Schiff Got Early Account of Accusations as Whistle-Blower's Concerns Grew  —  WASHINGTON — The Democratic head of the House Intelligence Committee, Representative Adam B. Schiff of California, learned about the outlines of a C.I.A. officer's concerns that President Trump had abused his power days …

Trump involved Pence in efforts to pressure Ukraine's leader, though aides say vice president was unaware of pursuit of dirt on Bidens  —  President Trump repeatedly involved Vice President Pence in efforts to exert pressure on the leader of Ukraine at a time when the president was using …

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.

Fox News Host Todd Starnes Out After Suggesting Democrats Worship Pagan God Moloch (Exclusive)  —  TheWrap has learned that Todd Starnes' contract at Fox News is not being renewed.  The host will no longer be working at the network, its website, or its premium subscription service, Fox Nation.

Congress to get briefing on alleged retaliation against U.S. diplomats  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department inspector general plans to brief congressional committees on Wednesday about recent instances of potential political retaliation by agency leaders against career officials over Ukraine …

Pelosi says Trump ‘scared’ of impeachment inquiry in exclusive ABC News interview  —  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Wednesday that President Donald Trump is “scared” of the impeachment inquiry she launched last week centered on a whistleblower complaint alleging he pressured Ukraine …

Trump's Impeachment Saga Stems From a Political Hit Job Gone Bad  —  The irony of President Trump's sudden impeachment peril is that it's the unintended result of an effort to help him: a political hit job aimed at a likely opponent (Joe Biden) and funded by a major right-wing donor …

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.

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.

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.

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 …

Government Plans to Begin DNA Testing on Detained Immigrants  —  The Department of Homeland Security said it would begin testing on hundreds of thousands of immigrants in federal detention facilities.  —  The Trump administration is moving to begin collecting DNA samples from hundreds …

Borderline mass shooting charity event canceled due to Trump supporter controversy  —  THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - A charity flag football event in honor of fallen Ventura County Sgt. Ron Helus, the deputy killed in the Borderline mass shooting in 2018, has been put on hold after organizers …

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 …

Ag secretary: No guarantee small dairy farms will survive  —  MADISON, Wis. — President Donald Trump's agriculture secretary said Tuesday during a stop in Wisconsin that he doesn't know if the family dairy farm can survive as the industry moves toward a factory farm model.

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 …

How to Get Away With Gerrymandering  —  A leaked audio recording reveals how state lawmakers are taught to trash evidence, avoid the word gerrymander, and create an appearance of bipartisanship.  —  Luxury cabanas atop Austin's JW Marriott kept state legislators cool poolside as August …

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 …

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.

Federal government has dramatically expanded exposure to risky mortgages  —  The federal government has dramatically expanded its exposure to risky mortgages, as federal officials over the past four years took steps that cleared the way for companies to issue loans that many borrowers might not be able to repay.

False ‘Coup’ Claims by Trump Echo as Unifying Theme Against Impeachment  —  President Trump and his supporters now have at least one unifying, if inaccurate, message against the impeachment inquiry.  It is, they say, an unconstitutional coup.  —  Mr. Trump posted that conspiratorial message …

Will Trump Ever Leave the White House?  —  It's a loaded question — with no obvious answer.  —  Mr. Edsall contributes a weekly column from Washington, D.C. on politics, demographics and inequality.  —  Since 2015, we have been worrying about how much danger Donald Trump posed to democracy.