Democratic National Committee rejects Fox News for debates, citing New Yorker article  —  The Democratic National Committee has decided to exclude Fox News Channel from televising any of its candidate debates during the 2019-2020 cycle as a result of published revelations detailing …

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 …

Prosecutors in Chicago to drop charges against former U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock if he pays back IRS, campaign  —  Federal prosecutors in Chicago have agreed to drop all charges against former U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock if he pays back money he owes to the Internal Revenue Service and his campaign fund.

House Democrats erupt in protests over indirect sanction of Rep. Omar for alleged anti-Semitism  —  House Democrats erupted into a full-scale brawl Wednesday, challenging leaders over indirectly sanctioning freshman Rep. Ilhan Omar for alleged anti-Semitic remarks amid an outcry over party inaction …

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 …

Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg says he'll reorient the company toward encryption and privacy  —  The firm's focus will shift from a social network in which people broadcast information to large groups of people to one in which people communicate with smaller groups and their content disappears after a short period.

President pressured staff to grant security clearance to Ivanka Trump  —  Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump pressured his then-chief of staff John Kelly and White House counsel Don McGahn to grant his daughter and senior adviser Ivanka Trump a security clearance against their recommendations …

CNN commentator Ben Ferguson's Facebook page is a cesspool of bigotry, false info, and fabricated quotes  —  CNN political commentator Ben Ferguson regularly uses his Facebook page to post memes with false information and fabricated quotes, including an image with a made-up Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez …

Sen. McSally, ex-Air Force pilot, says officer raped her  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Martha McSally, the first female fighter pilot to fly in combat, said Wednesday that she was raped in the Air Force by a superior officer.  —  The Arizona Republican, a 26-year military veteran …

Trump asked top political advisors whether he should worry about running against Joe Biden  — President Donald Trump had a private meeting with close advisors Monday at the White House to discuss a wide range of topics, including concerns about possibly facing former Vice President Joe Biden in 2020.

Executive Order on Revocation of Reporting Requirement  —  By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows:  —  Section 1.  Findings.  (a) Section 3 of Executive Order 13732 of July 1, 2016 …

The president's sons entrusted their private hunting retreat to a caretaker.  He was working in the country illegally.  —  WINGDALE, N.Y. — One morning last May, Eric Trump sent a text message to the caretaker of the shooting range he and his brother own in Upstate New York.

Cohen gives documents to House panel on Trump attorney alleged changes to 2017 testimony  —  (CNN)Michael Cohen on Wednesday provided the House Intelligence Committee with new documents showing edits to the false written statement he delivered to Congress in 2017 about the Trump Organization's pursuit …

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.

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

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 …

Mario Batali Gives Up All His Restaurants  —  A year after reports that the celebrity chef sexually assaulted and harassed women, the Bastianich family and Mr. Batali's other partners have bought out his stake and regrouped.  —  The 20-year partnership between the celebrity chef Mario Batali …

Stop Enabling Barstool's Shit  —  Barstool Sports, a site for boys who wanna grow up to be Donald Trump Jr., is getting shit on this week.  This is a justified shitting-on, because comedian Miel Bredouw called out the site for using a video that she made without giving her credit—in fact …

‘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 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 …

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.