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.

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.

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 …

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.

Trump Once Said Power Was About Instilling Fear.  In That Case, He Should Be Worried.  —  WASHINGTON — Richard M. Nixon once said, “People react to fear, not love; they don't teach that in Sunday school, but it's true.”  —  No president since has deployed fear quite like Donald J. Trump.

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.)

Virginia Voters Quickly Sour on Northam Amid Blackface Scandal  —  Democrat sees 41-point drop in net approval after yearbook photo emerges  —  Northam spoke to reporters Saturday, denying that he is in the picture on his medical school yearbook page.  (Alex Edelman/Getty Images)

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.

Special Guests for President Trump's Second State of the Union Address  —  Here are the special guests who will join the President and First Lady at the U.S. Capitol when President Donald J. Trump delivers the second State of the Union Address of his presidency.

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 …

Trump to nominate David Bernhardt, a former lobbyist, as the next Interior secretary  —  President Trump announced Monday that he will nominate David Bernhardt, a veteran lobbyist who has helped orchestrate the administration's push to expand oil and gas drilling as the Interior Department's number …

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 …

Purge of undocumented workers by the president's company spreads to at least 5 Trump golf courses  —  President Trump's company has fired at least 18 undocumented workers from five golf courses in New York and New Jersey in the past two months, part of a purge set in motion after a series …

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 …

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.

Paul Manafort to be sentenced March 13  —  (CNN)Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign manager Paul Manafort will be sentenced for the first time on March 13, a federal judge in Washington who approved his guilty plea said Monday.  —  The court date sets up one of the most anticipated bookends …

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.

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 …

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.

lost to an enemy  —  The US shipped weapons and secrets to the Saudis and Emiratis.  Now, some are in the hands of fighters linked to al Qaeda and Iran.  —  Hodeidah, Yemen (CNN) - Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners have transferred American-made weapons to al Qaeda-linked fighters …

Trump picks World Bank skeptic Malpass to lead institution  —  President Donald Trump is expected to tap Treasury Department official David Malpass as the U.S. pick to lead the World Bank, according to senior administration officials, a clear sign the administration wants to rein in the international financial institution.

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.

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 …