Manafort faced blackmail attempt, hacks suggest  —  A purported cyber hack of the daughter of political consultant Paul Manafort suggests that he was the victim of a blackmail attempt while he was serving as Donald Trump's presidential campaign chairman last summer.

Tom Cotton faces uproar at town hall meeting … Sen. Tom Cotton  —  (R-Ark.) faced a wave of opposition during a town hall meeting on Wednesday, as droves of protesters jeered and heckled him over topics ranging from the Affordable Care Act to Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

DNC: Dollars 'N Cents  —  The Democrats' loss in November was devastating and certainly unexpected.  Activists and party leaders immediately began debating what went wrong and the path forward.  —  There are no answers yet, at least officially.  No one has written up a post-mortem similar …

In first month of Trump presidency, State Department has been sidelined  —  The Trump administration in its first month has largely benched the State Department from its long-standing role as the pre­eminent voice of U.S. foreign policy, curtailing public engagement and official travel …

Majority of Americans trust the media more than Trump: poll  —  1.2k Shares  —  When it boils down to matters of trust, a majority of Americans say they trust the media more than President Trump, according to a new poll.  —  The Quinnipiac University poll, released on Wednesday …

Christie turned down Labor secretary job: report  —  President Trump offered New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie the job of Labor secretary after a lunch meeting last week, Politico reported on Wednesday.  —  The offer came as the president's previous labor secretary pick Andrew Puzder's nomination was in jeopardy.

McMaster May Reorganize Trump's Foreign Policy Team Once Again  —  WASHINGTON — Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster, President Trump's new national security adviser, is considering a reorganization of the White House foreign policy team that would give him control of Homeland Security and guarantee full access …

GOP to bury House resolution on Trump conflicts  —  House Republicans next week plan to derail a Democratic resolution that would have forced disclosure of President Donald Trump's potential ties with Russia and any possible business conflicts of interest, according to multiple House sources.

Repeal of Health Law Faces Obstacles in House, Not Just in Senate  —  WASHINGTON — Ever since Republicans got down to the business of repealing the Affordable Care Act, the Senate has been singled out as the likely problem.  Any plan that could zoom through the House would hit roadblocks …

Arizona Senate votes to seize assets of those who plan, participate in protests that turn violent  —  Claiming people are being paid to riot, Republican state senators voted Wednesday to give police new power to arrest anyone who is involved in a peaceful demonstration that may turn bad — even before anything actually happened.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin Sees Tax Overhaul by August  —  Economic growth at 3% or higher is also among Trump administration's ambitious goals, he says  —  Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin laid out ambitious goals to secure a U.S. tax-code overhaul by August and to deliver economic growth …

The True Story of the Comey Letter Debacle  —  When F.B.I. director James Comey reopened the investigation into Hillary Clinton's e-mails in the final days of the campaign, many saw it as a political move that cost Clinton the presidency.  But some insiders suspect Comey had a more personal concern: his own legacy.

Trump administration lifts transgender bathroom guidance  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Transgender students on Wednesday lost federal protections that allowed them to use school bathrooms and locker rooms matching their gender identities, as the Trump administration stepped into a long-simmering national debate.

Chaffetz probing national park's tweet welcoming new monument  —  House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz  —  (R-Utah) is investigating a months-old tweet from his state's Bryce Canyon National Park.  —  Chaffetz reportedly suspects that the tweet, which was posted in December …

Lawyers: ICE detainee with brain tumor removed from hospital  —  An undocumented immigrant diagnosed with a brain tumor while under Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody was returned to a detention center from a Texas hospital, her lawyers said.

Conservative provocateur targets CNN with secret recordings  —  Conservative provocateur James O'Keefe is setting his sights on CNN.  —  O'Keefe said in a telephone interview with CNN on Wednesday that he has “a few hundred hours” of “secretly recorded material” from inside the network.

North Korea Mocks China for ‘Dancing to U.S. Tune’  —  Pyongyang appears to have lashed out at Beijing in unusually pointed rhetoric  —  North Korea appeared to lash out at Beijing in a state-media commentary published on Thursday, in unusually pointed rhetoric from Pyongyang toward …

Air Force Stumped by Trump's Claim of $1 Billion Savings on Jet  —  Cost estimates for a new Air Force One still being refined  —  Service awards next contracts for design, aircraft by June 30  —  The Air Force can't account for $1 billion in savings that President Donald Trump said he's negotiated …

The Death of Compassion  —  Folks, we have been here before.  —  After Ronald Reagan, a celebrity-turned-politician, carried 49 states in his devastating defeat of Walter Mondale in 1984, Democrats were whining and moaning, shuffling their feet and scratching their heads.

Straightforward From Here To The Left's Fascist, Maybe Violent, Endgame  —  The Democrat Party, its Media serfs, and Social Justice Incorporated are all outraged because we uppity normals are again presuming to rule ourselves, and their agony is delightful.  Less delightful is how …

The Fourth Circuit Runs Roughshod over Heller and the Second Amendment  —  In upholding Maryland's ‘assault weapons’ ban, the court employed dubious legal reasoning to trample on American constitutional rights.  —  Freed up by the Supreme Court's ongoing reluctance to engage in depth …

Trump's open door Oval Office  —  When Omarosa Manigault, the former “Celebrity Apprentice” antihero-turned-White House adviser, needs to talk to President Donald Trump, she simply strolls into the Oval Office.  —  As assistant to the President and director of communications for the office …

Inside Uber's Aggressive, Unrestrained Workplace Culture  —  SAN FRANCISCO — When new employees join Uber, they are asked to subscribe to 14 core company values, including making bold bets, being “obsessed” with the customer, and “always be hustlin'.”  The ride-hailing service particularly emphasizes …

Poll: More than half think Trump acted unethically or illegally in business conflicts  —  WASHINGTON  —  More than half of voters believe Donald Trump has done something illegal or unethical as he faces potential conflicts of interest by continuing to own his businesses while serving as president …

Murkowski tells Legislature she'll consult Alaska leaders before voting on repeal of Medicaid expansion  —  (Nathaniel Herz / Alaska Dispatch News)  —  JUNEAU — U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski moved Wednesday to ease Alaskans' concerns about congressional Republicans' plans for the Affordable Care Act …

The trickle of refugees fleeing the U.S. to Canada could become a deluge in the spring  —  OTTAWA — As desperate asylum seekers continue to flee the Trump administration's immigration crackdown by crossing into Canada, concern is growing here over whether the country will be able to cope if the number of migrants keeps growing.