Exclusive: Robert Mueller met with Trump's pollster  —  Washington (CNN)Special counsel Robert Mueller sought information directly last year from one of Donald Trump's campaign pollsters who is also a former business associate of Paul Manafort's.  —  Mueller's team met with pollster Tony Fabrizio …

Test of steel prototype for border wall showed it could be sawed through  —  NBC News obtained a photo showing results of a test on a steel wall prototype.  —  President Donald Trump has repeatedly advocated for a steel slat design for his border wall, which he described as …

Before Trump, Steve King Set the Agenda for the Wall and Anti-Immigrant Politics  —  Years before President Trump forced a government shutdown over a border wall, triggering a momentous test of wills in Washington, Representative Steve King of Iowa took to the House floor to show off a model of a 12-foot border wall he had designed.

Democrats will object to Senate adjourning amid shutdown  —  Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) plans to object to the Senate adjourning for the week Thursday afternoon amidst a 20-day government shutdown, according to Senate sources.  —  Kaine and his fellow Senate Democrats want to ratchet up pressure …

Rubio: Are You Ready For President Kamala Harris Declaring A National Emergency Over Climate Change?  —  Does anyone care about long-term consequences for precedents set in the short term any more?  I thought this argument died when Harry Reid pursued the nuclear option in the Senate to allow Barack Obama to stack the DC Circuit.

Trump White House urging allies to prepare for possible RBG departure  —  The White House is reaching out to political allies and conservative activist groups to prepare for an ailing Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's possible death or departure from the Supreme Court — an event that would trigger …

Gillibrand reps lease 5,000 square foot Troy building  —  Kenneth C. Crowe II and and Diego Mendoza-Moyers January 10, 2019  —  Campaign representatives for Democratic U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand signed a lease for a 5,000 square foot space in downtown Troy, according to a local Democratic operative …

Trump: I never said Mexico would ‘write out a check’ for border wall  —  President Donald Trump said Thursday that he never promised Mexico would literally write a check to pay for a border wall — even though his 2016 presidential campaign said it had a plan to make Mexico fork over the cash.

Joshua Tree National Park To Close For Cleanup, Repairs To Vandalism, Illegal Roads  —  Illegal roads, cut down Joshua trees, and damaged federal property, along with the need to clean up garbage, prompted Joshua Tree National Park Superintendent David Smith to announce Tuesday that the park …

Q13 FOX staffer fired after TV station airs altered Trump video  —  A staffer at local FOX affiliate Q13 has been fired after the station aired what appears to be a doctored video of President Trump's Tuesday night speech from the Oval Office.  —  A staffer at local FOX affiliate Q13 …

Ocean Warming Is Accelerating Faster Than Thought, New Research Finds  —  Scientists say the warming of the world's oceans is accelerating more quickly than previously thought, a finding with dire implications for climate change given that the vast majority of the heat trapped by greenhouse gases ends up stored there.

The ‘doomsday’ scenario: Here's what happens if the shutdown drags on  —  Economists warn that a catastrophe is in the making if the partial government closure continues for weeks or months.  —  The country would face an economic hellscape if the government shutdown lasts “months or even years …

Harry Reid: Renewed But Ready to Rumble?  —  Harry Reid retired a little more than two years ago after serving decades in elected office, lastly as a U.S. senator who helped President Barack Obama get the Affordable Care Act through Congress.  —  He's been out of the limelight since, undergoing cancer treatment.

Kamala Harris Ready To Enter Race For President, Sources Say  —  She's Finalizing Plans For Bay Area Rally To Announce Candidacy  —  Sen. Kamala Harris has decided to run for president in 2020 and will announce her candidacy on or around Martin Luther King Jr. Day, probably at a campaign rally in Oakland …

Texas landowners prepare wall fight; Trump to visit border  —  HIDALGO, Texas (AP) — As President Donald Trump travels to the border in Texas to make the case for his $5.7 billion wall, landowner Eloisa Cavazos says she knows firsthand how the project will play out if the White House gets its way.

I Was Sexually Harassed on Bernie Sanders's 2016 Campaign.  I Will Not Be Weaponized or Dismissed.  —  Last week, my experience, and that of some of my female co-workers, became the focus of a New York Times story on the sexual harassment and sexism that took place in the 2016 Bernie Sanders campaign.

Kroger Manager Accused of Racial Profiling After Calling Cops On Black Teens Buying Snacks  —  “I asked him what we did, and he was like, 'We've had problems with people like you before,'” one teen said.  —  A Texas woman is speaking out after she said her teenage sons and nephews …

No to an Emergency  —  President Trump says he is considering declaring an emergency at the border to unlock military funds to build a fence (a.k.a. wall).  —  It's not clear how serious he is, although anonymous White House aides have been quoted saying they believe this will be his ultimate way out of the shutdown fight.

Texas county GOP set to vote this week to remove leader because he is Muslim  —  The Tarrant County Republicans in Texas will vote this week to remove their vice chairman because he is Muslim.  —  Republican Dorrie O'Brien is leading a group of colleagues in an attempt to unseat Shahid Shafi …

What Real Border Security Looks Like  —  Republicans and Democrats should agree to build an Israeli-style “smart fence.”  —  ON THE ISRAEL-LEBANON BORDER — Other than the Korean Peninsula's DMZ, there's probably no border in the world as fraught with the potential for sudden violence as this one, known locally as the Blue Line.

Group representing FBI agents warns of harm from shutdown  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The association that represents thousands of FBI agents warned Thursday that a partial government shutdown could cause laboratory delays, reduce money for investigations and make it harder to recruit and retain agents.

Farenthold resigns as Calhoun Port Authority lobbyist … Calhoun Port Authority Board Chairman Randy Boyd, middle left, speaks with Port Director Charles Hausmann before a special meeting May 24 in Point Comfort.  During the meeting, the board voted 3-3 to fire Blake Farenthold.

Trump Campaign in Legal Jeopardy Over Manafort's Sharing Data with Russian Agent  —  According to a court filing earlier this week, former 2016 Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort shared presidential campaign polling data with Konstantin Kilimnik, a Russian citizen with ties to Russian intelligence.

U.S. Military Prepares for Syria Pullout Amid Uncertainty  —  Defense officials say withdrawal plans are proceeding despite shifting timetable, rift with Turkey that is likely to delay departure  —  The U.S. military is moving ahead with its plans to withdraw all American troops from Syria …

House passes bills to fund Transportation Dept., HUD, Agriculture  —  The Democratic-led House passed a standalone spending measure Thursday to provide funding for the Departments of Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and other agencies.  —  The House voted 244-180 to approve the clean funding measure.

On 1958 TV Show, Confidence Man ‘Trump’ Promises To Build A Wall To Save The World  —  A 1958 TV western predicted it all.  If we'd only listened...  A television western from 1958 was said to have “predicted Donald Trump”, and the clips from it continue to make the rounds, a full two years after Trump got elected.

Mnuchin to brief Congress on plan to ease sanctions on Russian oligarch  —  Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is expected to appear on Capitol Hill Thursday afternoon at the request of top House Democrats to answer questions about the Treasury Department's plans to lift sanctions on companies tied to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska.

White House Intervened in Case of Trump's Casino Pal Steve Wynn  —  The move came just before the administration drafted new guidance that could have paid off for the gambling boss, and months before his resignation.  —  In the summer of 2017, the Trump White House asked for a meeting …

Here's Trump Allies' Plan To Meddle In The 2020 Democratic Primary  —  The pair of outside groups tied closely to President Donald Trump has retained the top Republican opposition group in an effort to smother Democrats seeking to challenge him — and perhaps even help pick his 2020 challenger.