Death Toll Climbs as Turkish Offensive in Syria Enters 2nd Day  —  At least 16 Kurdish fighters were reported to have been killed as Turkish ground forces assaulted towns in northeastern Syria.  —  SANLIURFA, Turkey — Fighting lit up the sky early Thursday as Turkish troops pressed their air …

Trump Urged Top Aide to Help Giuliani Client Facing DOJ Charges  — Secretary of State Rex Tillerson refused to interfere in case  — 2017 episode bears hallmarks of Trump approach to Ukraine call  —  President Donald Trump pressed then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to help persuade …

The House Can Play Hardball, Too.  It Can Arrest Giuliani.  —  Two ways that Democrats in the House can match the White House's aggressive tactics.  —  Josh Chafetz is the author of “Congress's Constitution.”  —  In his letter to House leadership, the White House counsel, Pat Cipollone …

Read the whistleblower's memo about Trump's Ukraine call, as described to CBS News  —  Washington — CBS News has learned the full contents of what appears to be a memo written by the whistleblower one day after President Trump spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in July.

Fox News Poll: Record support for Trump impeachment  —  Just over half of voters want President Trump impeached and removed from office, according to a Fox News Poll released Wednesday.  —  A new high of 51 percent wants Trump impeached and removed from office, another 4 percent want him impeached …

The 'I'm rubber, you're glue' presidency: Trump turns to schoolyard taunts in impeachment battle  —  The Debrief: An occasional series offering a reporter's insights  —  After House Democrats launched an impeachment inquiry into President Trump, the Oval Office occupant countered with a creative offer of his own: Impeach me?

Trump warns McConnell about disloyal Republicans  —  Washington (CNN)Even as the White House appears to settle on the legal tactics to stave off Democrats' impeachment demands, uncertainty and unease over Trump's messaging approach remains high among his Republican allies, who see the ever-growing inquiry consuming the White House.

Ousted Ukraine envoy expected to testify in impeachment probe despite White House vow not to cooperate, congressional aides say  —  Congressional investigators expect that Marie Yovanovitch, the former ambassador to Ukraine, will appear as planned for a Friday deposition in the House's ongoing …

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez spends $300 on hairdo at Last Tangle Salon in Washington, D.C.  —  Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has allowed life in Washington to go to her head — literally.  —  The self-declared socialist, who regularly rails against the rich and complains about the cost …

George Conway and other prominent conservatives call for ‘expeditious’ impeachment probe  —  More than a dozen prominent conservative lawyers, including George T. Conway III, offered their legal reasoning for an “expeditious” impeachment probe into President Trump, creating a document they hope …

Dear Republicans, Is This the Idol to Whom You Have Sold Your Souls?  —  In the past few weeks, Donald Trump has gone from saying that no, he didn't collude with a foreign dictatorship to interfere with the U.S. election, to doing it on live TV, asking the government of China to investigate Joe Biden and his son, for no clear reason.

Matt Drudge, an influential figure in conservative media, sours on Trump as he faces impeachment  —  New York (CNN Business)President Donald Trump, facing an ever-deepening scandal that threatens to swallow his presidency, appears to have lost a key ally in conservative media: The Drudge Report.

Apple Removes App That Tracked Hong Kong Police  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Apple removed an app late Wednesday that enabled protesters in Hong Kong to track police, a day after facing intense criticism from Chinese state media for it, plunging the technology giant deeper into the complicated politics …

Bernie Sanders Says He Knew of Heart Attack Three Days Before Disclosing It  —  “I think we did it appropriately and did it as quickly as we could,” Mr. Sanders said.  “No apologies.”  —  Bernie Sanders acknowledged on Wednesday that he knew he had suffered a heart attack three days …

Trump is in free fall.  We need insights on his fitness from Mattis, Kelly and others.  Now.  —  With the future of our constitutional order in the balance, don't they have an obligation to speak the truth and inform the public about Trump?  —  CONNECT  —  The president of the United States …

Impeached and re-elected  —  It's looking more likely by the day that President Trump will be impeached by the House for his dealings with Ukraine.  But if he is acquitted by the Senate — and then goes on to win a second term — Democrats will face a predicament neither party has confronted in U.S. history.

Farewell, Tomahawk Chop!  —  The Daily Caller reports on the latest victory for political correctness: “Braves Axe ‘Tomahawk Chop’ During Game Five After Complaint From Cardinal With Cherokee Heritage.” … Axing the tomahawk didn't do the Braves much good tonight, as they lost to the St. Louis Cardinals 13-1.

Trump Campaign Sees Impeachment Motivating Base  —  Advisers hope investigation will fire up president's core supporters, but some Republicans worry about alienating independents  —  Blistering fundraising emails.  TV ads attacking Democrats.  Protests in swing congressional districts.

New poll shows ‘crisis of confidence’ in US elections  —  A year before the 2020 presidential elections, only half of Americans say they believe the vote will be conducted openly and fairly, according to a new survey that reveals a growing mistrust in the U.S. electoral system.

Yale Law School Establishes Religious-Liberty Clinic  —  I'm very pleased to learn that Yale law school has established a for-course-credit Free Exercise Clinic, under the direction of Professor Kate Stith.  Michael Helfand, a visiting professor from Pepperdine law school, will also lead the course.

Note to Republicans: Trump will betray you just like he betrayed the Kurds  —  In The Art of the Deal, President Trump presents his deal making — by which he means his avarice and swindling — as an artistic enterprise.  “Deals are my art form,” he writes in his best-selling book that he didn't write.

Trump defends diplomat's wife who killed teenage Briton in crash: 'We've all done it'  —  Donald Trump has defended the wife of a US diplomat who killed a British teenager in a road accident, suggesting it is difficult to drive on the other side of the road and that “we've all done it”.  —  More follows...

Russia Couldn't Stop This Putin Critic.  Now It Has a New Tactic.  —  MOSCOW — After trying to silence Aleksei A. Navalny by jailing him, accusing him of money laundering and searching the homes and offices of his supporters nationwide, the Russian authorities on Wednesday took yet …