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 …

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

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 …

The U.S. Can No Longer Hide From Its Deep Poverty Problem  —  You might think that the kind of extreme poverty that would concern a global organization like the United Nations has long vanished in this country.  Yet the special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Philip Alston …

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.

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.

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?

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 …

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.”

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.

Amid funding cut fears, PA purchases $50 million private jet for Abbas — report  —  Hadashot news reports plane will be delivered to Amman within weeks, will be stationed there for use by Palestinian leader  —  Even as the Palestinian Authority faces major funding cuts from the US …

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 …

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 …

Rep. Pat Meehan will have to step aside, Republican insiders say  —  Pennsylvania Republicans increasingly believe Rep. Pat Meehan, the latest elected official to be tarnished by a sexual harassment claim, will not be able to run for reelection this fall — and it's now a question of whether …

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 …

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.

The DNC's New Chief Security Officer Knows All About Crisis  —  THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL Committee has hired Bob Lord, most recently Yahoo's head of information security, to be its chief security officer—a brand new position, created in the aftermath of the historic hack by Russian operatives …

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 …

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!

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.

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 …