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.

Sen. Cory Gardner to break with Republicans on Trump's wall — it's the right thing to do  —  Colorado senator's spokesman says Gardner intends to vote for clean funding bill that would open the government with no border-security strings attached.  —  Colorado Republican Sen. Cory Gardner's …

Trump Says He'll Delay Speech Until After Shutdown, as Democrats Draft Border Security Plan  —  WASHINGTON — President Trump said late Wednesday that he would deliver his State of the Union address once the federal government reopens, capping a day of brinkmanship with Speaker Nancy Pelosi …

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 …

“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 …

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 faced the most direct challenge to his hold on power on Wednesday, when an opposition leader stood in the streets of the capital and declared himself …

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 …

BuzzFeed to cut 15% of staff in new round of layoffs  —  New York (CNN)BuzzFeed is preparing to announce a significant round of layoffs, according to sources familiar with the matter.  —  The coming contraction is the latest example of digital media companies having to make cutbacks in a difficult operating environment.

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 …

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?

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 …

Michael Cohen postpones congressional testimony because of threats to family from Trump and Giuliani  — President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, is postponing his plan to testify before Congress in February because of concerns about his family's safety, according to Lanny Davis, Cohen's advisor.

Ex-Trump Chief of Staff John Kelly Calls on President to End Shutdown  —  Former White House chief of staff John Kelly, along with four other former Homeland Security secretaries, has called on President Trump to end the partial government shutdown in order to ensure national security.

Snopes Introduces New ‘Factually Inaccurate But Morally Right’ Fact Check Result  —  U.S.—Popular fact-checking site Snopes.com confirmed Wednesday they are debuting a new “Factually inaccurate but morally right” fact check result for claims they don't want to debunk because they coincide with Snopes editors' worldview.

Red MAGA Hats Are the New White Hoods - Let's Take a Stand (Commentary)  —  “These hats symbolize hate,” actress and activist says  —  Last week, a group of boys engaged with a Native American man beating a tribal drum.  The exchange was caught on video.  And watching that video, each of us saw what we wanted to see.

Trump's Transgender Military Ban and Lessons from a Lifetime of Gender-Policing  —  Last week, I was in a bathroom in a café in Miami Beach.  The café had two separate bathrooms, each with a toilet, a sink, and a locking door.  One was marked “Women” and the other “Men.”

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.

At least 5 people killed at SunTrust Bank in Sebring, Florida, police say  —  (CNN)A gunman who barricaded himself in a SunTrust Bank in Florida killed at least five people in the branch on Wednesday, Sebring Police Chief Karl Hoglund said.  —  The suspect called authorities to say he had entered …

The Defense Dept. Is About to Fire More Than 13,700 Trans People  —  If President Trump is able to block transgender people from serving in the military, the nation will see the single largest layoff of trans people in history.  —  Transgender Military BanWorkplace Kate Sosin