1/ Trump told Robert Mueller that Roger Stone did not tell him about WikiLeaks and that he was not told about the 2016 Trump Tower meeting between Trump Jr., campaign officials, and a Russian lawyer promising dirt on Hillary Clinton. Trump added a caveat that his responses were to the best of his recollection. For comparison, Trump also does not “remember much� from the meeting with George Papadopoulos, where Papadopoulos offered to arrange a meeting with Putin. Trump, however, has previously claimed to have “one of the great memories of all time,� using it as justification for not using notes during his meeting with Kim Jong Un, and blaming Sgt. La David Johnson’s widow when he stumbled over the solider’s name during a condolence call. (CNN)

2/ Paul Manafort’s attorney repeatedly briefed Trump’s legal team about their discussions with Mueller after Manafort signed a cooperation agreement with the special counsel two months ago. The briefings made tensions worse between Manafort and the special counsel after prosecutors learned about them. While Manafort’s attorney’s discussions with Trump’s lawyers didn’t violate any laws, they did contribute to Manafort’s deteriorating relationship with Mueller. (New York Times)

3/ Senate Republicans blocked a vote on a bill to protect Mueller, despite a threat from Jeff Flake to withhold support for all of Trump’s judicial nominees unless Mitch McConnell allows for a vote on the protection bill. The Republican-led Senate Judiciary Committee passed the bill on a bipartisan basis, 14-7, this spring, but McConnell has argued that it’s not necessary, because he doesn’t believe Trump wants to fire Mueller. (NBC News / CNN / Politico)

4/ Trump – again – dismissed his own government’s report on the devastating impacts of climate change and global warming, saying he doesn’t see climate change as a man-made issue and that he doesn...

1/ Paul Manafort violated his cooperation agreement with Robert Mueller by repeatedly lying to federal investigators, according to a court filing by the special counsel’s office. Prosecutors claim Manafort’s “crimes and lies� about “a variety of subject matters� relieve them of any promises made to Manafort as part of the plea agreement. Manafort cannot withdraw his guilty plea and without a deal, he now faces at least a decade in prison after pleading guilty in September to conspiring to defraud the U.S. and conspiring to obstruct justice. In August, a federal court jury in Alexandria, Va., convicted the former Trump campaign chairman on eight felony counts and deadlocked on 10 others. (New York Times / Washington Post / Politico / ABC News / CNN)

2/ Manafort allegedly held secret talks with Julian Assange inside the Ecuadoran embassy in London. Manafort met with the WikiLeaks founder around March 2016 – about the same time he joined Trump’s presidential campaign. Several months later, WikiLeaks published the Democratic emails stolen by Russia. Manafort also met with Assange in 2013 and 2015. It’s unclear why Manafort met with Assange or what they discussed. Manafort and WikiLeak both denied that Manafort had met with Assange. [Editor’s Note: Something about this story doesn’t smell right.] (The Guardian / CNBC)

Jerome Corsi emailed Roger Stone two months before WikiLeaks released emails stolen from the Clinton campaign, saying “Word is (Julian Assange) plans 2 more dumps…Impact planned to be very damaging.� On July 25, 2016, Stone emailed Corsi, directing him to “Get to (Assange) [a]t Ecuadorian Embassy in London and get the pending (WikiLeaks) emails.� Corsi passed the directive along to conservative author Ted Malloch. Eight days later, Corsi emailed Stone saying that WikiLeaks had information that would be damaging to Clinton’s campaign and planned to release it in October. (NBC News)

Corsi claimed he received “limited immunity� from Mueller in order to talk about a “cover story� he crafted for Stone to help explain Stone’s Aug. 21, 2016, tweet saying it would “soon be [the] Podesta’s time in the barrel.� Corsi also claimed he has a joint defense agreement with Trump. (Daily Caller / Slate)

Corsi rejected a deal offered by Mueller to plead guilty to one count of perjury, saying: “They want me to say I willfully lied. I’m not going to agree that I lied. I did not. I will not lie to save my life. I’d rather sit in prison and rot for as long as these thugs want me to.� Corsi, who is associated with Roger Stone, said he was offered a...

