Good Thursday morning. Here are some of the stories making news in Washington and politics today.

• James A. Baker, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s former top lawyer, told congressional officials that he had taken seriously a suggestion by the deputy attorney general, Rod J. Rosenstein, to secretly tape conversations with President Trump, but that the idea was dismissed within days. Read the story.

• The Justice Department said that a Chinese intelligence officer was arrested in Belgium and brought to the United States to face espionage charges, a first. Read the story.

• For Mr. Trump, the possible murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist, in Turkey is a looming diplomatic crisis. For the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, it is a personal reckoning.

• A Californian was sentenced to six months in prison for selling bank account information that helped Russia wage a social media disinformation campaign during the 2016 presidential race. It could be a sign that the Mueller investigation is coming to a close.