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.

Paul Erickson, Russian Agent Maria Butina's Boyfriend, Indicted for Fraud  —  The federal indictment in South Dakota alleges that he ran a criminal scheme from 1996 to 2018 using a chain of assisted living homes.  —  Betsy Woodruff  —  Paul Erickson, the American political operative …

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 …

Sen. Amy Klobuchar's Abuse Of Staff Scared Off Candidates To Manage Her Presidential Bid  —  At least three people withdrew from consideration to lead the senator's nascent campaign — in part because of Klobuchar's history of mistreating her staff.  —  At least three people have withdrawn …

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.

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.

‘It will take off like a wildfire’: The unique dangers of the Washington state measles outbreak  —  VANCOUVER, Wash. — Amber Gorrow is afraid to leave her house with her infant son because she lives at the epicenter of Washington state's worst measles outbreak in more than two decades.

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 …

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.

This Altered Photo Of Women Lawmakers In KKK Hoods Is Spreading And Twitter Is Refusing To Stop It  —  Twitter is allowing an altered photo comparing women members of Congress who wore white to the State of the Union to the KKK to continue to circulate on its platform on Wednesday despite …

U.S. Erupts in Fury With Germany Over Extradition  — Americans furious over deportation despite extradition request  — Convicted terrorist later held in Turkey at U.S. request  —  Senior U.S. and German officials had a heated argument over the fate of a Turkish man convicted …

Many popular iPhone apps secretly record your screen without asking  —  And there's no way a user would know  —  Many major companies, like Air Canada, Hollister and Expedia, are recording every tap and swipe you make on their iPhone apps.  In most cases you won't even realize it.

T-Mobile executives seeking merger approval booked more than 52 nights at Trump's D.C. hotel — more than previously known  —  Executives from the telecom giant T-Mobile — which last year asked the Trump administration to approve its megamerger with Sprint — have booked at least 52 nights …

Trump Ally Tries To Remove Parkland Fathers From Gun Violence Hearing  —  A longtime Trump ally pushed to have two fathers of Parkland victims tossed out of a congressional hearing on gun violence — a reflection of the vociferous nature of the debate Democrats have made a priority in the new Congress.

‘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.

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 …

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.

Consumer Protection Bureau Cripples New Rules for Payday Loans  —  Payday lenders won a major victory on Wednesday after the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau moved to gut tougher restrictions that were to take effect later this year.  —  The industry has spent years trying to fend off the new rules …

The Five Families of Feces The porta-potty business is as dirty as you'd think.  But one man keeps coming up smelling like roses.  —  Charles W. Howard is the porta-potty king of New York City.  The seat of his vast empire is Broad Channel, Queens; from this windswept rock in Jamaica Bay …

Pelosi says Trump ‘threats’ have no place in Congress  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's suggestion in his State of the Union address that Democrats abandon their investigations of his administration is a “threat” that has no place in Congress.  —  Pelosi told reporters Wednesday …

Dems grow uneasy with their new moralism  —  **Want FOX News Halftime Report in your inbox every day?  Sign up here.  On the roster: Dems grow uneasy with their new moralism - The Rulebook: Thucydides, FTW - Warren stumbles again on native heritage question - Outlook brightens on a deal after Trump speech …