1/ The National Climate Assessment concludes that global warming is already “transforming where and how we live and presents growing challenges to human health and quality of life, the economy, and the natural systems that support us.� The findings from the landmark scientific report, issued by 13 federal agencies, are at odds with the Trump administration’s environmental deregulation agenda, which Trump claims will lead to economic growth, and its plans to withdraw from the Paris climate accord. The report predicts that the effects of global warming could eliminate as much as 10% of the U.S. economy by the end of the century, and warns that humans must act aggressively now “to avoid substantial damages to the U.S. economy, environment, and human health and well-being over the coming decades.� The first report, released in November 2017, concluded that there is “no convincing alternative explanation� for the changing climate other than “human activities, especially emissions of greenhouse gases.� Trump recently questioned the science of climate change, saying that “I don’t know that it’s man-made� and that the warming trend “could very well go back.� (New York Times / Associated Press / Washington Post / CNN)

📌 The Re-up: Day 627. A U.N. report on the effects of climate change predicts a strong risk of an environmental crisis much sooner than expected. The report finds that the atmosphere could warm by as much as 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit above preindustrial levels by 2040 if greenhouse gas emissions continue at the current rate, which would cause sea levels to rise, intensify droughts, wildfires, and poverty, and cause a mass die-off of coral reefs. To prevent 2.7 degrees of warming, greenhouse pollution must be reduced by 45% from 2010 levels by 2030, and fully eliminated by 2050. The use of coal as an electricity source would have to drop from nearly 40% today to between 1% and 7% by 2050. Renewable energy would have to increase to about 67%. Trump has mocked the science of human-caused climate change, vowing to increase the burning of coal, and he intends to withdraw from the 2015 Paris agreement. The world is already more than halfway to the 2.7-degree mark and “there is no documented historic precedent� for the scale of changes required, the report said. (New York Times / Washington Post)

Trump: “I don’t believe� the climate report. (Axios)

2/ The Trump administration claimed it reached a deal with Mexico’s incoming government to hold asylum seekers in Mexico while their claims are processed through U.S. courts. The incoming Mexican government, however, denied that it reached an agreement with the Trump administration, known as Remain in Mexico, and insisted that talks of a deal were premature. (Washington Post /

1/ The White House authorized U.S. military troops deployed at the Mexican border to use lethal force and conduct law-enforcement operations. John Kelly’s “Cabinet order� expanded the authority of troops at the border to include “a show or use of force (including lethal force, where necessary), crowd control, temporary detention, and cursory search� in order to protect border agents. The order could conflict with the 1878 Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits the military from acting as law enforcement on U.S. soil. (Military Times / Axios)

2/ The White House attacked “activist judges� for temporarily blocking Trump’s attempt to refuse asylum to migrants who cross the border illegally. Trump also blamed Monday’s ruling against his administration on an “Obama judge,� who wrote that Trump’s “rule barring asylum for immigrants who enter the country� outside a port of entry “irreconcilably conflicts� with federal immigration laws and “the expressed intent of Congress.� Chief Justice John Roberts pushed back on Trump’s characterization, saying the U.S. doesn’t have “Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges,� adding that an “independent judiciary is something we should all be thankful for.� (NBC News / Washington Post / Associated Press)

3/ The House Intelligence Committee’s incoming Democratic majority is looking to hire money-laundering and forensic accounting experts for the purposes of examining unanswered financial questions about Trump and Russia. (Daily Beast)

4/ The bipartisan leaders of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee demanded that Trump say whether Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the killing of Jamal Khashoggi. Republican Sen. Bob Corker and Democrat Bob Menendez specifically asked whether the administration believed that bin Salman was involved in the murder. Under the Magnitsky Act, Trump can be required to determine whether a global leader was responsible for human rights violations. (Politico)

poll/ 15% of Americans say they are “looking forward� to talking about politics at Thanksgiving, 40% “hope to avoid� politics and 45% don’t really care. (CBS News)

A federal judge blocked a Mississippi state law that banned most abortions after 15 weeks, ruling that it “unequivocally� violated women’s constitutional rights. Judge Carlton Reeves wrote that “the fact that men, myself included, are determining how women may choose to manage their reproductive health is a sad irony not lost on the court.� (Reuters / CNN/

1/ Trump won’t take action against Saudi Arabia or Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the death of Jamal Khashoggi, issuing an exclamation-point laden statement that defended the Kingdom and effectively closed the door on the issue. Trump questioned the CIA’s assessment that Mohammed ordered Khashoggi’s assassination, saying: “It could very well be that the crown prince had knowledge of this tragic event — maybe he did and maybe he didn’t!� Regardless, Trump said, the U.S. “intends to remain a steadfast partner of Saudi Arabia� despite calling the “crime� against Khashoggi “terrible� and “one that our country does not condone.� The statement was subtitled “America First!� (New York Times / Washington Post / CNN / NPR / NBC News)

2/ Ivanka Trump repeatedly used a private email account to conduct government business in 2017. A White House review found her personal email use included exchanges with cabinet secretaries and forwards of her schedule to her assistant, with hundreds of messages being in violation of federal records rules. Ivanka claimed she didn’t know the rules about using a personal email account for government business. (Washington Post / New York Times / NBC News)

3/ A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from refusing asylum to immigrants crossing the U.S. border illegally. U.S. District Court Judge Jon Tigar rejected Trump’s Nov. 9 proclamation that said anyone who failed to cross into the U.S. at a designated port of entry would not be granted asylum. “Whatever the scope of the President’s authority,� Judge Tigar wrote, “he may not rewrite the immigration laws to impose a condition that Congress has expressly forbidden.� The ruling will remain in effect for one month barring any further appeals. (Associated Press / CNN /

