No thank you, Mr. Pecker  —  Something unusual happened to me yesterday.  Actually, for me it wasn't just unusual—it was a first.  I was made an offer I couldn't refuse.  Or at least that's what the top people at the National Enquirer thought.  I'm glad they thought that, because it emboldened them to put it all in writing.

Trump furious after Schiff hires former NSC aides to help oversee his administration  —  Washington (CNN)House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff has hired officials with experience at the National Security Council to help with its oversight of President Donald Trump's administration, according to a committee aide.

Supreme Court Blocks Louisiana Abortion Law  —  WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday blocked a Louisiana law that its opponents say could have left the state with only one doctor in a single clinic authorized to provide abortions.  —  The vote was 5 to 4, with Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. joining …

Political giant John Dingell dies at 92  —  Michigan Democrat John Dingell, the longest-serving member ever of Congress who helped write most of the nation's major environmental and energy laws, died Thursday, his wife said.  He was 92.  —  The Dearborn statesman was a champion …

First on CNN: Kellyanne Conway describes for the first time alleged October 2018 assault  —  Washington (CNN)Kellyanne Conway says that she was grabbed and shaken by a woman while out with her teenage daughter in a Maryland restaurant late last year.  —  In an interview with CNN …

Trump's lifeline: Democrats' socialism surge  —  Democrats are flirting with socialism in ways they carefully and clearly ran away from in the past, handing President Trump a new way to unify Republicans — and to club his opponents.  — It started with Democrats sitting silently as he railed …

Rosenstein did not want to write memo justifying Comey firing - new book  —  Deputy attorney general privately complained about Trump's order, according to Comey's former deputy Andrew McCabe  —  The deputy attorney general, Rod Rosenstein, privately complained that he was ordered …

Trump is first modern president to hire his customers - including as US ambassadors  —  WASHINGTON - When President Donald Trump needed an ambassador to represent the United States in Romania, he enlisted a real estate lawyer who was a member of one of his private golf clubs.

“I Am Disgusted”: Behind the Scenes of Trump's Increasingly Scrutinized $107 Million Inauguration  —  Stephanie Winston Wolkoff was the mastermind event producer behind Trump's inaugural celebration, which has since come under S.D.N.Y. investigation.  Now, taped conversations reveal Wolkoff's concerns …

Inside Ralph Northam's plot for survival  —  RICHMOND, Va. — Ralph Northam might just hang on to his job.  —  Left for dead a week ago after his disastrous handling of his history with blackface, the Democratic Virginia governor is quietly plotting a survival strategy.

Year Before Killing, Saudi Prince Told Aide He Would Use ‘a Bullet’ on Jamal Khashoggi  —  WASHINGTON — Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia told a top aide in a conversation in 2017 that he would use “a bullet” on Jamal Khashoggi, the journalist killed in October …

Can a Journalist as Important as Jill Abramson Be a Plagiarist?  —  The Worst Thing We Read Yesterday™  —  Last night, Michael C. Moynihan of Vice tweeted a series of examples of Jill Abramson, formerly an executive editor of the New York Times, plagiarizing other writers' work in her new book …

Billionaire liberal threatens to unload on Dems if they don't impeach Trump  —  Billionaire Tom Steyer is cranking up pressure on key House Democrats to impeach President Donald Trump where he thinks they'll feel it most — back in their home districts.  —  Steyer's first targets …

Trump Confidant Roger Stone Sued by Jerome Corsi in Latest Twist  — Author said to play key role in Mueller's Stone indictment  — Stone accused of defamation, intimidation in $25 million claim  —  Roger Stone, the long-time Donald Trump confidant indicted last month for lying …

Brown runs as Biden without the baggage  —  WATERLOO, Iowa — Former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Sherrod Brown are on an early collision course in the initial days of the 2020 presidential race.  —  They're chasing the same potential supporters, touting the same themes and even using …

Virginia Sen. Tommy Norment was an editor for VMI yearbook filled with racist photos and slurs  —  Blackface and Confederate flag images are seen from the 1968 edition of Bomb: Virginia Military Institute's yearbook.  —  Virginia Senator Thomas K. Norment arrives on the floor of the Senate chamber on Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019.

GOP border security negotiator: Chances of another shutdown are ‘nil or next to nil’  —  A Republican member of the bipartisan conference committee responsible for reaching a deal on border security said Friday that there is “no appetite” in the Capitol for a second government shutdown this year.

Egypt parts ways with top lobbyist days after ‘60 Minutes’ debacle  —  President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is interviewed on CBS's “60 Minutes.”  —  Egypt cut ties with its top US lobbying firm just days after CBS broadcast a controversial interview with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi that Cairo tried to stop from airing.

Saudi Arabia Sought Vice's Help to Build a Media Empire  —  Saudi Arabia is seeking to build an international media empire to combat the kingdom's rivals and remake its image in the West, and sought a partnership with Vice Media as part of the project, according to people familiar with the efforts.

Ivanka Trump has ‘zero concern’ about special counsel investigation  —  Trump said she has no concerns about Robert Mueller's investigation.  —  1h ago  —  Congressional negotiators closing in on border security deal  —  “Pretty close, but we're not closed,” the top negotiator said.  —  1h ago

Manafort kept working in Ukraine after Mueller indictment, transcript shows  —  According to prosecutors, Paul Manafort and Konstantin Kilimnik had a discussion that referred to a “backdoor.”  —  The newly released transcript of a sealed hearing held earlier this week reveals …

Trump's biggest nightmare isn't Mueller  —  In this new weekly column “Cross-exam,” Elie Honig, a former federal and state prosecutor and CNN legal analyst, gives his take on the latest legal news and answers questions from readers.  Post your questions below.  The views expressed in this commentary are his own.