White House and Justice Dept. Officials Discussed Mueller Report Before Release  —  WASHINGTON — Robert S. Mueller III's findings will be public on Thursday, but some of them will not be news to President Trump.  —  Justice Department officials have had numerous conversations …

Secrecy, Self-Dealing, and Greed at the N.R.A.  —  The organization's leadership is focussed on external threats, but the real crisis may be internal.  —  This winter, members of the National Rifle Association—elk hunters in Montana, skeet shooters in upstate New York …

Australia Says It's “Ready To Confirm” A Key Meeting That Led To The Investigation Into Trump's Russia Links  —  Heavily-redacted documents released to BuzzFeed News show Australia's former high commissioner wrote a three-page cable to the United States about his London meeting with a Trump campaign adviser.

Facebook teams with rightwing Daily Caller in factchecking program  —  Site co-founded by Fox News host Tucker Carlson has promoted misinformation and is known for pro-Trump content  —  Facebook's controversial factchecking program is partnering with the Daily Caller, a rightwing website …

Why the Media Dumped Beto for Mayor Pete  —  Burning with the velocity of a prairie fire on a gusty Indiana day, Pete Buttigieg scorched the airwaves, seared the podcasts, and charred the press this week as he ignited his presidential campaign, temporarily torching his Democratic competition in the process.

HUD Moves to Limit Public Housing Aid for Undocumented Immigrants  —  WASHINGTON — The Trump administration proposed a rule on Wednesday night intended to prevent undocumented immigrants from receiving federal housing assistance, the latest step in its efforts to ramp up enforcement of the nation's immigration laws.

Ilhan Omar, Harbinger of Democratic Decline?  —  With political power comes rhetorical responsibility.  —  Spot the problem with the quoted remarks:  —  (1) The Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 was “something some people did.”  —  (2) Last month's attack on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, was “something someone did.”

AP sources: Ex-Virginia Gov. McAuliffe to rule out 2020 run  —  RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe won't run for president in 2020, according to two people familiar with calls he made Wednesday to allies.  —  McAuliffe had flirted with a Democratic presidential run for months …

Kentucky Republicans Worried Inviting AOC to Meet with Coal Miners Might Backfire  —  Ocasio-Cortez actually said yes to their invite, and now they're waffling.  —  Last month, a clip of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez went predictably viral after she forcefully responded to one of her colleagues …

Facebook says it ‘unintentionally uploaded’ 1.5 million people's email contacts without their consent  — Facebook says that it ‘unintentionally uploaded’ the e-mail contacts of 1.5 million new Facebook users since May 2016.  — The revelation comes after a security researcher noticed …

Adam Schiff: The Media's Pin-Up Doll  —  There are times that even The Onion—the popular satirical newspaper—can't compete with the outlandish coverage produced by allegedly legitimate news publications.  Newsweek magazine's front-cover swoon over Representative Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) this week is one such example.

Man nabbed after walking into St. Patrick's Cathedral with gas cans, lighters  —  A man was nabbed Wednesday night walking into St. Patrick's Cathedral with four gallons of gasoline, lighter fluid and lighters, police said.  —  Marc Lamparello, 37, of New Jersey, entered the historic Midtown church …

Pete Buttigieg Stuns Campaign Crowd By Speaking To Manufacturing Robots In Fluent Binary  —  DES MOINES, IA—Revealing that he taught himself the language after developing an interest in computer science and artificial intelligence, Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg stunned …

Middlebury College Cancels Conservative Philosopher's Lecture on Totalitarianism  —  Middlebury College has canceled a campus speech by conservative Polish Catholic philosopher Ryszard Legutko in response to planned protests by liberal activists.  —  A professor of philosophy …

Rick Perry Plans His Exit as Trump's Energy Secretary  —  Energy Secretary Rick Perry is planning to leave the Trump administration and is finalizing the terms and timing of his departure, according to two people familiar with his plans.  —  While Perry's exit isn't imminent and one person familiar …

North Korea says it test-fired new tactical guided weapon  —  SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea said Thursday that it had test-fired a new type of “tactical guided weapon,” in what may be an attempt to register displeasure with a deadlock in nuclear talks with the United States without causing …

Report: U.S. declines again in press-freedom index, falls to ‘problematic’ status  —  For the third time in three years, the United States' standing in an annual index of press freedom declined, a result the report's authors attributed to President Trump's anti-press rhetoric and continuing threats to journalists.

WhatsApp Has Become A Hotbed For Spreading Nazi Propaganda In Germany  —  BERLIN — German WhatsApp users are spreading far-right propaganda through the use of stickers and chain letters but the company is doing little to nothing to stop it, despite local laws forbidding the use of Nazi imagery.

Pence, Buttigieg and the debate over ‘conversion therapy’  —  “If me being gay was a choice, it was a choice that was made far, far above my pay grade.  And that's the thing I wish the Mike Pences of the world would understand.  That if you got a problem with who I am, your problem is not with me …

MAYOR DE BLASIO VIOLATED ETHICS RULES IN SEEKING DONATIONS DESPITE WARNINGS, PROBE FINDS  —  Mayor Bill de Blasio violated conflict of interest rules after being warned repeatedly not to solicit donations from individuals actively seeking tax breaks, deed transfers and other favors from his administration …