Pence hires outside counsel to deal with Russia probe inquiries  —  Vice President Mike Pence has hired outside legal counsel to help with both congressional committee inquiries and the special counsel investigation into possible collusion between President Trump's campaign and Russia.

Secrecy Surrounding Senate Health Bill Raises Alarms in Both Parties  —  WASHINGTON — As they draft legislation to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Senate Republican leaders are aiming to transform large sections of the American health care system without a single hearing on their bill and without a formal, open drafting session.

White House aides fret over Trump's Russia probe obsession  —  President Donald Trump received three separate assurances from former FBI Director James Comey that he personally was not under investigation — but may now be under investigation because he couldn't let his obsession go.

Senate intel panel to steer clear of Trump obstruction question  —  Washington Post: Mueller investigating Trump  —  (CNN)The Senate intelligence committee won't probe whether President Donald Trump obstructed justice over the FBI's investigation into his former associates and their contacts …

The bogus claim that a map of crosshairs by Sarah Palin's PAC incited Rep. Gabby Giffords's shooting  —  “Was this attack evidence of how vicious American politics has become?  Probably.  In 2011, Jared Lee Loughner opened fire in a supermarket parking lot, grievously wounding Representative Gabby Giffords …

Why a single gunshot to Steve Scalise's hip could be life-threatening  —  For those of us who experience gun violence via movies or television, the single bullet wound to the hip that House Majority Whip Steve Scalise suffered in a ballfield shooting Wednesday would seem less serious than what could have happened to him.

Leaked audio reveals Malcolm Turnbull roasting Donald Trump over ‘fake polls’ and Russia  —  Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull isn't known for being a comedian but he tried some daring Donald Trump material on a room full of journalists in Canberra last night.

The surprising number of American adults who think chocolate milk comes from brown cows  —  Seven percent of all American adults believe that chocolate milk comes from brown cows, according to a nationally representative online survey commissioned by the Innovation Center of U.S. Dairy.

We Got Our Hands On A Draft Of Milo Yiannopoulos's Book.  It's Awful.  —  There's a certain kind of book you really see only at the airport.  You know what it looks like: glossy, with an airbrushed famous person on the cover and a catchy title.  You know what it reads like: frothy …

Trump Orders Government to Stop Work on Y2K Bug, 17 Years Later  —  The White House is eliminating paperwork for federal agencies  —  Federal workers still report on preparedness for year 2000  —  Seventeen years after the Year 2000 bug came and went, the federal government will finally stop preparing for it.

Hill GOP stunned, disappointed Trump called their bill “mean”  —  President Trump's private comment earlier this week that the House healthcare bill was “mean” is having a lingering, and potentially devastating, effect on his credibility along House Republicans.

Poll: Majority thinks Trump has little to no respect for country's institutions  —  A majority of American adults thinks President Trump has little or no respect for the democratic traditions in the U.S., according to a new poll.  —  The Associated Press/NORC Center for Public Affairs …

Karen Handel, neighbors receive envelopes with ‘white powdery substance’ inside  —  ROSWELL, Ga. - Authorities were called to the neighborhood where Karen Handel lives in Roswell after suspicious envelopes were found in mailboxes Thursday afternoon.  —  Police say Roxburg Drive off Old Alabama Road …

CEOs to Trump: You're failing  —  Top CEOs to Trump: You're wrong on climate change  —  President Trump loved to brag during the campaign about his business skills.  Now that he's in charge, business leaders seem alarmed by Trump's political skills.  —  A stunning 50% of the CEOs …

Hard Questions: How We Counter Terrorism  —  By Monika Bickert, Director of Global Policy Management, and Brian Fishman, Counterterrorism Policy Manager  —  In the wake of recent terror attacks, people have questioned the role of tech companies in fighting terrorism online.

What Trump Has to Fear From Mueller  —  Special counsels can run amok.  One went after me once for the crime of forgetfulness.

LAPD cadets stole police cars and may have impersonated officers, chief says  —  The Los Angeles Police Department has long hailed its cadet program as a successful partnership between police and the city's young residents.  The initiative, which includes thousands of city teenagers …

Several shots fired at truck flying ‘Make America Great Again’ flag on I-465  —  INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Indiana State Police say shots were fired at a truck carrying a “Make America Great Again” flag and an American flag on eastbound I-465 Tuesday.  —  Officers believe the shots were fired …

Commerce Department Removes Sexual Orientation And Gender Identity From Equal Employment Policy  —  The department had explicitly included sexual orientation and gender identity in its anti-discrimination policies as far back as 2010.  After this story was published, the department said they will re-issue the policy.

Camille Paglia: On Trump, Democrats, Transgenderism, and Islamist Terror  —  In a wide-ranging interview Paglia talks about Donald Trump's successes, how Chuck Schumer emboldened the “resistance,” why the left can't condemn Islamist terrorism, and “the cold biological truth that sex changes are impossible.”

GOP congressman: Trump may lack language ‘discipline’ to avoid appearance of investigation interference  —  (CNN)Republican Rep. David Schweikert said in a radio interview Thursday that President Donald Trump might lack the language discipline to avoid giving the appearance of interfering in an investigation .

Ex-North Korea detainee Otto Warmbier has ‘severe neurological injury’  — His dad rejects Pyongyang's explanation of his son's coma, criticizes Obama administration's handling of the case  —  (CNN)Recently released North Korea detainee Otto Warmbier has suffered severe neurological damage …