Trump asked the acting FBI director whom he voted for during Oval Office meeting … Shortly after President Trump fired his FBI director in May, he summoned to the Oval Office the bureau's acting director for a get-to-know-you meeting.  —  The two men exchanged pleasantries, but before long …

Pat Meehan says he saw younger aide as ‘a soul mate’ but denies harassment  —  U.S. Rep Pat Meehan said Tuesday he had developed a deep “affection” for a younger aide and told her that he saw her as “a soul mate” as they talked over ice cream one night last year, but in an interview …

EXCLUSIVE: Tammy Duckworth is pregnant; will be 1st senator to give birth  —  Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., is pregnant and will become the first sitting U.S. senator to give birth.  Duckworth is holding her daughter, Abigail, during a ceremonial swearing in by Vice President Joe Biden on Jan. 3, 2017.

Schumer withdraws offer on Trump's wall  —  Chuck Schumer is taking his big spending boost for Donald Trump's border wall off the table.  —  The Senate minority leader, through an aide, informed the White House that he was retracting the offer he made last week to give Trump well north …

Manchin Will Seek Re-Election but Sends Democrats a Stern Warning  —  WASHINGTON — Senator Joe Manchin III of West Virginia told colleagues on Tuesday that he intended to run for re-election this year after all, ending an anxiety-making flirtation with retirement and easing Democratic fears …

Investigation: For some who lived in it, Keillor's world wasn't funny … When Minnesota Public Radio abruptly severed ties with Garrison Keillor in November, the sole explanation offered by the company was “inappropriate behavior” with a female colleague.  —  For his part, the creator …

Drudge: Trump loves his job, can't wait to run for reelection in 2020  —  Drudge Report's Matt Drudge said in a rare tweet Tuesday that President Trump  —  loves his job and is “already talking about his 2020 re-election run.”  —  Drudge's tweet linked to a story on The Hill detailing comments …

Poll: Democrats, Trump to blame for government shutdown  —  Americans blame President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats about equally for the three-day government shutdown that ended Monday with another stopgap spending measure, according to a new NBC News|  SurveyMonkey poll.

Border Patrol arrests ASU instructor who gave food, water to immigrants  —  The arrest came hours after the group released videos showing some Border Patrol agents kicking over water bottles left for immigrants.  —  PHOENIX (AP) - A volunteer for group that offers aid to immigrants crossing …

Republicans launch extraordinary new tactics to protect Trump on Russia  —  THE MORNING PLUM:  —  Republicans may be on the verge of publicly releasing a secret memo compiled by Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), one of President Trump's most devoted bodyguards against accountability on Capitol Hill …

Men Only: Inside the charity fundraiser where hostesses are put on show  —  At 10pm last Thursday night, Jonny Gould took to the stage in the ballroom at London's Dorchester Hotel.  “Welcome to the most un-PC event of the year,” he roared.  —  The sports broadcaster was there to host a charity auction …

Ursula K. Le Guin, Acclaimed for Her Fantasy Fiction, Is Dead at 88  —  Ursula K. Le Guin, the immensely popular author who brought literary depth and a tough-minded feminist sensibility to science fiction and fantasy with books like “The Left Hand of Darkness” and the Earthsea series …

Did a watchdog group just find Trump's Stormy Daniels hush money?  Er, probably not.  —  There are few things more zealous than an amateur sleuth in search of a smoking gun to take down President Trump.  Social media is replete with suddenly popular users pitching dubiously assembled theories …

Where Were the Cutesy Tweets from Melania and Donald Trump on Their 13th Wedding Anniversary?  —  Past presidents and first ladies have often taken to social media to celebrate their birthdays and wedding anniversaries, giving the American people rare glimpses into their private lives and marriages.

The Bigot Threatening CNN Got Out of Jail in Time for Dinner  —  Early Tuesday morning, we learned that Brandon Griesemer, a 19-year-old grocery store clerk from Novi, Michigan, made at least 22 calls to CNN's Atlanta headquarters where he not only threatened to shoot and kill employees …

EXCLUSIVE: Infowars Releases Secret FISA Memo  —  Here's the reported memo leaked to Infowars  —  Update: Despite media claims to the contrary, our congressional sources confirmed that the below memo documenting NSA spying on US citizens serves as a primary source of information for the Nunes summary memo:

Kentucky High School Shooting Leaves 2 Dead and 17 Others Injured  —  At least two students were killed and 17 other people were injured in a school shooting on Tuesday at Marshall County High School in Benton, Ky.  —  The suspect, a 15-year-old student at the school, was taken into custody in …

Howard Kurtz's new book on Trump White House offers scathing critique of the media  —  The media's negative coverage of President Trump is actually helping the White House, Fox News anchor Howard Kurtz argues in his new book, “Media Madness: Donald Trump, the Press, and the War over the Truth.”

Female journalists covering Pence in Israel forced to stand behind male colleagues  —  JERUSALEM — If there's one thing female journalists covering the trip of Vice President Pence to Israel will remember it is the “special treatment” they received, first by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin …

This Is Facebook's News Survey  —  Last week, Facebook said its News Feed would prioritize links from publications its users deemed “trustworthy” in an upcoming survey.  Turns out that survey isn't a particularly lengthy or nuanced one.  In fact, it's just two questions.

Trump promised to end ‘American carnage.’ Promise delivered.  —  For the first time in a long time, Americans can have hope for a safer future, with a slower murder rate and decreasing violent crime.  —  When President Trump was inaugurated, he made the American people a promise …

Source: Twitter Pins #ReleaseTheMemo on Republicans, Not Russia … The online groundswell urging the release of House Republicans' attacks on the Federal Bureau of Investigation appears thus far to be organically American—not Russian propaganda, a source familiar with Twitter's internal analysis told The Daily Beast.