Trump to conservative leaders: If this plan fails, I'll blame Democrats  —  Washington (CNN)In an Oval Office meeting featuring several leaders of conservative groups already lining up against the House Republican plan to repeal and replace Obamacare, President Donald Trump revealed his plan …

AG SUGGESTS OPENNESS TO REVIEW OF PREDECESSORS' ACTIONS  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Jeff Sessions suggested Thursday that he would be open to the appointment of an outside counsel to review actions taken by the Justice Department during the Obama administration.

Sources: FBI investigation continues into ‘odd’ computer link between Russian bank and Trump Organization  —  (CNN)Federal investigators and computer scientists continue to examine whether there was a computer server connection between the Trump Organization and a Russian bank, sources close to the investigation tell CNN.

Nigel Farage Just Visited The Ecuadorian Embassy In London  —  Asked by BuzzFeed News if he'd been visiting Julian Assange, the former UKIP leader said he couldn't remember what he'd been doing in the building.  —  Nigel Farage visited the Ecuadorian embassy in west London on Thursday …

EPA chief Scott Pruitt says carbon dioxide is not a primary contributor to global warming  —  EPA takes aim at CAFE standards: Scott Pruitt  —  Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt said Thursday he does not believe carbon dioxide is a primary contributor to global warming.

First on CNN: After lobbying from Trump, Orrin Hatch plans to run again  —  (CNN)Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, the longest-serving GOP senator, told CNN he is planning to run for re-election next year, abandoning his plans to quit the chamber after four decades of service.

Inside The Investigation To Get To The Bottom Of Russia's Role In The Election  —  The Senate Intelligence Committee has been given sweeping powers, unseen since the Watergate era, to investigate Russian meddling in the US election.  As its scope grows to include suspected ties between …

Almost 7,000 IRS Documents Relating To Targeting Scandal Found.  Bad News: No Clue When They'll Be Public  —  In 2013, the IRS was involved in a scandal regarding its Exempt Organizations Unit and conservative nonprofits.  Tea Party and other right-leaning groups claimed that they were targeted for audits …

Expect the CBO to estimate large coverage losses from the GOP health care plan  —  Editor's Note:  —  This analysis is part of The Leonard D. Schaeffer Initiative for Innovation in Health Policy, which is a partnership between the Center for Health Policy at Brookings and the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics.

Russian ambassador denied meeting with Trump or campaign officials in October speech  —  (CNN)In an October speech to the Detroit Economic Club, Sergey Kislyak, the Russian ambassador to the United States, denied meeting with Donald Trump or campaign officials during the course of 2016 presidential election …

FISA-gate: The Times Revises History in Real Time  —  Donald Trump and President Barack Obama, right, arrive for Trump's inauguration ceremony (Reuters: J. Scott Applewhite)  —  For four months, media wanted us to think that Obama was investigating Trump; now they don't.

Wine bar owners sue President Trump, saying D.C. hotel unfairly takes away business  —  At Cork Wine Bar, owners Khalid Pitts and Diane Gross host corporate dinners, political fundraisers, embassy receptions and an array of other events for clients looking for a casually elegant setting offering …

Cruz: Let's overrule Senate officer to expand ObamaCare bill  —  (R-Texas), emerging as a key player in negotiations to repeal and replace ObamaCare, says Vice President Pence should exert his power over the Senate to significantly expand the scope of the House healthcare reform bill.

President Mike Pence Doesn't Sound Quite So Bad, Some Top Democrats Say  —  “I'd sleep easier with almost any other human being as president than Donald Trump,” said a former Obama speechwriter.  And they won't say so publicly, but several elected Democrats told BuzzFeed News they would much prefer …

Steve Bannon Helped Preserve DACA But Democrats And Activists Aren't Celebrating  —  They're bracing for what's coming: millions of deportations and further crackdowns on both legal and illegal immigration.  —  WASHINGTON — The Trump administration doesn't want to talk about it.

Claims of sex orgies, prostitution and porn videos shake Catholic Church in Italy  —  ROME (RNS) Lurid accusations of priests involved in sex orgies, porn videos and prostitution have emerged from several parishes in Italy recently, sending shock waves all the way to the Vatican and challenging …

Sex Columnist Dan Savage Calls Melania Trump ‘Ugly on the Inside’  —  Savage says first lady gets a pass from some liberals because of her looks, but “is as ugly on the inside as she is pretty on the outside”  —  Author and sex columnist Dan Savage says many liberals are giving first lady Melania …

Feud breaks out during health care hearing as Republican whines that men have to pay for prenatal care  —  DON'T MISS STORIES.  FOLLOW RAW STORY!  —  Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL) got into a battle with Rep. Mike Doyle (D-PA) Thursday during a House Committee on Energy and Commerce hearing for the healthcare bill.

Schwarzenegger for Senate?  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger — the “Terminator” action hero who made “I'll be back” one of filmdom's most iconic phrases — may be mulling a political comeback, according to several GOP political insiders in California.