I've Watched Trump Testify Under Oath.  It Isn't Pretty.  —  In a 2007 deposition in my libel case (which he lost), he was underprepared and overconfident.  —  “There's been no collusion whatsoever.  There's been no obstruction whatsoever.”  —Donald Trump, Jan. 24, 2018

Exclusive: The full ‘secret society’ text between FBI agents: Was it meant in jest?  —  For the past 24 hours, a number of Republican lawmakers have been suggesting that a months-old text message between two FBI officials reveals a “secret society” of federal law enforcement officials clandestinely plotting …

Grassley Says ‘Spooked’ Kushner Won't Agree to Russia Interview  —  Committee to release other transcripts on Trump Tower meeting  —  ‘That section of our investigation is done,’ senator says  —  A “spooked” Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law and adviser …

Trump and the great GOP abdication  —  THE MORNING PLUM:  —  Something remarkable is happening in our politics right now.  On multiple fronts, it has fallen to Democratic elected officials to step up and defend the integrity and basic functionings of our government …

Bill Kristol takes on Fox News, Tucker Carlson: 'I don't know if it's racism exactly - but ethno-nationalism of some kind'  — Bill Kristol was often a guest on Fox News, but he appeared gradually less on the network, he says, after he declined to do something for the late Fox News chief Roger Ailes.

Their school deleted an article on a teacher's firing.  So these teens published it themselves.  —  The teenagers' newspaper story started with a simple question: Why had a well-liked history teacher at their high school been missing from campus?  Was there a medical issue, or something else?

As U.S. Trumpets ‘America First,’ Rest of the World Is Moving On  —  WASHINGTON — President Trump is arriving at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, to explain his “America First” approach at a moment when the world is moving ahead with a trade agenda that no longer revolves around the United States.

Cuckolding can be positive for some couples, study says  —  (CNN)In our current political climate, the term “cuck” — short for “cuckservative” — has become an insult of the so-called alt-right, aimed at men they view as spineless and emasculated.  The slur has its roots in the concept of cuckolding, or having an adulterous partner.

GOP Senate candidate flips out over 'women's rights': ‘I want to come home to a cooked dinner every night’  —  Republican U.S. Senate candidate for Missouri Courtland Sykes blasted “women's rights” this week.  —  In a statement posted to Facebook on Tuesday, Sykes said that he had been asked if he “supports women's rights.”

Rubio rejects bipartisan immigration gang  —  Marco Rubio is done with gang life in the Senate.  —  The Florida GOP senator, a key co-author of the 2013 Gang of Eight comprehensive immigration bill, has no plans to join a swelling bipartisan group of senators trying to strike a deal to protect Dreamers.

It's Official: America Suddenly Isn't Comfortable With LGBT People … The theory that LGBT acceptance in America will only ever increase over time is a reassuring one.  The only problem is that it may not be true.  —  A new survey commissioned by the LGBT media advocacy group GLAAD …

The Doomsday Clock just moved: It's now 2 minutes to ‘midnight,’ the symbolic hour of the apocalypse … The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists advanced the symbolic Doomsday Clock a notch closer to the end of humanity Thursday, moving it ahead by 30 seconds after what the organization called a …

Teen killed in Kentucky school shooting called mother as she died  —  The parents of a Kentucky teenager who was fatally shot in a mass shooting at her high school this week said their daughter called them as the violent scene unfolded in the background.  —  Bailey Holt, 15 …

Putin Family Split Offers Peek at Secret Dealings of Russia Inc.  —  During his courtship and marriage, Kirill Shamalov catapulted into the ranks of the super-rich with a little help from some of the closest allies of his father-in-law: Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trump's 24-year-old drug policy appointee to step down by month's end  —  A 24-year-old former Trump campaign worker who rose rapidly to a senior post in the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy will step down by the end of the month because of controversy surrounding his appointment, the White House said late Wednesday.

Ex-Justice Dept. lawyer offered to sell secret U.S. whistleblower lawsuits to targets of the complaints  —  Jeffrey Wertkin had a plot to bring in business and impress his new partners after joining one of Washington's most influential law firms.  —  As a former high-stakes corporate-fraud prosecutor …

Be Smart: Mike Allen Wrote The Rules Of Washington And Now Donald Trump's Destroying Them  —  Every morning, Washington wakes up to Axios AM — Mike Allen's top 10 stories of the day, filled with short bits of breaking news, feuding White House insiders, and, some days, sober, moral pronouncements on how weird the Trump era is.

The sinister pro-Trump propaganda of Lou Dobbs  —  At his New Year's Eve celebration at Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump grabbed a microphone and gave thanks to the guests who paid him several hundred dollars each for the privilege of attending.  As he spoke, the president singled …

Tech firms let Russia probe software widely used by U.S. government  —  WASHINGTON/MOSCOW (Reuters) - Major global technology providers SAP (SAPG.DE), Symantec (SYMC.O) and McAfee have allowed Russian authorities to hunt for vulnerabilities in software deeply embedded across the U.S. government, a Reuters investigation has found.

Turkey disputes White House readout of Erdogan-Trump phone call  —  (CNN)US President Donald Trump has urged Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to de-escalate the country's military incursions in northern Syria, warning against actions that “could risk conflict between Turkish and American forces.”

Sanford teacher sends home spelling list containing racial slur  —  Angry parents want apology  —  HIDE TRANSCRIPT SHOW TRANSCRIPT  —  SANFORD, Fla. —  “That bothered me.  I was very offended by it,” Terry Day told WESH 2 Investigates.  “In today's society, it's very prevalent.  Racism!

Hating Gerrymandering Is Easy.  Fixing It Is Harder.  —  As politics in the U.S. has polarized along geographic and racial lines, drawing political maps has become a partisan arms race.  Even the smallest decisions about where to draw district boundaries can alter the power dynamic in Congress …

CNN Is Closing Down Beme, YouTube Star Casey Neistat's Video Company  —  CNN acquired Beme in late 2016 with hopes that it would become a major piece of its digital business.  Now Neistat's leaving the company.  —  In late 2016, CNN plunked down millions of dollars to purchase Beme …

Trump administration wants to end NASA funding for the International Space Station by 2025  —  The end may be in sight for the two-decade-old program  —  The Trump administration is preparing to end support for the International Space Station program by 2025, according to a draft budget proposal reviewed by The Verge.

Mueller Almost Done With Obstruction Part of Trump Probe, Sources Say  —  Other portions of investigation could last months: officials  —  Intelligence officials, Trump aides interviewed in past weeks  —  Special Counsel Robert Mueller is moving at a far faster pace than previously known …