Rep. Brian Higgins, in a reversal, will back Nancy Pelosi for speaker  —  WASHINGTON - Rep. Brian Higgins of Buffalo reversed course Wednesday and said he will support Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi to be the speaker of the House, delivering a devastating blow to a weakening rebellion …

White House approves use of force, some law enforcement roles for border troops  —  The White House late Tuesday signed a memo allowing troops stationed at the border to engage in some law enforcement roles and use lethal force, if necessary — a move that legal experts have cautioned may run afoul of the Posse Comitatus Act.

American killed on Andaman island home to uncontacted people, body yet to be recovered  —  The murder took place on an island inhabited by the Sentinelese people, who are protected under Indian law  —  A rare photo of two members of the Sentinelese tribe, which is protected under Indian law …

Trump Wanted to Order Justice Dept. to Prosecute Comey and Clinton  —  WASHINGTON — President Trump told the White House counsel in the spring that he wanted to order the Justice Department to prosecute two of his political adversaries: his 2016 challenger, Hillary Clinton …

Senators demand Trump say whether Saudi prince ordered Khashoggi killing  —  The bipartisan leadership of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is demanding a definitive determination from President Donald Trump about whether Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia ordered the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

House Intelligence Panel Hiring Money-Laundering Sleuths  —  One of President's biggest foes is taking steps to chase the Trump-Russia money trail.  —  The House intelligence committee's incoming Democratic majority is taking its first steps to follow Donald Trump's money, The Daily Beast has learned.

Roberts criticizes Trump for “Obama judge” asylum comment  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Chief Justice John Roberts is pushing back against President Donald Trump's description of a judge who ruled against Trump's new migrant asylum policy as an “Obama judge.”  —  It's the first time that the leader …

Mississippi Senate Special: It's All About Turnout  —  Lost amid recounts in Florida, uncertainty in Georgia and a handful of uncalled House races is the special election run-off in Mississippi to fill the remainder of former Republican U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran's term.

Special counsel urges judge to order former Trump campaign aide to prison Monday as scheduled  —  Prosecutors working for special counsel Robert S. Mueller III asked a federal judge Wednesday to order George Papadopoulos, a former campaign adviser to President Trump, to start serving time in prison on Monday as scheduled.

You Snooze, You Lose: Insurers Make The Old Adage Literally True  —  Millions of sleep apnea patients rely on CPAP breathing machines to get a good night's rest.  Health insurers use a variety of tactics, including surveillance, to make patients bear the costs.  Experts say it's part of the insurance industry playbook.

Russia loses Interpol presidency vote  —  Interpol has elected South Korean Kim Jong-yang as its president, rejecting the Russian frontrunner who had been accused of abusing the international police body's arrest warrant system.  —  Mr Kim was chosen by Interpol's 194 member states at a meeting of its annual congress in Dubai.

Judge dismisses female genital mutilation charges in historic case  —  In a major blow to the federal government, a judge in Detroit has declared America's female genital mutilation law unconstitutional, thereby dismissing the key charges against two Michigan doctors and six others accused …

British academic Matthew Hedges sentenced to life in prison by UAE court for ‘spying for UK government’  —  A British academic has been sentenced by an Abu Dhabi court to life in prison for spying for the UK government, in a shock decision which Jeremy Hunt warned could damage relations between the two allies.

Election fraud scheme on L.A.'s skid row got homeless to sign fake names for cigarettes and cash, D.A. says  —  A forged signature swapped for $1 — or sometimes a cigarette.  —  The crude exchange played out hundreds of times on L.A.'s skid row during the 2016 election cycle and again this year …

Behind the scenes: Trump vs. Mueller  —  President Trump delivered to Robert Mueller handwritten answers about pre-election dimensions of the Russia probe but did not answer questions about his behavior as president, including allegations of obstruction of justice — and will resist doing so in the future …

Conservative nonprofit with obscure roots and undisclosed funders paid Matthew Whitaker $1.2 million  —  In the three years after he arrived in Washington in 2014, Matthew G. Whitaker received more than $1.2 million as the leader of a charity that reported having no other employees, some of the best pay of his career.

Steve Bannon's far-right Europe operation undermined by election laws  —  Exclusive: ambitious plan to campaign in EU elections would fall foul of laws in nine of 13 targeted states  —  Play Video  —  Steve Bannon's political operation to help rightwing populists triumph …

What to Wear to Work—When You Work at Home  —  Working remotely—long the territory of slobby creatives—has become newly social thanks to co-working spaces and teleconferencing.  Here's how to upgrade your look without sacrificing comfort  —  I WAS STANDING in my closet …

Stalemate on Trump's wall amid threat of shutdown  —  Congress just can't help itself: With a partial government shutdown potentially two weeks away, Democrats and Republicans are dug in, each side upping its demands and vowing not to buckle to the other.  —  President Donald Trump …

James H. Billington, long-reigning librarian of Congress, dies at 89  —  James H. Billington, an eminent American scholar of Russian culture who reigned for three decades as librarian of Congress, propelling the expansion of the world's largest library but struggling to lead it into the digital age …

Judge notes ‘sad irony’ of men deciding abortion rights as he strikes Mississippi's abortion law  —  (CNN)A federal judge on Tuesday blocked a Mississippi state law that sought to forbid most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, writing a sharply worded opinion with implications for states weighing similar measures.

Comedian Michelle Wolf delivers one-liner in response to Trump attack  —  Michelle Wolf won't be making any jokes from the podium at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, but last year's host was ready with a one-liner after the president attacked her on Twitter.