NRA money flowed to board members amid allegedly lavish spending by top officials and vendors  —  A former pro football player who serves on the National Rifle Association board was paid $400,000 by the group in recent years for public outreach and firearms training.

Warren, Booker stand out on chaotic Iowa stage  —  CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — In the early state where field organization has traditionally mattered the most, Sen. Cory Booker and Sen. Elizabeth Warren have quietly and patiently concentrated their resources toward building grassroots machines designed to power them on caucus night.

Dem, GOP senators want to check Trump's power to sell arms to Saudis  —  Sens. Murphy and Young want a resolution that would let Congress vote on last month's arms deal and block or restrict future weapons sales to Saudi Arabia.  —  WASHINGTON — Two senators plan to introduce a bill Monday designed …

Trump Lawyer's Message Was a Clue for Mueller, Who Set It Aside  —  WASHINGTON — As the special counsel's investigators pursued the question of whether President Trump tried to impede their work, they uncovered compelling evidence — a voice mail recording and statements from a trusted witness — that might have led to him.

Google Made $4.7 Billion From the News Industry in 2018, Study Says  —  $4,700,000,000.  —  It's more than the combined ticket sales of the last two “Avengers” movies.  It's more than what virtually any professional sports team is worth.  And it's the amount that Google made from the work …

Why Trump is a Florida Man  —  We always think of Trump as a New York guy, or the president in the White House.  But at heart, he's a Florida Man with a Trumpian Florida life: big mansions and big money.  —  Why it matters: At Mar-a-Lago, we're seeing a whole new form of lobbying.

Journalists can't repeat their Watergate-hero act.  The reasons should make us grieve.  —  The question from an audience member made the three network chiefs bristle:  —  Why aren't the news media holding the White House accountable like they did during the Nixon/Watergate era?

In Alabama — where lawmakers banned abortion for rape victims — rapists' parental rights are protected  —  When a young woman came to the Family Services of North Alabama office last year for help with trauma, saying she had been raped by her step-uncle when she was 15 …

The South's Economy Is Falling Behind: ‘All of a Sudden the Money Stops Flowing’  —  Policies that once drove the region's growth have proven inadequate in an economy shaped by the forces of globalization  —  Seth Herald for The Wall Street Journal  —  NATCHEZ, Miss.—The American South spent …

People Are Trying to Figure Out William Barr.  He's Busy Stockpiling Power.  —  Is he the operator who spun the then-secret Mueller report?  Or the straight shooter who later disclosed portions that were damaging to President Trump?  —  WASHINGTON — Not long before Attorney General William …

Chao created special path for McConnell's favored projects  —  A top Transportation official helped coordinate grant applications by McConnell's political allies.  —  The Transportation Department under Secretary Elaine Chao designated a special liaison to help with grant applications …

Business leaders urgently discuss strategies to claw back Trump's trade powers  —  President Trump has threatened and bludgeoned his way into an unwanted confrontation with the U.S. business community that could have far-reaching implications for the future of presidential power over trade.

Bill de Blasio Shrugs Off Not Registering on Important Iowa Poll: 'It's a Poll of 600 Iowans'  —  New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio shrugged off not registering on the recent CNN/Des Moines Register poll, saying the poll is of “600 Iowans” and “this is just the beginning of a very long process.”

Latino leaders sound alarms over Trump reelection in 2020  —  Operatives and organizers warn that Democrats are doing little to mobilize a key constituency that the president is targeting aggressively.  —  Democratic presidential candidates are squandering a critical early opportunity …

Close Encounters at the Iowa Democratic Fundraiser  —  'It's overwhelming, honestly.  It's too many of them,' said a local Democrat of the 19 presidential candidates in town

Call immigrant detention centers what they really are: concentration camps  —  If you were paying close attention last week, you might have spotted a pattern in the news.  Peeking out from behind the breathless coverage of the Trump family's tuxedoed trip to London was a spate of deaths …

Company part-owned by Jared Kushner got $90m from unknown offshore investors since 2017  —  Overseas investment flowed to Cadre while Trump's son-in-law works as US envoy, raising conflict of interest questions  —  A real estate company part-owned by Jared Kushner has received $90m …

A Million March in Hong Kong Over Eroding Freedoms, Organizers Say  —  HONG KONG — Hundreds of thousands of people filled the sweltering streets of Hong Kong on Sunday in an immense protest against fraying freedoms that culminated after midnight with the police firing pepper spray and striking participants with batons.