The Mueller Investigation Nears the Worst Case Scenario  —  WE ARE DEEP into the worst case scenarios.  But as new sentencing memos for Trump associates Paul Manafort and Michael Cohen make all too clear, the only remaining question is how bad does the actual worst case scenario get?

Ex-FBI Director James Comey exasperated after closed-door interview on Capitol Hill  —  (CNN)Former FBI Director James Comey, after facing aggressive questioning from members of Congress on Friday, expressed exasperation that he had been dragged to a private setting on Capitol Hill …

Self-professed neo-Nazi James A. Fields Jr. convicted of first-degree murder in car-ramming that killed one, injured dozens  —  CHARLOTTESVILLE — An avowed supporter of neo-Nazi beliefs who took part in the violent and chaotic white supremacist “Unite the Right” rally in this city last year …

VA secretary praised Confederate president as a “martyr to ‘The Lost Cause’” in 1995 speech  —  (CNN)Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie praised Confederate States President Jefferson Davis effusively in a 1995 speech, calling him a “martyr to ‘The Lost Cause’” and an “exceptional man in an exceptional age.”

Trump leans on McConnell to vote on criminal justice reform  —  President Donald Trump pressured Senate Majority Leader Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Friday to pass criminal justice reform, hoping to push a reluctant McConnell to put it on the floor during a crowded lame duck session.

Ammon Bundy Is Quitting The Militia Movement After Breaking With Trump On Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric  —  For more than six years Ammon Bundy and his family amassed hundreds of followers and supporters willing to pick up a gun at a moment's notice and rally to their side for a confrontation with the federal government.

Vice Chair of Bladen County Board of Elections abruptly resigns  —  The election scandal engulfing North Carolina's 9th district, where Republican Mark Harris leads Democrat Dan McCready by 905 votes, took an unusual turn on Friday night.  Jens Lutz, the Vice Chair of the Bladen County Board …

Rex Tillerson makes rare public appearance in Houston  —  Russia interfered with the 2016 U.S. elections, former Secretary of State and Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson said during a Thursday evening visit to Houston.  —  Making his first public appearance in nearly nine months …

Access Journalism Must Die  —  In the Atlantic today, Elaina Plott published what she described as a piece about “why it's so annoying when people sneer at so-called ‘access journalism.’” She went there, folks.  —  Plott's piece is a defense of access journalism by way of praising Richard Ben Cramer's book What it Takes.

Virginia Teacher Fired after Refusing to Call Trans Student by Preferred Pronoun  —  A Virginia high-school teacher was fired on Thursday after refusing to address a transgender student by the student's preferred pronoun.  —  The school board of the West Point Consolidated School District …

Mattis Erupts Over Niger Inquiry and Army Revisits Who Is to Blame  —  WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Jim Mattis was livid last month when he summoned top military officials to a video conference at the Pentagon to press them about an investigation into a 2017 ambush in Niger that killed four Americans on a Green Beret team.

Academic Stabbed to Death for ‘Insulting Mohammed’ During Lecture  —  An Irish lecturer was stabbed to death by a student outside the Paris university where he taught on Wednesday for allegedly insulting the prophet Mohammed by displaying a drawing of him during class.

“They're All Too Old”: Democrats Face a Generational Reckoning  —  The choice in the 2020 primary ultimately comes down to one thing: who is best prepared to beat Trump at a time when Trump owns the culture?  Someone who actually understands culture would be a start.

I'm So Sorry to Report that Ted Cruz's New Beard Looks Great  —  I have no particular fondness for this subject and it brings me no pleasure to cover it.  But as a truth-seeking journalist, I feel I must write what follows: Sen. Ted Cruz's new beard looks great.