McCarthy blames Republican loss of House majority on GOP health care bill  —  Speaking privately to his donors, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy squarely blamed Republican losses in last year's midterm elections on the GOP push to roll back health insurance protections for people …

Warner splits with Burr on collusion question  —  Sen. Burr: Our involvement in Comey firing done  —  (CNN)Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, rejected Republican Chairman Richard Burr's recent statements that the committee has not found evidence of collusion …

Schumer recruits famed fighter pilot to challenge McConnell in 2020  —  Chuck Schumer is actively recruiting a high-profile fighter pilot to take on Mitch McConnell in 2020 — a calculated act of aggression against a leading Republican foe.  —  Schumer met with Amy McGrath …

Trump backer Tom Barrack defends Saudi Arabia  —  Real estate developer said that kingdom was misunderstood by the West  —  Dubai: America is in no moral position to criticise Saudi Arabia, according to financier and key Trump backer Tom Barrack.  —  Speaking on stage at the Milken Institute MENA Summit …

‘Finish the wall’?  Facing failure, Trump tries rebranding … For President Trump, chants and signs saying “Build the wall” are so 2016 — “Finish the wall” is his new rallying cry.  Yet two years into his term, not one new mile of a barrier has been erected along the nearly 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border.

National debt tops $22 trillion for the first time as experts warn of ripple effects  —  President Trump is proposing a $4 trillion-plus budget that projects a $1 trillion or so federal deficit.  AP's Economic Reporter Josh Boak says the plan is like a ‘Christmas list, a wish list’ that amounts amounts to a ‘massive bet’.

The official fast food French fry power rankings  —  Look, it's been a long two years for everyone.  We're tired, our brains have been melted to a thin pap by the news cycle, and we've soundly backslid into our slothful ways despite resolving to exercise off all the cookies we cry-ate over the holiday.

‘You can feel it now’: New Democrats push party, and 2020 candidates, to the left on divisive issues  —  A new generation of Democrats is using far-reaching policy ideas and a brash social media presence to upend the party — pushing it to the left on divisive issues such as health care …

Apology Unaccepted  —  On Monday, Democrats called on Rep. Ilhan Omar to apologize for once again tweeting anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, this time about rich Jews pulling the strings of American politicians.  So she responded with a tweet apologizing “unequivocally” for not realizing that Jews were so touchy about anti-Semitism.

Multiple White Supremacist Gang Members among 54 Defendants Charged in RICO Indictment  —  Charges Include Solicitation of Murder, Kidnapping, Maiming, and Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine  —  Dozens of members of a white supremacist gang allegedly responsible for multiple acts …

Why the attack on our cameraman was no surprise  —  I would really love to be able to say when I heard about the attack on our cameraman Ron Skeans that I was surprised.  Or shocked even.  I wasn't.  —  Once I found out that he was OK, and that the rest of the team were OK, I thought this was a pretty unsurprising event.

A Veep Joke About Leg-Shaving Was Inspired by a Rumor About Amy Klobuchar  —  Last week, in the lead-up to Amy Klobuchar announcing her presidential run, HuffPost and BuzzFeed published stories in which several anonymous former staffers confirmed long-circulating rumors that the Minnesota senator …

Brie Larson isn't letting ‘Captain Marvel’ press tour be ‘overwhelmingly’ white and male … Brie Larson is on a mission to save the world — and not just in her latest flick, superhero blockbuster “Captain Marvel.”  —  The Academy Award-winning actress might be the star …

Bullock steps closer to White House run with Iowa visit  —  Gov. Steve Bullock of Montana will travel to Iowa at the end of the week as he further explores a run for the Democratic presidential nomination, his Big Sky Values PAC told POLITICO on Tuesday.  —  Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller …

Venezuelan Professional Women Working As Prostitutes To Feed Their Families  —  Social justice is supposedly what socialism is all about.  Instead of a system that allows some to be rich and some to be poor based on how they apply themselves and what they contribute to society, democratic socialism promises to smooth things out.

Before Bezos Fight, Enquirer Publisher AMI Faced Steep Losses  — AMI had negative net worth as of Sept. 30, documents show  — Losses spurred borrowing, leading to more than $1 billion debt  —  The publisher of the National Enquirer, currently under attack by Amazon.com Inc. founder Jeff Bezos …

‘Not All Fun and Memes’: BuzzFeed News Employees Plan to Form a Union  —  Last month, BuzzFeed laid off more than 220 employees, or 15 percent of its work force.  On Wednesday, employees at the company's news division responded with the announcement that they planned to form a union.

Michael Bloomberg's $500 million anti-Trump moonshot  —  Billionaire philanthropist Michael Bloomberg is preparing to spend at least $500 million from his own pocket to deny President Trump a second term, according to Democratic operatives briefed on his plans.

Howard Schultz's campaign is based on 3 ideas, and they're all wrong  —  Howard Schultz isn't solving America's problems.  He's reinforcing them.  —  On Tuesday night, CNN hosted a live town hall with former Starbucks CEO, and potential presidential candidate, Howard Schultz.  It didn't go particularly well.

Did Kamala Harris Really Smoke Marijuana While Listening To Snoop Dogg And Tupac In College?  —  What began as a bizarre but amusing inquiry into Harris' listening habits while smoking weed in college has since turned into a story to discredit her.  —  During a recent appearance on The Breakfast Club …

The Senate just passed the decade's biggest public lands package.  Here's what's in it.  —  The bipartisan measure would create more than 1.3 million acres of wilderness out West, add three national park units and expand eight others.  —  The Senate on Tuesday passed the most sweeping …

MJ Hegar — Texas veteran behind viral “Doors” ad — is considering challenging John Cornyn in 2020  —  The military veteran and unsuccessful 2018 congressional candidate is considering running for U.S. Senate in 2020, as well as challenging U.S. Rep. John Carter again.

Trump Is Immune From Impeachment If Mueller Can't Share His Evidence  —  Attorney general nominee William Barr sounds likely to try and keep what the special counsel finds out from Congress.  Thanks to Watergate, there's a way around him.  —  Donald Trump's next attorney general may attempt …

Without Pelosi as a Foil, Trump Tries Out Some Alternatives  —  WASHINGTON — The Democratic takeover of the House of Representatives was a blessing in disguise for a president who needed a foil, Republicans predicted last November.  President Trump, who had only the press and the special counsel …

A political ‘bomb’ over drug prices could threaten NAFTA 2.0  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The clash over free trade in North America has long been fought over familiar issues: Low-paid Mexican workers.  U.S. factories that move jobs south of the border.  Canada's high taxes on imported milk and cheese.

Gov. Larry Hogan informs Redskins he is withdrawing effort to build new stadium at Maryland site ‘at this time’  —  Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) has informed the Washington Redskins that he is withdrawing from efforts to persuade the team to build its next stadium in Oxon Cove Park …