Exclusive: US extracted top spy from inside Russia in 2017  —  Washington (CNN)In a previously undisclosed secret mission in 2017, the United States successfully extracted from Russia one of its highest-level covert sources inside the Russian government, multiple Trump administration officials with direct knowledge told CNN.

NOAA's chief scientist will investigate why agency backed Trump over its experts on Dorian, email shows  —  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration acting chief scientist said in an email to colleagues Sunday that he is investigating whether the agency's response …

How Trump's Plan to Secretly Meet With the Taliban Came Together, and Fell Apart  —  WASHINGTON — On the Friday before Labor Day, President Trump gathered top advisers in the Situation Room to consider what could be among the profound decisions of his presidency — a peace plan with the Taliban …

'Someone's Gotta Tell the Freakin' Truth': Jerry Falwell's Aides Break Their Silence  —  At Liberty University, all anyone can talk about is Jerry Falwell Jr. Just not in public.  —  “When he does stupid stuff, people will mention it to others they consider confidants and not keep it totally secret …

'It's a deceptive lead': Why Biden's rivals are planning around his big collapse  —  He continues to outdistance the rest of the Democratic primary field in most polls.  And his head-to-head numbers against President Donald Trump are stronger than anyone else's.

Mark Halperin ‘Threatened’ MSNBC Chief Phil Griffin for Nixing His Comeback  —  Sources said the disgraced political reporter became hostile in a phone chat with his ex-boss after reports emerged that MSNBC brass axed plans for Halperin to return to punditry.

Congress returns to McConnell's legislative ‘graveyard’  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Facing criticism that the Senate has become little more than what one member calls an “expensive lunch club,” Congress returns for the fall session Monday with pressure mounting on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell …

Internal Kamala Harris document acknowledges ‘Summer Slump’  —  MANCHESTER, N.H. — A briefing memo accidentally left behind at a restaurant here showed Kamala Harris' staff expected her to be grilled on her lack of presence in the state as well as her campaign's “summer slump.”

Trump heads to N.C. for House special election — and 2020 test run  —  WEDDINGTON, N.C. — The last, lingering piece of the 2018 election is about to preview the fundamental dynamic shaping the fight for the White House in 2020.  —  Tuesday's do-over election for a congressional seat marred …

The Heir  —  The empire begins with a brothel.  It stands, sturdy and square, at the heart of a gold-rush boomtown in northwest British Columbia, a monument to careful branding.  The windows of the Arctic Restaurant have no signs offering access to prostitutes—even in a lawless Yukon outpost in 1899 …

Trump Is Not Well  —  During the 2016 campaign, I received a phone call from an influential political journalist and author, who was soliciting my thoughts on Donald Trump.  Trump's rise in the Republican Party was still something of a shock, and he wanted to know the things I felt he should keep …

How Elizabeth Warren Raised Big Money Before She Denounced Big Money  —  Ms. Warren wooed wealthy donors for years, stockpiling money from fund-raisers, and has used $10.4 million from her 2018 Senate race to underwrite her 2020 bid.  —  On the highest floor of the tallest building in Boston …

On Joi and MIT  —  A couple of weeks ago, I signed a petition (the site has since been taken down, but you can see it at archive.org) expressing my support for Joi Ito.  Not unexpectedly, that signing produced anger and outrage among many, and among some of my friends.

Michigan has a smart idea for fixing gerrymandering.  Conservatives want to crush it.  —  Michigan state Rep. Dan Kildee speaks outside the Supreme Court against partisan gerrymandering on Oct. 3, 2017.  Olivier Douliery/Getty Images  —  The legal threat against independent redistricting commissions, explained.

Trump-Russia and Clinton-Libya: A Story of 2 Probes and the FBI  —  Records recently posted online by the FBI indicate that it did little to investigate allegations from private sources connected to Republicans about a scheme in which associates of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tried …

The One Thing No Israeli Wants to Discuss  —  The decisive factor in next week's election — and the reason for Benjamin Netanyahu's durability — is a repressed memory.  —  Mr. Friedman is a contributing opinion writer and the author of “Spies of No Country: Secret Lives at the Birth of Israel.”

Hong Kong tells US to stay out; students form protest chains  —  HONG KONG (AP) — Thousands of students formed human chains outside schools across Hong Kong on Monday to show solidarity to push for democratic reforms after violent weekend clashes in the semiautonomous Chinese territory.