FBI refused White House request to knock down recent Trump-Russia stories  —  Washington (CNN)The FBI rejected a recent White House request to publicly knock down media reports about communications between Donald Trump's associates and Russians known to US intelligence during the 2016 presidential campaign …

GOP Obamacare Plan Would Cover Fewer People; Blowback Grows  —  Plan expands access for those who want it, Republicans say  —  ‘Not everybody is going to have health care’: GOP lawmaker  —  Republican lawmakers expect that their Obamacare replacement will result in fewer Americans covered …

He yelled ‘Get out of my country,’ witnesses say, and then shot 2 men from India, killing one  —  A 51-year-old man faces first-degree murder charges after shooting three men in an Olathe, Kan., bar Wednesday night, police say, reportedly telling two of them, local Garmin engineers from India, to “get out of my country.”

State Department writes anti-leak memo, which promptly leaks  —  The State Department legal office prepared a four-page memo for Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warning of the dangers of leaking by State Department employees.  It promptly leaked, to me.  That's only the latest sign …

Trump, Putin, and the New Cold War  —  What lay behind Russia's interference in the 2016 election—and what lies ahead?  —  1. SOFT TARGETS  —  On April 12, 1982, Yuri Andropov, the chairman of the K.G.B., ordered foreign-intelligence operatives to carry out “active measures” …

Kim Jong Nam Killed With U.N.-Banned VX Nerve Agent, Malaysia Says  —  VX listed globally as weapon of mass destruction  —  KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia—The chemical substance used to kill Kim Jong Nam last week was an extremely toxic United Nations-banned nerve agent called VX, police here said …

GOP congressman: Trump should release tax returns  —  Congress could force release of Trump's taxes  — As a candidate, Trump was the first major-party nominee in decades not to release his tax returns  —  Pace, Florida (CNN)A conservative member of Congress called on President Donald …

Weakened Democrats Bow to Voters, Opting for Total War on Trump  —  WASHINGTON — Reduced to their weakest state in a generation, Democratic Party leaders will gather in two cities this weekend to plot strategy and select a new national chairman with the daunting task of rebuilding the party's depleted organization.

Marsha Blackburn claims out of state people infiltrated her town hall — records seem to show she's lying  —  DON'T MISS STORIES.  FOLLOW RAW STORY!  —  In an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) said that her recent town hall was overwhelmed by angry people that were not from her district.

Why therapists are having such a hard time talking about Trump  —  Therapists such as Dr. Arlene Drake, who practices in West L.A., say that many of their patients are talking about President Trump, presenting a challenge for a group of professionals who have been trained not to expose their own political beliefs.

The New Nationalism in America  —  Decades of intellectual and political activity preceded the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980.  William F. Buckley Jr. founded National Review in 1955.  A little less than a decade later, National Review publisher William Rusher helped orchestrate Barry Goldwater's presidential nomination.

Yes, Mass Deportations Are Coming.  And We Know Why.  —  There are two main questions about President Donald Trump's recently issued immigration policies.  First, is the administration embarking on a campaign of mass deportations of undocumented immigrants?  Second, if so, why?

Kushner, Ivanka Trump Pushed to Remove Words Critical of Climate Deal From Executive Order  —  Trump plans to issue orders aimed at rolling back Obama climate agenda soon; language critical of Paris accord removed  —  WASHINGTON—At the request of President Donald Trump's son-in-law …

French Voters Call On Obama To Run For President To “Give French People Hope”  —  As French voters look set to make a massive swing to the right in their upcoming presidential election (see our notes on the topic here and here), a group of frightened liberal protesters have decided …

Where in the world is Sarah Palin?  Her political star is fading  —  NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — As the Conservative Political Action Conference kicked off just outside of Washington this week, there was one name noticeably missing from the roster of speakers: Sarah Palin.

White House effort to justify travel ban causes growing concern for some intelligence officials  —  Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump has assigned the Department of Homeland Security, working with the Justice Department, to help build the legal case for its temporary travel ban on individuals …

Ivanka Trump wants to help the wealthy pay their au pairs  —  One of the biggest lingering questions about the Donald Trump presidency is the degree to which his campaign shtick of being a working-class populist was an open fraud.  So far, all signs point towards “completely.”

Why La La Land Worked Better Than Anyone Dreamed  —  How value investing, mixed with a contrarian streak, helped Lions Gate beat the blockbuster model.  —  by  —  Brassy love ballads, Technicolor dialogue, and a smattering of soft-shoe-La La Land had all the makings of a blockbuster, in the 1940s at least.

I Was a Muslim in Trump's White House  —  In 2011, I was hired, straight out of college, to work at the White House and eventually the National Security Council.  My job there was to promote and protect the best of what my country stands for.  I am a hijab-wearing Muslim woman …

Nobody cares about any recent Best Picture Oscar winners  —  The film that walks away with the Best Picture statue at Sunday's Academy Awards will earn a place forever in the history books — but perhaps not on viewers' screens.  —  More On:  —  The cream of the crop of Hollywood's golden age gained immortality.

Border Patrol Agents Stop Domestic Travelers at New York Airport  —  A search for a deportation target leads to a demand for travelers' “papers” at JFK  —  Passengers of a domestic Delta flight from San Francisco to New York were told to show their identity documents to uniformed agents …

47% of the Country Say Trump Has Violated the Constitution, but Few Support Impeachment  —  PRESIDENT TRUMP'S FAVORABILITY, COMPARED TO OBAMA AND BUSH  —  President Trump's Favorability, Compared to Obama and Bush  —  Americans continue to hold more negative than positive views of President Donald Trump.