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.

With cameras banned, CNN sends sketch artist to White House briefing  —  The White House has been prohibiting cameras at some press briefings, so on Friday CNN got creative and sent a sketch artist.  —  Bill Hennessy, the network's regular sketch artist for Supreme Court proceedings …

‘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 …

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

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 …

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.

Frustrated Dems say Obama botched Russia response  —  The Obama administration is under fresh scrutiny for its response to Russian meddling in the election after new details emerged this week about how the White House weighed its actions against the 2016 political environment.

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.

‘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 …

Trump's core voters could suffer most under GOP health bill, but they may not punish him for it  — A study says that Trump's victory was propelled more by racial solidarity than his views on trade or entitlements.  — Trump's core voters are more likely to rely on Medicaid …

Justice Department, FBI seem at odds over budget  —  The firing of FBI Director James Comey isn't the only thing top Justice Department officials and FBI leaders disagree about at the moment.  —  They also don't see eye to eye about something else always of great import in Washington: money.

Joe Biden's beef with Bill Ackman sparks heated exchange and presidential chatter  —  Some say former Vice President Joe Biden is too old to run for president in 2020, but he still knows how to throw a verbal punch — just ask financier Bill Ackman.  —  Continue Reading Below

Is The Handmaid's Tale the Allegory of the Trump Era?  —  Is The Handmaid's Tale the Allegory of the Trump Era?  Bruce Miller, the show's creator, talks about the similarities between his show and our current environment on the latest episode of Inside the Hive.

Pence meets with Koch brother in Colorado  —  Vice President Pence held an unannounced meeting with conservative political activist Charles Koch on Friday, the day before the Koch brothers network kicks off a donor meeting in Colorado Springs.  —  Pence, in town to headline a banquet celebrating …