APNewsBreak: Steyer aide offered money for endorsements  —  DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A top aide to Democratic presidential candidate Tom Steyer in Iowa has privately offered campaign contributions to local politicians in exchange for endorsing his White House bid, according to multiple people with direct knowledge of the conversations.

Donald Trump to pay $2 million to settle New York Attorney General civil lawsuit against Trump Foundation and his children  —  (CNN)A judge ordered President Donald Trump to pay $2 million to a collection of nonprofit organizations as part of a settlement with the New York state attorney general's office …

Ukraine's Zelensky Bowed to Trump's Demands, Until Luck Spared Him  —  Aides to Ukraine's leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, decided that military aid and support for peace talks outweighed the risks of appearing to take sides in American politics.  —  KIEV, Ukraine — It was early September …

NSC official who attended key Ukraine meetings to leave post  —  Earl Matthews, a senior National Security Council official who attended several of the meetings now at the center of the congressional impeachment inquiry, will depart from his job on Friday, according to two people familiar with his plans.

Could Matt Bevin Steal the Kentucky Governor's Election?  —  Will the Kentucky Legislature assist Matt Bevin in stealing the governor's race from Democrat Andy Beshear, who appeared to have won Tuesday's election by about 5,000 votes?  Ordinarily, I would consider the possibility preposterous.

“The Booing Is F***ing Us Up”: ‘The View’ Melts Down Over Donald Trump Jr. Visit  —  Guests clashed with hosts and hosts clashed with audience members at the ABC show on Thursday.  —  “The booing is fucking us up,” The View co-host Whoopi Goldberg told the morning show's audience during a commercial break on Thursday.

Jordan: Republicans to subpoena whistleblower to testify in public hearing  —  Republicans intend to subpoena the government whistleblower to testify in the House's impeachment investigation into President Trump's dealings with Ukraine, according to Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).

Trump and ‘Apprentice’ Creator Mark Burnett Are Discussing Their Next TV Show  —  The president misses his reality TV days and is thinking of what show he can create once he's out of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.  —  He's signed a massive tax cut into law, stacked the federal courts …

A Far-Right Journalist Took A Swing At Glenn Greenwald On A Live Radio Show  —  Glenn Greenwald got into a fistfight with Augusto Nunes, a far-right Brazilian journalist, during the live taping of a radio show in Brazil. … The two journalists had a heated exchange over Nunes' previous comments …

Trump wanted Barr to hold news conference saying the president broke no laws in call with Ukrainian leader  —  President Trump wanted Attorney General William P. Barr to hold a news conference declaring the commander in chief had broken no laws during a phone call in which he pressed …

Senate Advances Contentious Judicial Nominee Steven Menashi  —  He's denounced women's rights and diversity.  He refused to answer senators' questions.  Republicans voted to move him forward anyway.  —  WASHINGTON ― The Senate Judiciary Committee voted Thursday to move forward …

Rep. Matt Gaetz Mocks Media as ‘Kale and Quinoa’ Eaters Who Look Down Upon ‘Fried Food’ Eating ‘Real America’  —  Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) mocked the media as a group of “kale and quinoa” eaters who look down upon those that eat “fried foods” in “real America,” Sunday.

Blue Wall Voices Project  —  A COLLABORATION BETWEEN KFF AND THE COOK POLITICAL REPORT … - There are many undecided voters and a few persuadable swing voters.  One year out from the 2020 presidential election and without a clear frontrunner in the Democratic primaries, a large share of voters …

U.S. Envoy in Syria Says Not Enough Was Done to Avert Turkish Attack  —  In an internal memo, the senior American diplomat in northern Syria criticized the Trump administration for failing to try harder to deter Turkey from invading northern Syria last month.

Exclusive: Book Claims Senior Officials Believed Pence Would Support Use Of 25th Amendment  —  The anonymous author of “A Warning,” reportedly a current or former White House official, said talk of removing Trump escalated after Comey was fired.  —  The much-anticipated book “A Warning,” …

Trump's Top Aides Clash Over Impeachment as House Probe Expands  — Chief of staff Mulvaney, White House lawyer Cipollone at odds  — Animosity threatens to complicate Trump's impeachment defense  —  Two of Donald Trump's most senior aides, Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney …

Emmanuel Macron warns Europe: NATO is brain-dead  —  America is turning its back on the European project.  Time to wake up, the French president tells The Economist  —  EMMANUEL MACRON, the French president, has warned European countries that they can no longer rely on America to defend NATO allies.

Republicans Railed Against Secret Impeachment Hearings, But Now Say They Won't Watch The Public Ones  —  WASHINGTON — Despite loudly criticizing the closed-doors secrecy of the impeachment inquiry, Senate Republicans widely say they will not watch the public hearings next week.

One Big Thing the Dems Get Wrong About Warren  —  Washington journalists these days are having many conversations with Democratic operatives and veterans of previous administrations that go something like this: … These downbeat Democrats are talking generally about what they regard …

‘Campaign of lies’: What George Kent told impeachment investigators  —  House Democrats on Thursday released another deposition transcript ahead of public hearings scheduled for next week.  This time, the deposition was that of George Kent, a deputy assistant secretary at the State Department whose portfolio includes Ukraine.

The Death of the Rude Press  —  In April, Great Hill Partners, a private equity firm, purchased Gizmodo Media Group, the collection of websites formerly known as Gawker Media, from Univision.  Great Hill's leaders also acquired The Onion, changed the parent company's name to G/O Media …

GOP senator rips into Pelosi at Trump rally: ‘It must suck to be that dumb’  —  Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) launched into a blistering attack against Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) while speaking at a Trump campaign rally in Louisiana late Wednesday, stating that it “must suck” to be as “dumb” as her.

1 in 4 Americans uncertain about impeachment as public hearings near, poll finds  —  Americans are divided about the impeachment inquiry into President Trump, and as the House prepares for public hearings next week, roughly 1 in 4 remain uncertain, providing a large audience that could be especially swayed …

Trump brags that his landmark law is freeing these inmates.  His Justice Department wants them to stay in prison.  —  The five former inmates assembled on the White House stage weren't scheduled to speak, but President Trump couldn't help himself.  “Where's Gregory?  Greg?” he said.

America's Original Identity Politics  —  Rich Lowry's Flawed Case for Nationalism  —  “You know what I am?”  U.S. President Donald J. Trump said at a rally in October 2018.  “I'm a nationalist.”  Rich Lowry's The Case for Nationalism can be seen as a way of working through, and defending, what the president meant.

CBS News fires staffer who had access to leaked Amy Robach audio  —  CBS News has fired a female staffer believed to have had access to the tape of Amy Robach raging against ABC, Page Six understands.  —  The staffer previously worked at ABC News and had access to audio of ABC anchor Robach caught …