“He Was F—ing Pissed”: With Rob Porter Gone, the Heat on John Kelly Is Increasing  —  Trump is not happy with the chaos; Jared and Ivanka are trying to right the ship; and even Hope Hicks, one of the president's closest confidants, is in trouble.  —  A day after White House Staff Secretary …

The dumbest shutdown ever  —  Rand Paul and Nancy Pelosi have virtually nothing in common.  But on Thursday night, the conservative Kentucky firebrand and San Francisco Democratic leader teamed up to push Washington toward what Capitol Hill dwellers are calling the dumbest shutdown ever.

Democratic Sen. Mark Warner texted with Russian oligarch lobbyist in effort to contact dossier author Christopher Steele  —  EXCLUSIVE - Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee who has been leading a congressional investigation into President Trump's alleged ties to Russia …

Jill Messick's Family Issues Blistering Statement on Harvey Weinstein and Rose McGowan  —  “Seeing her name in headlines again and again, as part of one person's attempt to gain more attention for her personal cause, along with Harvey's desperate attempt to vindicate himself, was devastating for her,” the family said.

MeToo movement lawmaker investigated for sexual misconduct allegations  —  SAN FRANCISCO — California Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia — whose high-profile advocacy of the #MeToo movement earned her national media notice — is herself the subject of a state legislative investigation in the wake …

(LEAD) Chief delegates of U.S., N. Korea meet briefly at Olympic reception … (ATTN: CHANGES headline, lead; UPDATES with reports of Pence and the North Korean chief delegate sitting at the same table, minor changes throughout)  —  U.S. Vice President Mike Pence briefly encountered North …

Bad info from Spirit Air led me to flush pet hamster down airport toilet, student says  —  Before Belen Aldecosea flew home from from college to South Florida, she twice called Spirit Airlines to ensure she could bring along a special guest: Pebbles, her pet dwarf hamster.  No problem, the airline told her.

Exclusive: Trump's draft plan to punish legal immigrants for sending US-born kids to Head Start  —  Or getting insured through the Children's Health Insurance Program, or getting assistance to heat their homes.  —  The Trump administration is working on new rules that would allow the government …

Fox News executive VP rails against diversity of US Olympians: “Darker, Gayer, Different”  —  Fox News' John Moody, who serves as the network's executive vice president and an executive editor, criticized the diversity of Team USA in an op-ed a day before the 2018 Winter Olympics were scheduled to open in PyeongChang, South Korea.

FBI surveillance of Carter Page might have picked up Bannon  —  The FBI was monitoring Carter Page when the former Trump campaign adviser says he spoke with Trump adviser Steve Bannon about Russia in January 2017, raising the strong possibility that the FBI intercepted a conversation between the two men.

Another longtime Comey aide leaving FBI  —  The longtime head of public affairs at the FBI — who was a confidant of former director James Comey — is planning to retire, Fox News has learned.  —  A notice went out this week for a retirement get-together for Michael Kortan scheduled for Feb. 15.

Former Cato employees describe years of harassment  —  Three former employees of the famed Cato Institute say they were sexually harassed by Ed Crane, the 73-year-old co-founder and president emeritus of the think tank and one of the most recognizable figures in the libertarian movement.

Russian Activist Alleges New Link Between the Kremlin and Paul Manafort  —  A story involving a Norwegian yacht, an escort, and her Instagram posts featuring a prominent oligarch are capturing Russia's attention—and may represent a new and bizarre twist in the story behind Moscow's links to the Trump campaign.

Sebastian Gorka fully supports Danny Tarkanian (whose campaign paid Gorka $5,000) … Danny Tarkanian made a new friend last year.  The insurgent candidate, who is running in the Nevada Republican primary to unseat incumbent Sen. Dean Heller, obtained the endorsement of former deputy assistant to President Trump, Sebastian Gorka.