The Comey Letter Probably Cost Clinton The Election  —  This is the tenth article in a series that reviews news coverage of the 2016 general election, explores how Donald Trump won and why his chances were underrated by most of the American media.  —  Hillary Clinton would probably be president …

Jury Convicts Woman Who Laughed At Jeff Sessions During Senate Hearing  —  But jurors say it's not about her laugh, it's about her post-laughter conduct.  —  WASHINGTON A jury convicted a woman on Wednesday who was arrested during a congressional hearing in January after laughing at the claim …

ObamaCare repeal gains votes and momentum  —  Reps. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and Billy Long (R-Mo.) on Wednesday said they would support the GOP's ObamaCare repeal-and-replace bill with the addition of an amendment, giving the effort new momentum as GOP leaders push toward a floor vote.

Trump Is Expected to Relax Tax Rules on Churches Taking Part in Politics  —  WASHINGTON — President Trump plans to mark National Day of Prayer on Thursday by issuing an executive order that makes it easier for churches and other religious groups to actively participate in politics without risking …

This one Clinton quote shows why her supporters hate the media  —  It was hardly the headline from Hillary Clinton's interview with Christiane Amanpour — it came near the end of a 35-minute session — but one comment from the 2016 Democratic nominee perfectly illustrated why liberals remain furious at how the campaign was covered.

FireColbert Twitter campaign gains steam after Stephen Colbert's profane Donald Trump takedown  —  #FireColbert is on fire.  —  Talk show host Stephen Colbert is taking serious heat on social media for a vulgar joke he made about President Donald Trump that many fans are calling “homophobic.”

Lawmakers plot to oust Tuesday Group leader over health bill  —  Some members of the Tuesday Group of House Republican moderates are plotting to oust Co-Chairman Tom MacArthur (R-N.J.) from his post amid frustration that he negotiated a deal on the ObamaCare replacement bill …

Don't Make Housing for the Poor Too Cozy, Carson Warns  —  COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ben Carson does not like the creature comforts, at least not for low-income Americans reliant on the government for a helping hand.  —  As he toured facilities for the poor in Ohio last week, Mr. Carson …

Trump Administration Hires Official Who Five Students Accused of Sexual Assault  —  As an upperclassman at The Citadel military college several years ago, Steven Munoz allegedly assaulted five freshmen.  His hiring at the State Department raises further questions about the Trump administration's vetting process.

Obama unveils plans for presidential center in Chicago  —  and first lady Michele on Wednesday unveiled design plans for a 200,000-square-foot campus on Chicago's South Side that will house the Obama Presidential Center.  —  The center will sit near a lagoon that runs into Lake Michigan …

First on CNN: Rice refuses Senate request to testify on Russian hacking  —  Susan Rice responds to Trump's accusations  —  Washington (CNN)Susan Rice, President Barack Obama's former national security adviser, on Wednesday declined Sen. Lindsey Graham's request to participate …

Over the last few weeks, we've seen people hurting themselves and others on Facebook -\-\ either live or in video posted later.  It's heartbreaking, and I've been reflecting on how we can do better for our community.  —  If we're going to build a safe community, we need to respond quickly.

Speaker Paul Ryan On The Spending Bill, Paris Agreement, More  —  Speaker Paul Ryan joined me this morning:  —  Audio:  —  05-03hhs-ryan  —  Transcript:  —  HH: Joined now by the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the Honorable Paul Ryan.

Bret Stephens Takes On Climate Change.  Readers Unleash Their Fury.  —  Jim Thomas is a gay man living in a red state.  He has friends who voted for Donald Trump and he interacts daily with people whose political views he finds questionable.  Which is fine, because he believes …

Live: Macron, Le Pen spar in acrimonious final debate  —  The two remaining contenders for the French presidency, centrist Emmanuel Macron and far-right candidate Marine Le Pen, are battling it out on live TV one last time before Sunday's run-off vote.  Follow the debate on FRANCE 24's live blog.

GOP Voters Sticking With Trump, but Will They Stick With GOP in 2018?  —  One of the biggest questions during the 2016 campaign was if the GOP party would ever accept Donald Trump, an outsider to the party, as its standard bearer.  More than once during 2016 I was convinced that the Republican Party …

Trade Is the Scapegoat for Political Failure  —  Writing last week in the Guardian, Thomas Frank identified the Democratic Party's “enlightened Davos ideology” as the source of both the ascendance of Donald Trump and the despair of Midwestern manufacturing towns.

21 Telling Photos From the Mark Zuckerberg Presidential Campaign Trail  —  He set out to meet people in every state, but he's been opting only for people a politician would meet.  And he's calling them “folks.”  —  “I started my day in North Carolina at Fort Bragg, the largest military base in the world.”

Email: Trump “directly involved” in post-inauguration hunt for rogue tweeter  —  WASHINGTON — Newly inaugurated President Donald Trump was “directly involved” in the search for the person who, using the official National Park Service account, retweeted side-by-side comparisons of the crowds …

Puerto Rico Placed Under Bankruptcy Protection  —  Puerto Rico is requesting bankruptcy protection, Gov. Ricardo Rosselló said Wednesday, setting up a showdown with Wall Street firms owed billions of dollars.

Public Trust in Government Remains Near Historic Lows as Partisan Attitudes Shift  —  Democrats' confidence in country's future declines sharply  —  The 2016 election ushered in a new era in Washington defined by unified Republican control of the White House and both chambers of Congress.

Venezuela Is Heading for a Soviet-Style Collapse  —  A few lessons from the last time an oil economy crashed catastrophically.  —  Venezuela is not the first developed country to put itself on track to fall into a catastrophic economic crisis.  But it is in the relatively unusual situation …

Medica, the last insurer selling individual health policies in most of Iowa, likely to exit  —  Tens of thousands of Iowans could be left with no health insurance options next year, after the last carrier for most of the state announced Wednesday that it likely would stop selling individual health policies here.