Papadopoulos claimed Trump phone call and larger campaign role  —  George Papadopoulos claimed last year that Donald Trump telephoned him to discuss his new position as a foreign policy adviser to his presidential campaign and that the two had at least one personal introductory meeting that the White House has not acknowledged.

I'm a feminist.  I study rape culture.  And I don't want Al Franken to resign.  —  As a feminist and the author of a book on rape culture, I could reasonably be expected to lead the calls for Al Franken to step down, following allegations that he forced his tongue down a woman's throat …

USA-TRUMP/PANAMA  —  Exclusive: How an alleged fraudster in Panama, working with Donald Trump's daughter, helped make Trump's first international hotel venture a success.  The broker was in business with a money-launderer and two criminals from the former Soviet Union.  Then he fled.

Franken Should Go  —  Oh no, not Al Franken, too.  —  Before Thursday, I'd hoped Franken would run for president in 2020.  A hugely gifted communicator with entertainment chops, he seemed well suited to take on Donald Trump, assuming the demagogic showman seeks re-election.

Fox News Bans Kiss Frontman Gene Simmons for Life … Kiss frontman Gene Simmons—until this week, a favorite guest on Fox News and Fox Business Network programs, which couldn't get enough of his supposedly outrageous rock-star antics mixed with conservative politics—has been banned for life from the right-leaning cable channels.

Republican Tax Bill Gives Private Jet Owners a Tax Break  —  If you're one of the lucky Americans who owns a private jet, don't fret.  Republicans have your back—in the form of tax breaks.  —  The new Senate tax bill will give those who own or lease private planes breaks on the amount …

Fox News Poll: Jones leads Moore by 8 points in Alabama Senate race  —  Alabama voters want a candidate who will represent their state with honor — and they think Doug Jones has strong moral character and Roy Moore doesn't.  That gives the Democrat the lead in the U.S. Senate race.

‘A lot of boob stuff:’ Fla. Democratic Party chair apologizes after six women complain of ‘demeaning’ behavior  —  TALLAHASSEE — Six former Florida Democratic Party staffers and consultants say that current party chairman Stephen Bittel has created an unprofessional workplace environment …

Graphic: Navy admits to being involved in obscene skydrawings spotted in Okanogan Co. … WARNING: Some viewers may find the photos in this story offensive  —  OKANOGAN COUNTY, Wash. - Officials with the Naval Air Station Whidbey Island said one of their aircraft was involved in the obscene skywritings spotted in Okanogan County.

Indiana candidate's DC-area home complicates Senate campaign  —  INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A campaign stop for Rep. Luke Messer in his bid for Senate involves traveling from his family's home in suburban Washington back to Indiana, where he typically stays overnight with his mom.

House: Ratings Changes in Seven Districts as GOP Majority in Peril  —  If it wasn't already clear, last Tuesday's election results confirmed a political atmosphere that would seriously endanger the House GOP's majority in 2018.  In Virginia, turnout was up 20 percent over 2013 in localities won …

Free Press Group Ready to Cut Off WikiLeaks … In the heat of the presidential election campaign last year, Xeni Jardin, a journalist and free speech advocate, developed a sickening feeling about WikiLeaks.  —  Jardin had been a supporter of the radical transparency group since at least 2010 …

Turkey on Valentine's Day: Did Trump Obstruct Investigation of Flynn as a Foreign Agent?  —  When President Donald Trump tried to stop the FBI investigation of his national security adviser, retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, was Trump aware of Flynn's meetings with Turkish officials?

At conservative conference, Neil Gorsuch cracks joke about frozen trucker nearly left to die  —  During Neil Gorsuch's confirmation hearing for the Supreme Court seat Senate Republicans held open for a year until Donald Trump could fill it, the judge was dogged by questions about a case …

The Ex-Spy Behind the Trump-Russia Dossier Left a Clue for Mueller  —  Christopher Steele told a reporter that one real-estate deal might be key to understanding the collusion case.  —  As federal investigators pour over the Trump campaign's ties to Russia, the work of ex-British spook Christopher Steele continues to loom large.

The Questionable Math Behind Manafort's Extravagant Home Renovations  —  The former Trump campaign chief is accused of laundering millions of dollars in foreign payments to live it up in the Hamptons.  But what about the huge gap between funds he transferred to contractors and what the jobs were supposed to cost?

Homeland Security's head of community outreach once said blacks turned cities to ‘slums’ with ‘laziness, drug use and sexual promiscuity’  —  STORY HIGHLIGHTS  —  (CNN)The head of faith-based and neighborhood partnerships at the Department of Homeland Security has said in the past …

The Russia investigation's spectacular accumulation of lies  —  I spent part of my convalescence from a recent illness reading some of the comprehensive timelines of the Russia investigation (which indicates, I suppose, a sickness of another sort).  One, compiled by Politico …

Two hurt in accidental shooting at East Tenn. church during discussion on church shootings  —  A man accidentally shot himself and his wife at an East Tennessee church on Thursday while he was showing off his gun during a discussion on recent church shootings, police said.

Senate panel approves GOP tax plan  —  The Senate Finance Committee late Thursday approved the chamber's GOP tax bill, after the House passed its measure earlier in the day.  —  The panel voted to send the tax plan to the full Senate on a party-line vote of 14-12.

Anatomy of a Fake News Scandal  —  Inside the web of conspiracy theorists, Russian operatives, Trump campaigners and Twitter bots who manufactured the ‘news’ that Hillary Clinton ran a pizza-restaurant child-sex ring … The revelations overcame Edgar Maddison Welch like a hallucinatory fever.

Russian ambassador says he won't name all the Trump officials he's met with because ‘the list is so long’  — Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak said it would take him more than 20 minutes to name all of the Trump officials he's met with.  — Kislyak made the remarks in a sprawling interview …