President Trump Directed His Attorney To Lie To Congress About The Moscow Tower Project  —  President Donald Trump directed his longtime attorney Michael Cohen to lie to Congress about negotiations to build a Trump Tower in Moscow, according to two federal law enforcement officials involved in an investigation of the matter.

PICTURE: Trump Returns CODEL Luggage to Pelosi's Office  —  Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's luggage has been returned to the halls of congress by cart, according to a picture sent to the Washington Free Beacon by a snap-happy tipster.  —  The picture shows the luggage were returned to Pelosi on “military liaison” marked carts.

McConnell courting Pompeo to run for an open Senate seat in Kansas  —  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has personally courted Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to consider leaving his post to run for the Senate, according to people familiar with the effort, a move …

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 …

Democrats will push to retake vote on funding government after chaos on the floor  —  Democrats will seek a revote on a measure to reopen the government after a Thursday vote devolved into an argument on the House floor.  —  Chaos broke out after Republicans blasted Democrats for passing …

Rep. Steve King raising money off controversy from white nationalism, supremacy comments  —  The House has approved a Democratic measure disapproving of Republican Rep. Steve King's comments about white supremacy.  The nine-term Iowa congressman was among those supporting the measure, which was approved, 416-1.

Vice President Says Outrage Over Wife Karen Pence's Discriminatory School Is ‘Offensive’  —  Mike Pence's wife took a job teaching art at a school that bans LGBTQ families and individuals, HuffPost first reported Tuesday.  —  Vice President Mike Pence defended second lady Karen Pence's decision …

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.

'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.

Did Russian developers give Trump a $1 million payment on the Moscow Trump Tower contract?  —  Trump's contract required a hefty up-front fee to him from the Moscow developers licensing his brand.  —  The signed contract for a Trump Tower Moscow real estate licensing deal which CNN's Chris Cuomo obtained …

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 …

Why I refuse to walk with the Washington Women's March  —  It should not be this difficult to condemn hate speech.  Until national leaders get it right, local marches will carry the mission forward.  —  CONNECT  —  I walked away from the Women's March on Washington two years ago absolutely electrified …

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.

‘Their job is to scare me’: Jason Rezaian describes first terrifying hours inside Iranian prison  —  The author, then The Washington Post's correspondent in Tehran, and his wife, Yeganeh, were arrested by Iranian authorities on July 22, 2014.  Jason would spend 18 months in Iran's Evin prison …

Hogan stokes speculation he'll primary Trump in 2020  —  Republican Gov. Larry Hogan is acting a lot like a guy who wants to run against Donald Trump in 2020 — and the president's reelection team is taking notice.  —  The second-term Maryland governor has been implicitly going after Trump in speeches …

Model Who Claimed Trump Secrets Detained at Moscow Airport  —  A model from Belarus who claimed to have evidence of Russian interference in U.S. President Donald Trump's election was detained in an airport in Moscow on Thursday after being deported from Thailand, Interfax cited the police as saying.

“Are We Really Where We Are?”:  Trump, Putin, and Washington's Unbelievable New Normal  —  Regardless of whether Trump ends up making a speech on Capitol Hill on January 29th, the state of the union is not strong, and everyone knows it.  —  Sunday will mark the second anniversary of Donald Trump's Presidency.

Learning From Cuba's ‘Medicare for All’  —  Many Americans would welcome some traits of the island's free, universal health care system.  —  HAVANA — Claudia Fernández, 29, is an accountant whose stomach bulges with her first child, a girl, who is due in April.

Drug smugglers bring 700 lbs of cocaine into US, then flee into Mexico across border with no physical barrier  —  BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS — Border Patrol agents said they confiscated more than 700 lbs. of cocaine on Thursday just miles from the Rio Grande river.

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.

How the shutdown will inflict lasting damage  —  The longest government shutdown in U.S. history will scar the federal bureaucracy and U.S. economy long after the doors are unlocked and workers return.  —  The feds will struggle to dig out of a backlog of hiring and training that's essential …