How Trump and Schumer Came Close to a Deal Over Cheeseburgers  —  WASHINGTON — President Trump and Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the top Democrat in the Senate, came close to an agreement to avert a government shutdown over lunch on Friday.  But their consensus broke down later …

Patrick Meehan, Congressman Combating Harassment, Settled His Own Misconduct Case  —  WASHINGTON — Representative Patrick Meehan, a Pennsylvania Republican who has taken a leading role in fighting sexual harassment in Congress, used thousands of dollars in taxpayer money to settle …

Amid Trump's inaugural festivities, members of Russia's elite anticipated a thaw between Moscow and Washington … In the days before Donald Trump's inauguration, a wealthy Russian pharmaceutical executive named Alexey Repik arrived in Washington, expressing excitement about the new administration.

Missouri governor: ‘no blackmail,’ ‘no violence’ in affair  —  JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — In his first interview since acknowledging an extramarital affair, Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens said Saturday that there was “no blackmail” and “no threat of violence” by him in what he described as a months-long …

Devin Nunes's Mystery Memo: Repeating the Cycle of Distraction  —  Representative Devin Nunes / Center for Strategic and International Studies  —  Forget the Steele dossier.  There's a hot new sub rosa document in Washington: a classified four-page memo prepared by House intelligence …

Minnesota woman strikes St. Kate's  —  St. Catherine University (a/k/a St. Kate's, formerly St. Catherine College) sits on a leafy 110-acre campus in the Highland Park neighborhood of St. Paul.  It is located a few blocks down the street from my high school alma mater and within shouting distance …

Who's in and who's out as the West Wing grapples with shutdown  —  The press wranglers have gone home.  The in-house White House makeup artist isn't expecting to report to work on Monday.  Assistants to senior White House staffers are getting an unplanned, unpaid vacation from work.

Nicolle Wallace's Road From the White House to 30 Rock  —  How a former aide to George W. Bush and campaign strategist for John McCain's 2008 presidential run has became a somewhat unlikely TV star at MSNBC.  —  In the basement of the Mexican restaurant Anejo TriBeCa last December …

Texas judge interrupts jury, says God told him defendant is not guilty  —  A state district judge in Comal County said God told him to intervene in jury deliberations to sway jurors to return a not guilty verdict in the trial of a Buda woman accused of trafficking a teen girl for sex.

Tabloid held porn star's 2011 interview after Trump threat  —  NEW YORK (AP) — A tabloid magazine held back from publishing an adult film star's 2011 account of an alleged affair with Donald Trump after the future president's personal lawyer threatened to sue, four former employees of the tabloid's publisher told The Associated Press.