Epstein's Death Was On 4Chan Before Officials Announced It — Now Authorities Are Investigating  —  The New York City Fire Department is investigating whether a first responder posted about Jeffrey Epstein's death on a notorious internet message board prior to officials announcing it to the public, BuzzFeed News has learned.

Chris Cuomo once referred to himself as ‘Fredo’ in radio interview  —  CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, who was captured on a viral video getting into a profanity-laced exchange with a person who called him “Fredo,” once referred to himself as the hapless “The Godfather” character in a radio interview.

Extreme climate change has arrived in America  —  2°C: BEYOND THE LIMIT °C °F  —  LAKE HOPATCONG, N.J. — Before climate change thawed the winters of New Jersey, this lake hosted boisterous wintertime carnivals.  As many as 15,000 skaters took part, and automobile owners would drive onto the thick ice.

John Hickenlooper Mulling Ending Presidential Bid to Run for Senate  —  CLEAR LAKE, Iowa — Former Gov. John Hickenlooper of Colorado is in discussions about ending his presidential bid and entering the race for his state's Republican-held Senate seat, potentially giving Democrats a strong candidate …

New York Times demotes editor who sparked fury  —  New York (CNN Business)Jonathan Weisman, the deputy Washington editor for The New York Times (NYT), has been demoted after a pair of incidents in which he ignited controversy on Twitter (TWTR), the newspaper said Tuesday.

Ivanka Trump is quietly calling lawmakers about the gun debate  —  Ivanka Trump has quietly been making calls to members of Congress in the days following the deadly mass shootings in Dayton and El Paso to gauge where they stand on pending gun legislation, sources familiar with her conversations told Axios.

Trump Superfan Bill Mitchell Raised Money to Move to D.C. He Moved to Miami Instead  —  Bill Mitchell's fans and some right-wing personalities are fuming at Mitchell after he said he wanted to interview the big politicians in D.C. and then moved to Miami.  —  Trump superfan Bill Mitchell …

22 NOTES FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL WILLIAM BARR  —  Chris Geidner, The Justice Collaborative's senior adviser for law and policy, and Daniel Nichanian, its senior research and editorial fellow, analyzed yesterday's speech by the federal government's top prosecutor at the Fraternal Order of Police's conference.

Stacey Abrams to launch voter protection program in battleground states ahead of the 2020 election  —  Stacey Abrams is taking her voting rights crusade national, with a program to provide technical and financial assistance to help Democrats in key states strengthen their voter protection operations ahead …

How a Trump Ally Tested the Boundaries of Washington's Influence Game  —  WASHINGTON — Elliott Broidy had the kind of past that might have given a more traditional White House reason to keep him at a distance: A wealthy businessman, he had pleaded guilty in 2009 to giving nearly $1 million …

A Kremlin-Linked Firm Invested Millions in Kentucky.  Were They After More Than Money?  —  Last summer, it looked like things were finally about to change for Ashland, Ky. For two decades, the jobs that once supported this Appalachian outpost of 20,000 people on a bend in the Ohio River …

No One Attacked Trump More in 2016 Than His Fellow Republicans.  The Lesson: It Didn't Work.  —  WASHINGTON — Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. has called President Trump an “existential threat” to the nation.  —  Senator Kamala Harris has warned on the campaign trail that the president is a racist.

Suspect arrested after allegedly firing shots at ICE office  —  SAN ANTONIO - A man is in custody accused of shooting at an ICE Office.  The shooting took place around 3 a. m.  Tuesday on the 1700 block of NE Loop 410 near Brookhaven Drive.  Police said the suspect fired shots from across the highway, damaging some windows.

Facebook Paid Contractors to Transcribe Users' Audio Chats  — Social network says it paused human review of conversations  — Apple, Amazon, Google have been scrutinized for similar work  —  Facebook Inc. has been paying hundreds of outside contractors to transcribe clips of audio …

Washington Post editor responds to Bernie Sanders: Your ‘conspiracy theory’ is wrong  —  (CNN)The executive editor of The Washington Post hit back at Sen. Bernie Sanders' suggestion that the paper's coverage of the presidential candidate is linked to its owner's business interests, calling the accusation a “conspiracy theory.”

