Eight former directors of the Congressional Budget Office sent a letter to congressional leadership Friday to underscore the agency's importance and respond to criticism from Republican lawmakers and the White House.

Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges was holding a press conference on when protesters interrupted and called for her resignation.

The leaders of the Senate Judiciary Committee have cut a deal with President Donald Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., and former campaign chairman Paul Manafort to avoid a high-profile public hearing next week, with the two men agreeing to provide records to the panel and to be privately interviewed ahead of any public session.

Former CIA Director John Brennan says government officials should refuse orders to fire special counsel Robert Mueller if they are told to by the White House.

A senior US general has confirmed that the US has ended a classified CIA program to arm anti-Assad rebels in Syria.

"Devil's Bargain" -- Bloomberg Businessweek reporter Joshua Green's in-depth exploration of the mind and machinations of former Breitbart News boss and Trump chief strategist Steve Bannon -- and "Shattered" -- a painstaking account of Hillary Clinton's unsuccessful campaign by Jonathan Allen, also of Bloomberg, and Amie Parnes of The Hill -- have both climbed the bestseller lists and monopolized the attention of the chattering classes since their releases. ("Shattered" was published in April; "Devil's Bargain" hit shelves this past week.)

CNN's April Ryan says that if The Washington Post's report, citing current and former US officials, saying that Attorney General Jeff Sessions discussed Trump campaign-related matters with Russia's ambassador is true, it is a "very bad situation for Jeff Sessions" and his relationship with President Trump.