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” …

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.

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 …

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

Senate Confirms 37-Year-Old To Lifetime Seat On U.S. Circuit Court  —  Every Democrat opposed Trump nominee Allison Jones Rushing, who is going to be a federal judge for a long, long time.  —  WASHINGTON The Senate voted Tuesday to confirm Allison Jones Rushing, 37, to the U.S. Court …

Our Highest Office, My Deepest Obligation  —  I'm not running for president, but I am launching a new campaign: Beyond Carbon.  —  I've never made any secret of my belief that Donald Trump is a threat to our country.  At the 2016 Democratic National Convention, I said: “New Yorkers know a con when we see one.”

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

China Won't Make Big Concessions on Trade Deal, Ex-Minister Says  —  China won't make big concessions to the U.S. in order to seal a trade deal, former finance minister Lou Jiwei said in Beijing on Wednesday, calling some U.S. demands for change “unreasonable.”

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 …