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 …

Wilbur Ross doesn't understand why furloughed federal workers need food banks  —  Commerce secretary suggests they should be able to take out bridge loans  —  Chuck Grassley reminds U.S. Olympic Committee about requirements for its tax exemption Senate sets up Thursday test votes on ending shutdown …

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 …

Fox News Poll: Voters see shutdown as bigger problem than border situation  —  Most voters consider the partial government shutdown a major problem or, even worse, an emergency, according to a new Fox News Poll.  —  After a 33-day stalemate over the funding for a U.S.-Mexico border wall …

“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 …

Nathan Phillips is a liar, not a victim  —  Days after Nathan Phillips' story of his confrontation with a group of students in Washington was thoroughly discredited, many on the left are still rallying behind him, pretending he was somehow a victim.  —  This, even after both the New York Times …

This Time It's Russia's Emails Getting Leaked  —  The Russian oligarchs and Kremlin apparatchiks spared by Wikileaks in the past will not be so lucky this week, when transparency activists drop a massive archive of leaked docs.  —  Russian oligarchs and Kremlin apparatchiks may find …

Why do people such as Lindsey Graham come to Congress?  —  Back in the day, small rural airports had textile windsocks, simple and empty things that indicated which way the wind was blowing.  The ubiquitous Sen. Lindsey O. Graham has become a political windsock, and as such, he …

BuzzFeed, HuffPost latest to feel pinch in faltering digital news economy  —  BuzzFeed, the progenitor of both serious news and viral listicles and quizzes, will lay off about 15 percent of its staff in the latest sign of financial turbulence for once-highflying digital media outlets.

Why the 2020 Democratic primary could turn into ‘Lord of the Flies’  —  Top party insiders see a real possibility that superdelegates could play a role at a brokered convention.  —  WASHINGTON — The 2020 Democratic presidential race has just begun, but party insiders and strategists …

Maduro isolated as Latin American nations back Venezuela opposition leader  —  LIMA (Reuters) - Most Latin American nations recognized Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim president on Wednesday, leaving Nicolas Maduro ever more isolated as he faces unrest at home and threats from the United States.

Trump defends North Korea progress as second nuclear summit edges closer  —  President Donald Trump on Thursday defended himself against complaints that his negotiations with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have yielded few steps toward denuclearization, saying ahead of a potential second summit that he sees …

At $238 Million, It's the Highest-Price Home in the Country  —  A hedge fund billionaire closes on a Central Park apartment, paying more than double the previous record price for a residential sale in New York City.  —  A hedge fund billionaire has purchased a Central Park penthouse apartment …

President of Flight Attendants Union Suggests General Strike to End Government Shutdown  —  That's apparently one way to end the shutdown.  —  As the partial government shutdown stretches into a monthlong slog with no end in sight, TSA workers and other federal employees in the U.S. aviation industry …

Civil penalties for polluters dropped dramatically in Trump's first two years, analysis shows  —  Civil penalties for polluters under the Trump administration plummeted during the past fiscal year to the lowest average level since 1994, according to a new analysis of Environmental Protection Agency data.

Michael Cohen's lawyer blasts Rudy Giuliani, accuses him of ‘witness tampering’  —  Michael Cohen's lawyer, Lanny Davis, says Rudy Giuliani should be indicted for “witness tampering” following his comments on national television.  —  “Calling out a man's father in law and wife in order …

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?

60 hours, 50 abortions: A California doctor's monthly commute to a Texas clinic  —  The protesters are already positioned when she pulls up in her rental car.  One lurches at women approaching the clinic, rosary beads dangling from her outstretched palm.  Another hands patients tiny fetus dolls that match their skin color.

Applications for US unemployment aid fall to 49-year low  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of people seeking jobless benefits dropped last week to the lowest level since November 1969, a sign the job market remains strong despite the partial government shutdown, now in its fifth week.