White House worried FBI director could quit over Nunes memo release  —  White House and FBI clash over GOP memo  —  Washington (CNN)Top White House aides are worried FBI Director Christopher Wray could quit if the highly controversial Republican memo alleging the FBI abused its surveillance tools …

Lawyers for Rick Gates withdraw from Russia case  —  Three attorneys representing Rick Gates told a federal court Thursday they are immediately withdrawing as counsel for the former Donald Trump campaign aide, who is fighting special counsel Robert Mueller's indictment of him on money laundering and other charges.

Judge strikes down Florida's system for restoring felons' voting rights  —  U.S. District Mark Walker said Florida's voter restoration process unfairly relies on the personal support of Gov. Rick Scott.  —  TALLAHASSEE — A federal judge ruled Thursday that Florida's lifetime ban on restoring …

“F—ing Sith Lord,” “Horrific Leakers," and “Berserkazoid Craziness”: The Mooch Recalls His Brief Shining Fortnight at the Center of American Politics  —  Steve Bannon is the ultimate swamp creature, Reince Priebus acts like Richie Cunningham, Donald Trump is like Michael Jordan, and other observations of Anthony Scaramucci.

Republicans give up on Obamacare repeal  —  WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — Republicans are giving up on their years-long dream of repealing Obamacare.  —  Though the GOP still controls both chambers of Congress and maintains the ability to jam through a repeal-and-replace bill via a simple majority …

Investigator calls Robert Wagner a “person of interest” in Natalie Wood drowning death  —  For the first time since reopening the investigation into the mysterious death of the legendary actress, investigators speak out to “48 Hours”  —  Nearly four decades after the unexplained drowning death …

The Publisher of Newsweek And The International Business Times Has Been Buying Traffic And Engaging In Ad Fraud  —  Several of Newsweek Media Group's business websites are buying and manipulating traffic that originates on pirated video streaming sites.  The company acknowledged buying traffic, but denies engaging in ad fraud.

Green card veteran facing deportation starts hunger strike  —  A U.S. Army veteran and green card holder with a felony drug conviction began a hunger strike Wednesday to protest his likely deportation, after a federal court denied his appeal to remain in the U.S., where he has lived since age 8.

Facebook Users Spent 50 Million Fewer Hours Per Day on the Site Last Quarter  —  Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said people spent 50 million fewer hours per day on the site last quarter after the company made changes to display fewer viral videos.  —  “Our focus in 2018 is making sure Facebook …

Democratic congresswoman caught on camera playing CANDY CRUSH while Trump delivered State of the Union while two others answered emails and read tweets  — Michigan Democratic Rep. Brenda Lawrence tapped her way through Candy Crush during Tuesday's State of the Union Address

CDC to cut by 80 percent efforts to prevent global disease outbreak … Four years after the United States pledged to help the world fight infectious-disease epidemics such as Ebola, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is dramatically downsizing its epidemic prevention activities …

Joe Arpaio has given at least 5 interviews to an anti-Semitic publication  —  Republican U.S. Senate candidate Joe Arpaio has given several interviews to a publication that traffics in anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and on Wednesday declined an opportunity to distance himself from the extremist material.

Humane Society keeps CEO after sexual harassment complaints, prompting seven board members to resign … The Humane Society of the United States defied donor backlash on Thursday and chose to keep chief executive Wayne Pacelle at the helm of one of the country's biggest animal charities, prompting seven board members to resign.

I Quit Twitter and It Feels Great  —  It has been one year and 28 days since my last tweet.  —  I deactivated my account shortly after President-elect Donald Trump tweeted, “North Korea just stated that it is in the final stages of developing a nuclear weapon capable of reaching parts of the U.S. It won't happen!” on Jan. 2, 2017.

Geraldo to Hannity: Nixon Wouldn't ‘Have Been Forced to Resign’ If You Were In Media Then  —  How influential does Geraldo Rivera think Sean Hannity is?  So influential that he could have led to Richard Nixon serving out his second term.  —  Appearing on Hannity's radio program this afternoon …

The backstory of Trump's foundering opioid fight  —  In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, President Trump ticked off the startling, oft-repeated statistics about the opioid epidemic, which is now the largest public health crisis in modern American history.  —  “In 2016, we lost 64,000 Americans to drug overdoses.

How Carob Traumatized a Generation  —  A wry disgruntlement will forever unite those of us who were children during the height of the nineteen-seventies natural-foods movement.  It was a time that we recall not for its principles—yes to organics, no to preservatives—but for its endless assaults on our tender young palates.

Democrats' behavior at the State of the Union was embarrassing  —  It gives me no pleasure to say this, but the Democrats' behavior at the State of the Union was embarrassing.  —  I take a back seat to nobody in decrying President Trump's cynical and divisive performance.

Labor Dept. Ditches Data on Worker Tips Retained by Businesses  —  Labor Department leadership scrubbed an unfavorable internal analysis from a new tip pooling proposal, shielding the public from estimates that showed employees could lose out on billions of dollars in gratuities, four current and former DOL sources tell Bloomberg Law.

American Students Aren't Learning The Full Truth About Slavery  —  Students often get only a superficial view of the atrocity that built the country, a new study finds.  —  American students are being taught an inadequate and often sanitized version of history when it comes to slavery, according to a new report.

McConnell urges Mississippi governor to consider Cochran Senate seat … Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has asked the governor of Mississippi to consider appointing himself to the Senate if ailing Republican Sen. Thad Cochran resigns from office, according to two people familiar with the conversations.

Top career US diplomat to step down in blow to State Dept  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The top career U.S. diplomat announced Thursday he will step down, dealing a blow to the State Department as the Trump administration confronts numerous international challenges.