Why Republicans Are Battling Republicans on Obamacare Repeal  —  WASHINGTON — Republicans are rarely as exercised as when they are fighting with themselves.  —  And as the House debates how to best dismantle the Affordable Care Act, a familiar array of interest groups with deep pockets …

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 …

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.

Trump goes into dealmaking mode, works behind the scenes on health bill  —  For years, when President Trump pitched a new property that had his name in glittering gold letters above the door, he would throw himself into the sale: showy appearances with an entourage and a rush of boastful television interviews.

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 …

‘There are no sacred cows’: Breitbart's honeymoon with establishment wing of Trump White House may be over  —  Breitbart, the website that has fervently supported President Donald Trump's campaign and nascent presidency, signaled this week that its brief cease-fire with the establishment wing …

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.

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 …

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.

Huntsman offered Russia ambassadorship  —  Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman has been offered the job of U.S. ambassador to Russia and is in the process of submitting paperwork to accept the position, two administration sources have confirmed.  —  Huntsman, who served as ambassador …

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 …

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.

This desert in the Southwest is experiencing a wildflower ‘superbloom’  —  A wildflower superbloom is underway in the desert Southwest in March after seven inches of winter rain.  Anza-Borrego State Park in California hasn't experienced a bloom so prolific since at least 1999 according to park officials.

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 …

Exclusive — Sen. Rand Paul on Paul Ryan's Obamacare Lite: Speaker ‘Trying to Pull the Wool Over the Eyes of the President’  —  Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), a top conservative in the U.S. Senate, unloaded on House Speaker Paul Ryan's Obamacare 2.0 replacement plan—that does not repeal Obamacare …

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 administration looks to resume Saudi arms sale criticized as endangering civilians in Yemen  —  The State Department has approved a resumption of weapons sales that critics have linked to Saudi Arabia's bombing of civilians in Yemen, a potential sign of reinvigorated U.S. support …

Purple America Has All But Disappeared  —  President Trump's victory over Hillary Clinton was among the narrowest in history, and the country is deeply split on his job performance so far.  But if you feel like you hardly know anyone who disagrees with you about Trump, you're not alone …

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 …