House Expands Russia Inquiry as Pelosi Declares Democrats Will Not Be Cowed  —  WASHINGTON — The House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday launched a broad inquiry into the potential influence that Russia and other foreign powers may be exercising over President Trump, acting just hours …

Virginia Attorney General Says He Wore Blackface at College Party  —  Richmond, Va. (AP) — Virginia sank deeper into political turmoil Wednesday when another top Democrat — Attorney General Mark Herring — admitted putting on blackface in the 1980s, when he was a college student.

Beto O'Rourke Was Once Adrift in New York City.  Now He's Searching Again.  —  As the former Texas congressman weighs a run for president, his rebel-in-moderation youth offers revealing parallels to his search for direction now.  —  All at once, New York City seemed to be conspiring against Beto O'Rourke.

Fairfax Retained Kavanaugh's Lawyers After Allegations Surfaced  —  Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax at a rally on Capitol Square in Jan. 2017.  —  Democratic Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax has retained the law firm of Wilkinson Walsh + Eskovitz—the same firm that represented then-Supreme Court nominee …

Fact Check: Trump's State Of The Union Address  —  President Trump is delivering his State of the Union address Tuesday night, a speech that had been delayed during the government shutdown.  —  The annual remarks come as a bipartisan group of lawmakers continue to negotiate border security funding …

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez didn't take kindly to being called ‘sullen’ at State of the Union address  —  During President Trump's State of the Union address, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez stood out among a sea of women wearing white as a tribute to U.S. suffragists.  —  At times she remained seated as others stood.

CNN to host town hall with Howard Schultz  —  Howard Schultz: Both parties have failed at immigration  —  Washington (CNN)CNN will host a town hall next week in Houston with former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz as he mulls a presidential bid in 2020.  —  Schultz, who said last month …

Daily Caller reporter Benny Johnson joining Turning Point USA  —  Benny Johnson, a former reporter at the Daily Caller, is joining Charlie Kirk's Turning Point USA, The Hill has confirmed.  —  In his new role, Johnson, whose past work has included serving as a viral politics editor at BuzzFeed and TheBlaze …

Trump: Dean Heller lost re-election because he didn't excite voter base  —  WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump called former Sen. Dean Heller “a terrible senator” who lost his re-election bid because he had been “extraordinarily hostile” to Trump during the 2016 election.

Negotiators see deal within sight in talks to avert shutdown  —  Congressional dealmakers working to stave off another devastating government shutdown said they believe a breakthrough is in reach, following a closed-door Wednesday briefing from Border Patrol officials.

The Stacey Abrams Revolution  —  She represents a repudiation of the idea that Democrats must downplay “identity” to appeal to the country at large.  —  In 2017, former Gov. Steve Beshear of Kentucky gave the Democrats' response to President Trump's first address to Congress.  The visuals were striking.

On Trump's calendar, just 17 intelligence briefings in 85 days  —  U.S. officials also say Trump does not regularly read the written intelligence briefing sent over daily.  —  WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump, who doesn't regularly read the daily intelligence summary prepared for him …

‘This One Here Is Gonna Kick My Butt’—Farm Belt Bankruptcies Are Soaring  —  Throughout much of the Midwest, U.S. farmers are filing for chapter 12 bankruptcy protection at levels not seen for at least a decade, a Wall Street Journal review of federal data shows.

Trump Nominates Outspoken Critic David Malpass To Head World Bank  —  President Trump has nominated Treasury Department official David Malpass, a vocal critic of the World Bank, to head the international financial institution.  —  Malpass, 62, is a conservative with longstanding ties to Trump.

Justice Department opens probe into Jeffrey Epstein plea deal  —  The Department of Justice has opened an investigation into Secretary of Labor Alex Acosta's role in negotiating a controversial plea deal with a wealthy New York investor accused of molesting more than 100 underage girls in Palm Beach.

Inside Wisconsin's Disastrous $4.5 Billion Deal With Foxconn  —  “This is the Eighth Wonder of the World.”  —  So declared President Donald Trump onstage last June at a press event at Foxconn's new factory in Mount Pleasant, Wis. He was there to herald the potential of the Taiwanese …

Daily Caller Editor In Chief Locked Out Of Account For Tweeting ‘Learn To Code’  —  The Daily Caller Editor in Chief Geoffrey Ingersoll was locked out of his Twitter account Tuesday night after tweeting “learn to code” at The Daily Show.  —  The Daily Show's Twitter account …

Trump Vows to Stop America from Turning Into a Venezuelan Socialist Hellscape  —  Welcome to the President's 2020 reëlection campaign.  —  The morning after President Trump's rambling State of the Union address, Fox News offered a helpful guide to what we were supposed to take away …

Mueller hauled before secret FISA court to address FBI abuses in 2002, Congress told  —  Robert Mueller, the former FBI director and current special prosecutor in the Russia case, once was hauled before the nation's secret intelligence court to address a large number of instances …

“Doing This Job Feels Like Spinning on a Log in the Water”: How the Women of CNN Pull off Their State of the Union Coverage  —  Behind the scenes with the network's top talent on one of the toughest reporting days of the year.  —  Just after 9 a.m. on Tuesday, the morning of President Trump's second State …

The State Of American ‘Fact-Checking’ Is Completely Useless  —  With a veneer of impartiality, fact-checkers engage in a uniquely dishonest style of partisanship.  —  If media wants to challenge the context and politics of Republican arguments, that's their prerogative.