Senate Dems deliver stunning warning to Supreme Court: ‘Heal’ or face restructuring  —  Several high-profile Senate Democrats warned the Supreme Court in pointed terms this week that it could face a fundamental restructuring if justices do not take steps to “heal” the court in the near future.

In suburban Texas, 'It feels like there's no place for lifelong Republicans like me'  —  Vanessa Steinkamp is the kind of voter that Texas Republicans counted on.  She's a devoted conservative who volunteered for Bob Dole's presidential campaign, interned for former GOP Sen. Bill Frist …

Republican Donors Told to Wait as Pompeo Considers Kansas Senate Run  — Secretary of state has given mixed signals on the 2020 race  — Pompeo's trips to Kansas, political speeches fuel speculation  —  Republican political donors have been told to hold off contributing …

Matthew Whitaker's Conflict Of Interest Forms Weren't Screened Until Just Before Trump Put Him In Charge Of The DOJ.  They Were Incomplete.  —  WASHINGTON — A few weeks before President Donald Trump appointed Matthew Whitaker acting attorney general in November after ousting Jeff Sessions …

Eliot Engel warns foreign officials: Stop spending money at Trump properties  —  House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel directed his aides on Tuesday to warn foreign officials that they are “facilitating” President Donald Trump's alleged emoluments violations by spending money …

Ocasio-Cortez Chides Barstool Sports for Anti-Union Tweets  —  Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez chided Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy for a series of tweets that several legal experts say violate federal labor law.  —  “If you're a boss tweeting firing threats to employees trying to unionize …

US removes some items from China tariff list, delaying tariffs for others, including cell phones  —  This is a breaking news story.  Check back for updates.  —  The United States Trade Representative office said Tuesday certain items were being removed from the new China tariff list because of …

Useful Idiots and Trumpist Billionaires  —  Greed, ego and willful blindness at the top.  —  Whoever came up with the phrase “useful idiots” — it's often credited to Lenin, but there's no evidence he ever said it — was on to something.  There are times when dangerous political movements …

Venezuela's Maduro Cracks Down on His Own Military in Bid to Retain Power  —  MARACAY, Venezuela — A week after Venezuela's intelligence forces detained a retired navy captain, he appeared in a military tribunal a broken man, in a wheelchair and showing signs of torture.  —  “Help me,” he mouthed to his lawyer.

The Kochs Funded Third Way to Push Free Trade to Democrats, New Book Says  —  In the fall of 2007, the tide was beginning to turn against free trade, as the ongoing hollowing out of the American middle class was becoming associated with globalization and the offshoring of jobs.

Trump immigration official offers rewrite for Statue of Liberty poem  —  President Donald Trump's top immigration official on Tuesday offered a revised version of the poem long displayed inside the Statue of Liberty's pedestal that aligns more closely with the administration's latest rule aimed …

Bullock knocks DNC rules after Steyer reaches donor threshold for fall debates  —  Democratic presidential hopeful Montana Gov. Steve Bullock (D) slammed the Democratic National Committee's (DNC) debate qualification rules on Tuesday after billionaire Tom Steyer reached the donor threshold for the party's fall primary debates.

Donald Trump Jr., in Indonesia, Defends Family's Global Business  —  JAKARTA, Indonesia — Donald Trump Jr., visiting Indonesia's capital on Tuesday to promote two Trump-branded resorts, defended his father, President Trump, and their family's company against allegations that their global …

Putin the Great  —  Russia's Imperial Impostor  —  On January 27, 2018, Vladimir Putin became the longest-serving leader of Russia since Joseph Stalin.  There were no parades or fireworks, no embarrassingly gilded statues unveiled or unseemly displays of nuclear missiles in Red Square.

Thirty-Two Short Stories About Death in Prison  —  Jeffrey Epstein's name and face are everywhere following his death.  Even as an investigation reveals that the Metropolitan Correctional Center, where he died, was terminally short-staffed and relied on untrained guards who failed to monitor him, conspiracy theories persist.

The #MeToo Case Dividing Wall Street “I didn't believe my filing this suit would damage my career as much as it has.”  —  Sara Tirschwell stood in the elevator of her apartment building, an elegant redbrick co-op a few blocks east of Central Park.  She was headed to a law firm's cocktail party …