How Many People Are Affected by Obamacare Premium Increases?  (Hint, It's Fewer Than You Think)  —  SCROLL TO START  —  Republicans cite rising insurance premiums as a primary reason for repealing the Affordable Care Act.  But only a narrow slice of the market was actually affected by the increases.

Hot story: Miami lawyer's pants erupt in flames during arson trial in court  —  A Miami defense lawyer's pants burst into flames Wednesday afternoon as he began his closing arguments in front of a jury — in an arson case.  —  Stephen Gutierrez, who was arguing that his client's car spontaneously combusted …

The Note: Trump in ‘sell mode’ on health care  —  The big story: Enter Donald Trump — charmer, negotiator, dealmaker.  He's been away for a while, obscured in a haze of tweets and rhetorical missiles, wrapped up in a blustery tone that exhibited little interest in legislative blather.

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 …

Meet the Hundreds of Officials Trump Has Quietly Installed Across the Government  —  A Trump campaign aide who argues that Democrats committed “ethnic cleansing” in a plot to “liquidate” the white working class.  A former reality show contestant whose study of societal collapse inspired …

Why the Russia Story Is a Minefield for Democrats and the Media  —  Russia scandals have bloodied the Trump administration.  But it carries dangers for those reporting it  —  Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper appeared on Meet the Press this past weekend to discuss the Trump-Russia scandal.

The Republican health-care bill threatens Trump's voters  —  “To the victor belong the spoils,” candidate Donald Trump reminded 2016 voters.  But the House Republican health bill turns that old maxim on its head.  —  Instead of broadly rewarding Trump's backers, the House bill hands huge benefits …

Fox Is Said to Settle With Former Contributor Over Sexual Assault Claims  —  Last summer, as it wrapped up multiple settlements after the Roger Ailes sexual harassment scandal, Fox News and its parent company, 21st Century Fox, were trying hard to end the ugliest chapter in its 20-year history.

How Trump Undermines Intelligence Gathering  —  The relationship between a new president and the intelligence agencies that serve him can be difficult in the best of times.  But it's hard to imagine a more turbulent transition than the current one, which has been marred by assertions …

Former Trump aide Flynn says lobbying may have helped Turkey  —  President Donald Trump's former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, who was fired from his prominent White House job last month, has registered with the Justice Department as a foreign agent for $530,000 worth of lobbying work …

C.I.A. Scrambles to Contain Damage From WikiLeaks Documents  —  WASHINGTON — The C.I.A. scrambled on Wednesday to assess and contain the damage from the release by WikiLeaks of thousands of documents that cataloged the agency's cyberspying capabilities, temporarily halting work on some projects …

Roger Stone's Russian Hacking “Hero”  —  Trump loyalist communicated with “Guccifer 2.0,” target of FBI probe  —  In the months before Election Day, a longtime confidante and political consultant for Donald Trump was in contact with the Russian hacking group that U.S. intelligence officials …

Inside Donald Trump's War Against the State  —  At 6:35 a.m. on March 4, President Donald Trump launched an attack against the government of the United States.  Deploying his favorite weapon, Twitter, he wrote, “Terrible!  Just found out that Obama had my ‘wires tapped’ in Trump Tower just before the victory.

Man impersonating Bieber online charged with over 900 child sex offences  —  Media note - there will be no media conference or interviews on this matter for operational reasons.  —  Police are asking Justin Bieber fans and their parents to be extra vigilant when using the internet after a man …

Burger-flipping robot replaces humans on first day at work  —  A burger-flipping robot has just completed its first day on the job at a restaurant in California, replacing humans at the grill.  —  Flippy has mastered the art of cooking the perfect burger and has just started work at CaliBurger, a fast-food chain.

Trump Woos Lawmakers With Flattery and White House Bowling  —  'He's great like that,' says a Republican.  'He's funny'  —  Trump's style contrasts with Obama's reserve toward Congress  —  Less than two months on the job, President Donald Trump is showing that when it comes to wooing members of Congress, he's no Barack Obama.

Graham ready to subpoena for Trump wiretap information  —  Graham: I'll investigate Trump's wiretap claim  —  Washington (CNN)Sen. Lindsey Graham said Wednesday he is ready to subpoena the intelligence agencies for evidence that would prove President Donald Trump's claims that he was wiretapped …

Report: Brownback to be named ambassador to the UN for food and agriculture  —  Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback will be named the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations for Food and Agriculture, according to a public radio report.  —  A possible appointment to the Trump administration for Brownback …

Jeff Sessions Likely Met Russian Ambassador A Third Time  —  The attorney general initially denied any contact with the Russians, then later admitted to just two meetings.  —  Attorney General Jeff Sessions was forced to amend prior testimony to Congress this week, acknowledging that contrary …

Once Again, Fake Story About CNN's Jake Tapper Makes Rounds on Alt-Right Twitter  —  A fake screencap- supposedly of a tweet sent by CNN host Jake Tapper— made the rounds on Wednesday morning on alt-right and pro-WikiLeaks Twitter.  —  In the fake tweet, Tapper supposedly called for the execution of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

Trump admin quietly made asylum more difficult in the US  — Experts say the changes have major implications for how would-be asylum seekers' cases are handled  —  Washington (CNN)The Trump administration quietly made it more difficult for immigrants to seek asylum in the US last month …

Trump Begins to Map Out $1 Trillion Infrastructure Plan  —  President suggests 90-day deadline for states to start projects; expresses interest in high-speed rail and spectrum auction  —  WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump pushed his White House team on Wednesday to craft a plan for $1 trillion …

Authorities looked into Manafort protégé  —  U.S. and Ukrainian authorities have expressed interest in the activities of a Kiev-based operative with suspected ties to Russian intelligence who consulted regularly with Paul Manafort last year while Manafort was running Donald Trump's presidential campaign.

Acting Director of USCIS Lori Scialabba Resigns at Homeland Security  —  Lori Scialabba, the Acting Director at the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in the Department of Homeland Security, “announced her coming retirement from federal service” on Tuesday …