It's time to start impeachment hearings.  Today.  —  If Donald Trump weren't president, he'd probably be in jail.  —  That's the view of a bipartisan group of hundreds of former federal prosecutors, who have signed an open letter stating that Trump's conduct would warrant criminal obstruction …

Reuters reporters jailed in Myanmar freed from prison: witnesses  —  YANGON (Reuters) - Two Reuters journalists jailed in Myanmar after they were convicted of breaking the Official Secrets Act walked free from a prison on the outskirts of Yangon on Tuesday after spending more than 500 days behind bars, witnesses said.

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 …

Why Mnuchin Doesn't Want You to See Trump's Tax Returns  —  If it wasn't clear before, then it's clear now: The White House is waging a war on the principles of transparency and oversight.  —  Surprising absolutely no one, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin thumbed his nose at the House …

The Fox effect: Trump's base bolsters his standing  —  First Read is your briefing from “Meet the Press” and the NBC Political Unit on the day's most important political stories and why they matter.  —  WASHINGTON — “Hung jury” is how Democratic pollster Peter Hart described …

Prosecutor: Proof of election fraud in US House race in Va.  —  NORFOLK, Va. — A special prosecutor in Virginia said Monday that he's presented two indictments of election fraud against someone who worked on a failed re-election campaign for a Republican congressman last year.

Islamic Jihad admits baby, pregnant woman killed by their own rockets  —  The report was published in a Telegram account related to Hamas.  —  The Islamic Jihad, one of the terror organizations responsible for the recent wave of attacks against Israel, admitted that the baby that was killed …

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 …

CIA warns Arab activist of potential threat from Saudi Arabia  —  Pro-democracy campaigner Iyad el-Baghdadi has been vocal critic of Saudi crown prince  —  The CIA has warned Norway that a prominent Arab activist who is living in the country under asylum protection is facing a potential threat …

Inaugural Official Disputes White House Account of Her Departure  —  WASHINGTON — Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, a leading contractor for President Trump's inaugural committee and a former adviser to the first lady, Melania Trump, has publicly disputed accounts of her departure from the White House last year …

Congress Is Failing  —  So much for checks and balances.  —  WASHINGTON — As House Democrats dither over moving forward with impeachment in a divided government and Senate Republicans are satisfied confirming judges rather than passing legislation, a pressing question is emerging: What the hell is Congress good for, anyway?

Biden Continues Post-Launch Surge, Grows Lead Among Likely Democratic Voters  —  Former VP picked up 4 more points, part of a 10-point gain since campaign launch  —  Former Vice President Joe Biden is putting more distance between himself and the rest of the Democratic presidential field.

Economists flee Agriculture Dept. after feeling punished under Trump  —  Economists in the Agriculture Department's research branch say the Trump administration is retaliating against them for publishing reports that shed negative light on White House policies, spurring an exodus that included six …

Qatar Finalizing Plans for Spy Plane Project in South Carolina  —  'It's more than just an economic decision,' one analyst says.  It's a part of a broad campaign to sway opinion in the United States.  Look out below.  —  The Qatari military is finalizing plans to invest in South Carolina …

Trump awards highest U.S. civilian honor to Tiger Woods  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - When Tiger Woods won the Masters on April 14, President Donald Trump declared he was going to award him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and ordered his aides to schedule the event as soon as possible.

Linda Sarsour at 2015 Farrakhan's ‘Justice Or Else’ Rally: “I'm Tired of People Asking What The ‘Else’ Is”  —  In 2015, Linda Sarsour, self-described civil-rights activist and “every Islamophobe's worst nightmare” spoke at Louis Farrakhan's “Justice or Else” rally in Washington DC …

Danish PM Calls Election That Polls Show He Is Set to Lose  —  Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen called a general election for June 5, with most polls suggesting his center-right coalition will be defeated by a more left-leaning bloc led by the Social Democrats.

Pompeo: Melting sea ice presents ‘new opportunities for trade’  —  (CNN)Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday praised the Arctic region — and its rapidly shrinking levels of sea ice — for its economic opportunities, despite continued warnings about the catastrophic effects of climate change.

If Deplatforming Hoaxsters is OK, The News Media Should Be in Big Trouble  —  Without much explanation, Facebook last Thursday banned several high-profile users amid accusations they violated the company's subjective rules about violence and hate speech.  The ban applied to InfoWars founder Alex Jones …

Erdogan defends Istanbul vote redo, critics see power grab  —  ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan insisted Tuesday that rerunning the Istanbul mayoral vote won by the opposition will only strengthen democracy, while critics called the decision an “outrageous” move to eliminate dissent against his government.

The smoke-filled rooms have burned down  —  Traditional political kingmakers like the parties' national committees and powerful insiders have lost their edge for 2020 as buzzy, insurgent campaigns have the ability to seize control of the narrative — and bundles of cash.

Scoop: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in talks to do Green New Deal doc  —  Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is in talks with documentary filmmaker Rachel Lears about a new project that would chronicle the freshman Democrat's Green New Deal policy movement, according to two sources familiar with the project.

Crowd erupts into chants of ‘PowerPoint’ after Yang pledges to use PowerPoint at SOTU  —  A crowd broke out into chants of “PowerPoint, PowerPoint, PowerPoint,” at Democratic presidential hopeful and entrepreneur Andrew Yang's latest Seattle rally last week.  —  The chant broke out during a Friday rally at Gas Works Park in Seattle.