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.

Before Expected Call for Unity, Trump Laced Into Democrats at Lunch for TV Anchors  —  WASHINGTON — For public consumption, President Trump planned to use his State of the Union address on Tuesday night to appeal for bipartisan unity.  But at a private lunch for television anchors earlier …

House Intel votes to send witness transcripts to Mueller for possible perjury charges  —  The House Intelligence Committee voted on Wednesday to send dozens of witness interview transcripts from its Russia investigation to special counsel Robert Mueller, who could use them to prosecute potential instances of perjury.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Captured the Horror of the State of the Union  —  All of the blithe, occasionally lethal childishness of American political culture was on display Tuesday night during Donald Trump's second State of the Union address.  Most of what's wrong with the speech predates …

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 …

Elizabeth Warren apologizes for calling herself Native American  —  Sen. Elizabeth Warren said Tuesday that she was sorry that she identified herself as a Native American for almost two decades, reflecting her ongoing struggle to quiet a controversy that continues to haunt her as she prepares to formally announce a presidential bid.

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 …

Trump Wanted $20 Million for 2006 Moscow Deal, Developer Says  — Ukrainian-Russian provides new details of an early negotiation  — Pavel Fuks describes meeting Trump, hosting children in Moscow  —  Donald Trump's dream of putting his name on a tower in Moscow came with a hefty price tag: $20 million.

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 …

The Iron and Depressing Laws of US-Iran Relations  —  Among the unalterable “laws of the Medes and the Persians” that have ruled US-Iran relations for decades are the following:  — Everything takes longer than you think.  — Everything is harder than you think.

The New York Times Co. Reports $709 Million in Digital Revenue for 2018  —  The New York Times Company generated more than $709 million in digital revenue last year, growing at a pace that suggests it will meet its stated goal of $800 million in digital sales by the end of 2020.

Stacey Abrams's New Strategy for Democrats  —  Live from Atlanta, Stacey Abrams delivered the Democratic response to the State of the Union address, standing in front of a slowly swaying group of people in which women and minorities were notably represented.

Susan Collins Raised More Money From Brett Kavanaugh Supporters Than Mainers  —  The vast majority of the senator's money at the end of 2018 came from outside of Maine.  —  Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) had the best fundraising quarter of her life in 2018, boosted in part by her decision …

2018 Was Fourth-Hottest Year in Modern Records, U.S. Government Scientists Say  —  The past five years have been the hottest in modern records, federal scientists said Monday, the latest in a string of warnings over the impact of global warming on the planet.

Full text: President Trump's 2019 State of the Union address  —  Below is President Trump's 2019 State of the Union address as prepared.  The delivered remarks may differ.  —  Madam Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, the First Lady of the United States …

U.S. Banks Win $21 Billion Trump Tax Windfall Then Cut Staff, Loaned Less  — The ‘full economic impact will take many years to observe’  —  Major U.S. banks shaved about $21 billion from their tax bills last year — almost double the IRS's annual budget — as the industry benefited …

Seb Gorka Is a National Treasure  —  When in doubt, always go Full-Gorka.  —  “I asked Sebastian Gorka about his tweets; he told me to ‘go outside and lick a metal street lamp.’”  — Will Sommer, The Daily Beast  —  Sebastian Gorka is a man of many distinctions.

TRUMP PLEDGES INVESTMENT, BUT IS SILENT ON KEY TECH ISSUES  —  IN HIS STATE of the Union address Tuesday, President Trump promised legislation to invest in “the cutting edge industries of the future.”  But the speech was characteristically backward-looking.

New Mexico governor pulls National Guard troops from border  —  SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The governor of New Mexico ordered the withdrawal of the majority of the state's National Guard troops from the U.S. border with Mexico on Tuesday, in a move that challenges President Trump's description of a security crisis.

Spotify Is Acquiring Pair of Podcasting Companies, Signaling Broad Ambitions  —  Spotify is buying a pair of podcasting companies, accelerating its investment in non-music content as it seeks to broaden its appeal and snap up share of listening time from radio.

Former New Orleans mayor on 2020 run: 'I don't think I'm going to do it'  —  Former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu isn't running.  Or at least he isn't planning on it.  —  The Louisiana Democrat told CNN on Wednesday morning that he does not think he will seek his party's 2020 presidential nomination …

Without fanfare, Northam signs Amazon incentive bill  —  Without public ceremony, Gov. Ralph Northam on Tuesday signed legislation to carry out Virginia's promises to Amazon for up to $750 million in cash incentives if the company creates 37,850 high-paying jobs at the new headquarters it plans in Arlington County.

POLITICO Playbook: Notes from inside the SOTU  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  FORGET THE SUBSTANCE OF LAST NIGHT, because as you know, we are SOTU skeptics.  But we have some observations from inside the chamber last night.  — THERE WAS DEFINITELY a weird vibe.  It seemed a tad bit emptier than usual.