Ex-Mercenary CEO Erik Prince Admits To Trump Tower Meet With Donald Jr. And Saudi Emissary  —  He said the campaign huddle focused on “Iran policy,” and suggested his congressional hearing transcript when he failed to mention it was inaccurate.  —  Erik Prince, former head of mercenary business Blackwater …

Jussie Smollett update: ‘Empire’ actor indicted on 16 felony counts by grand jury … There have been dozens of twists and turns since “Empire” start Jussie Smollett reported being attacked.  Here are some key moments from the start of this story.  —  WLS

A Florida Massage Parlor Owner Has Been Selling Chinese Execs Access to Trump at Mar-a-Lago  —  The latest Trump political donor to draw controversy is Li Yang, a 45-year-old Florida entrepreneur from China who founded a chain of spas and massage parlors that included the one where New England …

Judge: Trump administration may have to reunite thousands of additional migrant families  —  Amid public outcry over the thousands of migrant children separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to keep families together.

In Surprise Move, House Republican Releases Bruce Ohr Transcript  —  Georgia Rep. Doug Collins unilaterally released a 268-page transcript Friday of a deposition that Justice Department official Bruce Ohr gave to Congress in August.  —  Collins, the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee …

Only One Roadblock on the Road to Reform: Mitch McConnell  —  Why no vote on the House-passed ethics and election reform bill, Mr. Senate Leader?  “Because I get to decide what we vote on.”  —  The editorial board represents the opinions of the board, its editor and the publisher.

Workers suddenly have more power to demand higher pay and better jobs  —  Workers are receiving the fattest wage increases since the Great Recession as employers struggle to find enough people to fill their ranks and employees have more leverage to demand higher pay and jump to better jobs.

How Should We Talk About the Israel Lobby's Power?  —  Let's get this out of the way first: Using the phrases “all about the Benjamins” and “allegiance to a foreign country” when referring to the Israel lobby in D.C., as freshman Democratic representative Ilhan Omar recently did, is anti-Semitic.

A ‘Beat Trump’ Fervor Is Producing Big Turnouts for 2020 Democrats  —  COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa — They dragged their friends to see Bernie Sanders in Iowa.  In South Carolina, their unrelenting selfie requests made Cory Booker late.  And in New Hampshire, so many showed up at a church for an event …

6 Reasons Paul Manafort Got Off So Lightly  —  Paul Manafort, the former campaign manager for President Donald Trump, entered Virginia federal court on Thursday facing a recommended sentence of 19 to 24 years, and left with a sentence of less than four years.

Capitalism and the Democratic Party  —  The most successful economic system shouldn't be a dirty word.  —  John Hickenlooper ought to be a poster child for American capitalism.  After being laid off from his job as a geologist during the oil bust of the 1980s, he and his business partners turned …

“Trump Has Been Calling Him Bill ‘No Shine’”: Why Roger Ailes's Former Right Hand Is Leaving the West Wing  —  Sean Hannity lobbied for Shine to get the job, but things quickly soured.  “Trump needs someone to blame for his bad press,” said a former West Wing official.

She exposed Russian trolling.  Her award for her work was rescinded after she criticized Trump.  —  LONG BEFORE fears erupted in the United States about Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential campaign, Jessikka Aro, an investigative journalist in Finland, was poking around an unusual company …

Teen Fiction and the Perils of Cancel Culture  —  Readers, not a Twitter mob, should decide the fate of a book.  —  Late last month, a young man named Kosoko Jackson became the second young adult author in five weeks to pull a debut work just before it hit the shelves.

The more we learn about Brexit, the more crooked it looks  —  Elements of the 2016 British referendum campaign have long seemed familiar to Americans.  There was a close, controversial election, full of rancor and anger.  There were a lot of wealthy men talking about “the people” and their “will.”

Where Is Robert Levinson?  Inside the Secret Campaign to Find Ex-FBI Agent Who Disappeared on Mission to Iran  —  The plans were ready; the $250,000 payoff cash was committed.  On December 10, 2018, a former Air Force intelligence officer named Bob Kent was planning to board a plane in New York …

Russian Trolls Shift Strategy to Disrupt U.S. Election in 2020  — Hackers infiltrate computers to create fake social media users  — Fake accounts are used to amplify divisive messages by others  —  Russian internet trolls appear to be shifting strategy in their efforts to disrupt …

Biden eyes fundraising challenge amid new sense of urgency  —  NEW YORK (AP) — On the cusp of another White House run, Joe Biden faces a daunting challenge that could complicate his path to the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination: money.  —  Those close to the former vice president believe …

Trump budget to propose slashing domestic spending, boosting defense  —  President Trump on Monday will propose major spending cuts across a range of domestic government programs while seeking a large increase for the Pentagon, a budget plan that's already encountering withering opposition …

U.K. Dismisses EU's Brexit Concession as a ‘Disappointing’ Joke  — Andrea Leadsom says Commons could hold more votes on exit deal  — Leadsom says EU stance is pushing U.K. toward a no-deal Brexit  —  Follow @Brexit on Twitter, join our Facebook group and sign up to our Brexit Bulletin.

America's Light Bulb Revolution  —  '11  —  '12  —  '13  —  '14  —  '15  —  Percentages may not add up to 100 due to rounding.  Source: Department of Energy  —  Solar panels and wind turbines get a lot of attention, but a more inconspicuous instrument is helping …

A Trump official said seismic air gun tests don't hurt whales.  So a congressman blasted him with an air horn.  —  Rep. Joe Cunningham's stunt made a bang in a subcommittee hearing that questioned the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's decision to permit seismic testing, which harms whales.