Federal prosecutors broke law in Jeffrey Epstein case, judge rules  —  A judge ruled Thursday that federal prosecutors — among them, U.S. Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta — broke federal law when they signed a plea agreement with a wealthy, politically connected sex trafficker and concealed …

Jussie Smollett charged: ‘Empire’ actor out on bond, staged attack due to salary dissatisfaction, police say  —  “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett appeared in court Thursday after surrendering to authorities in the early morning on one felony count of disorderly conduct for filing a false police report.

The Mueller Report Is Coming.  Here's What to Expect.  —  A concise report will probably act as a “road map” to investigation for the Democratic House — and to further criminal investigation by other prosecutors.  —  Mr. Katyal was an acting solicitor general under President Barack Obama.

‘He is not going to be the nominee’: Dems slam Sanders over Maduro stance  —  Florida Democrats are denouncing Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders for refusing to call Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro a dictator — a politically explosive issue in the nation's biggest swing state.

Judge broadens gag order against Roger Stone after Instagram post  —  Roger Stone must shut up about Robert Mueller and the Russia investigation.  —  That was the mandate from a federal judge on Thursday, who slapped a gag order on the longtime Donald Trump associate just days after he posted …

N.C. board declares a new election in contested House race after the GOP candidate admitted he was mistaken in his testimony  —  RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina election officials on Thursday ordered a new contest in the 9th Congressional District, ending a dramatic months-long investigation …

IRS analyst charged in leak of Michael Cohen's bank records  —  (CNN)An analyst with the Internal Revenue Service was charged with disclosing confidential reports about Michael Cohen's bank records that revealed the President's former lawyer sought to profit from his proximity to the White House.

An open letter to my Republican colleagues  —  Adam B. Schiff, a Democrat, represents California's 28th Congressional District in the House and is chairman of the Intelligence Committee.  —  This is a moment of great peril for our democracy.  Our country is deeply divided.

Trump claims border wall is under construction ‘right now’ using fence repair footage from 5 months ago  —  With a legal fight challenge mounting from state governments over the Trump administration's use of a national emergency to construct at the U.S.-Mexico border, the president has kicked his push for the barrier into high gear.

Who is Nomiki Konst?  —  Nomiki Konst, the 35-year-old TV pundit casting herself as the Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of the New York public advocate's race, readily acknowledges that her background is politically unconventional.  —  She's wandered from Tucson to Buffalo to Florida to Los Angeles …

National Enquirer's biggest investors include California taxpayers and state workers  —  The National Enquirer has been one of President Trump's most controversial allies, delivering scathing coverage of his opponents to super market check-out lines and funneling $150,000 to one of his alleged mistresses to buy her silence.

Hogan rips RNC for shielding Trump from primary challenge  —  Republican Gov. Larry Hogan said Thursday he expects to make a springtime trip to New Hampshire as he weighs a 2020 challenge to Donald Trump — and accused the Republican National Committee of going to extraordinary lengths to shield …

Purdue's Sackler embraced plan to conceal OxyContin's strength from doctors, sealed deposition shows  —  In May 1997, the year after Purdue Pharma launched OxyContin, its head of sales and marketing sought input on a key decision from Dr. Richard Sackler, a member of the billionaire family that founded and controls the company.

VIDEO: Conservative suffers blow to the face at Berkeley  — A conservative was punched in the face while helping students recruit for a conservative group at UC-Berkeley.  —  A conservative helping students recruit at the University of California-Berkeley was punched in the face this week.

2020 Democrats Embrace Race-Conscious Policies, Including Reparations  —  From the very first day of the 2020 presidential race, when Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts blamed “generations of discrimination” for black families earning far less than white households …

Meet Under Armour CEO's Unusual Adviser: An MSNBC Anchor  —  Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank was questioned last year by the company's board over his ties to MSNBC anchor Stephanie Ruhle, who has traveled on his private jet and provided input on a range of business matters, according to current and former executives.

Schiffting to Phase 2 of Collusion  —  Conspiracy theorists look for something new, anticipating a Mueller letdown.  —  There's been no more reliable regurgitator of fantastical Trump-Russia collusion theories than Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff.  So when the House Intelligence Committee chairman sits …

Residents of another Manhattan building vote to remove ‘Trump Place’ name  —  For the second time in four months, the name “Trump Place” will come down from a New York building's facade, after condo owners at 120 Riverside Blvd. voted to have the name removed.

Every 2020 Candidate But Trump Promises: No Stolen Data  —  There is high sensitivity among Democratic candidates about the use of hacked material after the 2016 election.  But the one campaign that used it last time, did not comment.  —  Nearly three years after hacked materials upended …

Biden calls on candidates not to ‘aid and abet’ foreign election interference  —  U.S. intelligence agencies confirm that Russia and other bad actors are continuing to interfere in U.S. democracy and will want to have their say in our next presidential contest.

Facebook decided which users are interested in Nazis — and let advertisers target them directly  —  Facebook makes money by charging advertisers to reach just the right audience for their message — even when that audience is made up of people interested in the perpetrators of the Holocaust or explicitly neo-Nazi music.

Trump White House Is Forcing Interns to Sign NDAs and Threatening Them With Financial Ruin  —  Not even the interns are exempt from the legally dubious rite of passage practiced by the Trump White House.  —  Asawin Suebsaeng  —  When the Trump White House welcomed its newest batch …

Republicans blast Cummings over ‘irresponsible’ claims regarding Trump ethics disclosure  —  It's only February, but the sniping between the Democratic chairman of the House Oversight Committee and the top Republican members of the committee has already begun.

What does Pete Buttigieg bring to the table?  Experience — really.  —  MERRIMACK, N.H.  —  When 50 or so curious people gathered in a living room here the other day to meet Pete Buttigieg, the first question he got was: What makes a 37-year-old mayor of a modest-size Midwestern city …