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 …

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.

‘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.) …

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.

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 …

‘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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

CNN town hall with Howard Schultz finishes 3rd in ratings race  —  CNN's town hall Tuesday night with former Starbucks CEO and possible independent presidential candidate Howard Schultz finished third in the cable news ratings race, according to early numbers from Nielsen Media Research.

Bill Would Make Online Access to Federal Court Records Free  —  ATLANTA (CN) — House lawmakers introduced a bipartisan bill Wednesday that would remove online paywalls and make federal court records free to the public.  —  PACER, as the Public Access to Court Electronic Records system is otherwise known …

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.

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.

Israel Says It Wants ‘War with Iran’ and Is Meeting with Arab Countries to ‘Advance’ It  —  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed his desire to go to war with Iran, and said he was meeting with dozens of foreign envoys, including those from the Arab world, in order to push the initiative forward.

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.