Secret Files Show How Trump Moscow Talks Unfolded While Trump Heaped Praise On Putin  —  As a candidate, Donald Trump had a lot of praise for Vladimir Putin — and no business, he kept insisting, in Russia.  These documents tell a different story.  —  When Michael Cohen …

The plan to keep Trump's taxes hidden  —  The new House Democratic majority is widely expected to test one of Donald Trump's ultimate red lines by demanding the president's personal tax returns — and the Trump administration has been gearing up for months to fight back hard.

Woman Alleging Sexual Assault By Virginia's Lt. Gov. Hires Washington Law Firm  —  A California woman who has accused Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax of sexual assaulting her 15 years ago, has hired the same law firm that represented Christine Blasey Ford in her allegations against then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

Firms Recruited by Paul Manafort Investigated Over Foreign Payments  —  WASHINGTON — Federal prosecutors in recent weeks have been interviewing witnesses about the flow of foreign money to three powerful law and lobbying firms that Paul Manafort recruited seven years ago to help improve …

Power Up: ‘Tom Brady’ of leakers roils Trump White House before State of Union  —  Good morning, Power friends.  Happy Chinese new year!  2019 is the Year of the Pig, which represents wealth and treasure in Chinese culture.  So gong hay fat choy (wishing you happiness and prosperity) to everyone celebrating .

Sarah Sanders: Corruption in Trump's inauguration has ‘nothing to do with the White House’  —  White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Tuesday said that any corrupt activities surrounding President Donald Trump's inauguration had “nothing to do with the Trump White House.”

How I Get It Done: Merchants of Truth author Jill Abramson  —  In her new book Merchants of Truth: The Business of News and the Fight for Facts, out February 5, Jill Abramson chronicles the upheaval that has rocked the media industry over the past decade, as told through the stories of four outlets …

Can Stacey Abrams break the curse when she delivers the Democratic response to Trump's State of the Union?  —  Stacey Abrams will deliver the Democratic response to President Donald Trump's State of the Union address.  Here's what you should know about her.  —  CONNECT

Why Democrats Can't Talk Honestly About Abortion  —  The truth is unconscionable in a modern world.  —  Democrats will protect American children from the evils of trans fats and gay conversion therapy, but not from doctors who will kill them through negligent homicide in the first few hours of their lives.

Top Nancy Pelosi Aide Privately Tells Insurance Executives Not to Worry About Democrats Pushing “Medicare for All”  —  Less than a month after Democrats — many of them running on “Medicare for All” — won back control of the House of Representatives in November, the top health policy aide …

Ex-Gov. Weld back in the GOP as he mulls Trump challenge  —  BOSTON (AP) — Former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld has changed his party registration from Libertarian back to Republican as he mulls a possible primary challenge against President Donald Trump.  —  Weld served as a Republican governor from 1991 until 1997.

‘I trusted you!’  Trump voters seethe after realizing they're getting screwed by the GOP's tax plan  —  Multiple supporters of President Donald Trump over the past couple of weeks have taken to Twitter to air their grievances about the president's signature tax cut plan.

Former White House Staffer Cliff Sims on Trump's Emotional Life and the Fine Points of Leaking  —  When I met him on Thursday morning, Cliff Sims was just a few blocks away from the White House, the place he worked for the “500 extraordinary days” that provided most of the material for his memoir, Team of Vipers, released last week.

Lakers pull out of Anthony Davis trade talks amid ‘outrageous’ requests by Pelicans … The Lakers have “pulled out” of any more conversations in trying to acquire New Orleans All-Star Anthony Davis because of the Pelican's “outrageous” trade requests, according to a person with knowledge …

Top Progressive Firm Tells Dems to Leave Starbucks Alone  —  SKDKnickerbocker lists Starbucks as a client.  And they want to separate the company from the presidential ambitions of its former CEO.  —  One of the top Democratic firms in the country is privately urging top officials in the party …

Runner kills mountain lion that attacked him on Colorado trail  —  “In the event of a lion attack, you need to do anything in your power to fight back, just as this gentleman did,” a state wildlife official said.  —  A trail runner fought off and killed a mountain lion in self-defense …

Pope Francis confirms priests' abuse of nuns included “sexual slavery”  —  Nuns have suffered and are still suffering sexual abuse at the hands of Catholic priests and bishops, and even being held as sexual slaves, Pope Francis confirmed on Tuesday.  The abuse was so severe in one case …

Klobuchar heads to Iowa as she nears 2020 decision  —  Sen. Amy Klobuchar is heading to Iowa this month, another sign the Minnesota Democrat is closing in on a 2020 launch.  —  Klobuchar is to headline the Feb. 21 Ankeny Area Democrats Winter Banquet and Fundraiser in the first caucus state …

Fox Guest Warns: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Trying to ‘Assimilate Us’ to ‘Latin American Values’  —  “Instead of us assimilating them, they are assimilating us,” Peter Morici said of Ocasio-Cortez and her likeminded colleagues.  —  A week after former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw faced intense backlash …

Washington's temperature leaps to record high of 72 degrees, less than a week after it was 10 degrees  —  On the ninth anniversary of one of its all-time great snowstorms, Washington has set a record high temperature for Feb. 5.  —  The National Weather Service reported the mercury soared …

It's Time To Stop Being Afraid Of Medicare For All  —  Fox News is already gearing up the fear machine, alongside Mattie Duppler from the Koch-funded National Taxpayers Union.  —  Views:  —  If you want affordable healthcare and you want it before you die, it's time to take the narrative away from the Kochheads and Fox News.

Trump Called Nepal And Bhutan ‘Nipple’ And ‘Button’ In Intel Briefing: Time's John Walcott  —  The national security reporter says on CNN that the president is alarmingly out of touch in White House intelligence sessions.  —  President Donald Trump mispronounced Nepal and Bhutan as “Nipple” …

How my sexual assault was hijacked by politicians & lobbies |  Kimberly Corban |  TEDxMileHigh … In 2006, a stranger broke into Kimberly Corban's apartment, held her captive for two hours, and raped her.  Then, without her permission, politicians & lobbyists began to use her story to push their own agendas.

Bloomberg vs. Bezos: Ex-NY mayor knocks subsidies for Amazon  —  NEW YORK — Add former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg, a billionaire businessman and potential presidential contender, to the list of people questioning the city's deal with Jeff Bezos over Amazon's new headquarters.

Senators make a bipartisan push to limit Trump's trade powers  —  (CNN)As President Donald Trump prepares to once again make a bipartisan appeal in his State of the Union address Tuesday, members of Congress are linking arms on one of his favorite issues: trade.