A mysterious payment to Paul Manafort's lawyer reveals a hidden chapter of Trump's 2016 presidential campaign  — Recent court filings are shedding new light on a mysterious $125,000 payment to lawyers for Paul Manafort, paid by a firm that has not been identified until now.

Iowa Poll: Not even in the race, Joe Biden leads herd of Democrats; Bernie Sanders close behind  —  Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders lead the pack among likely Iowa caucusgoers, according to a new Iowa Poll in March 2019.  Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Beto O'Rourke, Amy Klobuchar and Cory Booker also chart.

Town by town, local journalism is dying in plain sight  —  WAYNESVILLE, Mo. (AP) — Five minutes late, Darrell Todd Maurina sweeps into a meeting room and plugs in his laptop computer.  He places a Wi-Fi hotspot on the table and turns on a digital recorder.

A Tight and Tangled ‘Collusion’ Web  —  Most people reading this will know Sir Walter Scott's famous couplet (from the narrative poem Marmion): … Less well known, but undeservedly so, is the excellent completing couplet by J. R. Pope, published under the sly title “A Word of Encouragement”:

The Real Horror of the Anti-Vaxxers  —  This isn't just a public health crisis.  It's a public sanity one.  —  How many studies do you have to throw at the vaccine hysterics before they quit?  How much of a scientific consensus, how many unimpeachable experts and how exquisitely rational an argument must you present?

Exclusive poll: Young Americans are embracing socialism  —  Generation Z has a more positive view of the word “socialism” than previous generations, and — along with Millennials — are more likely to embrace socialistic policies and principles than past generations, according to a new Harris Poll given exclusively to Axios.

It Exists: DOJ Finds Letter Ordering Scrutiny of Uranium One, Hillary Clinton  —  Then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions wrote the letter on Nov. 22, 2017 for Utah U.S. Attorney John Huber.  Read it here.  —  Betsy Woodruff  —  After it claimed no such document existed …

Ocasio-Cortez Blasts Capitalism as an ‘Irredeemable’ System  — First-term Democrat says people and environment paying price  — New York representative appeared on South by Southwest stage  —  Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, whose sudden rise to prominence has made her a target …

Castro Hits Sanders: He Wants to Write a ‘Big Check’ for Everything But Reparations  —  Democratic presidential candidate Julian Castro criticized his fellow opponent Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) during a Sunday interview on CNN's State of the Union.  —  Castro was asked by CNN anchor Jake Tapper …

How Not to Lose to Donald Trump  —  Few could have predicted President Trump would be this good at surrendering the political advantage of a strong economy.  Not only is he now underwater in the three states that pushed him to victory in 2016—he's now unexpectedly vulnerable in places like Texas, Florida, and Ohio as well.

The Pros and Cons of Impeaching Trump  —  Real and reasonable arguments among congressional Democrats—and, indeed, among the public—range from the practical to the procedural.  —  The announcement last week that Representative Jerrold Nadler, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee …

Trump's legacy: conservative judges who will dominate US law for decades  —  Republicans have confirmed 89 Trump-nominated judges, far in excess of appointments under Obama and Bush  —  Many Americans watching the turmoil in US institutions and political norms are yearning for the day when Donald Trump is no longer president.

Ethiopian Airlines Flight Crashes Near Addis Ababa, Killing at Least 150  —  ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — An Ethiopian Airlines flight carrying at least 150 people crashed early Sunday shortly after departing from the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, en route to Nairobi, Kenya, the airline said, killing everyone onboard.

Massage parlor magnate helped steer Chinese to Trump NYC fundraiser, attendee says  —  A Chinese-American massage-parlor entrepreneur arranged for a group of Chinese business executives to attend a paid fundraiser for President Donald Trump in New York City at the end of 2017, according to a source who was present at the event.

Will Trump Trade the Future for a Hill of Beans?  —  The outlines of a potential trade deal with China suggest President Trump once again is prioritizing superficial gains over America's long-term economic interests.  —  It's easy to sell soybeans to China.  The Chinese are voracious consumers of the world's raw materials.

U.S. Continues to Separate Migrant Families Despite Rollback of Policy  —  OAKLAND, Calif. — Nearly nine months after the Trump administration officially rescinded its policy of separating migrant families who have illegally crossed the border, more than 200 migrant children have been taken …