CNN deletes, retracts story linking Trump and Russia  —  On Thursday evening, CNN investigative reporter Thomas Frank published a potentially explosive report involving an investigation of a Russian investment fund with potential ties to several associates of President Donald Trump.

Why ‘Mattis in charge’ is a formula for disaster  —  “It's all under control: Mattis is in charge.”  That, or words to that effect, is what U.S. national security officials have been telling European allies in recent days.  Don't worry.  There won't be any surprises.

Trump called Cruz to press him on ObamaCare repeal bill: report  —  President Trump has joined the effort led by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell  —  (R-Ky.) to get the 50 votes needed for the Senate GOP bill to repeal ObamaCare, according to a new report.

T r u m p ' s L i e s  —  Many Americans have become accustomed to President Trump's lies.  But as regular as they have become, the country should not allow itself to become numb to them.  So we have catalogued nearly every outright lie he has told publicly since taking the oath of office.

‘Trump Is What Happens When a Political Party Abandons Ideas’  —  Almost two years ago, I wrote an article for Politico endorsing Donald Trump for president.  It was a tongue-in-cheek effort—I “supported” Trump only because I thought he would lose to Hillary Clinton, disastrously …

Trump Adviser Who Called For Killing Hillary Clinton Gets Front-Row Seat At White House  —  Really?  —  An adviser to Donald Trump's campaign who said Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton should be shot for treason was given a prime seat at a White House bill-signing ceremony on Friday.

There's a Health Care Lesson for Republicans in the Shooting of Steve Scalise  —  The GOP is attempting to expose millions of Americans to the kind of financial ruin that he has avoided—for now.  —  It has been nine days since a gunman opened fire on Republican members of Congress during …

Senate Judiciary Chairman Grassley: Chuck Schumer Knew Trump Wasn't Under Investigation but Said He Was Anyway  —  Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) blasted Democrats on Thursday — particularly Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) — for fueling media hysteria …

Attorney General Becerra: Alabama, Kentucky, South Dakota and Texas Added to List of Restricted State Travel  —  Contact: (415) 703-5837, agpressoffice@doj.ca.gov  —  California will prohibit state-funded and state-sponsored travel due to discriminatory legislation enacted in each state

Op-Ed Kamala Harris: I can help you understand Trumpcare, but I can't defeat it alone  —  U.S. Senator Kamala Harris speaks at a rally to protest the national effort by Republican lawmakers to rescind the Affordable Care Act outside Los Angeles County/USC Medical Center in Los Angeles on January 15.

Bernie and Jane Sanders, under FBI investigation for bank fraud, hire lawyers  —  Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and his wife, Jane Sanders have hired prominent defense attorneys amid an FBI investigation into a loan Jane Sanders obtained to expand Burlington College while she was its president, CBS News confirms.

How Twitter Pornified Politics  —  This is the column in which I formally forswear Twitter for good.  I'll keep my Twitter handle, and hopefully my followers, but an editorial assistant will manage the account from now on.  I'll intercede only to say nice things about the writing I admire, the people I like and the music I love.

Maritime Mystery: Why a U.S. Destroyer Failed to Dodge a Cargo Ship  —  There should have been lookouts on watch on the port, starboard and stern of the destroyer Fitzgerald — sailors scanning the horizon with binoculars and reporting by headsets to the destroyer's bridge.

Dems push leaders to talk less about Russia  —  Frustrated Democrats hoping to elevate their election fortunes have a resounding message for party leaders: Stop talking so much about Russia.  —  Democratic leaders have been beating the drum this year over the ongoing probes …

‘Woefully incomplete’ universal health bill dead for the year in California  —  Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon put the brakes on a sweeping plan to overhaul the health care market in California Friday, calling the bill “woefully incomplete.”  —  Rendon announced plans to park the bill …

Making America scared again won't make us safer  —  Sally Q. Yates served in the Justice Department from 1989 to 2017 as an assistant U.S. attorney, U.S. attorney, deputy attorney general and, briefly this year, as acting attorney general.  —  In today's polarized world …