Televangelist Pat Robertson: Alabama's abortion ban is ‘extreme’ and has ‘gone too far’  —  Longtime televangelist Pat Robertson decried Alabama's new abortion ban as “extreme,” saying on his show on Wednesday that the state legislature has “gone too far.”  —  Alabama's law …

Trump, frustrated by advisers, is not convinced the time is right to attack Iran  —  The Trump administration has been on high alert in response to what military and intelligence officials have deemed specific and credible threats from Iran against U.S. personnel in the Middle East.

Trump pardons billionaire friend Conrad Black, who wrote a book about him  —  Black was convicted in 2007 on fraud charges, including alleged embezzlement, and obstruction of justice.  — Colby Itkowitz -  ·  —  The Fix  — The Fix - Analysis  —  Alabama's abortion ban will make abortion a key issue in 2020.

POLITICO Playbook PM: What George W. Bush's economist said about Trump behind closed doors  —  BEHIND THE SCENES ... LARRY LINDSEY, President George W. Bush's National Economic Council director, spoke Tuesday separately to both the elected House GOP leadership and top committee Republicans …

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio to announce presidential bid  —  Bill de Blasio is not exactly popular back home, but he has a record of progressive accomplishments that allies think will resonate with Democratic voters.  —  WASHINGTON — New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio will declare …

Democrats' obsession with redaction is obscuring the obvious: Trump committed high crime  —  Walter Dellinger was head of the Office of Legal Counsel from 1993 to 1996.  —  I have become increasingly concerned about how the country has received the Mueller report.

Top FBI officials were ‘quite worried’ Comey would appear to be blackmailing Trump  —  Senior FBI officials were concerned then director James Comey would appear to be blackmailing then President-elect Trump - using tactics notoriously associated with J.Edgar Hoover - when he attended a fateful Jan. 6 …

Kasich adviser will lobby against potential Russia sanctions  —  John Weaver, the top strategist for John Kasich's presidential campaign in 2016, has registered as a foreign agent and plans to lobby against potential sanctions on Russia.  —  Weaver signed a contract last month to lobby …

After Pelosi Says She Has a ‘Little Jail,’ Barr Asks, ‘Did You Bring Your Handcuffs?’  —  WASHINGTON — It's not every day in Washington that the attorney general dares the speaker of the House to lock him up.  —  But as he mingled backstage with V.I.P.s at an event honoring law enforcement officers …

Toddler apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border dies after weeks in hospital  —  A 2½-year-old Guatemalan boy apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border died Tuesday night in El Paso after several weeks in the hospital, according to the Guatemalan Consulate and another person with direct knowledge of the case.

Scoop: Kamala Harris/Fox News  —  Scoop: Sen. Kamala Harris Will Not Appear On Fox News For A Town Hall  —  Presidential candidate and California Sen. Kamala Harris will not appear on Fox News for a moderated town hall, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

Trump Immigration Plan Emphasizes Immigrants' Skills Over Family Ties  —  WASHINGTON — President Trump will unveil on Thursday a plan to overhaul parts of the nation's immigration system that would impose new security measures at the border and significantly increase the educational …

Texas used money from the Help America Vote Act to help pay for its botched voter citizenship review  —  The expenditure appears to comply with the federal law, but Democratic lawmakers say it flies in the face of the act's initial purpose to improve elections and voter access.

GOP lawmaker indicted for trying to trade his vote for cash, lying to the FBI, authorities say  —  The text message, which allegedly offered up a lawmaker's vote in exchange for cash, ended with a famous five-word phrase: “We never had this discussion.”  —  But a federal grand jury has accused …

Cruz warns ‘Space Force’ needed to prevent space pirates  —  Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said this week that it was important to fund President Trump's proposed “Space Force” in order to prevent possible space pirates.  —  “Since the ancient Greeks first put to sea, nations have recognized …

The Trump Admin Is Scrubbing Obamacare From Government Sites  —  PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS never been coy about his desire to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.  While that pledge has faced setbacks in Congress, his administration has managed to gut Obamacare by other means, like cutting financial support.

'Didn't want to wait'  —  Nine Central American migrants faced dire peril when their makeshift rafts capsized in the rain-swollen Rio Grande.  Border Patrol agents were their only hope.  —  Nine Central American migrants faced dire peril when their makeshift rafts capsized in the rain-swollen Rio Grande.

The Met Will Turn Down Sackler Money Amid Fury Over the Opioid Crisis  —  The Metropolitan Museum of Art said on Wednesday that it would stop accepting gifts from members of the Sackler family linked to the maker of OxyContin, severing ties between one of the world's most prestigious museums …

Intuit CEO in Internal Video: Hiding Free TurboTax Was In “Best Interest of Taxpayers”  —  ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom based in New York.  Sign up for ProPublica's Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox as soon as they are published.

CREW Requests Ron DeSantis NDA on Election Interference  —  Florida Governor Ron DeSantis reportedly met with the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security following the revelation in the Mueller Report “that ‘at least one’ Florida county had its election information accessed by Russian hackers in 2016.”

“You Have to Have a Plan to Deal with Them”: How the Media Fell Out of Love with Beto O'Rourke  —  Parsing the the factors (privilege, intersectionality, more press scrutiny, strategic miscalculation, multiple opponents, Vanity Fair) that contributed to O'Rourke's early-season swoon.

The Zogby Poll®: Trump's job approval tops 50%; A majority of Millennials approve of Trump; Nearly half of Generation Z voters approve of Trump; Trump is winning back Hispanic, Independent, college educated and urban voters … A new Zogby Poll® of 852 likely voters nationwide in the U.S. …

How the Republicans Built a Presidency Above the Law for Donald Trump  —  Yesterday, attorneys for President Trump made an astonishing argument in federal court.  Congress had no right to look at Trump's tax returns, they argued, because it had no right to investigate or even expose matters relating …