Donald Trump and John Kelly Reach Truce  —  White House chief of staff had made cryptic comments suggesting he may have been the next senior adviser to step down  —  WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump and White House chief of staff John Kelly have settled on a truce, at least temporarily …

Congresswoman Louise Slaughter dies at 88  —  Democratic Congresswoman Lousie Slaughter, who had represented the Rochester area in Congress since 1987, has died.  She was 88.  —  Three sources confirmed the death to the Democrat and Chronicle Friday morning.

Six women have come forward to Stormy Daniels' lawyer with similar stories  —  Stormy Daniels' lawyer said on Thursday that he has been approached by six other women with stories about President Trump  —  similar to that of the adult-film actress.  —  Michael Avenatti cautioned in an appearance …

A plane's door flew open during takeoff, raining gold and silver over 16 miles of Siberia … One of the coldest regions of the world saw some rain Thursday — a shower of silver and gold, that is.  —  A plane carrying 9.3 tons of precious metals lost part of its cargo Thursday as it was taking off …

Flake eyes 2020 primary challenge to stop Trump  —  MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — Jeff Flake has a direct message for the Republicans of New Hampshire: Someone needs to stop Donald Trump.  And Flake, a Republican senator from Arizona, may stand up against the Republican president in 2020 …

Vanessa Trump files for divorce from Donald Trump Jr.  —  Vanessa Trump filed for divorce against her husband Donald Trump Jr. late Thursday in Manhattan Supreme Court.  —  The president's daughter-in-law filed for an uncontested proceeding, meaning she's not expecting a legal battle …

Federal court tosses out Obama-era rule requiring financial advisers to act in customers' best interests  —  A divided federal appeals court on Thursday tossed out an Obama-era Department of Labor (DOL) rule that required financial investment advisers to act in the best interest of their clients.

Britain's top diplomat accuses Putin of being behind Russian spy poisoning … MOSCOW — British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said Friday it was “overwhelmingly likely” that Russian President Vladi­mir Putin was behind the poisoning of a Russian former spy, in the most direct British accusation against the Russian leader to date.

Why Toys ‘R’ Us Is More Than a Business Story  —  Its vast inventory prepared us for an age of infinite choice.  —  I wasn't a Toys ‘R’ Us kid.  —  By the time the big box wonderland arrived in my hometown, I was a 25-year-old business reporter living 900 miles away.

NRA lawyer said to have had concerns about group's ties to Russia  —  WASHINGTON  —  Congressional investigators have learned that a longtime attorney for the National Rifle Association expressed concerns about the group's ties to Russia and possible involvement in channeling Russian money …

Possible Russian trolls try to register for Texas Democratic convention  —  Next Saturday, March 24, hundreds of Texas Democratic Party activists will gather at the Austin Hyatt Regency to nominate candidates for political office in Travis County, a kick-off event leading up to the 2018 midterm elections.

Barry Blitt's “Exposed”  —  Barry Blitt's latest cover for the magazine is his fifteenth to feature Donald Trump.  ("The gift that keeps on grifting," in Blitt's words.)  The image of Trump at the lectern, poised nude and cross-legged, recalls the prophet Bob Dylan, who once noted, in …

The Intellectual We Deserve  —  Jordan Peterson's popularity is the sign of a deeply impoverished political and intellectual landscape...  If you want to appear very profound and convince people to take you seriously, but have nothing of value to say, there is a tried and tested method.

In a first, an undocumented immigrant is appointed to a statewide post in California … A 33-year-old woman has become the first undocumented immigrant named to a statewide post in California.  —  Lizbeth Mateo, an attorney and immigrant rights activist, was appointed to an advisory committee …

Trump wildlife protection board stuffed with trophy hunters  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — A new U.S. advisory board created to help rewrite federal rules for importing the heads and hides of African elephants, lions and rhinos is stacked with trophy hunters, including some members with direct ties to President Donald Trump and his family.

The corporate media ignores the rise of oligarchy.  The rest of us shouldn't  —  The rapid rise of oligarchy and wealth and income inequality is the great moral, economic, and political issue of our time.  Yet, it gets almost no coverage from the corporate media.

‘God Made Me Black on Purpose’  —  NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. — At the end of Forest Avenue, a narrow artery slicing through blocks of muddy lots and decaying one-story homes, Tim Scott kicks at the gravel and waits.  He had shared a table Saturday night with the world's wealthiest man …

Ohio lawmaker: Allow students age 18-plus to carry guns in high school  —  Law-abiding high school students age 18 years or older should be able to carry long guns inside public high schools, state Rep. Niraj Antani, R-Miamisburg, told the Dayton Daily News in an interview Thursday.

This City Just Passed the First Bitcoin Mining Ban in the US  —  Plattsburgh, New York has imposed an 18-month moratorium on Bitcoin mining to prevent miners from using all the city's cheap electricity.  —  On Thursday evening, the city council in Plattsburgh, New York unanimously voted …

Let our airlines compete: Maybe more dogs will reach their destinations  —  Why shouldn't the best foreign airlines be able to carry passengers between American cities?  —  CONNECT  —  So United Airlines has apologized for killing a passenger's dog.  Reportedly, a flight attendant ordered …

Exclusive: Comey to come out hot on book tour, correct lies  —  Look for fired FBI Director James Comey to come out hot on the book tour that begins 30 days from now for “A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership,” out April 17 from Flatiron Books.  —  We're told: Comey has been quiet …

Democrat who's horrified by Gibson decided to take him on for House seat  —  One of two Florida teens criticized by a Sabattus politician issued a blunt call Wednesday for someone to make sure Republican Leslie Gibson faces an opponent in this year's state House race.

Cabinet shakeups give Democrats a chance to block Trump picks  —  The White House was hoping for a smooth 2018 on Capitol Hill.  Instead, President Donald Trump is staring at two bitter confirmation fights — and the possibility emboldened Democrats could block his new Cabinet nominees.

(2nd LD) Moon holds phone talks with Trump on N. Korea, trade … South Korean President Moon Jae-in assured his American counterpart Donald Trump on Friday that his government will be in lockstep with Washington on summit diplomacy with North Korea.  —  In his 35-minute phone conversation with Trump …

US housing department adviser quits amid questions of fraud and inflated biography  —  Naved Jafry, who called for radical privatization to fix America's cities, steps down following inquiry from the Guardian about his record … He said he was a multimillionaire - an international property developer …

Romanian Court Rejects Man's Claim That He's Alive  —  BUCHAREST, Romania — A Romanian court has rejected a man's claim that he is alive after his wife officially registered him as dead, saying that the decision cannot be reversed.  —  A spokeswoman for the court told local news outlets …