Trump Fed pick was held in contempt for failing to pay ex-wife over $300,000  —  Records obtained by Guardian show Stephen Moore reprimanded by judge for not paying alimony, child support and other debts  —  Stephen Moore, the economics commentator chosen by Donald Trump for a seat …

'We've never seen anything like this': As Trump threatens to close border, migrants overwhelm Texas cities  —  EL PASO - Under a bridge connecting the U.S. with Mexico, dozens of migrant families cram into a makeshift camp set up by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Trump's Order to Open Arctic Waters to Drilling Was Unlawful, Federal Judge Finds  —  WASHINGTON — In a legal blow to President Trump's push to expand offshore oil and gas development, a federal judge ruled that an executive order by Mr. Trump that lifted an Obama-era ban on oil and gas drilling in the Arctic Ocean was unlawful.

Biden blindsided by dose of 2020 reality  —  Joe Biden is enduring the roughest stretch of any candidate in the Democratic presidential primary, and he's not even a candidate yet.  —  In a two-week period where his attempts to smooth a path into the 2020 race only seemed to underscore …

The Beto effect": Republicans starting to lose their grip in Texas  —  EL PASO — Beto O'Rourke, announcing for president Saturday with three rallies in Texas, is a sign of changing Lone Star politics: Republicans have started to lose their grip.  —  Catch up quick: Brendan Steinhouser …

With social program fights, some Republicans fear being seen as the party of the 1 percent  —  President Trump boasted this week that the Republican Party will soon be known as “the party of great health care.”  —  But a growing number of Republicans fear that it risks being tagged as the party …

The Day the Dinosaurs Died  —  A young paleontologist may have discovered a record of the most significant event in the history of life on Earth.  —  If, on a certain evening about sixty-­six million years ago, you had stood somewhere in North America and looked up at the sky …

2020 Democrats Love Small Donors.  But Some Really Love Big Donors, Too.  —  Senator Cory Booker spun through a San Francisco fund-raiser hosted on Friday afternoon by high-tech titans and wealthy venture capitalists, including the investor Ron Conway.  That evening, in New York …

Trump's barometer for success following Russia investigation's end — TV ratings  —  After President Trump vowed to take credit for shutting down the government over border wall funding during a televised Oval Office meeting with Democratic leaders in December, West Wing aides sprung into overdrive to clean up the mess.

All About Pete  —  Only accept politicians who have proved they actually care about people other than themselves...  Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, is being hyped as the “Democratic celebrity” of the moment.  Buttigieg has been the subject of buzz since 2014 …

Growing student debt crisis: Candidates say cancel it, free college, refinance  —  Calling it a “national emergency,” some 2020 Democratic hopefuls have personal experience with big loans that are hard to pay back.  —  The 2020 Democratic candidates are mostly on the same page …

GOP shifts focus to investigating Obama officials  —  Republicans are setting their sights on top Obama-era officials as they plan their own probe into the 2016 election.  —  Eager to move on from special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian election interference and the Trump campaign …

In Leaked Recording, Cory Booker Says He and AIPAC President “Text Message Back and Forth Like Teenagers”  —  In a closed-door meeting with activists from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee on Tuesday, presidential candidate Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., spoke about working closely …

John Brennan: From spittle to flop sweat  —  Among the high former Obama administration officials who have disgraced themselves by their public comments since leaving office, John Brennan deserves special recognition.  Marc Thiessen has done us the favor of making the case in the Washington Post column …

The Foreign Policy Fiasco That Wasn't  —  Withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal has paid dividends.  —  It's been nearly a year since Donald Trump made the decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, to loud cries that it would bring nothing but woe to the United States and our interests in the Middle East.

Forget any major legislation.  Anything Trump wants done this term, he will do unilaterally  —  President Trump and his chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, have realized they're passing no major legislation through this divided Congress.  —  Why it matters: No sooner had Trump put out his budget …

Trump's 2020 Campaign: A Traditional Operation With a Wild-Card Candidate  —  WASHINGTON — On a former trading floor in an office tower in Rosslyn, Va., with sweeping views of the Potomac River, the Trump 2020 campaign is settling in.  It has about 40 staff members and counting …

State Department says US cutting off aid to El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras  —  (CNN)The United States is cutting off aid to the Northern Triangle, otherwise known as the Central American countries of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, the State Department told CNN Saturday …

Stacey Abrams builds massive political network ahead of 2020 decision  —  Stacey Abrams is set to reveal soon whether she'll run for president or senator or something else.  —  But in recent months, the Democrat has mounted a nationwide, largely below-the-radar effort to expand her donor …