1/ The CIA concluded that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi, contradicting the Saudi government’s claims that he was not involved in the killing. The evidence included an intercept showing a member of the 15-person team calling an aide to Prince Mohammed and saying “tell your boss� that the mission was accomplished. Trump called Saudi Arabia a “truly spectacular ally,� telling senior White House officials that he wants Prince Mohammed to remain in power as a check on Iran. Trump also claimed that the CIA “haven’t assessed anything yet,� but “as of this moment we were told that [Prince Mohammed] did not play a role.� (Washington Post / New York Times / CNN / Politico)

Trump won’t listen to what he called the “suffering tape� of Khashoggi’s murder inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. Trump also maintained that the crown prince told him “maybe five different times� and “as recently as a few days ago� that he had nothing to do with the killing. (Washington Post)

The White House official responsible for U.S. policy toward Saudi Arabia resigned. Kirsten Fontenrose had pushed for tough sanctions against the Saudi government in the response to the killing of Khashoggi. (New York Times)

2/ Trump probably won’t sit down for an in-person interview with Robert Mueller, saying “we’ve wasted enough time on this witch hunt and the answer is, probably, we’re finished.� Trump also claimed he didn’t know that his Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker opposed the Mueller investigation, but said Whitaker is “right� about his criticism of the special counsel’s investigation. The two have had multiple conversations about the probe over the last year. (Fox News / New York Times / NBC News)

3/ Trump won’t stop Whitaker from curtailing Mueller’s investigation into possible collusion by Trump campaign officials with Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Trump said he would “not get involved� if Whitaker moved to restrict it. (Bloomberg / Reuters)

4/ A group of Senate Democrats are suing to block Whitaker from serving as acting attorney general, s...

1/ Trump said he answered Robert Mueller’s written questions himself “very easily,� but he hasn’t submitted them because “you have to always be careful when you answer questions with people that probably have bad intentions.� Rudy Giuliani said there are at least two dozen questions that relate to activities and episodes from before Trump’s election. Trump spent more than five hours in meeting over three days this week with his attorneys working out written answers for Mueller about alleged collusion between his campaign and Russia during the 2016 presidential election. Despite telling reporters that “the questions were very routinely answered by me,� Trump’s temper boiled during all three meetings. Seemingly out of nowhere, Trump targeted Mueller on Twitter yesterday, calling the special counsel team “thugs� and the investigation a “witch hunt.� (Associated Press / Reuters / CNN / Washington Post / The Guardian)

Senate Republicans are urging Trump to quickly nominate a permanent attorney general to end bipartisan concern over the future of the special counsel. The challenge, apparently, is persuading Trump to trust the traditional choices he doesn’t have a personal relationship with, like former attorney general Bill Barr or former deputy attorney general Mark Filip. (Politico)

Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker assured Lindsey Graham that he won’t end Mueller’s investigation, despite previously publicly disparaging the special counsel. (Bloomberg)

Dick Cheney’s former top national security aide has come under scrutiny from Mueller. The special counsel has been looking into the communications and political dealings of John Hannah, the former Cheney adviser who later worked on Trump’s State Department transition team, including his interactions with Lebanese-American businessman and fixer George Nader, who brokered meetings between foreign dignitaries and the Trump campaign, as well as Joel Zamel, social media “guru� with deep ties to Israeli intelligence. (Daily Beast)

George Papadopoulos asked a federal judge to keep him out of prison until a constitutional challenge to Mueller’s investigation is resolved. The former Trump campaign adviser pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI and is scheduled to serve a 14-day sentence starting on Nov. 26. (Washington Post)

2/ The Justice Department inadvertently revealed that it secretly filed criminal charges against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. The disclosure came in an unrelated court filing where prosecutors inadvertently pasted text from a similar court filing i...

1/ Trump made up an accusation that Robert Mueller was “horribly threatening� witnesses to force them to cooperate in the Russia probe. The renewed attack on the special counsel comes one day after Mitch McConnell blocked an effort to protect Mueller’s work. Trump called Mueller’s investigation “A TOTAL WITCH HUNT LIKE NO OTHER IN AMERICAN HISTORY!� and “a total mess� that has “gone absolutely nuts.� Trump also defended his administration, saying it “is running very smoothly� and not “in chaos� or having a “meltdown,� but rather the U.S. under his presidency has become “the envy of the world.� He provided no evidence to support his claim. (New York Times / NBC News / Washington Post / Bloomberg / HuffPost)

Mueller’s team is investigating witness tampering by Roger Stone. Mueller is exploring whether Stone tried to intimidate and discredit a witness who contradicted his story about his contacts with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange during the 2016 presidential campaign. (Wall Street Journal)

