After Ayers Turns Down Chief of Staff Job, Trump Is Left Without a Plan B  —  WASHINGTON — President Trump has often bragged about having his pick of only the best people to serve in his administration.  —  Being publicly rejected by his first choice for chief of staff …

Maria Butina, accused Russian agent, reaches plea deal with prosecutors that includes cooperation  —  Maria Butina, a 30-year-old Russian gun rights activist who stands accused developing a covert influence operation in the United States, has agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy and cooperate with federal …

We are former senators.  The Senate has long stood in defense of democracy — and must again.  —  By 44 Former U.S. Senators  —  As former members of the U.S. Senate, Democrats and Republicans, it is our shared view that we are entering a dangerous period, and we feel an obligation to speak …

Jared Kushner did what?  —  The New York Times reports: … As a preliminary matter, we should recognize this as yet another example of why a president should not put a relative in a position of power — especially if the relative possesses questionable judgment and is utterly unqualified for the job.

Trump's latest rage-tweets expose the depth of his own corruption  —  The news contained in the fusillade of new legal filings relating to President Trump can be summed up this way: Federal prosecutors are now alleging that Trump personally directed a criminal conspiracy that helped get him elected …

Everybody Says Mueller Is Almost Done.  What If He Isn't?  —  In late 2015, the British spy agency GCHQ, and then other Western intelligence agencies, learned of suspicious interactions between Russian agents and Donald Trump's inner circle.  By the summer of 2016, James Comey testified Friday …

Sources: Dan Bongino Out at NRATV  —  Trump loves the guy.  But the gun rights group is downsizing its media operation and his show appears to be a casualty of those plans.  —  The National Rifle Association's media arm has dropped pro-Trump firebrand Dan Bongino from its lineup …

Trump Prepares to Unveil a Vast Reworking of Clean Water Protections  —  The proposed new rule would chip away at wetlands safeguards put in place during the administration of President George H.W. Bush.  —  TRUMP ADMINISTRATION  —  Trump Lays Out a Defense for Potential Campaign-Finance Crimes

In an email to Tablet the Women's March wrote: … But whatever concerns were popping up were ultimately no match for the steamroller of the event's progress.  And when the day came, the reality far exceeded expectations.  Estimates for the March on Washington range between half a million …

Epstein sex abuse victims press judge for decision on tossing his lenient plea deal  —  Victims of accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, who have waged a decade-long fight for justice, on Monday pressed a federal judge to finally take action on their motion to throw out a controversial plea agreement …

Establishment looks to crush liberals on Medicare for All  —  The united front that helped Democrats save Obamacare just a year ago is falling apart over single-payer health care.  —  Deep-pocketed hospital, insurance and other lobbies are plotting to crush progressives' hopes of expanding …

Academy Looks Warily at Oscar Host Options As Board Meeting Looms  —  Kevin Hart's abrupt departure as Oscars host has left the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences scrambling to find someone to take the gig.  As of now, the situation remains fluid as the group's leadership explores options …

Thousands of mailed ballots in Florida were not counted  —  TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida officials say thousands of mailed ballots were not counted because they were delivered too late to state election offices.  —  The Department of State late last week informed a federal judge …

An insane amount of people turned out to vote in the midterm elections  —  (CNN)President Donald Trump solved a problem that no other president before him could: Getting people to vote in a midterm election.  —  Whether they were voting for or against his agenda, it is now clear that voters turned out in record numbers in 2018.

Talk About Pizzagate  —  The former Clinton campaign chairman is among the victims still recovering from a vile conspiracy theory that ended in gunfire  —  WASHINGTON — John Podesta has given it a lot of thought and believes the best way to deal with the trolls is to ignore them.

Cornyn under fire from GOP as criminal justice reform falters  —  John Cornyn is facing a grievous insult during a last-ditch effort to pass criminal justice reform: Senate Republicans can't trust their own whip's count.  —  The Texas Republican and Senate majority whip has worked on the issue …

A Former Trump Campaign Staffer Was Ordered To Pay $25,000 For Violating Her Nondisclosure Agreement  —  WASHINGTON — Jessica Denson, a former staffer for President Donald Trump's campaign, is fighting an order to pay nearly $25,000 for violating a nondisclosure agreement, according to court papers.

Why ‘No Hate Here’ signs are actually pretty hateful  —  My walks with my dog take me to a quiet off-street, with middle-class houses made expensive because they're inside the Beltway.  Their owners are mostly youngish attorneys who work as assistant-deputy-director-somethings in some government department or other.

Beto O'Rourke sounding out prominent black Democrats as he ponders presidential bid  —  Barack Obama and Andrew Gillum are among those the 2018 senate candidate has talked with in recent days.  —  WASHINGTON — Beto O'Rourke hasn't made up his mind about a possible presidential run in 2020 …

YouTube Bans Proud Boys Founder Gavin McInnes  —  YouTube banned Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes on Monday, marking the latest social-media blow for the man who started the far-right men's group.  McInnes had amassed more than 220,000 subscribers on YouTube before the ban …