Exasperated Democrats try to rein in Ocasio-Cortez  —  Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is already making enemies in the House Democratic Caucus — and some of its members are mounting an operation to bring the anti-establishment, democratic socialist with 2.2 million Twitter followers into the fold.

Why are Republicans accused of racism?  Because we're silent on things like this.  —  Tim Scott, a Republican, represents South Carolina in the U.S. Senate.  —  Over the past two years, Republicans have focused on spreading opportunity, and it has paid dividends: From the creation …

Exclusive: Trump team should be allowed to ‘correct’ final Mueller report, says Giuliani  —  Rudy Giuliani says President Trump's legal team should be allowed to “correct” special counsel Robert Mueller's final report before Congress or the American people get the chance to read it.

The International Crisis of Donald Trump  —  While Washington melts down over the government shutdown, the worst-case scenario for the President's foreign policy has actually happened.  —  Congressional committees, like the priorities of the politicians who run them, change with the times.

Amid speculation, Supreme Court says Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's recovery ‘on track’  —  Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's recovery from surgery to remove malignant nodules from her left lung is “on track,” a Supreme Court spokesperson said Friday, but she will continue to work from home and miss oral arguments at the court next week.

A Seattle TV station aired doctored footage of Trump's Oval Office speech.  The employee has been fired.  —  On Tuesday night, an estimated 43.3 million Americans hunkered down to watch President Trump make an Oval Office pitch for his border wall.  With the federal government shutdown stretching …

CNN requests KUSI for local view on the border, declines our reporter after finding out wall works  —  SAN DIEGO (KUSI) - Thursday morning, CNN called the KUSI Newsroom asking if one of our reporters could give them a local view of the debate surrounding the border wall and government shutdown.

Trump Sold $35 Million Of Real Estate In 2018  —  Donald Trump sold an estimated $35 million worth of real estate while serving in the White House last year, according to a Forbes analysis of local property records and federal filings.  Although the president delegated day-to-day management …

APNewsBreak: US approved thousands of child bride requests  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Thousands of requests by men to bring in child and adolescent brides to live in the United States were approved over the past decade, according to government data obtained by The Associated Press.

US official says troop withdrawal from Syria has started  —  BAGHDAD (AP) — After days of back and forth over U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to pullout American troops from Syria, a U.S. military official said Friday the process of withdrawal has begun, declining to comment on specific timetables or movements.

Freedom Caucus members tell Trump to back off wall emergency  —  A core group of the hard-line House Freedom Caucus is urging President Donald Trump against the explosive step of declaring a national emergency to build his wall.  —  Multiple Republicans in the conservative group …

Bloomberg says he'd self-fund possible 2020 White House bid  —  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg says that if he runs for president, he'll pay for it himself, defending candidates who use personal riches to bankroll campaigns.  —  Bloomberg's comments to reporters …

OPRAH WINFREY HOSTS LIVE EVENT FROM TIMES SQUARE IN NYC ON TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5  —  Inspiring One-on-One Conversations with Guests Including Bradley Cooper, Michael B. Jordan, Beto O'Rourke, Melinda Gates and Lisa Borders  —  COMING SOON: Tickets will go on sale this Monday, January 14 at 10a EST.

The Purge We Need  —  It's past time for the GOP to expel the mouth-breathers and bigots who are ruining the party.  —  Tarrant County's GOP got it half right Thursday night.  —  In a closed door session, the party's precinct chairs voted 139-49 to reject an attempt to oust one of its vice chairmen …

Most Americans Call Shutdown ‘Embarrassing’ As It's Set To Become Longest In History  —  Three-quarters of Americans say the government shutdown, now tied for the longest in U.S. history, is “embarrassing for the country,” including a majority of Republicans, a new NPR/Ipsos poll finds.

EXCLUSIVE: The Rock slams snowflakes as ‘looking for reasons to be offended’  —  THE world's biggest movie star Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has body slammed Britain's growing snowflake culture.  —  He “laid the smackdown” on PC softies in an exclusive chat with the Daily Star.

