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 …

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 …

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 …

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 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 …

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 …

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 …

Democratic leaders face internal mutiny over Dreamers deal  —  Democratic leaders are facing a potential revolt within their ranks as they edge toward a deal with Republicans that would protect Dreamers from deportation but also include concessions to conservatives that many Democratic lawmakers say are unacceptable.

Walmart to Raise U.S. Wages, Provide One-Time Bonus and Expand Hourly Maternity and Parental Leave  —  More than 1 million associates benefit from combined wage and benefit changes  —  Today, Walmart announced plans to increase the starting wage rate for all hourly associates in the U.S. to $11 …

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 …

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.

The Wolff Eats Its Own  —  Guess what?  Donald Trump is a raving idiot.  Every sentient person knows this, and if Michael Wolff is to be believed, so does most everyone in the White House.  So why are we talking about Wolff's book “Fire and Fury” as if it's the news sensation of the decade?

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.

Bannon's brutal ouster from Trump and Breitbart circles should frighten Americans  —  Conservative institutions have embraced Bannon's political slaughter not for his past sins but because he criticized the president.  That's chilling.  —  Steve Bannon — the loathed architect …

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 …

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 …

The Republican Civil War Heads to Arizona  —  New poll shows Arpaio and McSally in a tight race.  —  On Tuesday, former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, jumped into the race for Arizona's now-open Senate seat.  Arpaio is, to put it mildly, controversial.

Mueller adds veteran cyber prosecutor to special-counsel team  —  Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III has added a veteran cyber prosecutor to his team, filling what has long been a gap in expertise and potentially signaling a recent focus on computer crimes.