Exclusive: Trump fixer Cohen says he helped Falwell handle racy photos  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Months before evangelical leader Jerry Falwell Jr.'s game-changing presidential endorsement of Donald Trump in 2016, Falwell asked Trump fixer Michael Cohen for a personal favor, Cohen said in a recorded conversation reviewed by Reuters.

House Democrats threaten salaries of Trump officials who block interviews  —  House Democrats are threatening the salaries of Interior, Commerce and Justice Department staff if they block ongoing committee investigations.  —  House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings …

Decade in the Red: Trump Tax Figures Show Over $1 Billion in Business Losses  —  Newly obtained tax information reveals that from 1985 to 1994, Donald J. Trump's businesses were in far bleaker condition than was previously known.  —  By the time his master-of-the-universe memoir “Trump …

James Comey is in trouble and he knows it  —  James Comey's planet is getting noticeably warmer.  Attorney General William Barr's emissions are the suspected cause.  —  Barr has made plain that he intends to examine carefully how and why Comey, as FBI director, decided that the bureau …

The nightmare scenario for Democrats on Trump's corruption  —  The administration's categorical refusal to release President Trump's tax returns heightens the difficult question Democrats face, and raises the prospect of a nightmare scenario — both in political and substantive terms.

Sandra Bland, It Turns Out, Filmed Traffic Stop Confrontation Herself  —  AUSTIN, Tex. — As Trooper Brian Encinia angrily threatened her with a stun gun from just outside her car window, Sandra Bland recorded the encounter on her cellphone, shown in a newly-released, 39-second video …

Durbin: McConnell ignored election security because GOP benefited from Russians  —  Sen. Dick Durbin suggested Tuesday that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell wasn't putting election security legislation up for a vote because Republicans benefited from Russian interference in the 2016 election.

How Not to Announce a Ship Deployment  —  A simple press conference could have avoided 36 hours of confusion and fears of war with Iran.  —  This all could have been avoided with one press conference.  —  Line up the defense secretary, the Joint Chiefs chairman, the appropriate generals and admirals …

A day after blocking House demand for Trump's tax returns, Mnuchin addressed gathering of his top fundraisers  —  Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin addressed a group of top donors backing President Trump's reelection Tuesday evening, making an unusual political appearance at a gathering …

Pete Buttigieg: God doesn't belong to a political party, but 'I can't imagine' God would be a Republican  —  Washington (CNN)South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg has made clear throughout his upstart 2020 presidential bid that he believes Democrats should embrace religion and decry those who try …

Trump Furious With Ally David Bossie Over His Reported Self-Dealing  —  The president even instructed top officials on his campaign to retaliate against his former deputy campaign manager.  But as of Tuesday, nothing had come.  —  On Monday morning, Donald Trump was incensed over a report …

Intelligence, Ethics and Bureaucracy: The Duty to Warn Jamal Khashoggi  —  In the six months since Jamal Khashoggi was murdered by a Saudi “Rapid Intervention Group” in the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, press reports have described a variety of information swept up by U.S. intelligence …

U.S. removes climate change references at Arctic Council, says melting sea ice will open trade  —  The Arctic Council ministerial in Rovaniemi, Finland ended on Tuesday without a ministerial declaration, due to U.S. objections over referencing climate change and the Paris Climate Agreement.

Anti-Jacob Wohl Protest Tied to Jacob Wohl's Email Address  —  Conservative activist Jack Burkman tweeted Tuesday morning that he's expecting “hundreds of leftist protestors” to gather outside an upcoming press conference he'll be holding with fellow far-right troll Jacob Wohl.

State Department Continues Fight to Strip Gay Couple's Two-Year-Old Son of Birthright Citizenship  —  The State Department has demanded that one of the couple's twin sons have a DNA test to prove he's the biological son of a U.S. citizen.  —  Scott Bixby  —  Ever since twins Aiden …

“This Is Do-or-Die”: Joe Biden's “Electability” Argument Is How Democrats Lose Elections  —  When Democrats play it safe and “fall in line,” the results are devastating—as Dukakis, Gore, and Kerry made plain.  If Biden wins the nomination next year, it will be because Democrats went with their heads, not their bleeding hearts.

U.S. ambassador to Ukraine is recalled after becoming a political target  —  The Trump administration has recalled the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine abruptly and ahead of her scheduled departure, after she became a target of political attacks by conservative media outlets and Donald Trump Jr. Democrats …

Trump's steel tariffs cost U.S. consumers $900,000 for every job created, experts say  —  Pressure is growing on Trump to remove steel and aluminum tariffs.  —  President Trump has shown little interest in removing the steel and aluminum tariffs he imposed more than a year ago despite growing …

Twitter suspends AOC ‘Press Release’ parody account  —  Twitter suspended the Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Press Release (parody) account, which poked fun at Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.  —  Conservative and right-wing Twitter users pointed out the account, which had tens of thousands …

Jill Biden Says 'It's Time To Move On' From Anita Hill Controversy  —  Jill Biden is accomplished in her own right — she holds two master's degrees and a doctoral degree.  But then, her husband is the former vice president and a top contender for the Democratic presidential nomination for 2020.

Trump Pardons Ex-Army Soldier Convicted of Killing Iraqi Man  —  President Trump on Monday granted a full pardon to a former Army lieutenant who previously served five years in prison for fatally shooting an Iraqi man in American custody.  —  During a deployment in Iraq in 2008 …

Kim Kardashian Quietly Helped Free 17 Inmates in 90 Days  —  Kim Kardashian is helping free inmates at an amazingly high rate, and she's been doing it rather quietly ... until now.  —  We've learned Kim and her legal team helped 17 prisoners gain freedom over the last 3 months or so …

Vulnerable Groups Could Be Targeted And Silenced Online Ahead Of 2020 Election, Researchers Warn  —  Members of vulnerable groups such as the Latino, Muslim, and Jewish communities are being disproportionately targeted online with disinformation, harassment, and computational propaganda …