EXCLUSIVE: Yorktown Elitist and Bronx Hoaxer Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Went by “Sandy” Well into College at Boston U (VIDEO)  —  Congresswoman and Democrat-Socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez grew up and attended school in affluent Westchester, New York but likes to pretend like she grew up in the Bronx.

Biden Sees Himself as Democrats' Best Hope in 2020, Allies Say  —  WASHINGTON — Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. is in the final stages of deciding whether to run for president and has told allies he is skeptical the other Democrats eyeing the White House can defeat President Trump …

As shutdown drags on, Trump officials make new demands, seek novel ways to cope with its impacts  —  Trump administration officials began taking extraordinary steps to contain the fallout from the partial federal government shutdown Sunday, as the budget impasse between the president …

Posing as Prohibitionists, 2nd Effort Used Online Fakery in Alabama Race  —  The “Dry Alabama” Facebook page, illustrated with stark images of car wrecks and videos of families ruined by drink, had a blunt message: Alcohol is the devil's work, and the state should ban it entirely.

WikiLeaks tells reporters 140 things not to say about Julian Assange  —  LONDON (Reuters) - WikiLeaks on Sunday advised journalists not to report 140 different “false and defamatory” statements about its founder Julian Assange, who has been holed up in the Ecuadorean embassy in London since June 2012.

Trump campaign moves to stave off mayhem at 2020 convention  —  President Donald Trump is tightening his iron grip on the Republican Party, launching an elaborate effort to stamp out any vestiges of GOP opposition that might embarrass him at the 2020 Republican convention.

What Romney Exposed About Late-Stage Trumpism  —  For some reason, Trump supporters get angry when critics discuss the president's character.  —  Last week's op-ed from Mitt Romney was interesting not just for what it was, but for what the response to it revealed.

When Mueller Issues Report, Trump May Try to Suppress Some of It  — White House options include assertion of executive privilege  — Democrats in Congress will demand public airing of the report  —  The White House may try to block portions of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's final report …

Power Up: Trump's political ‘crisis’ over border wall may soon turn into a real one  —  Welcome back, Power Up Family — Happy 2019!  I love goal setting and sharing to kick off the new year so . . . this year, I'm working on creating a better sense of community among my friends …

Susan Zirinsky will replace David Rhodes as CBS News president, becoming first woman to lead division  —  Longtime producer Susan Zirinsky is replacing CBS News President David Rhodes in March, becoming the first woman to lead the storied division in the network's history.

Nancy Pelosi: “We have a problem” if Trump doesn't care about governance  —  Nancy Pelosi capped her unlikely comeback this past week surrounded by children.  The California Democrat was elected, once again, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and become the most powerful woman in American history.

Saudi teen barricades herself in Thai hotel to stop being returned to family  —  Patpicha Tanakasempipat, Ghaida Ghantous  —  BANGKOK/DUBAI (Reuters) - An 18-year-old Saudi woman fleeing her family barricaded herself inside a Thai airport hotel on Monday, refusing to allow immigration officials …

House Democrats prepare fusillade of Trump investigations  —  Democrats want to investigate the Trump Hotel deal and President Donald Trump's taxes.  They want to haul up conflicted Cabinet officials and dig into controversial changes to the census and food stamps.

What, precisely, do Democrats want to impeach Trump for?  —  Newly sworn-in Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib electrified progressives with her passionate declaration that she and her colleagues will “ impeach the motherfucker” — the “motherfucker,” of course, being President Trump.

Trump the Vulnerable  —  A close look at the 2018 midterm results shows why he is so weak.  —  Now that a new Congress has taken office, the vote count from the 2018 midterms is all but final.  It shows that Democrats won the national popular vote in the House races by almost nine percentage points.

These Are the 10 Biggest Risks in the World, According to Eurasia Group  —  The global geopolitical environment is at its most dangerous in decades, according to Eurasia Group, the consultancy founded by Ian Bremmer.  Here is a look at Eurasia's top predictions for risks that could impact the world in 2019.

American ISIS Member Caught on Syrian Battlefield, Militia Says  —  A 34-year-old man from Houston who is said to have sent a résumé and cover letter seeking a job with the Islamic State has been seized on a battlefield in Syria, an American-backed militia fighting the militants said Sunday.

Artificial intelligence tool used to catch people who lie to the police  —  British scientists have developed a new computer programme that can spot if someone has lied to police about being robbed.  —  The groundbreaking software analyses the wording of a victim's statement in order to identify tell tale signs of fake reports.

‘I been eatin like a boss’: Federal prisoners served steak by unpaid guards during shutdown  —  With the federal government shutdown solidly into its third week, there is no shortage of hypocritical or ironic or just plain sad moments to further enrage apoplectic taxpayers:

Trump Was Never a Great Dealmaker.  The Shutdown Proves It  —  The president loves the idea of a border wall.  Now he's cornered.  —  SHARE THIS ARTICLE  —  Share  —  Tweet  —  Post  —  Email  —  “Deals are my art form.  Other people paint beautifully on canvas or write wonderful poetry.

A $20,243 bike crash: Zuckerberg hospital's aggressive tactics leave patients with big bills  —  I spent a year writing about ER bills.  Zuckerberg San Francisco General has the most surprising billing practices I've seen.  —  On April 3, Nina Dang, 24, found herself in a position …