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 …

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.

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 …

Trump will “probably” declare national emergency absent a deal in Congress  —  President Trump indicated Thursday he will likely declare a national emergency if Congress doesn't reach an agreement to fund his border wall — a move that is sure to set off challenges in the courts if he goes ahead with it.

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 …

POLITICO Playbook: Trump's one way out  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  SHUTDOWN ... DAY 20 ... TRUMP'S ONLY WAY OUT ...  THERE IS AN INCREASING RECOGNITION in the White House and among his most important allies on Capitol Hill that the only way for PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP to get movement …

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.

O'Rourke talks border during Instagram video at dentist  —  Former Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-Texas) recorded his trip to the dentist on Thursday to showcase his hygienist's experiences growing up near the southern border.  —  “So I'm here at the dentist and we're going to continue our series …

Thank you, Frank.  Thank you to Frank Ricciardone.  Thank you for your service to America as well, in addition to the duties that you perform here.  —  I've had the good fortune to be a frequent visitor here to Egypt and the Middle East as Secretary of State.

Was video of President Trump's Tuesday address doctored?  —  A listener to my program sent me a video that appears to show a deceptively edited video of President Trump's speech from the Oval Office.  We performed a side-by-side comparison of the video from our listener …

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 …

Police Issue Warrant for Soccer Superstar Ronaldo's DNA in Rape Case  —  After discovering DNA on dress of alleged victim, Las Vegas police want to know if it matches Ronaldo's  —  Authorities in Las Vegas have issued a warrant to obtain the DNA of soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo …

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 …

Exclusive: Pentagon preparing options to build border wall as Trump weighs emergency declaration  —  WASHINGTON - The Pentagon is preparing options to build barriers on the southern border in the event that President Donald Trump declares a national emergency there, the latest indication …

Fact-checking the mob song from ‘Beauty and the Beast’ … An angry mob, having learned that a Beast lives near their village in rural France, 18th century  —  GASTON AND VILLAGERS: We're not safe until he's dead.  —  First off, there are many ways to die that are not directly related to beast attacks!

Payday without pay hits federal workers as shutdown drags on  —  OGDEN, Utah (AP) — Payday will come Friday without any checks for about 800,000 federal employees affected by the government shutdown, forcing workers to scale back spending, cancel trips, apply for unemployment benefits and take out loans to stay afloat.

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.

Fed chair Powell predicts no recession in 2019  —  Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell, one of the nation's top economic policymakers, predicted the economy is not going to plunge into a deep downturn this year.  —  “I don't see a recession” in 2019, Powell said Thursday in an interview …

AP sources: Gillibrand eyes Troy, NY, for 2020 campaign base  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is looking at Troy, New York, as a potential base for a 2020 presidential bid, according to multiple people familiar with the discussions.  —  They cautioned that the decision …

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 …

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 …