Southern Poverty Law Center fires co-founder Morris Dees … The Southern Poverty Law Center has fired Morris Dees, the civil rights organization's co-founder and former chief litigator.  —  In a statement attributed to SPLC president Richard Cohen, the Montgomery-based organization confirmed Dees' dismissal …

Senate votes to reject Trump's emergency declaration, setting up president's first veto  —  Breaking news: A group of Senate Republicans joined Democrats on Thursday to approve a disapproval resolution aimed at overturning President Trump's declaration of an emergency on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Why Texas Is Nearing Battleground Status (It's Not Just About Beto)  —  Hispanics represent the (elusive) upside for Democrats, but it's a shift in white voters that is making the biggest difference.  —  The dream of a “Blue Texas” has captured the imagination of Democrats for nearly a decade …

Rosario Dawson Confirms She's Dating Cory Booker, Says They're in Love  —  Rosario Dawson's all in on Cory Booker for President in 2020, but she might be a little biased ... because she just confirmed with us ... they're in a serious, loving relationship!!!  —  The actress was at the Reagan …

Trump issues warning to opponents: ‘It would be very bad’ if his military, police and biker supporters got ‘tough’  —  WASHINGTON—U.S. President Donald Trump has issued what seems to be a warning of armed pushback against his political opponents, telling a right-wing website on Monday that …

Tech Firm in Steele Dossier May Have Been Used by Russian Spies  —  WASHINGTON — Aleksej Gubarev is a Russian technology entrepreneur who runs companies in Europe and the United States that provide cut-rate internet service.  But he is best known for his appearance in 2016 in a dossier …

Top Mueller Prosecutor Stepping Down In Latest Clue Russia Inquiry May Be Ending  —  One of the most prominent members of special counsel Robert Mueller's team investigating Russia's attack on the 2016 presidential election will soon leave the office and the Justice Department, two sources close to the matter tell NPR.

Sandy Hook Massacre: Remington and Other Gun Companies Lose Major Ruling Over Liability  —  [What you need to know to start the day: Get New York Today in your inbox.]  —  The Connecticut Supreme Court dealt a major blow to the firearms industry on Thursday, clearing the way for a lawsuit …

Mnuchin says he'll protect Trump privacy if taxes requested  —  A rarely used nearly 100-year-old law allows a few congressional officials to seek individual tax returns from the Treasury Secretary.  —  WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin suggested Thursday he will protect …

New York appellate court allows Summer Zervos's defamation suit against president to proceed  —  A New York appellate court ruled Thursday that President Trump must face a defamation lawsuit filed by former “Apprentice” contestant Summer Zervos, one of about a dozen women who accused Trump …

Peter Strzok Deleted ‘Personal’ Communications With Lisa Page  — Peter Strzok told Congress in 2018 that he deleted communications with Lisa Page, but he claimed he did so for “personal” reasons.  — An attorney for Strzok says that the former FBI official deleted the records …

Formerly Homeless Student Gets Into 17 Colleges, on His Own  —  The odds were stacked against Dylan Chidick in the summer of 2017.  The Jersey City high school student's family was homeless and he was struggling to study in a shelter.  His twin brothers had heart conditions and needed extra care.

Political Independents: Who They Are, What They Think  —  Most ‘lean’ toward a party; ‘true’ independents tend to avoid politics  —  Independents often are portrayed as political free agents with the potential to alleviate the nation's rigid partisan divisions.

Lawmakers express more confidence in FAA after 737 briefing  —  Lawmakers appeared largely satisfied Thursday with the time it took for the U.S. to ground Boeing's 737 MAX jet after two fatal crashes overseas — though some still have questions about how the Federal Aviation Administration approved the plane to fly to begin with.

Frank Cali, Reputed Gambino Mob Boss, Is Shot and Killed on Staten Island  —  Francesco Cali, the reputed boss of the Gambino crime family, was fatally shot outside his home on Staten Island on Wednesday night, a senior police official said.  —  Mr. Cali, 53, was shot six times, the official said.

Irish PM brings partner to meet Mike Pence and delivers pointed remarks on sexuality  —  Leo Varadkar, who is openly gay, spoke on the changes for Ireland and called out various forms of discrimination  —  Play Video  —  The Irish prime minister, Leo Varadkar, who is openly gay …

O'Rourke calls for unity during Iowa visit  —  As he drove along the Mississippi River between campaign stops, Beto O'Rourke pined to pull the vehicle over —  so he could dip his toes in the water.  —  “I just don't feel like you can come this close to it and not,” O'Rourke said.

Colorado Senate Passes Oil and Gas Bill in Decisive Vote … Following a series of conciliatory amendments offered by Democratic leadership, a sweeping proposal to overhaul Colorado oil and gas regulations has cleared a key hurdle in the Senate and appears on track to become law.

Reddit Has Become A Battleground Of Alleged Chinese Trolls  —  Last week, a Reddit user posed a question on the Canadian news subreddit /r/onguardforthee: “Ever Wonder Why Canadian Subreddits Are Becoming Littered With Chinese Propaganda?”  —  In their view, the reason is that Chinese …

Erin Go Bragh!  On Brexit, Irish PM Disses Trump To His Face  —  Trump made believe he never supported Brexit, but the first gay prime minister elected in Ireland told Trump directly that he disagreed with his opinion and regretted the vote entirely.  —  Views:

‘Billions,’ ‘Succession’ and the Making of Wealth Porn  —  Two years ago, Aidan Sleeper needed to find an apartment.  —  Sleeper, the locations manager for “Billions,” returning Sunday for its fourth season on Showtime, scouted more than 100 places that list for tens of millions of dollars, but he couldn't find the right one.

Sharp rise in Arctic temperatures now inevitable - UN  —  Temperatures likely to rise by 3-5C above pre-industrial levels even if Paris goals met  —  Sharp and potentially devastating temperature rises of 3C to 5C in the Arctic are now inevitable even if the world succeeds …

Trump may send volunteer force to border  —  The Trump administration may send a volunteer emergency response team to assist with security and humanitarian efforts at the U.S.-Mexico border, according to four current and former officials briefed on the discussions.

Jeffrey Epstein prosecutor was previously rebuked for handling of a child sex case  —  Nine months before cutting a covert plea deal with sex trafficking suspect Jeffrey Epstein, Miami U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta was notified that the lead prosecutor in Epstein's case had concealed information …