Pence: I Participated in the Ukraine Plot But Only As a Patsy  —  Vice-President Mike Pence is knee-deep in the Ukraine scandal.  He is floating the absurd defense that, while he did participate in Trump's plan to extort Ukraine into investigating Joe Biden, he was completely ignorant of what he was doing.

When the Story Is Written, the Whistleblower Will Just Be an Afterthought  —  How Much Does the Whistleblower Really Matter?  —  Here's an assessment sure to be unpopular: When the story of the impeachment effort against President Trump is written, the whistleblower will be an afterthought …

Republican senators echoed Biden in urging Ukrainian president to reform prosecutor general's office  —  (CNN)A newly unearthed letter from 2016 shows that Republican senators pushed for reforms to Ukraine's prosecutor general's office and judiciary, echoing calls then-Vice President Joe Biden made at the time.

Perilous times for President Trump: By 45%-38%, Americans support impeaching him over allegations related to Ukraine, poll finds  —  From the moment Donald Trump became a national political figure, he has been cloaked in controversy and shadowed by investigations.

Unfit for Office  —  On a third-down play last season, the Washington Redskins quarterback Alex Smith stood in shotgun formation, five yards behind the line of scrimmage.  As he called his signals, a Houston Texans cornerback, Kareem Jackson, suddenly sprinted forward from a position four yards behind the defensive line.

Trump's video taken off Twitter after band Nickelback complains  —  US president receives copyright censure over video that took aim at political rival Joe Biden  —  A video posted by Donald Trump has been removed from Twitter following a copyright claim by the rock band Nickelback.

Odd markings, ellipses fuel doubts about the ‘rough transcript’ of Trump's Ukraine call  —  President Trump said Wednesday that his controversial July call with his Ukrainian counterpart was transcribed “word-for-word, comma-for-comma,” an assertion that fueled growing questions about the nature …

‘Circus Trump’: What that White House news conference looked like to the Finns  —  Wednesday's roller coaster news conference with President Trump and Finnish President Sauli Niinisto elicited ridicule and some concern in Finland, where many celebrated their leader on Thursday for enduring …

Why Kamala Harris Is Struggling to Find Her Footing  —  Sometimes Kamala Harris wakes up in the middle of the night because there's something on her mind.  Did anybody get back to so-and-so?  How is my stepdaughter adjusting to her apartment in New York City?

Book Alleging Biden Corruption in Ukraine Lifted Passages From Wikipedia  —  In more than a dozen instances, Peter Schweizer's book “Secret Empires” appears to have copied complete sentences or large parts of them from other sources.  —  A book that has fueled corruption allegations …

For the last time, Trump's every move is brilliant and calculated  —  “There are different ways to bake the cake, depending on what sort of cake you want.  Different flavoring, different temperatures, different ingredients yield different types of cake, and the president as the master baker …

Giuliani consulted on Ukraine with imprisoned Paul Manafort via a lawyer  —  In his quest to rewrite the history of the 2016 election, President Trump's personal attorney has turned to an unusual source of information: Trump's imprisoned former campaign chairman Paul Manafort.

Trump Is Going to Burn Down Everything and Everyone, and Republicans, That Means You  —  That press conference was terrifying.  And congressional Republicans should be more afraid than anyone.  Trump's going down and taking them with him.  —  BEAST INSIDE

Matt Lieberman, son of former VP nominee, runs for Senate in Georgia  —  Matt Lieberman, an entrepreneur who is the son of former U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman, became the first Democrat to enter the race for retiring Republican Johnny Isakson's seat on Thursday with a promise to be a voice for frustrated Georgians.

The Senate: Ratings Changes and the Shadow of Impeachment  —  KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE  — Nationalization is an increasingly important trend in American election outcomes.  It's hard to think of a more nationalizing issue than a presidential impeachment.

If Republicans Ever Turn On Trump, It'll Happen All At Once  —  In the House, Democrats are inching ever closer to impeaching President Trump.  Some are even pushing for drafting articles of impeachment by Thanksgiving and, potentially, sending proceedings to the Senate by early next year.

Whistlegate Reveals Some Very Chatty Minders of State Secrets  —  Above, an old wartime poster's warning against unguarded talk.  Loose lips likely played a role in the current CIA “whistleblower” uproar.  (Wikimedia)  —  As Democrats in Congress assess a CIA analyst's “whistleblower” …

Campa-Najjar and DeMaio lead in new 50th Congressional District poll  —  A new poll of likely voters in the crowded and widely watched 50th Congressional District race shows indicted incumbent Duncan Hunter facing an uphill climb to re-election, trailing three candidates.

Trump wanted to have U.S. forces equipped with bayonets to stop migrants at border, among other ideas, officials say  —  President Trump told aides last year he wanted U.S. forces with bayonets to block people from crossing into the United States across the Mexico border …

Facebook says Trump can lie in his Facebook ads  —  Last week, Facebook quietly changed the language of its advertising policies to make it easier for politicians to lie in ads.  —  On Tuesday, the Trump campaign launched a new ad on Facebook, which includes a claim that was ruled false by Facebook-approved third-party fact-checkers.

The New Way To Hack Democracy: The Political Operatives Who Fake Voter Outrage With Millions Of Made-Up Comments  —  Sarah Reeves sat on her couch in Eugene, Oregon, staring at her laptop screen in furious disbelief.  She was reading the website of a government agency, where her mother appeared …