Judge voids Paul Manafort plea deal, says he ‘intentionally’ lied to the FBI, special counsel and grand jury  —  Washington (CNN)Paul Manafort, President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman, lied to special counsel Robert Mueller, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.

Trump's DHS Guts Task Forces Protecting Elections From Foreign Meddling  —  “It's very curious why the leadership has not committed resources to prepare for the 2020 election,” one DHS official tells The Daily Beast.  —  Two teams of federal officials assembled to fight foreign election interference …

Trump Puts Best Face on Border Deal, as Aides Try to Assuage an Angry Right  —  WASHINGTON — In pursuit of a wall, President Trump ran into one.  A single-minded drive to force Congress to finance his signature campaign promise has left Mr. Trump right back where he started …

House Votes to Halt Aid for Saudi Arabia's War in Yemen  —  WASHINGTON — The House voted on Wednesday to end American military assistance for Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen, a defiant and rare move to curtail presidential war powers that underscored anger with President Trump's unflagging support …

Daughter and son-in-law of AG nominee leaving the Justice Department  —  Washington (CNN)The Barr family business is breaking up.  —  As William Barr, President Donald Trump's attorney general nominee, awaits a Senate vote to confirm his move to the top of the Justice Department …

President Trump installed a room-sized golf simulator at White House  —  President Trump has installed a room-sized “golf simulator” game at the White House, which allows him to play virtual rounds at courses all over the world by hitting a ball into a large video screen, according to two people told about the system.

Ryan Adams Dangled Success.  Women Say They Paid a Price.  —  Several women say Adams offered to jumpstart their music careers, then pursued them sexually and in some cases retaliated when they spurned him.  He denies the claims.  —  For nearly two decades, Ryan Adams …

‘That is a ridiculous question’: Rep. Ilhan Omar's tense clash with Trump's Venezuela envoy  —  Omar attacked Elliott Abrams for abuses that U.S.-backed forces committed in Central America in the 1980s — and showed she isn't going anywhere.  —  Freshman Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) …

US says ex-intel official defected to Iran, revealed secrets  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — A former U.S. Air Force counterintelligence specialist who defected to Iran has been charged with revealing classified information to the Tehran government, including the code name and secret mission of a Pentagon program.

Jill Abramson Plagiarized My Writing.  So I Interviewed Her About It  —  When journalist Jake Malooley talked to the former New York Times executive editor, she admitted only to minor mistakes — but her responses were revealing  —  Last Wednesday, I was on assignment at a high school basketball game …

Kansas lawmakers sponsor bill calling same-sex marriages ‘parody’  —  The House chamber at the Statehouse in Topeka  —  A handful of Kansas lawmakers are backing a bill that labels same-sex marriages “parody marriages” and seeks to stop the state from recognizing them.

‘Whistleblower’ seeks protection after sounding alarm over White House security clearances  —  Tricia Newbold says her supervisor “repeatedly mishandled security files and has approved unwarranted security clearances.”  —  Specialist in White House security clearance office suspended without pay

Kamala Harris Was Accused of Lying About Listening to Tupac and Snoop Dogg.  The Truth Is More Complicated.  —  It began as a lighthearted moment.  Senator Kamala Harris, the California Democrat and former prosecutor who announced her presidential candidacy last month …

Rep. Adam Kinzinger deployed to active duty on southern border  —  Washington (CNN)Rep. Adam Kinzinger is being deployed to the southern border with an Air Force National Guard Unit, according to a statement by his communications director.  —  “Earlier this week, Congressman Kinzinger …

Kevin McCarthy on deleted tweet about Bloomberg, Steyer and Soros: ‘That had nothing to do about faith’  —  House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Wednesday defended a now-deleted tweet that Michael Bloomberg, Tom Steyer and George Soros were trying to “buy” November's midterm elections …

Michael Avenatti accused of hiding millions of dollars from bankruptcy court  —  Michael Avenatti hid millions of dollars from the court overseeing his law firm's bankruptcy and used much of the money for personal compensation, a former partner alleges in new court records.

Prime Time Sports forced to close, after removing Nike apparel from store  —  COLORADO SPRINGS - After more than 20 years in business, Prime Time Sports Owner Stephen Martin says he can't afford his monthly lease anymore at Chapel Hills Mall.  —  On Monday, staff hung 40% off signs all over the store.

Lyndon LaRouche, Cult Figure Who Ran for President 8 Times, Dies at 96  —  Lyndon LaRouche, the quixotic, apocalyptic leader of a cultlike political organization who ran for president eight times, once from a prison cell, died on Tuesday.  He was 96.  —  His death was announced on the website of his organization, La Rouche/Pac.

Who is Richard Burr, Really?  Why the public can't trust his voice in the Russia probe  —  On the same day that Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) officially joined the Trump campaign as a senior national security advisor, the U.S. intelligence community released a statement that the Kremlin was trying to interfere in the election.

O'Rourke meets with Schumer to discuss 2020 Senate bid  —  Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer met with former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke last week to discuss a possible 2020 Senate campaign against GOP Sen. John Cornyn, according to a source familiar with the meeting.

Investigation finds no evidence of ‘racist or offensive statements’ by Covington Catholic students during Lincoln Memorial incident  —  An investigation released Wednesday into an encounter between Covington Catholic High School students and Native American activists at the Lincoln Memorial …

Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh eyewitness accounts of the incident involving Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Publisher John Robinson Block  —  After much careful consideration, the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh has decided to release some of the eyewitness accounts of the incident involving Pittsburgh …

Manafort-Linked PAC Failed To Report $1 Million And The FEC Wants To Know Why  —  A super PAC closely linked to Paul Manafort is facing FEC scrutiny over why it failed to report a $1 million contribution received just before the 2016 presidential election.  —  In a Tuesday letter …

An unlikely Washington love story: Debbie Dingell on her 38-year marriage to John Dingell  —  He called her “The Lovely Deborah” or, when he was annoyed or impatient, “Woman.”  She called him “Honey” or just “John Dingell.”  —  Debbie and John Dingell lived a Washington love story for 38 years.