Elijah E. Cummings, Powerful Democrat Who Investigated Trump, Dies at 68  —  A son of sharecroppers, he fought tirelessly for his hometown of Baltimore and became a key figure in the impeachment investigation of President Trump.  —  Representative Elijah E. Cummings, a son of sharecroppers …

Rick Perry Called Rudy Giuliani at Trump's Direction on Ukraine Concerns  —  President's lawyer said Ukraine had worked to hurt Trump in 2016 election, energy secretary says in interview  —  WASHINGTON—Energy Secretary Rick Perry said he sought out Rudy Giuliani this spring …

Turkish president Erdogan 'threw Trump's Syria letter in bin'  —  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan put US President Donald Trump's letter “in the bin”, the BBC has been told.  —  In the letter dated 9 October, and sent after US troops were pulled out of Syria, Mr Trump told Mr Erdogan: “Don't be a tough guy.

“There Is Definite Hanky-Panky Going On”: The Fantastically Profitable Mystery of the Trump Chaos Trades  —  The president's talk can move markets—and it's made some futures traders billions.  Did they know what he was going to say before he said it?  —  In the last 10 minutes of trading …

Trump's Impeachment Blockade Crumbles as Witnesses Agree to Talk  —  After vowing not to cooperate with a “kangaroo court,” the president has largely failed to prevent current and former administration members from spending hours with Democrats seeking to impeach him.

McConnell eyes quick impeachment trial in Senate  —  Senate Republicans are preparing for a speedy impeachment trial that concludes before the end of the year.  —  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told Senate Republicans on Wednesday that he expects Speaker Nancy Pelosi to approve articles …

Elizabeth Warren is failing the commander in chief test  —  It should be obvious this week that the United States needs a president who has the foreign policy chops to speak clearly about the United States' role in the world and has a real plan to keep our country safe.

Day 1,000 of the Trump presidency: ‘I think now we have to pray...’  —  Wednesday was the 1,000th day of Donald Trump's presidency.  He spent it the usual way, by saying unusual things.  —  “It's a lot of sand,” Trump said.  —  He was sitting in the Oval Office next to the president of Italy …

The Republican political operatives who call the shots at Facebook  —  This is the online version of the Popular Information newsletter.  You can get independent accountability journalism in your inbox every week.  Sign up here:  —  Subscribe  —  In recent months, Facebook …

Blood fills Iowa family's basement  —  (WHO/NBC News) What sounds like a scene from a horror film is reality for the Lestina family of Bagley, Iowa.  —  Nick Lestina and his family of seven were getting ready to put their house on the market until their basement was flooded with animal blood.

Things Aren't Getting Better for 2020's Most Vulnerable Senate Republicans  —  Five vulnerable Republicans see declines in net approval  —  Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) delivers remarks during a weekly Capitol Hill news conference on June 25.  The latest Morning Consult Senator Approval Rankings found …

Giuliani Ukraine associate had checkered past even before indictment  —  On Oct. 25, 2008, the owner of a property in Florida in which Lev Parnas had been living told Parnas to leave.  When the men began to argue and the owner told Parnas he would call the police, Parnas told the man …

“Is This Real?”:  Trump Sends Third-Grade Reading-Level Letter to Erdoğan  —  The president crosses the line from pretty crazy to clinically insane.  —  Donald Trump has said or done something certifiably insane nearly every day of his presidency.  And not like, “This guy's a little kooky” …

Inside TurboTax's 20-Year Fight to Stop Americans From Filing Their Taxes for Free  —  ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power.  Sign up for ProPublica's Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox as soon as they are published.