White House seeks list of programs that would be hurt if shutdown lasts into March  —  White House acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney has pressed agency leaders to provide him with a list of the highest-impact programs that will be jeopardized if the shutdown continues into March and April, people familiar with the directive said.

AP-NORC poll: Shutdown drags Trump approval to yearlong low  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — A strong majority of Americans blame President Donald Trump for the government shutdown and reject his primary rationale for a border wall.  That's according to a new poll that shows the turmoil in Washington …

BuzzFeed to Cut 15% of Its Workforce  —  Layoffs could affect about 250 jobs across the company  —  BuzzFeed is planning to lay off about 15% of its workforce, according to people familiar with the situation, as the company seeks to reorient itself in a shifting digital-media landscape.

Air Traffic Controllers, Pilots, Flight Attendants Detail Serious Safety Concerns Due to Shutdown  —  Washington, D.C. — On Day 33 of the government shutdown, National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) President Paul Rinaldi, Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) President Joe DePete …

Covington Catholic Teen on ‘Fox & Friends’: Blackface Is ‘School Spirit’  —  'We haven't been able to wear black paint because of the video, but I know the kids meant nothing by it,' one senior explained to Steve Doocy.  —  Covington Catholic High School's increasing notoriety has only pushed it further into the mud.

Maduro Cuts Ties with U.S. After Trump Recognizes New Leader in Venezuela  —  CARACAS, Venezuela — President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela scrapped all diplomatic ties with the United States on Wednesday and gave American diplomats 72 hours to leave, ordering them out with a derisive …

McConnell blocks bill to reopen most of government  —  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) blocked legislation on Wednesday that would reopen most of the government currently closed during the partial shutdown.  —  Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) went to the Senate floor to ask for consent …

Billionaire Ken Griffin Buys America's Most Expensive Home for $238 Million  —  The record-breaking purchase of a New York City penthouse is the latest in a string of multimillion-dollar real-estate deals by the hedge-fund manager  —  Billionaire Ken Griffin, who is becoming almost as known …

Five people shot dead at SunTrust Bank in Florida, suspect in custody  —  The Highlands County sheriff's office said a SWAT team stormed the bank after negotiations failed and the suspect “eventually surrendered.”  —  A suspected gunman was in custody Wednesday after five people were shot dead …

Biden's Paid Speech Buoyed the G.O.P. in Midwest Battleground  — A speech by Joe Biden in October helped Fred Upton, a vulnerable Republican, win re-election in Michigan.  — Mr. Biden, who earned $200,000 for the speech, stunned Democrats and elated Republicans by praising Mr. Upton …

Kamala Harris's Logo Is a Disaster.  Here's Why.  —  Does bad graphic design doom good candidates?  Or do lousy candidates inspire bad graphic design?  —  Back in 2016, I was pretty bullish on Marco Rubio's presidential prospects—right up until the moment I saw this:  —  The candidate's name in lower case?

Michael Cohen postpones House testimony, blames Trump “threats”  —  President Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen said that he will postpone his scheduled Feb. 7 testimony before the House Oversight Committee due to “threats against his family from President Trump and Mr. Giuliani,” …

Republican Senator Joni Ernst Says She Was Raped in College  — Ernst speaks in first interview since divorce details divulged  — Fourth-ranking Senate Republican up for re-election in 2020  —  Republican Senator Joni Ernst says that she was raped in college by someone she knew …

“She Was a Cartoon Villain Brought to Life”: A Former Trump Aide Recalls Conway's Leaking Tactics in the West Wing Viper's Nest  —  In this exclusive excerpt from Team of Vipers: My 500 Extraordinary Days in the Trump White House, a former Trump aide recalls the leaking, the gossiping …

Here's Video of Beto O'Rourke Singing “Blitzkrieg Bop” in a Sheep Mask and Onesie  —  By now, most people who follow national politics have probably heard that Beto O'Rourke, the former Democratic congressman from El Paso who is contemplating a run for president, once played bass in a punk rock band called Foss.

Gawker 2.0 Implodes as Its Only Reporters Quit  —  The new site's only two full-time writers exited Wednesday in protest of editorial director Carson Griffith's offensive remarks about everything from race to penis size.  —  Gawker 2. is blowing up on the launchpad just two weeks after the site's …

How Trump Suborns Perjury  —  BuzzFeed set off a cascading series of controversies last week when it reported that President Donald Trump had “directed” his longtime personal attorney Michael Cohen to lie to Congress about a Trump Tower deal in Moscow that was being negotiated during the 2016 election.

A group representing Nathan Phillips wrongly said he served in Vietnam.  Then came the accusations.  —  There's no evidence that he's ever claimed to have served in Vietnam, a representative said  —  Nathan Phillips, the U.S. veteran whose standoff with high school students on the steps …