Trump Wants to Deliver Prime Time Address on Government Shutdown and Will Visit the Border  —  President Trump wants to address the nation about the government shutdown on Tuesday night, and later in the week plans to travel to the southern border as part of his effort to persuade Americans …

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's very bad defense of her falsehoods … Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) has made a bigger splash than any freshman in the 116th Congress — in either the House or the Senate.  And a big reason why is an often-overzealous conservative effort to knock her down a few pegs.

Judge blasts lawyers for Russian firm charged by Mueller  —  A judge publicly slammed the defense lawyers for a Russian company criminally charged by special counsel Robert Mueller, accusing the firm's attorneys of submitting unprofessional and inappropriate court filings attacking Mueller's office …

Trump struggles to replace Mattis as Pentagon chief  —  President Donald Trump is having a tough time hiring a Pentagon chief after the abrupt departure of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis late last month.  —  Jon Kyl, the retired Arizona Republican senator, became the second person …

Is there a way to break Trump's will?  One Democrat has an idea.  —  President Trump would almost certainly not be able to continue shutting down the government over his megalomaniacal border wall obsession if it weren't for Mitch McConnell.  The Senate majority leader is refusing a Senate vote …

Ginsburg missing Supreme Court arguments for 1st time  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court says Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is missing arguments for the first time in more than 25 years as she recuperates from cancer surgery last month.  —  Court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg said Monday …

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 …

The Complete List of 140 Things You Can't Say About Assange or WikiLeaks  —  Update: After publication, WikiLeaks responded by tweeting a version on pastelink.  They posted 1.3, archived here, compared to v1.2 which was sent out to journalists yesterday.  This is the third time in 24 hours WikiLeaks …

Democrats Faked Online Push to Outlaw Alcohol 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.

‘No different from my original statements’: Trump denies changes to Syria exit plan  —  President Trump on Monday pushed back against media reports that he had altered the timeline for removing U.S. troops from Syria, denying his administration had issued a series of contradictory statements …

Campaign journalism needs an overhaul.  Here's one radical idea.  —  As the new year dawned, the top editor at the Associated Press — one of the most influential journalists in the country, though hers is not a household name — was making a resolution.  —  “We should all resolve to spend less time …

The High Line Has Become a Tunnel Through Glass Towers  —  The High Line was an epiphany when it opened in 2009, a moment suspended between neglect and possibility.  The strips of curated wilderness, the medieval-looking iron railings, the disorienting views, the way the viaduct ducked beneath buildings …

How China Flexes Its Political Muscle to Expand Power Overseas  —  A Chinese ‘Belt and Road’ project was planned to help cover debts of Malaysia's troubled 1MDB fund, according to the minutes of secret negotiations.  The new Malaysian leader put the deal on hold

'Come On Down to the Rio Grande Valley.  I'll Show You Around.' Would patrolling with the Border Patrol change your mind about the border?  —  On the outskirts of McAllen, Texas, a few miles north of the Rio Grande, a dun-colored warehouse squats on the corner of West Ursula Avenue and South Ware Road.

IRS Will Pay Tax Refunds During Government Shutdown, Official Says  —  The Internal Revenue Service will issue refunds to taxpayers even if the U.S. government shutdown extends into the filing season, a decision that may reduce political pressure on Congress and President Donald Trump to reach a deal to re-open the federal government.

Top Trump Backer Financed Supreme Court Confirmation Fights Through Shadowy Network  —  Leonard Leo is the top judicial lobbyist in the country and a well-known booster of the president.  But the reach of his influence is just starting to come into focus.  —  A top conservative judicial activist used …

Gov. Bill Haslam grants full clemency to Cyntoia Brown, sets Aug. 7 release from prison  —  Gov. Bill Haslam ordered an early release for Cyntoia Brown, a Tennessee woman and alleged sex trafficking victim serving a life sentence in prison for killing a man when she was 16.

Krugman on optimal taxes  —  As you may have noticed, I try very hard not to get in to the business of rebutting Paul Krugman's various outrages.  The article “The economics of soaking the rich” merits an exception.  I will ignore the snark, the... distoritions, the ... untruths …

Bolsonaro Was Not Elected to Take Brazil as He Found It  —  Latin America's biggest democracy has a bigger global role to play.  —  “Brazilian foreign policy cannot change.”  That is how a Brazilian politician summarized his dislike for the foreign policy of President Jair Bolsonaro and myself.