Va. Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax denies sex assault allegation from 2004  —  Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax issued a statement early Monday denying a sexual assault allegation that appeared on the same conservative website that posted a racist photograph from Gov. Ralph Northam's medical school yearbook page.

Lobbyist at Trump Tower Meeting Received Half A Million Dollars In Suspicious Payments  —  A Russian-born lobbyist who attended the controversial Trump Tower meeting in June 2016 received a series of suspicious payments totaling half a million dollars before and after the encounter.

If Trump declares a national emergency, Pelosi can jam Republicans.  Here's how.  —  Senate Republicans appear to be in a panic about President Trump's threat to declare a national emergency to realize his unquenchable fantasy of a big, beautiful wall on the southern border.

'It's way too many': As vacancies pile up in Trump administration, senators grow concerned  —  From the Justice Department to Veterans Affairs, vast swaths of the government have top positions filled by officials serving in an acting capacity — or no one at all.

Howard Schultz's Own Polling Finds His Campaign Would Reelect Trump  —  Howard Schultz's presidential campaign opened up to mixed reviews — within the prized demographic of socially liberal, fiscally moderate billionaire moguls.  (Michael Bloomberg expressed disapproval, while Schultz himself expresses strong enthusiasm.)

Soak the rich?  Americans say go for it  —  The prospect of 70 percent tax rates for multimillionaires and special levies on the super-rich draw howls about creeping socialism and warnings of economic disaster in much of Washington.  —  But polling suggests that when it comes to soaking the rich …

Dems Prefer Electability in 2020  —  Some GOP voters want a primary challenge but most would back Trump  —  West Long Branch, NJ - In the run-up to 2020, fewer than 4-in-10 voters back a second term for President Donald Trump.  The Monmouth University Poll finds a sizable number of GOP voters …

New York prosecutors seek records from Trump inauguration committee: Sources  —  Prosecutors in New York's Southern District have reached out to President Donald Trump's inauguration committee and plan to subpoena the organization for documents, sources with direct knowledge tell ABC News …

Liam Neeson interview: Rape, race and how I learnt revenge doesn't work  —  Exclusive: Sitting down with Clémence Michallon to discuss his latest action film ‘Cold Pursuit’, the actor recounts a disturbing incident from his past  —  Liam Neeson is sitting in an armchair with a flask of tea at his side.

Liz Crokin Warns of ‘Vigilante Justice’ if QAnon's Promised Mass Arrests Don't Happen Soon  —  Last week, right-wing “journalist” and Trump-worshiping conspiracy theorist Liz Crokin posted a video on her YouTube channel in which she suggested that she was beginning to lose faith …

Northam's med school banned yearbooks in 2013 — after students posed in Confederate garb  —  NORFOLK — The first person Richard V. Homan hired after becoming provost of Eastern Virginia Medical School President seven years ago was Mekbib Gemeda, in the newly created position of vice president for diversity and inclusion.

Cuomo announces income tax revenues have dropped by $2.3B … Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Monday that state income tax revenues plummeted by $2.3 billion since he introduced his new budget plan last month — a bombshell that will force him to curb spending.  —  Cuomo attributed the revenue drop …

A Suspense Novelist's Trail of Deceptions  —  Dan Mallory, who writes under the name A. J. Finn, went to No. 1 with his début thriller, “The Woman in the Window.”  His life contains even stranger twists.  —  Dan Mallory, a book editor turned novelist, is tall, good-looking, and clever.

Democrats Are Urging Stacey Abrams to Run for Senate.  She's Listening.  —  Stacey Abrams's defeat in the Georgia governor's race was only a few weeks old when she arrived in New York in December to meet with campaign donors and political allies.  At a reception in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood …

McClatchy buyouts could claim chain's full-time Guantanamo reporter  —  Carol Rosenberg of the Miami Herald witnessed the arrival of the first al-Qaeda and Taliban prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba on Jan. 11, 2002.  “They wore fluorescent orange jumpsuits, and those whose legs were shackled walked with baby steps.

Trump to Call for Bipartisanship as He Threatens to Declare Emergency  —  President Trump in Tuesday's State of the Union is expected to issue a plea for bipartisanship at a moment of deep partisan divisions, including an impasse over spending and a presidential threat to declare an emergency to pay for a border wall.

Kansas judge calls children the ‘aggressor’ in sex abuse case with 67-year-old man  —  Can children aged 13 and 14 years old be the aggressors in a sexual encounter with a 67-year-old man?  —  A Leavenworth County judge recently said he thought so when he reduced the prison sentence for a man …

Senate Appoints Critic of Amazon Deal to Key Board (With Veto Power)  —  [What you need to know to start the day: Get New York Today in your inbox.]  —  When Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio crafted a deal to bring a major new Amazon campus to New York City late last year, they tried to make it hard to block.

Blackface Is the Tip of the Iceberg  —  The structural problems we need to solve lie at the roots of American society.  —  Over the last month, we've learned just how much racism is too much to sustain a career in American politics.  —  It took almost 16 years for House Republicans …

Steyer throws brushback pitch against powerful Democratic chairman  —  The billionaire-funded group dedicated to impeaching Donald Trump launched a television ad buy Monday targeting Rep. Richard Neal (D-Mass.) in his own backyard as part of an effort to prod the House Ways and Means chairman to subpoena the president's tax returns.

After bloody insurgent wars, Pentagon launches effort to prevent civilian deaths  —  The Pentagon has launched a major examination of civilian deaths in military operations, responding to criticism it has failed to protect innocent bystanders in counterterrorism wars worldwide.

Here Are The Racist Conspiracy Emails Rotting Right-Wing Billionaire Joe Ricketts' Brain  —  Welcome back to the Billionaire's Inbox, where we get a chance to hear from the other half, in its own words.  Today we're looking at how racist conspiracy theories have the potential to influence policy …

Biden's Anguished Search for a Path to Victory  —  Joe Biden reliably blows through every public and private deadline for making a decision about running for president.  But he's giving everyone he's seen in recent weeks the feeling that he's very close to saying yes.