White House readies plan to extend about $12 billion in emergency aid to farmers caught in Trump's escalating trade war  —  An announcement could come as soon as Tuesday, according to two people briefed on the matter.  This is the latest sign that growing tensions between the United States and other countries will not end soon.

Burr breaks with Nunes: ‘Sound reasons’ for judges to approve FISA warrant  —  (CNN)Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr told CNN Tuesday he believed there were “sound reasons” for judges to approve the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrant on former Trump campaign …

Ivanka Trump, President Donald Trump's daughter, is closing her namesake fashion brand, more than a year after she formally separated herself from the company and entered the White House as a senior adviser.  —  Apparel sales at the brand, which Ms. Trump launched in its current form in 2014 …

Two Trump Allies, Seeing Unlimited Opportunity, Instead Drew Scrutiny  —  WASHINGTON — Early one morning in October, Rick Gates, a Washington lobbyist who had been a top official in the Trump campaign, emailed family and friends warning them that he was about to be indicted …

Growing Partisan Differences in Views of the FBI; Stark Divide over ICE  —  Favorable views of FBI have fallen sharply among Republicans  —  A new survey of public attitudes toward federal agencies finds that partisan differences in views of the FBI have increased markedly over the past year.

‘The Briefing’ Review: Speaking for Himself  —  Donald Trump's rst White House spokesman compares the president to a rock star, the Energizer Bunny and a unicorn.  Jonathan Karl reviews “The Briefing” by Sean Spicer.  —  Early on a Saturday morning in January 2017, the day after the inauguration …

The Spy Who Drove Me  —  Last week, as America's top national security experts convened in Aspen, a strangely inquisitive Uber driver showed up, too.  And caused a minor freak-out.  Was the mystery woman some kind of covert agent—or simply a figment of these hyper-paranoid times?

U.S. appeals court: Constitution gives right to carry gun in public  —  (Reuters) - A federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday that the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment protects a right to openly carry a gun in public for self-defense, rejecting a claim by Hawaii officials that the right only applies to guns kept at home.

Facebook Says Alex Jones' Threatening Rant Against Robert Mueller Doesn't Violate Its Rules  —  Jones accused the special counsel of participating in child rape and pantomimed shooting Mueller.  Facebook said the rant did not violate its community guidelines.

Tronc Exec Tells Daily News Staff to Their Faces: We Have No Strategy … When frugal newspaper giant Tronc was asked Tuesday about the specific strategy behind draconian cuts on the New York Daily News on Monday, the company's top executive in New York didn't have an answer.

Dem Has Advantage in CD17  —  Lamb leads Rothfus in nation's only two-incumbent House matchup  —  West Long Branch, NJ - The Democratic candidate has a sizable advantage in the race for Pennsylvania's newly drawn 17th Congressional District, the nation's only House contest that pits two incumbents against each other.

When Airline CEOs Try the Cheap Seats  —  The leaders of Delta and American defend the tightest sections of their planes while sitting in them  —  Have you ever been vacuum-packed into a shrunken coach seat wishing the airline CEO had to endure the same discomfort?  —  We did that for you, sort of.

The House Tilts Toward the Democrats  —  Big-picture factors help minority party, but battle far from over; 17 ratings changes in favor of Democrats  —  Editor's Note: This is a special Tuesday edition of the Crystal Ball.  We'll be back to our regular Thursday schedule next week.

Trump's latest demand is straight out of the pages of ‘1984’  —  In George Orwell's classic dystopian novel 1984, the “final, most essential command” of the ruling totalitarian regime is “to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears.”  —  On Tuesday, President Trump made that same request of his supporters.

Russia slams US general, says he ‘discredited’ Trump  —  Washington (CNN)The Russian Ministry of Defense slammed US Gen. Joseph Votel Tuesday, accusing America's top military commander in the Middle East of discrediting President Donald Trump's position after Votel expressed hesitancy about working with Russia in Syria.

