A Trump hotel mystery: Giant reservations followed by empty rooms  —  House investigators are looking into an allegation that groups — including at least one foreign government — tried to ingratiate themselves to President Donald Trump by booking rooms at his hotels but never staying in them.

Shoot Migrants' Legs, Build Alligator Moat: Behind Trump's Ideas for Border  —  WASHINGTON — The Oval Office meeting this past March began, as so many had, with President Trump fuming about migrants.  But this time he had a solution.  As White House advisers listened astonished …

Support for impeaching Trump hits new high  —  Support for impeaching President Donald Trump is growing.  —  A batch of recent polling confirms the Democratic impeachment push is gaining steam — including a new POLITICO/Morning Consult survey that shows for the first time that more voters support …

Donald Trump impeachment: President called Boris Johnson for help to discredit Mueller inquiry  —  President Trump personally contacted Boris Johnson to ask for help as he tried to discredit the Mueller investigation into possible connections between Russia and his 2016 election campaign, The Times understands.

Bernie Sanders has surgery for artery blockage, cancels campaign events  —  2020 contender Sen. Bernie Sanders' campaign announced Wednesday that he underwent surgery to insert two stents after blockage was found in an artery.  —  Why it matters: Senior adviser Jeff Weaver said the 78-year-old candidate …

With impeachment looming, the news media is growing a spine.  It needs stiffening.  —  Scott Pelley of CBS pushed back hard Sunday when House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy tried to spin him on Sunday's “60 Minutes.”  —  So did Chris Wallace of Fox News when Trump aide Stephen Miller refused …

No Change in Trump Reelect Prospects  —  Warren and Biden lead Dem ‘beauty contest’  —  West Long Branch, NJ - Recent events have not moved public opinion in either direction on whether President Donald Trump deserves a second term.  His reelection bid remains underwater, with particular signs of weakness among critical voting blocs.

Ukraine's ex-president discussed investments with Giuliani  —  KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine's former president said Wednesday he discussed investments with President Donald Trump's attorney, Rudy Giuliani, in 2017, but that he never discussed Ukrainian companies with any U.S. official.

Do Republicans See the Strategy to Discredit the Barr Investigation?  —  Democrats and their media friends are attempting to paint the Barr investigation, in the public mind, as a corrupt extension of a down-and-dirty Trump 2020 political campaign.  —  In the weekend column …

Why Black Voters Prefer Establishment Candidates Over Liberal Alternatives  —  Black voters effectively delivered Hillary Clinton the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016.  She and Sen. Bernie Sanders ran about evenly among white voters, but black voters overwhelmingly backed Clinton.

Statement by the European Commission following President Jean-Claude Juncker's phone call with Prime Minister Boris Johnson  —  President Jean-Claude Juncker spoke to Prime Minister Johnson on the phone this afternoon.  The Prime Minister informed the President about the contents …

Was There Another Cover-Up In Response to the Whistle-Blower?  —  The Justice Department should have shared a campaign-finance investigation with the Federal Election Commission.  —  Mr. Geltzer and Mr. Katyal are law professors at Georgetown.  —  One of the first things new prosecutors …

Putin jokes that Moscow plans to meddle in the 2020 election  —  Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday appeared to revel in the ongoing political maelstrom in the U.S., jokingly admitting to plans for future election meddling.  —  When asked whether Russia would interfere in the 2020 election cycle …

Donald Trump's Sons Have Sold More Than $100 Million Of His Real Estate Since He Took Office  —  There are big dreams, and then there are Trump-size dreams, ones that demand capital letters and tower over cities.  They are what nudged Donald Trump's grandfather Friedrich from Germany to New York …

The chances of Republicans deserting Trump are underrated  —  Upon dismissing his chief of staff in 1973, Richard Nixon said that he loved him “like my brother”.  The line seems too easy until you remember that the US president had seen two of his own die young.

Giuliani's Ukraine Work Tied to Firm Whose Website Has Vanished  — Giuliani withdrew from event set by Kremlin-linked adviser  —  The website of the consulting firm that forged business contacts for Rudy Giuliani in Ukraine and Russia for more than a decade has suddenly vanished.

The Impeachment Trap  —  America's Democrats have made a serious mistake by launching impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump.  They are replaying the Republican impeachment of Bill Clinton in 1998, a futile exercise that damaged Republicans, enhanced Clinton's power, and caused institutional damage as well.

Planned Parenthood has been building a secret abortion “mega-clinic” in Illinois  —  After over a year of secret construction, Planned Parenthood announced its newest abortion facility on Wednesday: an 18,000-square-foot mega-clinic in southern Illinois.  The new location is just 13 miles away …

Iranian president backs French plan to restart talks with the U.S.  —  BEIRUT — Iranian President Hassan Rouhani confirmed a Politico media report of a plan brokered by French President Emmanuel Macron in New York last week between Rouhani and President Trump, which would have been a basis for relaunching Iranian-American negotiations.

Pass an Anti-Racist Constitutional Amendment  —  IBRAM X. KENDI  —  Ibram X. Kendi is a professor of history, director of the Antiracist Research & Policy Center at American University, and author of How to Be an Antiracist.  —  To fix the original sin of racism, Americans should pass …

U.S. Slowdown Spurs Concern Economy Is Near Stalling  — Stall speed estimates have declined as potential GDP eased  — Slower growth leaves economy in fragile position to shocks  —  Explore what's moving the global economy in the new season of the Stephanomics podcast.

Schiff calls Trump's whistleblower tweets “an incitement of violence”  —  At a press conference with Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Wednesday, House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) condemned President Trump's tweets demanding to “meet” the Ukraine whistleblower as …