The Latest: GOP eyeing $1B disaster funds cut to help wall  —  https://www.apnews.com/83e6782d48e04993 a741b834771c078b  —  Link copied!  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump and Congress (all times local):  —  President Donald Trump is promising billions …

Fox News Poll: Voters' mood sours, 56 percent say Trump tearing country apart  —  Voter satisfaction with the direction of the nation is down by double digits, as a majority says President Donald Trump is tearing the country apart.  —  That's according to the latest Fox News Poll.

Russian lobbyist testifies to Mueller grand jury  —  Rinat Akhmetshin, the lobbyist and former Soviet army officer who met senior Trump campaign aides at a controversial meeting last year, has given evidence before a grand jury investigation, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Mueller teams up with New York attorney general in Manafort probe  —  Special counsel Robert Mueller's team is working with New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman on its investigation into Paul Manafort and his financial transactions, according to several people familiar with the matter.

Federal Judge Blocks Texas' Ban on ‘Sanctuary Cities’  —  HOUSTON — A federal judge in San Antonio on Wednesday blocked Texas from enforcing its ban on so-called sanctuary cities, questioning the constitutionality of a law that has pitted Republican state leaders against several Democratic-leaning cities.

Arkema: No way to prevent explosion at flooded Texas chemical plant  — All residents within 1.5 miles of a chemical plant in southeast Texas were evacuated on Tuesday because of the rising risk of an explosion.  — The owner of the plant, Arkema, said in a statement the situation at its Crosby …

Google Critic Ousted From Think Tank Funded by the Tech Giant  —  WASHINGTON — In the hours after European antitrust regulators levied a record $2.7 billion fine against Google in late June, an influential Washington think tank learned what can happen when a tech giant that shapes public policy debates …

Trump Lawyer ‘Vehemently’ Denies Russian Collusion  —  WASHINGTON — President Trump's longtime lawyer, Michael D. Cohen, has given Congress a point-by-point rebuttal of a dossier alleging that he has deep ties to Russian officials — an effort to clear his name as the Justice Department …

‘This is not what he signed up for’: Confidant says Trump's mood 'worst it's ever been'  —  Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has been publicly challenging the White House, but advisers say President Donald Trump can't afford to fire him.  —  A source close to the president said Trump …

OPINION |  Antifa is not a political movement; it's a delusional, violent outburst  —  The progressive left and their media comrades have been trying hard in recent weeks to construct a sympathetic narrative for “antifa.”  —  This is no easy task.  These self-proclaimed “anti-fascists” …

I'm ready to fight for tax reform  —  Rand Paul is a US senator from Kentucky.  He serves on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.  The views expressed in this commentary are his own.  —  (CNN)As Congress returns next week …

Here Are a Bunch of Trump Inner Circle Amazon Wish Lists  —  IN THE ONGOING drama that is the Trump presidency, secondary characters constantly float in and out as new storylines and Special Counsel inquiries come to light.  It's easy to lose track.  So to help, let's get to know some of Trump's satellites …

Paul Manafort's Overseas Political Work Had a Notable Patron: a Russian Oligarch  —  Efforts by the former Trump campaign chairman to advance interests in Ukraine, Georgia and Montenegro were often connected to Oleg Deripaska  —  Paul Manafort at the 2016 Republican National Convention …

The Sordid Double Life of Washington's Most Powerful Ambassador  —  T  —  he women were brought into the Abu Dhabi apartment in abayas.  —  “Pick who you want,” the men were told, and she would be theirs until noon the next day.  —  Roman Paschal recalled about seven women to choose from.

Arizona's Rattled Senate Race  —  Former state lawmaker Kelli Ward is out in front against Sen. Jeff Flake, but even the White House fears she may be too radioactive to go the distance.  —  SUN LAKES, Ariz. - Kelli Ward was standing inside a community center here fielding a question …

A fresh crisis may be emerging within Trump's administration  —  MORE FROM: … As horrible as it is, the Houston deluge eventually will fade from the headlines and the media's attention will return full-time to the rising waters around Donald Trump's presidency.

MSNBC loses connection to reporter as he goes off on oil industry for robbing locals of infrastructure funds  —  Al Jazeera reporter Shihab Rattansi told MSNBC host Ali Velshi on Wednesday that fossil fuel companies contribute to climate change which negatively impacts some of the very areas …

'I'm a g*ddamn human being': Crying white supremacist Cantwell stuck in jail — and really hates his nickname  —  Christopher “Crying Nazi” Cantwell gave his first post-arrest interview to The Daily Beast's Hawes Spencer and said that his new nickname really upsets him.

The Search For Aaron Rodgers … Photographs by Randall Slavin  —  After the game, Aaron Rodgers got on the bus.  It was unusually cold in Arlington during the week leading up to Super Bowl XLV; a winter storm had barreled into Texas, blanketing Cowboys Stadium with so much snow that slabs of ice cascaded from the roof.

The New York Times' Blackwater Op-Ed Is a Disgrace  —  Yesterday, a scarecrow made of mashed potatoes named Jamie Kirchick wrote an op-ed for the New York Times bemoaning how “transgender trumps treachery” for those who praise Chelsea Manning.  Kirchick lamented the attention …

Feinstein surprises SF crowd by expressing hope for Trump  —  U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein shocks an audience in San Francisco saying Trump could be a good president.  Elizabeth Keatinge (@elizkeatinge) has more.  —  Sen. Dianne Feinstein may be San Francisco's favorite politician …

Sen. Kamala Harris announces support for ‘Medicare-for-All’ bill  —  OAKLAND — U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris announced Wednesday that she intends to support a congressional effort to expand Medicare to all Americans.  —  “I intend to co-sponsor the Medicaid-for-All bill,” California's junior …