Trump Appeals to Nation for Wall: ‘This Is a Choice Between Right and Wrong’  —  WASHINGTON — President Trump sought to go over the heads of Congress to enlist public support for his long-promised border wall on Tuesday night, raising the stakes of an ideological and political conflict …

Attorney General pick Barr expresses confidence in Mueller  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The incoming chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee said Wednesday that Attorney General nominee William Barr has confidence in special counsel Robert Mueller and will let him complete his Russia investigation.

Exclusive: Mueller Is Holding Top Secret Intelligence That Will Sink the Trump Presidency  —  Another day, another bombshell emanating from the Special Counsel investigation into President Donald Trump and his links to the Kremlin.  We now have more proof that Robert Mueller really does …

Law firm that represented Russian interests part of mystery Mueller subpoena case  —  Supreme Court rules against mystery company  —  Washington (CNN)One law firm involved in a foreign government-owned company's challenge of a mysterious grand jury subpoena related to the Robert Mueller investigation …

Trump concedes wall is “medieval solution” but says it works  —  President Trump conceded that a wall is a “medieval” solution to the border, but said it still works.  The president made the remarks in his first public appearance since Tuesday night's prime-time address, during a bill signing at the White House.

Reduced inspections ‘put our food supply at risk’  —  The furloughing of hundreds of Food and Drug Administration inspectors has sharply reduced inspections of the nation's food supply — one of many repercussions of the partial government shutdown that make Americans potentially less safe.

Trump Jr. suggests border wall is like a zoo fence  —  Donald Trump Jr. used Instagram Tuesday night to endorse his father's border wall policy, saying the evidence that a wall works is because they protect people from zoo animals.  —  “You know why you can enjoy a day at the zoo?

Josh Hawley to furloughed federal workers: No comment  —  Josh Hawley, Republican U.S. senator from Missouri  —  Josh Hawley has a message to federal workers in Kansas City who won't receive paychecks this week: No comment.  —  Wednesday, the freshman Republican Missouri senator was asked …

People Bet On How Much Trump Would Lie In His Oval Office Address And Won $276,424  —  A gambling site is paying out thousands of dollars to people who correctly bet that President Donald Trump would tell more than 3.5 lies in his Oval Office address on Tuesday.

Proud Boy Accused of Murdering ‘Lizard’ Brother With Sword  —  Prosecutors say Buckey Wolfe was convinced his sibling was a lizard.  —  A self-proclaimed member of the far-right Proud Boys group who also believes in the QAnon conspiracy theory allegedly murdered his own brother with a sword.

Tensions rise between 2 of Hawaii's Congressional leaders over ‘religious bigotry’ comments  —  HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard appears to have “called out” Hawaii Senator Mazie Hirono over her questioning of a judicial nominee, accusing her and others of religious bigotry.

Iran says it holds US Navy veteran, 1st arrest of Trump era  —  TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran confirmed Wednesday it is holding U.S. Navy veteran Michael R. White at a prison in the country, making him the first American known to be detained under President Donald Trump's administration.

Elizabeth Warren Knows Something Other Presidential Hopefuls Don't: Exactly Why She's Running For President  —  In Council Bluffs, her mic went dead.  —  “No sound!” someone in the back yelled.  —  “I know!” she yelled back in a laugh, before continuing on with her speech.

Louis C.K. and Aziz Ansari have an opportunity for redemption.  They're squandering it.  —  Their post-#MeToo comedy is a loss for us all.  —  “God, I love being white,” said Louis C.K.  —  “Here's how great it is to be white,” the comedian went on: “I could get in a time machine …

The G.O.P.'s Plan to Take Down Beto: Unleash the Bernie Bros  —  Republicans are digging into O'Rourke's voting record and Big Oil ties in an attempt to isolate him from progressives.  —  In the run-up to Texas's closely watched Senate election, Republicans' attempts to smear Beto O'Rourke centered …

Angela Davis Says She's ‘Stunned’ After Award Is Revoked Over Her Views on Israel  —  Angela Davis, the activist and scholar, said this week that she was “stunned” after a civil rights group in her native Birmingham, Ala., reversed its decision to honor her with an award amid protests over her support for a boycott of Israel.

He Was Found Not Guilty In Court Of Sexual Assault.  His School Still Expelled Him.  —  A male student accused of sexually assaulting a drunk female student was found not guilty in a court of law, but that didn't stop his university from expelling him over the same accusation.

The partisan warrior leading the White House's shutdown response  —  The White House nerve center spearheading the erratic response to the government shutdown is run by an interim director and longtime conservative firebrand whose confirmation last year was nearly derailed because of his inflammatory comments about Muslims.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Critique of Fact-Checking Is Valid  —  Early last month, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez did a bad tweet.  After misreading an article in the Nation on the Pentagon's accounting errors, Ocasio-Cortez falsely claimed that the Defense Department had wasted enough money …

As Challengers Circle, Longtime Queens D.A. Says He Won't Run Again  —  When Richard A. Brown took over as the district attorney in Queens in the early 1990s, murder and violent crime had reached a record high in New York City.  Like most prosecutors in that era, Mr. Brown adopted a tough-on-crime approach …

Pentagon: Military Logistics System Not Ready for War With China or Russia  —  Defense Science Board warns military supply system ‘decayed’ and needs rapid upgrading  —  The strategic American military system for moving troops, weapons, and supplies over long distances has decayed significantly …