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.

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 …

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.)

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 …

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 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.

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 …

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 …

Liam Neeson: 'I walked the streets with a cosh, hoping I'd be approached by a “black bastard” so that I could kill him'  —  Exclusive: The actor details his ‘awful’ past behaviour in an interview with The Independent  — Clémence Michallon @Clemence_Mcl

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

Bernie Sanders to deliver his own State of the Union response  —  Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) will deliver his own response to President Trump's State of the Union address on Tuesday for the third year running.  —  The senator's office confirmed to The Hill that his response will follow Trump's speech …

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 …

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 …

Gavin McInnes Sues Southern Poverty Law Center for Branding Proud Boys ‘Hate Group’  —  Ex-boss of the ‘Western chauvinist’ clique claims he's been made ‘socially despicable’ by the civil-rights group.  —  Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes sued the Southern Poverty Law Center on Monday …

Manafort Gets New Sentencing Date After Closed-Door Hearing  —  The federal judge slated to sentence Paul Manafort postponed the date when she'll announce how long he should spend in prison, saying she wants to hear more about whether he lied to investigators after pledging to cooperate …

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.

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.

As Beto mulls 2020 bid, Dems warn he has major challenges  —  This is the first in a series of stories that will identify the central challenges confronting prominent potential 2020 Democratic presidential candidates.  —  For a minute, Beto O'Rourke looked like a politician who could win by losing.