Businesses linked to McCaskill's husband get $131 million in federal dollars  —  WASHINGTON  —  Businesses tied to U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill's husband have been awarded more than $131 million in federal subsidies since the Missouri Democrat took office in 2007, an analysis by The Kansas City Star found.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions repeats ‘lock her up’ chant  —  Washington (CNN)Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the top law enforcement officer in the country, participated in a chant of “Lock her up” Tuesday, reviving a rallying cry from Donald Trump campaign events calling to jail Hillary Clinton.

Demi Lovato Suffers Apparent Heroin Overdose, ‘Awake and Responsive’ in Hospital  —  3:13 PM PT — Demi's aunt, Kerissa Dunn, posted on social media that Demi is “awake and responsive.”  —  1:48 PM PT — Paramedics found Demi unconscious when they arrived at her home.

Court records show duck boat in Missouri disaster was designed by entrepreneur with no engineering training  —  The duck boat that sank in a Missouri lake last week, killing 17 people, was built based on a design by a self-taught entrepreneur who had no engineering training, according to court records reviewed by the Los Angeles Times.

Rattled by string of violent attacks, Toronto wonders if city is unraveling  —  As residents grapple with the latest attack to hit the city in recent months, some are asking whether it was becoming less safe  —  Detectives in Canada are still seeking a motive for a mass shooting which left three dead …

Fox News Goes to War Against Its Own: Kimberly Guilfoyle … In the past few days, staffers at Fox News have waged a covert war and hostile whisper campaign against one of their most prominent former colleagues.  —  For Fox News—with its seasoned and often ruthless public-relations shop …

Outspoken Federal Judge Launches Amazingly Dumb Twitter Tirade  —  When it comes to maturity, these clerks are showing a lot more than this senior status judge.  —  In the wake of the allegations of years of sexual misconduct by Judge Alex Kozinski (and, by extension, years of failure …

Top Trump-appointee at Veterans Affairs spread conspiracy theories, made anti-Muslim comments  —  (CNN)A senior Trump administration appointee at the Department of Veterans Affairs spread birther conspiracy theories about then-President Barack Obama and made anti-Muslim comments on social media …

Kremlin, coy on new summit idea, says Putin and Trump can meet at G20  —  MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Kremlin was reticent on Tuesday about whether it would accept an invitation from U.S. President Donald Trump to hold a summit with Vladimir Putin in Washington later this year, saying only that the two men had other chances to meet as well.

Inside Incels' Looksmaxing Obsession: Penis Stretching, Skull Implants And Rage  —  Thousands of “involuntarily celibate” men in online forums are consumed by misogynist entitlement and a skin-deep quest for self-improvement.  —  It's late on a Friday, and hundreds of men are browsing the forum Lookism.net.

Russiagate Can't End Well for the Left  —  Liberals are using Russiagate to gin up nationalist fervor and anti-Russian paranoia.  We need to stop them. … Our spring issue, looking at the democratic revolts of 1968, is out now!  Subscribe or renew today.

Not for the Faint of Heart  —  Lessons in Courage, Power, and Persistence  —  Distinguished diplomat Ambassador Wendy Sherman brings readers inside the negotiating room to show how to put diplomatic values like courage, power, and persistence to work in their own lives.

America's last flatware maker invited to White House; guests dine with spoons from China  —  WASHINGTON — Matt Roberts stood in a corner of the State Dining Room at the White House on Monday, showing samples of his company's Liberty Tabletop stainless steel silverware, when Rep. Claudia Tenney rushed over with a spoon in her hand.

A million Facebook users watched a video that blurs the line between bad satire and ‘fake news’  —  A conservative news outlet spliced together a “satirical” interview with Democratic congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, published it on Facebook without noting it was satire …

Denial and Deception: Did Trump Really Hire and Fire the Suspected Russian Assets on His Campaign?  —  As I laid out a few weeks ago, I provided information to the FBI on issues related to the Mueller investigation, so I'm going to include disclosure statements on Mueller investigation posts from here on out.