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.

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 …

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.

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 …

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.

‘Democracy Dies in Darkness’  —  When we go off to war. When we exercise our rights. When we soar to our greatest heights.  —  When we mourn and pray. When our neighbors are at risk. When our nation is threatened. There's someone to gather the facts.  —  To bring you the story. No matter the cost.

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.

The Awful Game Theory Behind Ralph Northam  —  History shows he might be better off staying the course.  —  Let's stipulate that Governor Ralph Northam is a bad person—or at least a person who, as an adult, did something really stupid and hurtful by dressing in blackface and/or Klan garb.

'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.

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.

A big leak rattles the White House  —  The massive leak of President Trump's private schedules, which dropped yesterday in the weekly Axios Sneak Peek newsletter, set off internal finger-pointing and speculation more fevered than any since the New York Times' anonymous op-ed.

Trump campaign takes steps to prevent a challenge within GOP  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Worried about a potential Republican primary challenge, President Donald Trump's campaign has launched a state-by-state effort to prevent an intraparty fight that could spill over into the general-election campaign.

Poll: Democrats have reason to fret Schultz  —  Democrats have broken into a panic over Howard Schultz's talk of an independent bid for president.  A new poll suggests they have reason to be worried.  —  The POLITICO/Morning Consult poll shows anti-Trump and Democratic voters are more open …

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 …

Trump Era's Biggest Winner Is Jeff Bezos, Presidential Nemesis  — Bezos fortune has grown $66.2 billion, making him richest man  — Wealth doubled even as Trump threatened action against Amazon  —  Two years into Donald Trump's presidency, the man who has profited most from the era …

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.

Will the media ever figure out how to cover Trump?  —  Jill Abramson is a journalist and author of the new book “Merchants of Truth.”  —  The news media's collective shock that Donald Trump won in 2016 was evidence of how out of touch most reporters were with the less affluent, less educated …

CNN Poll: 4 in 10 call this the worst governing of their lifetimes  —  State of the Union: Paralyzed over border wall fight  —  (CNN)With a looming February 15 deadline to fund parts of the US government, few are optimistic the President and Congress will be able to reach agreement …

Iraqi president rejects Trump's plan to ‘watch Iran’ from military bases in Iraq  —  Iraqi President Barham Salih on Monday rejected a plan floated by President Trump that calls for keeping U.S. forces in Iraq to “watch” neighboring Iran, saying the United States should not burden Iraq with its own “policy priorities.”