James Comey says he is confused by Mueller's decision on obstruction  —  “The entire rationale for a special counsel is to make sure the politicals aren't making the key charging decisions,” the former FBI chief said.  —  CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Former FBI Director James Comey told an audience …

Barbara Bush: Did she still consider herself a Republican?  'I'd probably say no today.'  —  Barbara Bush, in a forthcoming book, had given up on the Republican Party.  Susan Page expounds upon the story from her book, “The Matriarch.”  —  CONNECT  —  EXCLUSIVE: This story is adapted …

White House Obamacare reversal made over Cabinet objections  —  The Trump administration's surprising move to invalidate Obamacare on Monday came despite the opposition of two key Cabinet secretaries: Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and Attorney General William Barr.

For Michael Avenatti, a luxury lifestyle built on a purported house of cards  —  Long before he was Stormy Daniels' lawyer, well before he was accused of trying to shake down Nike for millions of dollars, Michael Avenatti was an Orange County plaintiff's attorney living a luxe life adorned with fast cars …

EXCLUSIVE: Elizabeth Warren lays out plan to target corporate agriculture, support family farms  —  Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren is taking aim at some of the nation's largest agribusiness companies, such as Tyson and Bayer-Monsanto, continuing her campaign's assault on corporate consolidation.

Betsy DeVos grilled in Congress over proposed elimination of Special Olympics funding  —  “What is it that we have a problem with, with children who are in special education?” a Democratic representative asked the education secretary.  —  Education Secretary Betsy DeVos struggled …

Indefensible: With no good explanation, prosecutors give Jussie Smollett a pass  —  Actor Jussie Smollett leaves the Leighton Criminal Court Building after all charges were dropped in his disorderly conduct case on March 26, 2019.  (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

John Roberts, Legislator  —  A new book tells of political horse-trading at the Supreme Court.  —  During a 10-day break for the Supreme Court in April 2012, several justices left Washington to give lectures or take short vacations.  But both John Roberts and Anthony Kennedy remained in Washington …

People Actually Like the Green New Deal  —  Mitch McConnell's show vote in the Senate on Tuesday rejected the plan, but Republicans may come to regret their mockery.  —  Mr. McElwee is one of the founders of Data for Progress.  —  Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader …

A job-scarce town struggles with Arkansas's first-in-nation Medicaid work rules  —  Marianna, ARK. — At the center of Court Square in this old Mississippi Delta town, the monument to the county's Confederate dead is inscribed: “No braver bled for a brighter land.  No brighter land had a cause so grand.”

How America's Biggest Theater Chains Are Exploiting Their Janitors  —  Every night, after the last show ended at the AMC theater in Santa Monica, Maria Alvarez arrived at work.  —  She and her husband had a key to let themselves in.  It was after midnight, and the building was empty.

Gillibrand Discloses 2018 Taxes, Pushing 2020 Rivals to Follow Suit  —  Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York disclosed on Wednesday that she earned about $218,000 last year through her congressional salary and a book deal, becoming the first Democratic presidential candidate to disclose …

Now China Is Detaining Muslims From Other Countries  —  Turkey is one of the few Muslim-majority countries to call out China's crackdown on Uighur Muslims.  A BuzzFeed News investigation finds that several Turkish nationals have also disappeared, something that has never been publicly acknowledged by Turkey.

Inside the Trump campaign's plan of attack  —  Some candidates haven't even formally announced their decision to run yet, but President Trump's re-election campaign is already gathering ammunition to use against his opponents and mapping out the regions where he is weakest.

Steve King, Facing Backlash From Both Parties, Fights for Political Life  —  ALGONA, Iowa — For nearly two decades, Representative Steve King pummeled Republican primary challengers, dispatched Democrats, even a former Iowa governor's wife, and glided to victory in his conservative district.

Trump team and China seek elusive deal as latest talks near  —  US and China face tough road to a deal as negotiators prepare for an 8th round of talks  —  The Trump administration and Chinese officials are about to hold their eighth round of trade talks in Beijing with several tough issues unresolved …

He's Trump's Point Man on Iran—and Under Investigation  —  Brian Hook is driving an aggressive Iran policy... while he and several other officials have to deal with a far-reaching probe into allegations of political reprisal.  —  This should be a good time to be Brian Hook.

Psycho Analysis  —  Bret Easton Ellis rages against the decline of American culture  —  “I never pretended to be an expert on millennials,” writes Bret Easton Ellis halfway through White, and the reader desperately wishes this were true.  Ellis is best known for American Psycho …

The op-ed that got Stephen Moore his Fed nomination is based on two major falsehoods  —  President Trump reportedly chose Stephen Moore for one of the vacancies at the Federal Reserve Board after reading a Wall Street Journal op-ed Moore wrote attacking the Fed.

An Open Letter to Green New Dealers  —  I write this as a friend who wants your movement to succeed.  Your cause is just and, due to decades worth of political inaction (some of which, I'm sorry to say, I have to personally account for), the hour is late.  As the U.N.'s sixth Global …

Swedbank Laundering Case Explodes With Alleged Manafort Link  — Swedish bank is now reportedly being investigated in the U.S.  — Bank's headquarters in Stockholm were raided on Wednesday  —  The Swedbank AB money laundering scandal grew considerably more serious this week amid reports …