In a two-paragraph legal filing, Mueller said former Trump campaign aide Rick Gates is cooperating with prosecutors on “several ongoing investigations,� and it’s not appropriate to start his sentencing process. (Bloomberg)

Text messages show Stone discussed WikiLeaks with a friend six days before it began releasing the Clinton campaign’s hacked emails. The text messages appear to show Randy Credico providing regular updates to Stone on WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s plans to release the hacked emails. In the exchange, Credico tells Stone on Oct. 1, 2016, that “Hillary’s campaign will die this week� because of “big news Wednesday.� Nothing about Clinton was released that Wednesday, but two days later, on Oct. 7, WikiLeaks dropped its first dump of emails stolen from Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta. (NBC News)

2/ A federal judge denied a Russian firm’s motion to dismiss charges filed by Mueller’s team. The special counsel has accused Concord Management and Consulting of funding a propaganda operation to sway the 2016 presidential election in Trump’s favor. Concord was charged with conspiring to defraud the U.S. government by hiding its election-related activities and failing to register as a foreign agent trying to influence the U.S. political process. Concord is controlled by Russian businessman Evgeny Prigozhin, a Russian oligarch with close ties to Putin. (Reuters / Politico / CNN)

3/ Saudi Arabia’s public prosecutor is seeking the death penalty for...

1/ The White House argued that Trump has “broad discretion to regulate access to the White House for journalists� in response to a lawsuit by CNN over the suspension of Jim Acosta’s press pass. The lawsuit alleges that the ban violates CNN and Acosta’s First and Fifth Amendment rights and they’re asking for a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction that would restore his access right away. Almost every major news organizations has sided with CNN. (CNN)

Fox News supports CNN’s lawsuit against the Trump administration. “Secret Service passes for White House journalists should never be weaponized,� Fox News President Jay Wallace said in a statement. “While we don’t condone the growing antagonistic tone by both the President and the press at recent media avails, we do support a free press, access and open exchanges for the American people.� (Axios / Politico)

First Amendment lawyers say courts have a history of defending access for journalists, and the White House’s shifting justifications for revoking Acosta’s press pass won’t help it in the coming legal fight. (Politico)

2/ The Justice Department defended the legality of Trump’s appointment of Matthew Whitaker as acting attorney general, arguing that the appointment is consistent with the Constitution, federal statutes and past precedent in a 20-page memorandum opinion. The memo’s disclosure comes a day after Maryland asked a Federal District Court judge to issue an injunction and declare that Rod Rosenstein the acting attorney general. (New York Times / Washington Post / CNN)

The incoming ranking members of several House committees opened an investigation into Whitaker’s involvement in World Patent Marketing, which was charged last year by the Federal Trade Commission with promoting an “invention-promotion scam.� Whitaker was on the advisory board for World Patent Marketing. (Politico / House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform)

Whitaker walked away from a taxpayer-subsidized apartment-rehabilitation project in Iowa after years of cost overruns, delays and other problems. The city of Des Moines pulled an affordable housing loan that Whitaker’s company had been awarded, and another lender began foreclosure proceedings after Whitaker defaulted on a separate loan for nearly $700,000. (Associated Press)

Whitaker praised Trump in his first public speech as acting attorney general, telling an audience that “under President Trump their 401(k)s are doing pretty good right now.� (CNN)

3/ Sen. Lindsay Grah...

1/ CNN sued Trump and several White House aides asking the court to restore Jim Acosta’s access to the White House. Trump suspended Acosta’s press pass last week after a confrontation during a press conference. The suit alleges that Acosta’s and CNN’s First and Fifth Amendment rights are being violated by the White House’s ban. “This is not a step we have taken lightly. But the White House action is unprecedented,� CNN president Jeff Zucker said. Sanders responded by saying that CNN is “grandstanding� by suing. She added that the administration will “vigorously defend� itself. (CNN / Washington Post / New York Times)

2/ Maryland asked a federal judge to declare Rod Rosenstein the acting attorney general instead of Matthew Whitaker, arguing that the selection of Jeff Sessions’ former chief of staff violated federal law and exceeded the appointment authority outlined in the Constitution. Trump installed Whitaker as acting attorney general last week after ordering Sessions to resign from the post. (NBC News / Reuters)

3/ Trump is considering replacing John Kelly and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. Kelly has had repeated disputes with Melania Trump over staffing issues and travel requests, and clashed with national security adviser John Bolton and his deputy, Mira Ricardel, deputy national security adviser. Nick Ayers, currently Mike Pence’s chief of staff, is among those being considered for the job. Trump has told advisers that he wants to replace Nielsen, who is a close ally of Kelly. Forcing Nielsen out could result in Kelly quitting. Ricardel is also expected to be fired. (New York Times / Washington Post / NBC News /