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.

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  —  At least three people have withdrawn …

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 …

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.

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 …

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.

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 …

‘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.

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 …

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.

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.

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.

Trump announces controversial pick David Malpass for World Bank president  —  President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced he would nominate David Malpass, the Treasury under secretary for international affairs, as the next president of the World Bank, a pick that has already generated significant backlash …

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.

Top Democrats In The Early 2020 Primary States Haven't Heard Anything From Joe Biden  —  As Joe Biden decides whether or not to run for president in 2020, top Democratic leaders in the first caucus and primary states have heard little, if anything, from the former vice president.

Big Telecom Sold Highly Sensitive Customer GPS Data Typically Used for 911 Calls  —  A Motherboard investigation has found that around 250 bounty hunters and related businesses had access to AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint customer location data.  —  Around 250 bounty hunters and related businesses …