Senate has uncovered no direct evidence of conspiracy between Trump campaign and Russia  —  “We were never going find a contract signed in blood saying, 'Hey Vlad, we're going to collude,” one Democratic aide said.  —  WASHINGTON — After two years and 200 interviews, the Senate Intelligence Committee …

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 …

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 …

‘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 …

‘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.

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 …

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.

The Sick Double Standard In The Ilhan Omar Controversy  —  The following two things are true.  First, Representative Ilhan Omar was wrong to tweet that the American government's support of Israel is “all about the Benjamins.”  Secondly, she's being judged by a grotesque double standard.

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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.

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 …

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.

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 …

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.

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.

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 …

A record 7 million Americans are 3 months behind on their car payments, a red flag for the economy  —  A record 7 million Americans are 90 days or more behind on their auto loan payments, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York reported Tuesday, even more than during the wake of the financial crisis.

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 …