Trump's Lawyer Said There Were “No Plans” For Trump Tower Moscow.  Here They Are.  —  Trump's lawyer claims the Moscow tower was barely more than a notion.  “There were no drafts.  Nothing in the file.”  Documents obtained by BuzzFeed News tell a different story.

The Covington Scissor  —  Welcome to another controversy algorithmically designed to tear America apart.  —  In a short story published last October, “Sort by Controversial,” Scott Alexander imagines a Silicon Valley company that accidentally comes up with an algorithm to generate what it calls a “Scissor.”

Senate Leaders Plan Competing Bills to End Shutdown  —  Senate Leaders Plan Competing Bills on Shutdown  — With dueling votes planned for Thursday, the Senate will finally move off the sidelines a month into the partial government shutdown.  — Both measures face long odds …

Trump preparing two State of the Union speeches for different audiences: Sources  —  President Donald Trump is preparing for two different State of the Union speeches - one a more traditional address delivered to Congress in the House chamber or some other location in D.C. …

Ocasio-Cortez and liberal freshmen join Oversight Committee  —  The House Oversight Committee is adding a group of progressive flamethrowers to its ranks.  —  Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) …

Divorce filing: U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst says her husband physically attacked her  —  Years before her divorce, U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst was assaulted by her husband after she confronted him about his alleged affair with their daughter's babysitter, she wrote in court filings.

Mueller wants to know about 2016 Trump campaign's ties to NRA  —  Washington (CNN)Special counsel Robert Mueller's team has expressed interest in the Trump campaign's relationship with the National Rifle Association during the 2016 campaign.  —  “When I was interviewed by the special counsel's office …

Mitch McConnell Got Everything He Wanted.  But at What Cost?  —  The president whom the Senate Republican leader helped elect has turned out to be the one thing he can't control.  —  At sunrise, there it was: a red-tailed hawk, its gyre widening over the United States Capitol building …

Power struggle paralyzes ‘irrelevant’ White House press shop  —  Washington (CNN)White House press briefings, in steady decline even before the partial government shutdown, have now ground to a halt as a prolonged power struggle among President Donald Trump's aides leads to a muddled messaging strategy …

Supreme Court Revives Ban on Transgender Military Service  —  WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday revived the Trump administration's policy of barring most transgender people from serving in the military.  In a brief, unsigned order, the justices lifted nationwide injunctions that had blocked the policy.

Trump's phony ‘compromise’ has now been unmasked as a total sham  —  President Trump and his allies have spent days talking up the idea that his new proposal to reopen the government constitutes a “compromise.”  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has vowed to bring the proposal …

Campaign workers demand minimum wage, progressive culture from 2020 Dems  —  Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., left, accompanied by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., right, speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2017, to unveil their Medicare for All legislation to reform health care.

Corporate America Is Getting Ready to Monetize Climate Change  — Storms, floods, drought and heat waves worry largest companies  — Merck, Apple, Home Depot also see new revenue opportunities  —  Bank of America Corp. worries flooded homeowners will default on their mortgages.

Judge denies Mark Harris request to certify his win despite election fraud investigation  —  The state's investigation into alleged election fraud by the Mark Harris campaign will continue, a judge ruled Tuesday morning.  —  Harris is the Republican candidate who appeared to narrowly win …

Trump's liaison to Congress eyeing exit  —  Shahira Knight, the president's legislative affairs director and a central figure in the White House's shutdown negotiations with Congress, is planning to leave the White House in the coming months, according to four sources familiar with her plans.

America's Teachers Are Furious  —  In Los Angeles, more than 30,000 teachers remain on strike; it took union and city officials more than a week to eke out a tentative agreement that, they announced Tuesday morning, will likely bring them back to their classrooms this week.

Fox News anchor Baier, family in car crash, released from hospital  —  Fox News anchor Bret Baier and his family were in a car accident while vacationing in Montana on Monday, which CBS late-night host Stephen Colbert described as serious.  —  “We just found out that he and his family …

Trump Polling At Only 41-42% Against Possible Democratic Foes  —  PPP's newest national poll finds that at the midway point of Donald Trump's term as President, he's a clear underdog for reelection.  —  Trump gets just 41 or 42% in head to head match ups against 7 likely Democratic candidates for President.

House passes bill expressing support for NATO  —  The House passed bipartisan legislation on Tuesday expressing congressional support for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).  —  The bill, which passed in a 357-22 vote, includes a provision rejecting any efforts made by President Trump …