Exclusive: Mueller investigators questioned John Kelly in obstruction probe  —  Washington (CNN)White House chief of staff John Kelly was interviewed by special counsel Robert Mueller's team in recent months, three people with knowledge of the matter told CNN.

Rex Tillerson makes rare public appearance in Houston  —  Russia interfered with the 2016 U.S. elections, former Secretary of State and Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson said during a Thursday evening visit to Houston.  —  Making his first public appearance in nearly nine months …

VA secretary praised Confederate president as a “martyr to ‘The Lost Cause’” in 1995 speech  —  (CNN)Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie praised Confederate States President Jefferson Davis effusively in a 1995 speech, calling him a “martyr to ‘The Lost Cause’” and an “exceptional man in an exceptional age.”

Trump leans on McConnell to vote on criminal justice reform  —  President Donald Trump pressured Senate Majority Leader Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Friday to pass criminal justice reform, hoping to push a reluctant McConnell to put it on the floor during a crowded lame duck session.

N.C.'s Harris: ‘I would wholeheartedly support a new election’ if evidence of fraud emerges  —  Mark Harris, the Republican candidate in North Carolina's 9th Congressional District election, issued a video Friday saying he would “wholeheartedly support” a new election if evidence emerges …

Justice Department office issued guidance on Whitaker's role in Russia probe  —  A Justice Department ethics office has received requests for advice and issued guidance concerning acting attorney general Matthew G. Whitaker's involvement in the special counsel's investigation of Russian interference …

Access Journalism Must Die  —  In the Atlantic today, Elaina Plott published what she described as a piece about “why it's so annoying when people sneer at so-called ‘access journalism.’” She went there, folks.  —  Plott's piece is a defense of access journalism by way of praising Richard Ben Cramer's book What it Takes.

“They're All Too Old”: Democrats Face a Generational Reckoning  —  The choice in the 2020 primary ultimately comes down to one thing: who is best prepared to beat Trump at a time when Trump owns the culture?  Someone who actually understands culture would be a start.

Lawyers stopping Comey from answering questions in Hill testimony, Issa says  —  Former FBI Director James Comey's lawyers have prevented him from answering a number of questions during Friday's closed-door testimony before House lawmakers, according to a lawmaker in the room.

Trump expected to tap Army chief as next chairman of the Joint Chiefs  —  President Trump is expected to choose the head of the Army to become the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, tapping a voluble and unconventional combat veteran to become America's top military officer …

America's New Religions  —  Everyone has a religion.  It is, in fact, impossible not to have a religion if you are a human being.  It's in our genes and has expressed itself in every culture, in every age, including our own secularized husk of a society.  —  By religion, I mean something …

Brutal week: Dow plunges 1,150 points  —  New York (CNN Business)Worries about the US-China trade war unleashed another round of heavy selling on Friday, capping off a brutal week on Wall Street.  —  The Dow fell 559 points, or 2.2%, on Friday as investors were left confused …

Only the Best Candidates for Federal Courts  —  We should stop bringing candidates with questionable track records on race before the full Senate for a vote.  —  Over the past two years the Senate has confirmed a record number of judicial nominees.  I have proudly voted for more than 99% of them …

Ammon Bundy Is Quitting The Militia Movement After Breaking With Trump On Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric  —  For more than six years Ammon Bundy and his family amassed hundreds of followers and supporters willing to pick up a gun at a moment's notice and rally to their side for a confrontation with the federal government.

Kevin Hart Missed A Big Opportunity To Stare Down The Outrage Mob  —  Kevin Hart should be hosting the Oscars.  But now he won't, because of homosexuality-related jokes he made a decade ago.  —  Kevin Hart was supposed to host the Oscars.  The comedian was tapped by the Academy on Tuesday to preside over February's ceremony.

Anti-Zionism Isn't the Same as Anti-Semitism  —  American Jews have nothing to fear from the new congressional critics of Israel.  —  On Monday, in an interview with The Intercept, Rashida Tlaib, a Michigan Democrat who in November became the first Palestinian-American elected to Congress …

‘Make better choices’: Endangered Hawaiian monk seals keep getting eels stuck up their noses and scientists want them to stop  —  A relaxed-looking juvenile Hawaiian monk seal lounges near a sandy white beach on some green foliage.  Its eyes are half-closed, and it has a serene expression on its face.

TUI refunds holiday for ‘horrifying’ dead son tribute  —  Hotel staff created a “horrifying” effigy of a couple's dead son in a misguided attempt at a tribute.  —  Karen Baker had arranged for workers at a Jamaican resort to dress a room for friends Faye and Andrew Stephens, whose son Alex died in 2014.

Trump's trade war has cost the S&P 10% this year, JP Morgan estimates  — J. P. Morgan's Marko Kolanovic is still overweight equities and underweight bonds for 2019, with projected earnings growth of 8 percent for the S&P 500 and a price target for the index of 3,100.

Heather Nauert cited D-Day as the height of U.S.-German relations.  Now she's headed to the U.N.  —  The United Nations came into existence to vanquish Germany, as 26 nations jointly pledged in 1942 not to surrender to “savage and brutal forces seeking to subjugate the world.”

Lynn Jenkins sets up lobbying business — but she's still a Kansas congresswoman  —  WASHINGTON  —  Lynn Jenkins hasn't left Congress yet, but the Kansas Republican has already launched a new lobbying firm.  —  Jenkins' term in the U.S. House doesn't officially end until the first week …

Poll: Republicans Are Only Group That Mostly Sees Mueller Probe As A ‘Witch Hunt’  —  President Trump continues to rail against special counsel Robert Mueller and his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible collusion with the Trump campaign.

Arrested: Ali R. was arrested at the scene after stabbing Irish university lecturer John Dowling, 66, to death outside the Leonardo de Vinci university in Paris  —  Ali - whose surname has not been disclosed by the French authorities - is due to be indicted for murder in Paris today …