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 …

‘Whistleblower’ Exposed: Close to Biden, Brennan, Schiff's Staff, and DNC Operative  —  For a town that leaks like a sieve, Washington has done an astonishingly effective job keeping from the American public the name of the anonymous “whistleblower” who triggered impeachment proceedings …

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 by POLITICO Wednesday …

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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.

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.

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.

Joe Biden to attend Seattle fundraiser co-hosted by Amazon general counsel  —  Former Vice President Joe Biden is scheduled to return to Seattle next month for a pair of fundraisers, including one co-hosted by Amazon general counsel David Zapolsky.  —  Biden will attend a late-afternoon reception …

Fast-moving Easy fire expands to 1,300 acres, forces thousands to flee in Simi Valley near Reagan Library  —  A large brush fire erupted in Simi Valley early Wednesday and was quickly burning toward neighborhoods, triggering mandatory evacuations amid strong Santa Ana winds.

Mulvaney was left in the dark on al-Baghdadi operation  —  President Trump's acting chief of staff first learned of the raid when it was already underway, raising questions about his status in the White House.  —  WASHINGTON — Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney first learned …

Trump's Ukraine dishonesty barrage continues.  He made 96 false claims last week  —  Avlon: Trump has a history of attacking veterans  —  Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump was relentlessly dishonest last week about the scandal over his dealings with Ukraine, making false claims about just about every component of the story.

Unite The Country  —  It's time to unite the country.  Join the fight to elect Joe Biden and defeat Donald Trump at unitethecountry.com.

Ilhan Omar faces blowback after voting ‘present’ on Armenian genocide resolution  —  Armenian advocacy groups expressed dismay that Omar did not back the measure, which overwhelmingly passed the House by a 405-to-11 margin.  —  Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., faced criticism Wednesday after voting …

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 …

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:

Having spent most of my pre-Facebook career as a journalist covering politics, I have been astonished at the reaction by other journalists to Facebook's decision not to police speech from political candidates.  I strongly believe it should be the role of the press to dissect the truth or lies found …