In the Middle of His Official Business, Trump Took the Time to Send Checks to Michael Cohen  —  WASHINGTON — On a busy day at the White House, President Trump hosted senators to talk about tax cuts, accused a Democratic congresswoman of distorting his condolence call to a soldier's widow …

Trump promised to shrink the trade deficit.  Instead it exploded.  —  BREAKING NEWS: U.S. posted record-breaking $891.2 billion merchandise trade deficit in 2018, despite Trump's ‘America First’ policies  —  President Trump's tariffs and tough policies have failed to shrink a trade gap …

Payments to corporation owned by Ocasio-Cortez aide come under scrutiny  —  Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.)'s chief of staff helped establish two political action committees that paid a corporation he ran more than $1 million in 2016 and 2017, federal campaign finance records show.

‘I think you mean that, too’: Trump's aides struggle to defend, explain his foreign policy statements  —  Secretary of State Mike Pompeo grew testy in a recent newspaper interview when asked to explain why President Trump would take North Korean leader Kim Jong Un “at his word” …

The Mueller report no one's talking about  —  Most people don't know it, but there's another Mueller report coming.  —  Around the same time the special counsel sends his Russia investigation findings to the Justice Department, Attorney General William Barr must give Congress an account …

Trump in trouble in Florida poll  —  Donald Trump is in trouble in Florida, a state that's crucial to his reelection hopes.  —  Just 40 percent of Florida voters said they believed the president should be reelected, while 53 percent were opposed to a second term, according to a new Bendixen & Amandi International poll.

Americans, but Not Liberal Democrats, Mostly Pro-Israel  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — The majority of Americans remain partial toward Israel in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with 59% saying they sympathize more with the Israelis whereas 21% sympathize more with the Palestinians.

Democrats Plan to Grill Kirstjen Nielsen on Perjury Allegations  —  According to staffers, Nielsen should expect harsh questioning on child deaths in detention, Trump's emergency declaration, and the veracity of her own past statements to Congress.  —  Scott Bixby

60 false claims in 2 hours: Trump's CPAC speech was by far his most-dishonest single event as president  —  WASHINGTON—Donald Trump made 60 false claims in his speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference on Saturday, shattering his old record for false claims in a single speech.

McConnell preps new nuclear option to speed Trump judges  —  President Donald Trump's stream of judges is about to become a torrent.  —  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his GOP caucus have long prioritized confirming conservative judges to lifetime appointments.

Trump Fussed Over Tablecloths and Rockettes for the Inauguration  —  It was Christmas Day 2016, and President-elect Donald Trump had the Rockettes on his mind.  —  A few days earlier, James Dolan, chief executive officer of Madison Square Garden, had announced that the famous New York dance troupe …

Biden nabs big-name Latino operative in latest sign he's running  —  In the latest sign that Joe Biden will run for president, his team has brought on Cristóbal Alex, the head of the influential Latino Victory Fund, according to a source familiar with the move.

Dem campaign chief: Medicare for All price tag ‘a little scary’  —  The House Democrats' new campaign chief on Tuesday poured cold water on the progressive Medicare for All plan, dismissing it as just “one idea” out there and warning that its estimated $33 trillion price tag was “a little scary.”

R. Kelly breaks his silence on sexual abuse claims: “I have been assassinated”  —  In an explosive interview, R. Kelly is breaking his silence about the sexual abuse charges that landed him in jail last month.  The embattled R&B singer spoke with “CBS This Morning” co-host Gayle King for nearly 80 minutes Tuesday.

Fox News Quietly Ditched Trump-Loving Sheriff David Clarke  —  The infamous firebrand hasn't appeared on Fox in more than a year and he no longer works for the pro-Trump super PAC that hired him to do media.  —  For years, Sheriff David A. Clarke was a fixture on Fox News …

Prominent Democratic super PAC says Ohio isn't a top priority in 2020  —  CLEVELAND, Ohio - One of the most prominent Democratic super PACs in the country does not have Ohio high on its list of targets for the 2020 presidential election, further eroding the state's status as a presidential battleground.

The Daily 202: Howard Schultz hopes to benefit from Michael Bloomberg's decision not to run for president  —  THE BIG IDEA: In Dallas last night, Howard Schultz seized on fellow billionaire Michael Bloomberg's decision not to run for president as a fresh rationale for his own likely bid.

Does John Hickenlooper Have a Secret Weapon?  —  Maybe nice guys finish Trump.  —  John Hickenlooper's boots weren't made for hiking.  —  Were they even boots?  We couldn't decide.  They occupied some limbo between boots and shoes and were all wrong for the trek that our group of six was taking …