Trump's Russia Director To Leave National Security Council Amid Impeachment Inquiry  —  Tim Morrison, the top Russia official on President Trump's National Security Council who is scheduled to testify in the impeachment inquiry on Thursday, is expected to leave his White House post imminently …

Kamala Harris to slash staff, restructure campaign as she hemorrhages cash  —  Kamala Harris is dramatically restructuring her campaign by redeploying staffers to Iowa and laying off dozens of aides at her Baltimore headquarters, according to campaign sources and a memo obtained Wednesday by POLITICO …

Why I Haven't Gone Back to SCOTUS Since Kavanaugh  —  Some things are worth not getting over.  — Unbelievable and Know My Name Show the Harm a Sexual Assault Investigation Can Do to a Survivor  —  It's been just over a year since I sat in the hearing room and watched the final act of Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing.

Trump judicial nominee breaks into tears in hearing over scathing finding that he's ‘arrogant, lazy’ and ‘an ideologue’  —  Lawrence J.C. VanDyke openly wept on Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee as he was confronted with a blistering review from the American Bar Association …

Twitter Says It Will Ban All Political Ads  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Jack Dorsey, Twitter's chief executive, said on Wednesday that the social media service would ban political ads on its platform, in a stark contrast to rival Facebook, which has faced blowback for taking a hands-off approach to political advertising.

Trump tweeted a photo of a Medal of Honor recipient — who was edited out and replaced by a dog  —  In a somber White House ceremony in July 2017, President Trump draped the Medal of Honor around the neck of James McCloughan.  He was credited with saving the lives of 10 men in a brutal …

USA TODAY/Suffolk Poll: Biden's lead over Warren narrows in a turbulent Democratic field  —  Susan Page Savannah Behrmann Jeanine SantucciUSA TODAY  —  WASHINGTON — Former vice president Joe Biden continues to lead a turbulent field for the Democratic presidential nomination …

Tulsi Gabbard Drops a Big Hint About Running a Spoiler Campaign for Trump  —  “Hillary Clinton emerged recently to claim, with no basis in fact, that I am being ‘groomed’ by the Russian government to undermine America,” claims Tulsi Gabbard in a Wall Street Journal op-ed today.

Jeffrey Epstein's Autopsy ‘Points to Homicide,’ Not Suicide, Pathologist Claims  —  The pathologist hired by Mr. Epstein's brother said evidence suggested strangulation.  The authorities disputed the claim.  —  A forensic pathologist hired by Jeffrey Epstein's brother claimed on Wednesday …

Republicans shoot down White House plan to install Cuccinelli atop DHS  —  Republican senators are warning President Donald Trump that he cannot legally appoint immigration hard-liner Ken Cuccinelli to lead the Department of Homeland Security.  —  The White House and DHS lawyers, however …

Alexander Vindman should be celebrated, not smeared  —  Michael McFaul is director of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and a Hoover senior fellow at Stanford University and a contributing columnist to The Post.  He is the author of “From Cold War to Hot Peace: An American Ambassador in Putin's Russia.”

One Of Erdogan's Biggest Allies Contributed To Ilhan Omar's Campaign  — An official with a Turkish-American advocacy group contributed $1,500 to Rep. Ilhan Omar last month, campaign records show. … - Omar was scrutinized over votes she cast Tuesday that are seen as favorable to the Turkish government.

Nancy Pelosi's Predictions for Impeachment  —  Nancy Pelosi wants you to know that the House Democratic leadership has not committed to impeaching President Donald Trump—notwithstanding the muscle she's thrown behind the inquiry, or tomorrow's vote on how its next stage will proceed.

Katie Hill's Estranged Husband Claimed To His Parents He Was Hacked Before Nude Pictures Of Her Were Published Online  —  Kenny Heslep told his parents he had been hacked.  Weeks before the nude pictures of Rep. Katie Hill were published, he asked a local podcaster if he wanted “the whole story.”

Trump caused Murray Energy's bankruptcy  —  A revelation from the largest private coal company's bankruptcy filing.  —  Welcome to HEATED, a newsletter for people who are pissed off about the climate crisis—written by me, Emily Atkin.  —  If you've been forwarded this email, you can sign up for your own subscription here:

Ex-gays descend upon D.C. to lobby against LGBTQ rights  —  Despite federal hate crimes data and academic research to the contrary, the “formers” question the existence of anti-LGBTQ discrimination.  —  A group of people from across the country who formerly identified as gay and transgender …

Reading Scores on National Exam Decline in Half the States  —  The results of the test, which assesses a sample of fourth- and eighth-grade students, will inevitably prompt demands for policy change.  —  WASHINGTON — America's fourth and eighth graders are losing ground in their ability …

Senate blocks effort to roll back Trump administration's ObamaCare rule  —  The Senate on Wednesday rejected a Democratic effort to roll back a Trump administration rule that allows states to ignore parts of ObamaCare.  —  Senators voted 43-52 on the resolution, falling short of the simple majority needed to pass the chamber.

The New York Times is right.  D.C. is a terrible place.  —  The one downside of the fact that the Nationals (hurrah for our brave boys!) are in the World Series is that now the New York Times is trying to inform its readers about this curious hamlet with few restaurants and less culture in which the team plays.