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.

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 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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

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.”

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.

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 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 …

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.

Bill Taylor is willing to testify publicly in impeachment probe  —  Veterans defend Bill Taylor as a ‘man of honor’  —  (CNN)The top US diplomat in Ukraine, Bill Taylor, is willing to return to Capitol Hill to testify publicly, according to a source familiar with his thinking …

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 …

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.”

Clinton impeachment figure makes return in Trump sequel  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Impeachment is back, and so is Bob Livingston.  —  The former congressman from Louisiana who abruptly resigned on the same day the House impeached President Bill Clinton made an improbable return Wednesday …

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.