Justice Dept. Is Said to Open Criminal Inquiry Into Its Own Russia Investigation  —  The move is likely to open the attorney general to accusations that he is trying to deliver a political victory for President Trump.  —  WASHINGTON — For more than two years, President Trump has repeatedly attacked …

White House official expected to back up diplomat's testimony over Trump push for Ukraine probe into Bidens  —  Why the ‘quid pro quo’ defense may not matter  —  (CNN)Tim Morrison, a top Russia and Europe adviser on President Donald Trump's National Security Council, is expected to testify …

Mahalo, Hawaiʻi  —  I am so grateful.  —  Grateful to call Hawaiʻi home; grateful for our people and the spirit of aloha that binds us all together; and grateful for our precious 'āina, beautiful oceans, and towering mountains.  —  Most of all, I'm grateful to all of you …

Could Lindsey Graham be any more obsequious?  —  It was another sad milestone in the decline of John McCain's faithful sidekick into President Trump's Lickspittle Lindsey.  —  Not quite two weeks ago, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) vowed to be Trump's “worst nightmare” and called the Syria pullout …

Vulnerable Senate Republicans Shrink From Defending Trump  —  Senate Republicans up for re-election in 2020, fearful of straying too far from Mr. Trump yet at pains to defend him, have adopted a strategy of saying as little as possible.  —  WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans facing steep re …

Scoop: “Anonymous” to expose private Trump conversations  —  The anonymous “senior Trump administration official” who will release a tell-all book, “A Warning,” next month was a frequent participant in meetings with President Trump and plans to recount specific conversations, sources tell me.

Giuliani probe snowballs  —  Rudy Giuliani's problems keep piling up.  —  His responsibilities are shrinking as Donald Trump's TV-friendly personal attorney.  His efforts to dig up dirt on the president's political opponents have landed his highest-profile client in a congressional impeachment investigation.

‘Powerful woman’ Kellyanne Conway mocks and threatens reporter for mentioning her husband (AUDIO)  —  Top White House aide Kellyanne Conway, describing herself as “a powerful woman,” aggressively and disparagingly told a female reporter that it was improper to write about her husband …

Russia has earned its success in the Middle East — partly thanks to Trump  —  It's heretical to say so, but Russia has earned its current success in the Middle East.  It's using the same mix of military and diplomatic tools that made the United States dominant in the region for so many decades.

On “Human Scum” and Trump in the Danger Zone  —  After Ambassador William Taylor's testimony, the President is freaking out about impeachment.  —  At 1:48 p.m. on October 23rd, Donald Trump posted a tweet that, in any other political moment, would be a strong contender for the worst public statement ever …

POLITICO to partner with PBS NewsHour to host December Democratic debate  —  POLITICO is partnering with PBS NewsHour to host the sixth Democratic presidential primary debate, set to take place at the University of California, Los Angeles, on Dec. 19.  —  To participate in the debate …

Rand Paul: Is Quid Pro Quo the Status Quo?  —  Isn't all foreign aid supposed to be quid pro quo?  —  We give you this aid — on the expectation that you will not steal any of it for personal use, that you will spend it as we instruct, and on the understanding that if you don't spend the money …

Revenge porn is being used to smear and discredit a sitting Congresswoman  —  Katie Hill may not be a perfect victim, but posting a naked photo of her in retaliation is a rightwing smear campaign  —  The conservative website Red State published revenge porn of a sitting congresswoman last week.

Scoop: The West Wing's impeachment war room  —  Top Trump officials have quietly created a de facto impeachment war room, with a chief goal of policing and solidifying Republican Senate support for acquittal.  —  What's happening: Most senior officials in the White House recognized quickly …

Snuff out flavored tobacco products: Close a loophole that endangers many lives, especially kids'  —  All my years of public service to New York taught me one indisputable fact: It's all about the kids.  Everything we do, all the laws and changes government makes, must keep the next generation in mind.

3 Women Confronted Harvey Weinstein at a New York City Club  —  Three women say they confronted Harvey Weinstein at a performance he attended last night at a New York City bar.  In the wake of the encounter, they claim they were heckled, laughed at, and eventually asked to leave.

Morrissey is anti-immigrant and backs a white nationalist political party.  Why don't fans care?  —  For years, when professor Melissa Mora Hidalgo wasn't teaching classes at Cal State Fullerton or UC San Diego, the Los Angeles-based culture writer could often be found on stages throughout the region …

The Fall of WeWork: How a Startup Darling Came Unglued  —  The cliff dive has little precedent, even in the boom-and-bust world of venture capital  —  Just months before the spectacular fall of WeWork, one of the country's most gilded startups, chief executive Adam Neumann summoned the heads …

The 2010s Have Broken Our Sense Of Time  —  The rhythms of American life changed in the 2010s.  How everything from TV to Trump to Instagram messed with your head just enough that time feels like it melted.  —  This is one of those places you go for Instagram.

First on CNN: Democratic rising star Rep. Katie Porter plans to endorse Elizabeth Warren  —  Lawmaker: I've graded law students.  Trump gets an ‘F’  —  (CNN)Democratic Rep. Katie Porter of California, a first-term lawmaker who has gained wide notice for her forceful grilling of corporate executives …

Turkey's Erdogan calls on U.S. to hand over top Kurdish commander  —  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told state TV on Thursday that the U.S. should hand over Syrian Democratic Forces commander Mazloum Kobani Abdi, calling him a “wanted terrorist” with an Interpol red notice.

George Soros Has Enemies.  He's Fine With That.  —  In an interview, Mr. Soros explained why he thinks the tide is turning back to “globalists” like him and what might happen in the 2020 election.  —  George Soros is a billionaire philanthropist, a former currency trader, a liberal champion and — in certain circles — a boogeyman.

ACLU says 1,500 more migrant children were taken from parents by the Trump administration  —  The American Civil Liberties Union said Thursday that the Trump administration separated 1,556 more immigrant children from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border than has previously been disclosed to the public.