Trump Ordered Mueller Fired, but Backed Off When White House Counsel Threatened to Quit  —  WASHINGTON — President Trump ordered the firing last June of Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel overseeing the Russia investigation, according to four people told of the matter …

White House jumps back into Dreamer battle with citizenship offer  —  President Donald Trump on Monday will propose a pathway to citizenship for 1.8 million undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children — a key concession to Democrats that he hopes will win their support for a massive border wall with Mexico.

Rep. Pat Meehan will not seek reelection after sexual harassment furor  —  Rep. Pat Meehan will not seek reelection amid a furor over his use of taxpayer dollars to settle a sexual harassment claim against an aide, and the national response to his describing the woman as his “soul mate.”

Dutch agencies provide crucial intel about Russia's interference in US-elections  —  Hackers from the Dutch intelligence service AIVD have provided the FBI with crucial information about Russian interference with the American elections.  For years, AIVD had access to the infamous Russian hacker group Cozy Bear.

The Trumps asked to borrow a Van Gogh for the White House.  The Guggenheim offered an 18K gold toilet instead.  —  The emailed response from the Guggenheim's chief curator to the White House was polite but firm: the museum could not accommodate a request to “borrow” a painting by Vincent Van Gogh …

Joe Kennedy to deliver Democratic response to State of the Union address  —  WASHINGTON - Representative Joseph P. Kennedy III, one of the Democratic Party's rising political stars, has been tapped by top party leaders to deliver the official Democratic response to President Trump's State of the Union address next week.

Sen. Johnson backs off ‘secret society’ claim  —  STORY HIGHLIGHTS  —  Washington (CNN)The chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee acknowledged Thursday that a reference made between two FBI employees of a “secret society” could have been said in jest as opposed to evidence of an anti-Donald Trump plot.

As walls close in on FBI, the bureau lashes out at its antagonists  —  BY SHARYL ATTKISSON, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR — 01/25/18 01:50 PM EST THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY CONTRIBUTORS ARE THEIR OWN AND NOT THE VIEW OF THE HILL  —  What happens when federal agencies accused of possible wrongdoing — also control the alleged evidence against them?

Donald Trump says sorry to Britain  —  Piers Morgan has frequently spoken about his friendship with Donald Trump - and now Piers has finally interviewed the US President in what was his first international interview since taking office.  —  This unmissable interview took place in Davos …

The Art of the Choke  —  The White House immigration outline was released today and it's not good.  It could change tomorrow, for all we know, but as it stands now, this is a preemptive surrender on several issues.  —  The enforcement component is fine, as far as it goes - there's no E-Verify …

NBC stunned by how far Megyn Kelly went with Fonda attack  —  Megyn Kelly got approval from higher-ups at NBC before launching her hair-raising attack on Jane Fonda, Page Six has learned — but we're told that prominent members of the organization were then stunned by how far the broadside went.

Kris Kobach's Office Leaks Last 4 Social Security Digits of Nearly Every Kansas Lawmaker and Thousands of State Employees, Including Kris Kobach  —  This is starting to just get sad.  —  Prior to receiving notice from Gizmodo this morning, Kris Kobach's office was leaking sensitive information belonging …

Trump says dollar will get ‘stronger and stronger,’ Mnuchin was misinterpreted  — “The dollar is going to get stronger and stronger and ultimately I want to see a strong dollar,” Trump told CNBC in an exclusive interview.  — On Wednesday, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he welcomed …

CNN reinstates Ryan Lizza  —  CNN is reinstating Ryan Lizza, the Washington political reporter who was fired from the New Yorker for alleged sexual misconduct.  “Upon learning of The New Yorker's decision to sever ties with Ryan Lizza in December, CNN pulled him from future on-air appearances …

Vince McMahon: XFL to return in 2020 without gimmicks  —  WWE founder and chairman Vince McMahon announced Thursday he is giving a professional football league another go.  —  It will be called the XFL, the same name of the league McMahon and NBC tried for one season in 2001 …

Casey Affleck Withdraws From Oscars: Won't Present Best Actress Award  —  EXCLUSIVE: Casey Affleck has withdrawn from presenting the Best Actress Award at the upcoming Oscars, Deadline hears.  He has notified the Academy he will not be attending the event, sources said.

An affair with Trump?  Nikki Haley on ‘disgusting’ rumors and her rise to a top foreign policy role  —  NEW YORK — Nikki Haley became a trusted member of Donald Trump's inner circle over the past year, but she's recently re-familiarized herself with a downside of professional success …

Patrick Meehan Won't Seek Re-election in Pennsylvania  —  WASHINGTON — Representative Patrick Meehan, Republican of Pennsylvania, facing backlash after settling a sexual harassment complaint brought by a former aide, will not seek re-election this year.  —  What you need to know to start your day …

Senate candidate wants daughters to be homemakers, not ‘career obsessed banshees’  —  A Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Missouri has ignited a social media firestorm with a Facebook post in which he calls feminists “she devils” and expounds on how he wants his wife to cook his dinner.