The Republicans' Fake Investigations  —  A generation ago, Republicans sought to protect President Richard Nixon by urging the Senate Watergate committee to look at supposed wrongdoing by Democrats in previous elections.  The committee chairman, Sam Ervin, a Democrat, said that would be …

North Korea calls hotline to South Korea in diplomatic breakthrough  —  Seoul (CNN)North Korea and South Korea established contact for 20 minutes on a hotline that's been dormant for almost two years Wednesday, a major diplomatic breakthrough following a year of escalating hostility that could pave the way for future talks.

Trump Tower meeting with Russians ‘treasonous’, Bannon says in explosive book … Donald Trump's former chief strategist Steve Bannon has described the Trump Tower meeting between the president's son and a group of Russians during the 2016 election campaign as “treasonous” and “unpatriotic” …

The Worst Thing for Iran's Protesters?  U.S. Silence  —  We are now six days into the Iran protests, and the questions that seized Washington during the 2009 pro-democracy movement have now once again come to the fore.  Should the United States try to help Iran's protesters?  Can we help them?

Russia probe grand jury looks like ‘a Black Lives Matter rally,’ says witness  —  The federal grand jury handing down indictments for special counsel Robert Mueller doesn't appear to include any supporters of President Donald Trump, according to one witness who recently testified before the panel.

Monster storm to blast East Coast before polar vortex uncorks tremendous cold late this week  —  Unforgiving cold has punished the eastern third of the United States for the past 10 days.  But the most severe winter weather conditions will assault the area late this week.

Roy Moore's Jewish lawyer voted for Doug Jones, raised money for his campaign  —  The Jewish attorney who Roy Moore's wife touted employing in an attempt to fight off claims of anti-Semitism is actually a longtime friend and supporter of Senator-elect Doug Jones, who defeated Moore last month.

The NSA's top talent is leaving because of low pay and flagging morale … The National Security Agency is losing its top talent at a worrisome rate as highly skilled personnel, some disillusioned with the spy service's leadership and an unpopular reorganization, take higher-paying, more flexible jobs in the private sector.

Congressional investigators find irregularities in FBI's handling of Clinton email case  —  Republicans on key congressional committees say they have uncovered new irregularities and contradictions inside the FBI's probe of Hillary Clinton  —  's email server.

Joshua Boyle, Canadian hostage in Afghanistan, arrested and faces list of charges in Ottawa  —  Boyle appears in court Wednesday to face 15 charges, including sexual assault and forcible confinement.  —  OTTAWA—Joshua Boyle, the Canadian man who was held hostage with his American wife …

Romney Changes Location on Twitter as Utah Senate Seat Opens  —  Mitt Romney was mum on whether he plans to run for Senate after Republican Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah announced he'll retire after 2018.  But Romney's Twitter profile may give a hint about his thinking.

“Oh My God, This Is So F—ed Up”: Inside Silicon Valley's Secretive, Orgiastic Dark Side  —  Some of the most powerful men in Silicon Valley are regulars at exclusive, drug-fueled, sex-laced parties—gatherings they describe not as scandalous, or even secret, but as a bold, unconventional lifestyle choice.

My Life as a New York Times Reporter in the Shadow of the War on Terror … I was sitting in the nearly empty restaurant of the Westin Hotel in Alexandria, Virginia, getting ready for a showdown with the federal government that I had been trying to avoid for more than seven years.

Star's former publisher acknowledges assault on reporter  —  H. Brandt Ayers, former publisher of The Anniston Star and current chairman of the board of the company that owns the newspaper, acknowledged Tuesday that he assaulted a reporter in her Anniston home in the 1970s.

Florida's 1.5 Million Missing Voters  —  Everyone remembers that the 2000 presidential election was decided by 537 votes in Florida.  Far fewer remember another important number from the state that year — 620,000, the Floridians who were barred from voting because state records showed …

As Flow of Foreign Students Wanes, U.S. Universities Feel the Sting  —  At Wright State University in Ohio, the French horn and tuba professors are out.  So is the accomplished swimming team.  —  At Kansas State, Italian classes are going the way of the Roman Empire.

Foreign governments are finding ways to do favors for Trump's business  —  WASHINGTON  —  In Indonesia, a local government plans to build a road to shorten the drive between the main airport on the island of Bali and the new high-end Trump resort and golf course.

GOP Rep. Bill Shuster to retire, spend final year working with Trump on massive infrastructure bill  —  Rep. Bill Shuster, chairman of the House Transportation Committee, will not seek re-election in November, telling the Washington Examiner that he wants to focus exclusively on working …

Dozens arrested at a house party over less than an ounce of marijuana, police say  —  Ten of the nearly 100 people arrested during a 21st birthday party over the weekend spoke exclusively to Channel 2 Action News for the first time since the incident.  —  Cartersville police said officers responded …

Why Iran Is Protesting  —  This is the third mass uprising in Iran in my lifetime.  In July 1999, the peaceful protest of students over freedom of speech spread into a considerable uprising.  In June 2009, people took to streets to demand a recount of disputed votes in the presidential election, which began the Green Movement.