How the Russia Inquiry Began: A Campaign Aide, Drinks and Talk of Political Dirt  —  WASHINGTON — During a night of heavy drinking at an upscale London bar in May 2016, George Papadopoulos, a young foreign policy adviser to the Trump campaign, made a startling revelation to Australia's top diplomat …

VP Mike Pence gets message from Aspen neighbors: Make America Gay Again  —  For Vice President Mike Pence, the message was unmistakable and the banner that carried it unmissable.  —  “Make America Gay Again,” the rainbow banner reads.  —  Neighbors of the home near Aspen where Pence and his wife …

Man arrested in ‘Call of Duty’ ‘swatting’ hoax that led to fatal police shooting  —  A 25-year-old California man was arrested in connection to an online quarrel between two “Call of Duty” gamers that prompted a hoax call and led to a man being killed by police in Kansas.

Trump travels to golf club for fifth straight day  —  visited his private Florida golf course for the fifth straight day on Saturday, according to a White House pool report.  —  Trump, who is staying at his Mar-a-Lago resort for the holidays, traveled to Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Saturday morning.

Donald Trump Is a Consequential President.  Just Not in the Ways You Think.  —  On January 20, 2017, as President Donald Trump began his inaugural address, a cold rain began to fall.  —  A few hours later, Trump claimed the rain had not begun to fall.  —  “The crowd was unbelievable today …

After Saving Many From Fire, Soldier Died Trying to Rescue One More  —  Emmanuel Mensah was a handsome, strongly built young man in his late 20s who immigrated to the Bronx from Ghana about five years ago.  He joined the Army but returned to his apartment on Prospect Avenue in December after undergoing training.

Trump Justice Department Pushes for Citizenship Question on Census, Alarming Experts  —  “This is a recipe for sabotaging the census,” said one.  The administration's stated reason for the controversial move: protecting civil rights.  —  The Justice Department is pushing for a question …

Trump is right about the FBI  —  Trump lashes out at top leaders of his own FBI  —  Paul Callan is a CNN legal analyst, a former New York homicide prosecutor and current counsel at the New York law firm of Edelman & Edelman PC, focusing on wrongful conviction and civil rights cases.

Trump's media neediness  —  In President Trump's interview with the New York Times, he declared: … On one level, the comment is ludicrous.  Despite the frenzied paranoia of the Fox News crowd, the Times doesn't determine election winners.  If it did, he wouldn't be president.

Trump Stretches Meaning of Deregulation in Touting Achievements  —  Claims credit for some regulatory actions begun under Obama  —  Deregulatory list ranges from bird feathers to grizzlies  —  One is a federal rule, initiated by former President Barack Obama, that removed Yellowstone's grizzlies from the list of endangered species.

How the ‘feminist’ left let women down in 2017  —  Merriam-Webster has named “feminism” its word of the year.  The popular dictionary defines feminism as “the theory of the political, economic and social equality of the sexes” and the “organized activity on behalf of women's rights and interests.”

Gov. Brownback, it's time to resign and let Kansas move on  —  By The Kansas City Star Editorial Board  —  Governor Brownback, it's time to walk away.  —  As a convert to Catholicism — someone who wasn't just born into the faith, but chose it — maybe think of it this way …

Schenectady men charged in Troy killings  —  Blood-covered knife was found at scene  —  TROY — Two Schenectady men were arraigned on several murder charges Saturday morning following the brutal slayings of two women and two children.  —  Justin C. Mann and James W. White are each charged …

Week 32: Trump Binges on Collusion Talk to Ring Out Year  —  In what otherwise would have to be counted as a sleepy week in the annals of the Trump Tower scandal, President Donald Trump gave the press a much-needed news peg by granting New York Times reporter Michael S. Schmidt a 30-minute interview …

Erica Garner, Who Became An Activist After Her Father's Death, Dies  —  Activist Erica Garner has died, after suffering brain damage following a heart attack.  She was 27 years old.  —  Her official twitter account announced her death Saturday morning.  —  She entered the public eye …

Does Sheila Jackson Lee Know The Person She's Accused Of Racism For Airline Fiasco Is A Human Rights Activist?  —  So, I bet you've heard about the airline incident between a woman and Texas Democratic Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee.  Katie wrote about it.

Iran protests: Citizens told to avoid ‘illegal gatherings’  —  The Iranian government has told people to avoid “illegal gatherings” in the wake of two days of angry anti-establishment protests in the country.  —  Scores have been arrested in protests over corruption and living standards.

Roseanne Barr threatens to retire in huff over Twitter feuding with liberals  —  Roseanne Barr, who is scheduled to return to TV in late March, announced on Twitter Friday that she's fed up and retiring.  Maybe.  —  " i won't be censored or silence chided or corrected and continue to work.