'Feel like I'm going to strangle you': Shutdown breaks Congress' spirit  —  A dismal mood has descended on Capitol Hill as the shutdown concludes its 27th day.  —  The House speaker and the president are at war.  A bipartisan Senate push to reopen the government failed for a second consecutive week.

Trump startled by cozy Barr-Mueller relationship  —  Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump was startled Tuesday as he watched television coverage of his nominee for attorney general describing a warm relationship with the special counsel Robert Mueller in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee …

So, I Got an Email From Matthew Whitaker's Wife  —  In her message, Marci Whitaker says the Mueller investigation is “wrapping up” and that the government shutdown is affecting her family's ability to earn a living.  —  On Monday, Dahlia Lithwick and I wrote an article in Slate arguing …

Dan Abrams: This Has Been ‘The Worst 48 Hours For Trump So Far’ in the Russia Probe  —  “I'm going to make a big statement here,” said Mediaite founder Dan Abrams on SiriusXM Thursday.  —  And indeed, he did.  —  At the outset of his daily show on SiriusXM's POTUS channel …

Poll-Rigging for Trump and Creating @WomenForCohen: One IT Firm's Work Order  —  Behind the scenes, Michael Cohen hired RedFinch Solutions, then allegedly stiffed it—and his boss  —  In early 2015, a man who runs a small technology company showed up at Trump Tower to collect $50,000 …

Jack Dorsey Has No Clue What He Wants  —  A Q&A with Twitter's CEO on right-wing extremism, Candace Owens, and what he'd do if the president called on his followers to murder journalists.  —  A conversation with Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey can be incredibly disorienting.

Democrat responds to being told ‘go back to Puerto Rico’ on House floor  —  Rep. Tony Cardenas (D-Calif.) said a Republican telling him to “go back to Puerto Rico” sounded like the equivalent of “go back to where you came from.”  —  During a House vote on re-opening the government Thursday …

Poll: Trump Approval Down, Slips With Base  —  While the longest government shutdown in U.S. history continues, President Trump's approval rating is down, and there are cracks showing with his base.  —  A new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll finds Trump's approval rating down and his disapproval rating up from a month ago.

Trump admin weighed targeting migrant families, speeding up deportation of children  —  A draft plan obtained by NBC News also shows officials wanted to specifically target parents in migrant families for increased prosecutions.  —  WASHINGTON — Trump administration officials weighed speeding …

Trump Is Unifying Democrats Instead of Consolidating His Base  —  The other day, I asked a House Democratic member who has been in D.C. for a few years, if he thought that Democrats would find themselves battling their own ‘Tea Party’ insurgency.  Would the forces led by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez soon …

Generation Z Looks a Lot Like Millennials on Key Social and Political Issues  —  Among Republicans, Gen Z stands out in views on race, climate and the role of government  —  No longer the new kids on the block, Millennials have moved firmly into their 20s and 30s, and a new generation is coming into focus.

Congressman Tom Marino Announces Resignation  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congressman Tom Marino (PA-12) released the following statement announcing his resignation from the United States House of Representatives.  —  Rep. Marino said the following:  —  “As of January 23, 2019, I am officially stepping down from Congress.

Model who claimed U.S.-Russian collusion tape held in Moscow on prostitution charges  —  MOSCOW — A model from Belarus who claimed to have recordings shedding light on the Trump campaign's ties to Russia was detained at a Moscow airport Thursday on prostitution allegations, the police said.

Behold the Democrat Politician Protection Act  —  Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky, is majority leader of the U.S. Senate.  —  For the past two years, our united Republican government drained money and power from Washington and returned it to states, communities and families.

Karen Pence, Are You Now, or Have You Ever Been, Part of a Christian Ministry?  —  On the intolerant critics of the second lady  —  Karen Pence is a believing Christian woman.  She took a part-time job at a private Christian school.  And this, believe it or not, is a scandal.  Don't believe me?

Beto's excellent adventure drips with white male privilege  —  (CNN)Imagine this: A 46-year-old former congresswoman and mother of three, who just lost a Senate bid to one of the most despised incumbents, sets off on a road trip adventure to clear her head.  —  She instagrams part of her trip to the dentist.

Kamala Harris Was Not a ‘Progressive Prosecutor’  —  The senator was often on the wrong side of history when she served as California's attorney general.  —  Ms. Bazelon is a law professor and the former director of the Loyola Law School Project for the Innocent in Los Angeles.

Trump is fraying nerves inside the Pentagon  —  Washington (CNN)Two years into his presidency, Donald Trump is fueling unprecedented uncertainty and anxiety inside the Pentagon.  In private conversations over the past month, many of them unsolicited, more than a dozen key military officers …

McConnell blocks bill to reopen most of government  —  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) blocked legislation on Thursday that would have reopened most of the federal government impacted by the partial shutdown.  —  Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) tried to get consent to take up a House-passed bill …

Clue in Mueller filing suggests Manafort kept working on topic of interest to Russia after indictment  —  In a tiny font at the top of the 82nd page of a lengthy document filed in court this week by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III is a key clue to his ongoing interest in Paul Manafort, President Trump's former campaign chairman.

Activist who met with congressmen about ‘DNA’ posted about black ‘violence gene’  —  Alt-right activist Chuck Johnson has shown a steady interest in genetics and links he draws between DNA, race, intellect and criminality.  —  An alt-right activist who met with two Republican congressmen to discuss …

State Dept. employees ordered back to work as Trump nixes Pelosi trip and Davos delegation, citing shutdown  —  The State Department ordered its employees to return to work next week, saying it has found money to cover a half month in salary, as the Trump administration continued to grapple …

Martin Luther King, Colorblind Radical  —  He flirted with democratic socialism and opposed the Vietnam War but stood against identity politics.  —  Monday marks Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which means it's time for the political commentariat to fight its yearly battle for King's legacy.

As they head to Harvard, Gary Cohn and Heidi Heitkamp criticize shutdown  —  Gary Cohn, President Trump's former top economic adviser, and Heidi Heitkamp, a former Democratic senator from North Dakota, got to know one another when he was president of Goldman Sachs and she was on the Senate Banking Committee.