious plan to campaign in EU elections would fall foul of laws in nine of 13 targeted states  —  Play Video  —  Steve Bannon's political operation to help rightwing populists triumph …

Judge dismisses female genital mutilation charges in historic case  —  In a major blow to the federal government, a judge in Detroit has declared America's female genital mutilation law unconstitutional, thereby dismissing the key charges against two Michigan doctors and six others accused …

What to Wear to Work—When You Work at Home  —  Working remotely—long the territory of slobby creatives—has become newly social thanks to co-working spaces and teleconferencing.  Here's how to upgrade your look without sacrificing comfort  —  I WAS STANDING in my closet …

Judge notes ‘sad irony’ of men deciding abortion rights as he strikes Mississippi's abortion law  —  (CNN)A federal judge on Tuesday blocked a Mississippi state law that sought to forbid most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, writing a sharply worded opinion with implications for states weighing similar measures.

Cory Booker has talked to Clinton and Obama strategists in key state Iowa as he considers running for president in 2020  — Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., has started consulting with two top Iowa presidential campaign strategists who worked for Hillary Clinton and former President Barack Obama …

Stalemate on Trump's wall amid threat of shutdown  —  Congress just can't help itself: With a partial government shutdown potentially two weeks away, Democrats and Republicans are dug in, each side upping its demands and vowing not to buckle to the other.  —  President Donald Trump …

Comedian Michelle Wolf delivers one-liner in response to Trump attack  —  Michelle Wolf won't be making any jokes from the podium at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, but last year's host was ready with a one-liner after the president attacked her on Twitter.

Chinese Billionaire to Create $100 Million Fund to Aid Victims of Communist Purge  —  Exiled dissident to expose Chinese government corruption and links to western companies  —  Exiled Chinese businessman Guo Wengui announced this week he is creating a $100 million fund to aid the victims …

Harvesting in a trade war: U.S. crops rot as storage costs soar  —  (Reuters) - U.S. farmers finishing their harvests are facing a big problem - where to put the mountain of grain they cannot sell to Chinese buyers.  —  For Louisiana farmer Richard Fontenot and his neighbors, the solution was a costly one: Let the crops rot.

Ben Sasse: By the Book  —  The junior senator from Nebraska and author, most recently, of “Them” says he and his wife would like their children to love books: “We want them to be addicted to reading.”  —  What books are on your nightstand?  —  “The Innovative University …

The Decline and Fall of the Zuckerberg Empire  —  Mark Zuckerberg isn't the first person in human history to draw inspiration from Augustus Caesar, the founder of the Roman Empire, but he's one of a very few for whom the lessons of Augustus's reign have a concrete urgency.