What happened to Michael Cohen?  Mystery ex-Trump fixer arrives at home with apparent black eye and arm in sling hours after bombshell report that president ordered him to LIE to Congress  — Longtime Donald Trump lawyer Michael Cohen arrived at his Manhattan apartment with was treated at a New York hospital with his left arm covered

Trump says he'll make “major announcement” about border  —  President Trump said on Twitter that he will be making a “major announcement” about the southern border and the government shutdown on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET.  —  “I will be making a major announcement concerning the Humanitarian Crisis …

Justice Department's Reversal on Online Gambling Tracked Memo From Adelson Lobbyists  —  Analysis sent to Justice Department argued that 2011 opinion that helped online gambling was wrong  —  The legal reasoning behind the Justice Department's unusual reversal this week of an opinion …

The shabbiest U.S. president ever is an inexpressibly sad specimen  —  Half or a quarter of the way through this interesting experiment with an incessantly splenetic presidency, much of the nation has become accustomed to daily mortifications.  Or has lost its capacity for embarrassment, which is even worse.

Mnuchin Flew to L.A. on Private Jet of Billionaire Michael Milken  —  WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin flew from Washington to Los Angeles this month on the private aircraft of Michael R. Milken, the billionaire “junk bond” king who pleaded guilty to securities fraud in 1990 and served two years in prison.

Defiant Pelosi Begins Swimming To Afghanistan After Trump Denies Use Of Government Plane  —  Shared from Sports

Transcripts of Former Top FBI Lawyer Detail Pervasive Abnormalities in Trump Probe  —  Former top FBI attorney James Baker admitted to House lawmakers in October last year that the investigation into alleged collusion between the Trump 2016 presidential campaign and Russia was riddled with abnormalities.

Beware the permanent exclusive  —  Bloomberg Businessweek spent more than a year reporting on an alleged breach of U.S. computer infrastructure by China — a hardware hack supposedly affecting Apple, Amazon, Supermicro and nearly 30 other companies.  That story was published on Oct. 4 under the headline …

Green Beret, Navy linguist, SEAL-turned-DIA civilian among Americans killed in ISIS-claimed bombing in Syria  —  WASHINGTON — The ISIS-claimed bombing of a restaurant in Syria on Wednesday killed an Army Green Beret with four children, a former Navy SEAL working for the Pentagon's intelligence agency …

Defying Trump Administration, Calif. Offers Federal Workers Unemployment Benefits  —  California Gov. Gavin Newsom says the Trump administration has told states they can't offer unemployment benefits to federal employees who are required to report to work without pay during the government shutdown.

Republican Congressman: Trump's Border Crisis Is a ‘Myth’  —  A conversation with Texas Rep. Will Hurd, who knows the border better than most of his colleagues  —  WASHINGTON — Congressman Will Hurd of Texas is an increasingly lonely voice in the “build the wall” Republican Party of Donald Trump.

St. Louis newscaster apologizes for inserting slur into Martin Luther King Jr.'s name on air  —  ST. LOUIS  • A St. Louis newscaster apologized on air Thursday morning, saying that his mispronunciation of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s name that included a racial slur was “not intentional in any way.”

Why can't Trump make deals?  No one trusts him anymore … Sen. Mitch McConnell was jolted with a fresh reminder of President Trump's capriciousness last month: The majority leader persuaded Republican colleagues to take a politically difficult vote to temporarily fund the government …

2020 WATCH: Gavin Newsom Is Running Facebook Ads in Ohio, Florida & Other Swing States  —  From January 12 to 16, California Gov. Gavin Newsom ran Facebook ads that were focused on list building in Ohio, Florida, and other swing states.  —  The newly sworn-in governor of California …

50,000 Coast Guard retirees at risk of not receiving pension checks during shutdown  —  It's a shame that Congress and the president “can't see the pain and damage they're causing to thousands of people,” one Coast Guard retiree said to NBC News.  —  The 50,000 retired members of the U.S. Coast Guard …

Same old elite?  Macron's ‘revolution’ fails with fed up French  —  Jean-Baptiste Moreau, a farmer who splits his time between parliament and his cow sheds, thought he would be part of the solution to France's political problems when he was elected.  —  The 41-year-old won a seat in parliament …

Even College Graduates Can't Afford a Home on the West Coast  — College graduates priced out of some of the biggest job hubs  — But, grads can find affordable housing in many thriving cities  —  College graduates earn a lot of money in San Jose but are still $100,000 short to afford …

Advisers to former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz are looking at him running as an independent for president in 2020  —  Advisers to former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz have been exploring the possibility of launching an independent bid for the White House in 2020, according to two people who have been informed of the discussions.

Upper East Side Restaurant Nello Bans Single Women From Eating At The Bar  —  Because, apparently, the owners consider all of us escorts, and they have “special” seating rules for them.  —  And yes, this is as disgustingly ridiculous as it sounds, so let's backtrack.

AJC poll shows a deeply divided Georgia and tough numbers for Kemp  —  Editor's note: For a detailed explanation about how this poll was conducted, see the end of this story.  —  After an intensely partisan race for Georgia governor, an Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll released Friday shows …

When the World Opened the Gates of China  —  Was it a mistake for the U.S. to allow China to join the World Trade Organization?  Assessments of the 2001 deal often determine positions in today's bitter trade debate.  —  With a congressional vote looming in the spring of 2000 …

Showboat: billionaire NFL team owner installs Imax cinema on superyacht  —  Dan Snyder made a ‘special and unusual’ request when ordering Lady S from Dutch boatbuilder  —  Dan Snyder, the American billionaire owner of the Washington National Football League (NFL) team …