‘It feels like a horror movie’: Republicans feel anxious and adrift defending Trump  —  Republican senators are lost and adrift as the impeachment inquiry enters its second month, navigating the grave threat to President Trump largely in the dark, frustrated by the absence of a credible case …

Former US Senator Kay Hagan dead at 66 after three-year battle with encephalitis  —  Former U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan, a one-time Capitol Hill intern who went on to become North Carolina's first Democratic female U.S. senator, died Monday at her Greensboro home.  She was 66.

‘Special breed of courageous’: Delta Force operator hails valor of military dog wounded in Baghdadi raid  —  Though no U.S. forces were killed in the Saturday evening raid that led to the death of an ISIS leader, one military working dog suffered severe injuries in the line of duty.

Dissent Erupts at Facebook Over Hands-Off Stance on Political Ads  —  In an open letter, the social network's employees said letting politicians post false claims in ads was “a threat” to the company.  —  SAN FRANCISCO — The letter was aimed at Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's chief executive, and his top lieutenants.

I Don't Understand Jokes or Context  —  Washington Nationals fans chanted “lock him up” when Donald Trump appeared at Game 5 of the World Series on Sunday Night.  —  As a prominent media figure—like MSNBC host Joe Scarborough and author-pundit Ron Fournier—I find this alarming and offensive.

Greg Walden to retire in latest sign of GOP doubts about retaking House  —  Rep. Greg Walden, the top Republican on the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee, will retire at the end of this Congress — the latest sign that Republicans see a struggle to retake the House in 2020.

White House told in May of Ukraine President Zelenskiy's concerns about Giuliani, Sondland  —  The White House was alerted earlier than previously reported that Giuliani's pressure campaign was rattling the new Ukrainian president, say two sources.  —  KYIV — The White House was alerted …

Trump team's search for impeachment strategist narrows to one candidate  —  The White House is moving closer to hiring a communications specialist this week to bolster its impeachment strategy and messaging, with former top Treasury aide Tony Sayegh now as the leading contender.

G/O Media Tells Deadspin Staff in Leaked Memo: Stick to Sports  —  Sports—and sports alone—must be “the sole focus” of the website, new management said Monday in a memo obtained by The Daily Beast.  —  Deadspin's new bosses have issued an order to the website: Do not cover anything other than sports.

What's Left of Condé Nast Two years after Si Newhouse died (and Graydon Carter left), Anna Wintour and a new CEO map out the future they can afford.  —  “It's dreadful,” Anna Wintour said in early October, looking out the south-facing windows of her 25th-floor office in One World Trade Center …

Trump Explored Cutting Grants for Schools Tied to Erdogan Foe  — One of Trump's earliest attempts to appeal to Turkish leader  — Giuliani sought Gulen extradition, was on call about schools  —  Early in his presidency, Donald Trump's White House explored whether the U.S …

AFTER CATCH AND KILL FALLOUT, FORMER FOX NEWS STAFFERS DEMAND TO BE RELEASED FROM THEIR NDAS  —  NBC News, attempting to do damage control, says it will release former employees from nondisclosure agreements if they want to speak up about sexual misconduct at the network.

Don't die on that Katie Hill, she's just another #MeToo story  —  Despite its tabloid treatment, the story of Katie Hill is a tragedy.  But make no mistake, she's still a villain.  —  The Democratic congresswoman from California, who announced her resignation yesterday, is no ordinary victim of slut-shaming.

Facebook allows prominent right-wing website to break the rules  —  The Daily Wire, the right-wing website founded by pundit Ben Shapiro, is a cesspool of misogyny, bigotry, and misinformation.  Its toxic content is also fantastically successful on Facebook, with each story reaching more people than any other major media outlet.

Barr defends Durham probe, rips Comey FBI for ‘failure of leadership’  —  EXCLUSIVE — Attorney General Bill Barr, in an interview with Fox News, defended the independence and integrity of the politically contentious probe being led by U.S. Attorney John Durham into the handling of the Russia investigation …

Ukrainian Oligarch Seethed About ‘Overlord’ Biden for Years  —  Dmytro Firtash's lawyers say his team had to investigate Joe Biden to defend their client.  One expert says Biden pushed reforms that cost the oligarch up to $400 million per year.  —  Indicted Ukrainian gas oligarch Dmytro Firtash spent …

Google Misled Employees About A New Staffer's Family Separation Background At DHS  —  Google executives misled their own employees last week when they said a former top Department of Homeland Security official who had recently joined the company was “not involved in the family separation policy …