Pennsylvania Special Election Results: 18th Congressional District  —  CandidatePartyVotesPct.  —  Dem.  —  Rick Saccone  —  Rep.  —  Lib.  —  First results expected around 8:20 p.m. Eastern time.  —  The Pennsylvania special election on Tuesday, in a Republican-leaning House district …

Stephen Hawking, modern cosmology's brightest star, dies aged 76  —  The physicist and author of A Brief History of Time has died, a family member has said … Stephen Hawking, the brightest star in the firmament of science, whose insights shaped modern cosmology and inspired global audiences in the millions, has died aged 76.

STATEMENT BY SASC CHAIRMAN JOHN McCAIN ON LEADERSHIP CHANGES AT STATE DEPARTMENT & CIA  —  Washington, D.C. ­- U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement today on the proposed leadership changes at the State Department and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA):

‘Rex, Eat the Salad:’ Inside the Awkward Relationship Between Rex Tillerson and Donald Trump  —  Cabinet post was a sharp change for a former Exxon Mobil CEO who was used to calling the shots  —  WASHINGTON—In a private room in China's Great Hall of the People in November …

Stormy Daniels discussed alleged affair with Trump on 2007 radio show, host says  —  Radio Host: Stormy Daniels discussed alleged Trump affair on 2007 radio show  —  (CNN)Stephanie Clifford, the porn star known as Stormy Daniels, discussed her alleged affair with Donald Trump during …

Rep. Trey Gowdy disagrees with GOP colleagues in House probe, says Russia wanted to hurt Hillary Clinton  — Rep. Trey Gowdy , R-S.C., says Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election was motivated at least in part “by a desire” to hurt Hillary Clinton's candidacy.

Manafort could face ‘rest of life in prison,’ judge says  —  Paul Manafort, the former Trump campaign chairman, runs a significant risk of spending the rest of his life in prison and the evidence against him by special counsel Robert Mueller's office seems strong, a federal judge declared in an order made public on Tuesday.

Family of slain DNC staffer sues Fox News over retracted story  —  The family of Democratic National Committee staffer Seth Rich, who was killed in 2016, has filed a lawsuit against Fox News, an investigative reporter and one of the network's contributors over a story about Rich and allegations …

Trump Eyes Replacing His Veterans Affairs Secretary With His Energy Chief  —  WASHINGTON — President Trump, fresh off replacing his secretary of state and C.I.A. director, is considering firing his secretary of veterans affairs and installing Energy Secretary Rick Perry in the post, according to two people close to the White House.

Claire Foy Was Paid Less Than Matt Smith on ‘The Crown’  —  JERUSALEM — With two critically acclaimed seasons of “The Crown” behind them, the drama's producers acknowledged that they face some hurdles for the third season.  —  “It's called libel,” quipped Andy Harries, CEO of Left Bank …

Feds: Ex-aide to U.S. Rep. Bob Brady targeted in murder-for-hire plot  —  A former political strategist for U.S. Rep. Bob Brady was targeted in a murder-for-hire plot to stop him from cooperating with an ongoing corruption probe in Arkansas and Missouri, federal authorities said.

Dog dies after United flight attendant forces it into overhead bin  —  On Monday night, a dog died in a plane after a United Airlines flight attendant forced the dog into an overhead bin.  —  Maggie Gremminger, a passenger on a flight from Houston to New York's LaGuardia Airport, uploaded a photo of the dog's owners on Twitter.

A Princeton sociologist spent 8 years asking rural Americans why they're so pissed off  —  Hint: it's not about the economy.  —  Robert Wuthnow, a sociologist at Princeton University, spent eight years interviewing Americans in small towns across the country.

Elon Musk Wanted to Buy ‘The Onion,’ Now His Team's Hiring Its Staffers for a Secret Project … Early in February, the satirical news publication The Onion published a story about Elon Musk, titled, “Elon Musk Offering $1.2 Billion in Grants to Any Project That Promises to Make Him Feel Complete.”

TWP chief Matthew Heimbach arrested for battery after affair with top spokesman's wife  —  Below is an update to an earlier story posted about Matthew Heimbach's arrest.  —  Matthew Heimbach, the leader of the Traditionalist Worker Party, is free on bond after being charged with battery …

Federal appeals court's ruling upholds most of Texas' “sanctuary cities” law  —  As the case over Senate Bill 4 plays out, the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that most of the immigration enforcement legislation can remain in effect.  —  Editor's note: This story has been updated throughout.