Documents Show NRA and GOP Candidates Coordinated Ads in Key Senate Races  —  The National Rifle Association appears to have illegally coordinated its political advertising with Republican candidates in at least three recent high-profile Senate races, according to Federal Communications Commission records.

Federal workers get $0 pay stubs as shutdown drags on  —  OGDEN, Utah (AP) — Federal workers received pay stubs Friday with nothing but zeroes on them as the effects of the government shutdown hit home, deepening anxieties about mortgage payments and unpaid bills.

Due to TSA absences, Miami airport will temporarily close one terminal early for 3 days  —  How does the government shutdown affect you?  —  (CNN)Miami International Airport will close a terminal early for three days because of a shortage of Transportation Security Administration screeners, airport spokesman Greg Chin said Thursday.

Will the Media Be Trump's Accomplice Again in 2020?  —  We have a second chance.  Let's not blow it.  —  “Pocahontas” won't be lonely for long.  —  As other Democrats join Elizabeth Warren in the contest for the party's presidential nomination, President Trump will assign them their own nicknames …

Is a Portland Professor Being Railroaded by His University for Criticizing Social-Justice Research?  —  Last fall, it was revealed that a trio of researchers, the philosopher Peter Boghossian, the mathematician James Lindsay, and the medieval-studies independent scholar Helen Pluckrose …

EXCLUSIVE: Transcripts of Lisa Page's Closed-Door Testimonies Provide New Revelations in Spygate Scandal  —  Transcripts of two closed-door testimonies by Lisa Page, the former assistant general counsel at the FBI, have provided new insights into the actions of the FBI, DOJ, and others …

The worst case scenario for conservatives if Trump invokes emergency powers to build a border wall  —  If President Trump tries to invoke emergency powers to build a border wall and fails in courts, it would be bad for conservatives.  But if he succeeds in court, it would be even worse.

Trump's Hannity interview reveals a president out of touch with reality  —  He can't explain what he's trying to do or why.  —  A Sean Hannity interview with President Donald Trump is always a curious spectacle: The interviewer has disavowed journalistic ethics, and the subject has no compunction …

Trump's Typos Reveal His Lack of Fitness for the Presidency  —  They suggest not just inadequate manners or polish, but inadequate thought.  —  The president of the United States has many faults, but let's not ignore this one: He cannot write sentences.  If a tree falls in a forrest …

White House Contemplates Weeks More of Shutdown  —  President Trump's aides have started preparations for the State of the Union speech, discussing how to use the Jan. 29 address if the shutdown remains in place, White House officials said.

Federal work at Superfund sites suspended during shutdown  —  BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — The government shutdown has suspended federal cleanups at Superfund sites around the nation and forced the cancellation of public hearings, deepening the mistrust and resentment of surrounding residents …

In a House With 16 Bathrooms, There Are Lots of Choices  —  The proportion of homes with 10 or more bathrooms has nearly doubled in the past decade, as wealthy owners of luxury megamansions see an abundance of toilets as a covetable amenity  —  If he were so inclined, Alessandro Giacometti …

Now on Craigslist, Facebook: Household items from furloughed workers trying to make ends meet  —  A federal worker in Morgantown, W.Va., took to Facebook this week to sell welding tools, left behind by his deceased father-in-law.  Another, a die-hard Star Wars fan in Woodbridge, Va. …

National Air Traffic Controllers Association sues Trump over shutdown  —  The Trump administration is being sued by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association for forcing employees to work without pay, NBC News reports.  —  The big picture: On Thursday, air traffic controllers received …

Introducing The Cook Political Report's 2020 Electoral College Ratings  —  Here it is.  Our first pass at the 2020 Electoral College ratings.  These ratings take into consideration the 2016 and 2018 results as well as what we've learned about the political coalitions that currently make-up the Trump and Democratic bases.