Trump Lawyer Arranged $130,000 Payment for Adult-Film Star's Silence  —  Agreement just before election required woman to keep quiet about an alleged sexual encounter with Trump in 2006, people familiar with the matter say  —  A lawyer for President Donald Trump arranged a $130,000 payment …

Trump's history of breaking decorum with remarks on race, ethnicity  —  A career intelligence analyst who is an expert in hostage policy stood before President Donald Trump in the Oval Office last fall to brief him on the impending release of a family long held in Pakistan under uncertain circumstances.

Exclusive: Watch Chris Matthews Joke About His ‘Bill Cosby Pill’ Before Interviewing Hillary Clinton  —  On January 5, 2016, MSNBC Hardball host Chris Matthews interviewed Hillary Clinton in an Iowa fire station during the Democratic primary season.  Network footage obtained by the Cut shows Matthews …

Sen. Tim Scott: Graham says reports of Trump's ‘shithole countries’ comment ‘basically accurate’  —  U.S. Sen. Tim Scott said he talked to fellow South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham about hearing President Donald Trump's “shithole countries” comment and Graham confirmed to him the president said it.

Trump criticism dominates Chuck Grassley town meeting in rural Iowa  —  LOGAN, Ia.  — U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley faced relentless questioning about President Donald Trump's fitness for office and his own handling of the investigation into Russian election meddling at a rural town meeting here Friday morning.

White House struggles with muting function for 22 minutes on Iran conference call with reporters  —  It took the White House twenty-two minutes to figure out how to enable the “listening only” feature on a conference call on Thursday in which senior administration officials announced …

Secret Money: How Trump Made Millions Selling Condos To Unknown Buyers  —  A BuzzFeed News review of every sale of a Trump-branded condominium in the United States provides the first comprehensive look at how many went to unidentified buyers who paid cash, an indication of possible money laundering.

Cybersecurity firm: US Senate in Russian hackers' crosshairs  —  PARIS (AP) — The same Russian government-aligned hackers who penetrated the Democratic Party have spent the past few months laying the groundwork for an espionage campaign against the U.S. Senate, a cybersecurity firm said Friday.

How The Alt-Right — And Paul Ryan's Challenger — Coordinate To Fight The “Jewish Media”  —  When Steve Bannon, Breitbart, and other conservatives cut ties with far-right activist and congressional candidate Paul Nehlen, he turned to his private Twitter direct message group, CityRevoltVoteNehlen.

Demoralized Trump aides grapple with 'shithole'-gate  —  White House aides were demoralized on Thursday night, watching the word “shithole” slink across the cable news chyrons.  —  In the wake of the administration's tax reform coup, Fiat Chrysler had just announced it planned to spend …

Despite Requests from Democrats, Mike Pence Unlikely to Testify to Congress About Russia  —  Vice president sees no precedent for such an appearance, according to an administration official  —  Congressional Democrats want Vice President Mike Pence to testify on Capitol Hill about what he knows …

Time to Say It: Trump Is a Racist  —  When it comes to President Trump and race, there is a predictable cycle.  He makes a remark that seems racist, and people engage in an extended debate about whether he is personally racist.  His critics say he is.  His defenders argue for an interpretation …

Tax officials reduce Trump's tax bill on D.C. hotel by nearly $1 million  —  President Trump's D.C. hotel received a $53.6 million reduction in its 2018 assessment from the District of Columbia tax office, saving his company nearly $1 million.  —  The District tax office initially valued …

Biden Trashes Millennials in His Quest to Become Even Less Likable  —  In an apparent effort to make himself an even less appealing 2020 contender, former Vice President Joe Biden had some harsh words for millennials while promoting his new book on Wednesday.  Here's what he said in a conversation with Patt Morrison of the LA Times:

President Trump today: Live updates  —  President Trump is facing backlash for his “shithole countries” slur as he's set to undergo a physical today.  Follow here for live updates.

Supreme Court to hear sales tax collection case  —  The Supreme Court agreed Friday to wade into the issue of sales tax collection on internet purchases in a case that could force consumers to pay more for certain purchases and allow states to recoup what they say is billions in lost revenue annually.

‘Thanks, but no thanks’ - Norwegians reject Trump's immigration offer  —  OSLO (Reuters) - Many Norwegians rejected on Friday a suggestion by U.S. President Donald Trump that they would be more welcome to move to the United States than immigrants from “shithole countries” such as Haiti or African nations.

New Filing Shows Eric Trump Raised Millions, Lied About His Foundation's Expenses  —  Eric Trump's old foundation donated $2.9 million in 2016 to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, a leading cancer center in Memphis, Tennessee, according to a new filing first obtained by the Daily Beast.

Spy Bosses Helped Trump Draft Tweet Backing Surveillance Program  —  The nation's top spy bosses scrambled to the White House early Thursday to urge President Trump to restate his support for a controversial surveillance law after he spent the morning trashing it on Twitter.

There's No Way Out  —  Last week, which brought the release of Michael Wolff's Fire and Fury, was rough for the White House.  But this week has been worse still, and the damage has been almost entirely inflicted by the president himself.  —  Consider the highlights:

Social Media Is Making Us Dumber.  Here's Exhibit A.  —  This week, a video surfaced of a Harvard professor, Steven Pinker, which appeared to show him lauding members of a racist movement.  The clip, which was pulled from a November event at Harvard put on by Spiked magazine …