Cummings demands docs on Kushner's alleged use of encrypted app for official business  —  House Democrats are raising new concerns about what they say is recently revealed information from Jared Kushner's attorney indicating that the senior White House aide has been relying …

Marine Corps commandant says deploying troops to the border poses ‘unacceptable risk’ … The commandant of the Marines has warned the Pentagon that deployments to the southwest border and funding transfers under the president's emergency declaration, among other unexpected demands, have posed …

Scoop: Biden advisers debate Stacey Abrams as out-of-the-gate V.P. choice  —  Close advisers to former Vice President Joe Biden are debating the idea of packaging his presidential campaign announcement with a pledge to choose Stacey Abrams as his vice president.

What I Want From the Mueller Report  —  I am rooting for a demonstration to the world that the United States justice system works.  —  Mr. Comey is a former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  —  The country is eagerly awaiting the special counsel Robert Mueller's report.

Ernst: Trump ‘does need to stop’ attacking McCain  —  ADEL, Iowa — Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) on Thursday urged President Donald Trump to stop disparaging the late Sen. John McCain, calling the Vietnam war hero “a dear friend” and defending him against the president's criticisms.

Cindy Yang helped Chinese tech stars get $50K photos with Trump.  Who paid?  —  President Donald Trump poses with two Chinese executives at a Dec. 2, 2017, fundraiser.  He is pictured with tech startup CEO Lucas Lu (left), and cryptocurrency giant Ryan Xu (right).

Cesar Sayoc pleads guilty to mailing explosive devices to Trump critics  —  BREAKING: Cesar Sayoc pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday, five months after he was arrested and accused of sending explosive devices to more than a dozen politicians and other figures who have criticized President Trump.

We Should Probably Talk About Lauren Duca  —  In the thousand years since Donald Trump sailed down an escalator and crash-landed with a wet thump in the Oval Office, a lot of Americans have changed, for good or ill. Many of us are more political or more cynical, impassioned or deflated, hopeful or entirely gutted.

Facebook Stored Hundreds of Millions of User Passwords in Plain Text for Years  —  Hundreds of millions of Facebook users had their account passwords stored in plain text and searchable by thousands of Facebook employees — in some cases going back to 2012, KrebsOnSecurity has learned.

Doomed Boeing Jets Lacked 2 Safety Features That Company Sold Only as Extras  —  As the pilots of the doomed Boeing jets in Ethiopia and Indonesia fought to control their planes, they lacked two notable safety features in their cockpits.  —  One reason: Boeing charged extra for them.

How Trump is on track for a 2020 landslide  —  President Donald Trump has a low approval rating.  He is engaging in bitter Twitter wars and facing metastasizing investigations.  —  But if the election were held today, he'd likely ride to a second term in a huge landslide …

How Theresa May decided she was willing to accept a no-deal Brexit  —  In the early hours of Wednesday morning, Theresa May made a momentous choice.  After a day of acrimonious debate in her cabinet and inner circle, the prime minister decided that she was willing to take Britain out of the EU without a deal.

Colorado's Sen. Michael Bennet near presidential announcement, sources say  —  U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet is taking the final steps toward becoming the second Colorado Democrat in the 2020 race for president, with a possible announcement coming soon, sources familiar with his plan have told The Denver Post.

Yang agreed to a debate with conservative radio host Ben Shapiro on the issue of circumcision, which he opposes  —  ‘Terrific!  Look forward to it,’ Shapiro replied.  —  No date has been announced yet.  —  Shapiro discussed Yang's long-shot candidacy on his radio show Tuesday …

Redistricting Edge Saved GOP From Deeper Midterm Losses  —  JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Democrats won more votes, regained control of the U.S. House and flipped hundreds of seats in state legislatures during the 2018 elections.  It was, by most accounts, a good year for the party.

‘Change Is Closer Than We Think.’ Inside Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Unlikely Rise  —  Every 10 minutes or so, someone knocks on the big wooden door of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's office on Capitol Hill.  The noise makes staffers stiffen.  It's almost always a harmless fan …

Trump Didn't Call Neo-Nazis ‘Fine People.’ Here's Proof  —  News anchors and pundits have repeated lies about Donald Trump and race so often that some of these narratives seem true, even to Americans who embrace the fruits of the president's policies.  The most pernicious and pervasive of these lies is the …

‘It hurt so bad’: Indiana teachers shot with plastic pellets during active shooter training  —  An active-shooter training exercise at an Indiana elementary school in January left teachers with welts, bruises and abrasions after they were shot with plastic pellets by the local sheriff's office conducting the session.

Several 2020 Democrats to skip AIPAC conference after call to boycott  —  Liberal group MoveOn.org asked all 2020 presidential candidates to steer clear of the event.  —  Several Democratic presidential candidates will skip the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's policy conference …

Jimmy Carter gets new title: oldest living former president  —  At 94 years, 172 days the 39th president passes George H.W. Bush  —  When Jimmy Carter left office in 1980, the return home to Plains was not easy.  His once flourishing farming business was more than $1 million dollars in debt …

Jordan Peterson's 12 Rules for Life removed from Whitcoulls following Christchurch terror attack  —  A Jordan Peterson book is no longer for sale from Whitcoulls in New Zealand following the Christchurch terror attack.  —  The controversial Canadian professor visited Aotearoa in February …

Former Murdoch Executive Says He Quit Over Fox's Anti-Muslim Rhetoric  —  In recent days, Rupert Murdoch's Fox News Channel and some of its corporate siblings have faced renewed and withering criticism for how they depict Muslims and immigrants.  Calls for boycotts of shows and pressure campaigns on advertisers ensued.

Mayor Pete Buttigieg on Trump, Islamophobia, and His Presidential Bid  —  Photo illustration: Soohee Cho/The Intercept, AP  —  Subscribe to the Deconstructed podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Radio Public, and other platforms.  New to podcasting?  Click here.

U.S. to Probe Tech Companies Over Data Collection Practices  — FTC chairman tells Congress of plan to examine industry  — Agency has authority to demand information from tech giants  —  The U.S. Federal Trade Commission plans to investigate technology companies' collection and use …

Palestinian Lives Don't Matter*  —  The people of the Gaza Strip are protesting again, and soldiers are shooting again, and civilians are being victimized again.  Only this time you may have missed the story, because these protests barely rated a buried paragraph in most Western news accounts.

White Supremacism Isn't Insanity  —  If you want to stop terrorists like New Zealand's mosque shooter, the first step is to try to understand what they're saying.  —  It's not quite right to say the suspect charged with killing 50 Muslims in Christchurch, New Zealand, last week was “crazy,” or “mad.”