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.

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 …

Bolton willing to defy White House and testify if court clears the way, according to people familiar with his views  —  Former national security adviser John Bolton is willing to defy the White House and testify in the House impeachment inquiry about his alarm at the Ukraine pressure campaign …

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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,” …

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.

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.

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 …

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).

Alex Jones Goes on Tirade Against Roger Stone Jurors  —  “We've got her name, and we're going to release it,” the conspiracy theorist said of one potential juror—but in his rush to defend his ally he appears to have got the wrong person.  —  InfoWars conspiracy theorist …

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'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 …

How a former senator and defense secretary explains Republican spinelessness  —  “I think it's either fear or complicity.”  That is how former Maine Republican senator and secretary of defense William S. Cohen tries to explain Republicans' subservience to President Trump and willful disregard for replete evidence of corruption.

Kamala Harris: My Plan is So ‘Superior’ To Warren's Medicare For All That 'I Don't Feel the Need' to Take it Apart  —  California Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris said that her health care plan is so “superior” to rival Senator Elizabeth Warren's “Medicare for All” …

Long Island Tech Firm Accused of Selling Chinese Equipment to US Military  —  Feds Raid NY Tech Firm Amid Alleged Fraud Concerns  —  Federal agents raided a Long Island tech firm early Thursday and arrested its top executives amid concerns the company was selling Chinese-made equipment …

Dems Warn Against Calling Bidens to Testify: It ‘Would Be Literally Rolling a Grenade Down’ the Senate  —  Trump allies have urged Republicans to haul the Bidens to the Hill.  Not everyone thinks it's a good idea.  —  Senate Democrats issued stark warnings on Wednesday that Republicans …

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 …

Trump's Twitter War Room Aims Its Punches at Decorated Colonel  —  Days after a decorated Army lieutenant colonel offered damaging testimony about President Trump's conduct on a July phone call with Ukraine's leader, Mr. Trump stood on the South Lawn and issued a vague but ominous warning.

Behind the Deal That Put Giuliani Together With a Dirt-Hunting Partner  —  The president's lawyer wanted $500,000 to help a venture started by a man who would go on to help him in Ukraine.  A Republican donor from Long Island put up the money.  —  WASHINGTON — It has been one of the enduring mysteries …

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 …

Trump campaign contest to win a meal with Trump was a fraud  —  This is the online version of the Popular Information newsletter.  You can get independent accountability journalism in your inbox every week.  Sign up here:  —  Subscribe  —  A heavily-promoted contest to win breakfast …

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.

Bercow speaks out on Trump, dubs Brexit a ‘historic mistake’  —  LONDON (AP) — John Bercow is not a man of few words.  —  And now that he has been freed from the enforced neutrality of his job as speaker of Britain's House of Commons, he has quite a few things to say.  Brexit?  A historic mistake.

Warren would ‘love to explain’ how much Bill Gates would pay under her wealth tax  —  “I promise it's not $100 billion,” Warren tweeted, saying she'd be happy to go over her plan with the former Microsoft CEO if they get the chance.  —  Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said she'd be “happy” …

Russia Targets Dissenters—Right in Their Bank Accounts  —  Activists say hundreds of people suddenly found themselves $1.2 million in debt, the amount Moscow alleges opposition group laundered for crime lords  —  MOSCOW—One morning in September, Andrei Yegorov woke to discover his bank account …

Saudis Back Travis Kalanick's New Startup  —  The sovereign-wealth fund—also an early investor in Uber—poured $400 million into CloudKitchens in January  —  Saudi Arabia's sovereign-wealth fund has pumped $400 million into Travis Kalanick's new company CloudKitchens …

Jeff Sessions dares Trump to flex his kingmaking abilities in Alabama  —  After being fairly timid amid the president's attacks on him throughout his tenure as attorney general, Jeff Sessions is challenging President Trump in a bold way on his path back to power.