Trump stuns Republican leaders with tweeted policy backflips  —  President Trump caught Republican leadership by surprise on Thursday morning with his tweets on FISA renewal, according to five sources close to the situation.  —  Why it matters: Sources in GOP leadership were horrified …

Blackmail alleged as Governor Greitens admits to extramarital affair  —  ST. LOUIS (KMOV.com) — Governor Eric Greitens on Wednesday night confirmed to News 4 he had an extramarital affair, an admission a months-long News 4 investigation prompted.  —  In a recording obtained by News 4 …

Steve Bannon Lawyers Up... as Russia Investigators Get Ready to Pounce … Steve Bannon is lawyering up as he gets ready to face investigators looking into the Trump-Russia nexus.  —  The Daily Beast has learned that the former top White House strategist has retained Bill Burck, of the firm Quinn Emanuel.

Five women accuse actor James Franco of inappropriate or sexually exploitative behavior  —  It should have been a pure moment of triumph for James Franco.  He collected one of Hollywood's top prizes at the Golden Globe Awards on Sunday, validating an untraditional career in which he's …

Walmart is abruptly closing 63 Sam's Club stores and laying off thousands of workers  — Walmart is abruptly closing 63 Sam's Club locations across the US, the company told Business Insider on Thursday.  Some stores have already closed; others will close within weeks.

White House: No deal yet on immigration  —  A bipartisan group of senators working to resolve the status of young undocumented immigrants, border security and restrictions on legal migration programs has offered an opening bid on an immigration agreement and is seeking sign-off from the White House …

Pink pussyhats: The reason feminists are ditching them  —  A year ago, they stormed the streets of big cities and small towns to make their views known: Women's rights are human rights.  Many wore on their heads what became the de-facto symbol of feminism in 2017, the pink pussyhat.

Trump administration opens door to let states impose Medicaid work requirements  —  The Trump administration issued guidance to states early Thursday that will allow them to compel people to work or prepare for jobs in order to receive Medicaid for the first time in the half-century history …

Trump's Netherlands ambassador was asked to name a person ‘burned’ because of Islam.  He couldn't.  —  Peter Hoekstra, the newly minted U.S. ambassador to the Netherlands, held his first conference with the Dutch media at his new residence in the Hague Wednesday.  —  It did not go well.

I Started the Media Men List My name is Moira Donegan.  —  In October, I created a Google spreadsheet called “Shitty Media Men” that collected a range of rumors and allegations of sexual misconduct, much of it violent, by men in magazines and publishing.  The anonymous, crowdsourced document …

UNDERCOVER VIDEO: Twitter Engineers To “Ban a Way of Talking” Through “Shadow Banning,” Algorithms to Censor Opposing Political Opinions  —  Steven Pierre, Twitter engineer explains “shadow banning,” says “it's going to ban a way of talking”  —  Former Twitter software engineer Abhinav Vadrevu …

Exclusive: Issa mulls running in neighboring district  —  , who said Wednesday he is not seeking reelection in California's 49th district, has been discussing with colleagues the possibility of running in a neighboring San Diego district if embattled Rep. Duncan Hunter  —  (R-Calif.) resigns, multiple sources told The Hill.

The truth about Walmart's new bonuses  —  Walmart is the latest company to make a flashy announcement: It will raise wages and provide bonuses of up to $1,000 to its employees as a result of the recent corporate tax cut.  —  “Tax reform gives us the opportunity to be more competitive globally …

Trump Lawyer Sues BuzzFeed, Fusion GPS on Russia Dossier Claims  —  Cohen's lawsuit claims he was defamed by dossier's publication  —  Says he and Trump 'don't talk about' Russia investigations  —  Donald Trump's personal attorney Michael Cohen sued BuzzFeed Inc. and Fusion GPS for defamation …

Trump lauded delivery of F-52s to Norway.  The planes only exist in ‘Call of Duty.’  —  President Trump's announcement of U.S-made F-52s fighter aircraft delivered to Norway may have rattled its neighbor Russia, the source of rising tension among NATO allies.

The Voters Abandoning Donald Trump  —  A massive new source of public-opinion research offers fresh insights into the fault lines emerging in Donald Trump's foundation of support.  —  Previously unpublished results from the nonpartisan online-polling firm SurveyMonkey show Trump losing ground …

Democrats to invite sex misconduct victims to Trump's State of the Union  —  WASHINGTON — Some Democratic House members are planning to invite victims of sexual assault to President Donald Trump's State of the Union address later this month to highlight the issue, according to an aide …

Exclusive: Mira Sorvino's Open Letter To Dylan Farrow  —  “I send you love and inclusion and admiration for your courage all this time.”  —  Dear Dylan,  —  Hello.  I apologize for this being the first time I address you in print, what will be the first of several apologies today.

Coal miners turn on Trump after they gain fewer jobs than a local Sam's Club  —  “They voted for Trump because he said he'd bring back coal.  It's not happening.”  —  Donald Trump not only spent the 2016 campaign promising that he would resurrect America's dying coal industry, he kept offering up that false hope in 2017.

Sessions tries to impress Trump with moves at Justice.  It hasn't worked.  —  Attorney General Jeff Sessions is trying to find his way back into President Trump's good graces.  —  For months, Sessions has asked senior White House aides to make sure the president knows what he is doing …

Uber's Secret Tool for Keeping the Cops in the Dark  —  At least two dozen times, the San Francisco headquarters locked down equipment in foreign offices to shield files from police raids.  —  In May 2015 about 10 investigators for the Quebec tax authority burst into Uber Technologies Inc.'s office in Montreal.

Mueller has not requested interview with Pence  —  WASHINGTON — While discussions are underway about President Donald Trump possibly speaking with special counsel Robert Mueller's team, FBI investigators have not so far requested an interview with Vice President Mike Pence, a person familiar with the matter said.

Senior Pentagon soldier warns ISIS: Quit or be shot in the face, beaten with entrenching tools  —  The Pentagon's senior enlisted service member has issued a blunt warning to Islamic State fighters, saying in new social-media posts that they could either surrender or face death in a number of forms …