Trump wanted Barr to hold news conference saying the president broke no laws in call with Ukrainian leader  —  President Trump wanted Attorney General William P. Barr to hold a news conference declaring the commander in chief had broken no laws during a phone call in which he pressed …

Senate president: Kentucky governor's race could be decided by state legislature  —  Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers threw another wrench into the state's razor-thin gubernatorial outcome late Tuesday night, saying that the legislature could decide the race.

Former Twitter employees charged with spying for Saudi Arabia by digging into the accounts of kingdom critics  —  The Justice Department has charged two former Twitter employees with spying for Saudi Arabia in a case that raises concerns about the ability of Silicon Valley to protect …

Facing Investigation, Giuliani Needed a Lawyer, but Firms Stayed Away  —  After weeks of looking, Mr. Giuliani said he assembled a legal team to represent him as he comes under scrutiny from federal prosecutors.  —  President Trump's personal lawyer, Rudolph W. Giuliani …

CIA staff complained about Obama White House's political correctness, new book claims  —  A new book claims that top CIA employees have compared President Trump favorably to his predecessor, indicating that former President Barack Obama's administration micromanaged intelligence matters and was too concerned with political correctness.

Alabama SGA warns groups: Protest Trump during LSU game, risk losing reserved seating  —  The Student Government Association at the University of Alabama is warning groups that protesting President Trump during the Tide's Saturday game vs. LSU could result in loss of reserved seating for the remainder of the season.

‘Coup has started,’ whistleblower's attorney said in 2017 posts calling for impeachment  —  Report: Lawyer for whistleblower says client is willing to answer GOP questions in impeachment probe  —  Mark Zaid, one of the attorneys representing the whistleblower at the center …

Lindsey Graham claims Trump is too incompetent to pull off a quid pro quo  —  Well, it wasn't the most flattering defense.  —  While Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) has said it's actually becoming easier to defend President Trump amid the congressional impeachment inquiry, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) had to dig deep to do so on Wednesday.

Bill Gates Goes After Warren on Wealth Tax, Won't Commit to Backing Her Over Trump: Voting for Whoever's ‘More Professional’  —  Wall Street has not been shy in expressing reservations over Sen. Elizabeth Warren's (D-MA) presidential candidacy — given her desire to install a wealth tax.

Thanks to Rand Paul, Russian Media Are Naming the Alleged Whistleblower  —  Outing “the whistleblower” is the most egregious, but certainly not the only, example of Kremlin-funded media cheerleading the fight against impeachment.  They love “their” Trump.  —  Standing beside an approving Donald Trump …

Exclusive: Book Claims Senior Officials Believed Pence Would Support Use Of 25th Amendment  —  The anonymous author of “A Warning,” reportedly a current or former White House official, said talk of removing Trump escalated after Comey was fired.  —  The much-anticipated book “A Warning,” …

Trump Spiritual Adviser Paula White Prays Against President's Opponents, Suggests They ‘Operate in Sorcery and Witchcraft’  —  President Donald Trump's personal spiritual adviser, Paula White, launched a prayer effort alongside other evangelical Christian leaders on Tuesday …

Halperin's ‘How to Beat Trump’ sells 502 copies in 1st week  —  NEW YORK — Mark Halperin's first book since his career was upended by allegations of sexual harassment is clearly no “Game Change.”  —  “How to Beat Trump” sold just 502 copies in its first week.

Scoop: ABC News/Epstein  —  I hope you'll subscribe to my newsletter by clicking the button above or the button at the end of this post.  Please follow me on Twitter and Instagram.  —  Scoop: ABC News Executives Believe They Have Identified Former Employee Who Accessed Amy Robach Hot Mic Footage

Jeff Sessions, ex-attorney general forced out by Trump, to run for former Senate seat in Alabama, say people familiar with his plan  —  Sessions, who resigned from the Senate to work in the Trump administration, plans to announce as soon as Thursday that he will vie for the Republican nomination …

Tucson voters overwhelmingly strike down ‘sanctuary city’ proposal  —  From the 2019 election results: Regina Romero becomes Tucson's first Latina mayor, ‘Sanctuary city’ initiative rejected series  —  Tucson voters overwhelmingly opted against the “sanctuary city” initiative …

A bright blue Virginia leaves the Confederacy behind  —  With the Democratic sweep in Richmond, protecting Civil War monuments won't be high on the agenda in the town that was once the seat of the Lost Cause.  —  The Confederacy in Virginia is dead.  And Donald Trump presided.

Leaked documents show Facebook leveraged user data to fight rivals and help friends  —  NBC News is releasing almost 7,000 pages of leaked documents showing how Facebook treated user data as a bargaining chip with external app developers.  —  A cache of leaked Facebook documents shows how the company's CEO …

Kentucky GOP files complaint against potential McConnell challenger  —  The Kentucky Republican Party filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) Wednesday accusing Democrat Matt Jones of “serious violations” of campaign regulations.  —  The state GOP said Jones …

How Mike Pence's Office Meddled in Foreign Aid to Reroute Money to Favored Christian Groups  —  Officials at USAID warned that favoring Christian groups in Iraq could be unconstitutional and inflame religious tensions.  When one colleague lost her job, they said she had been “Penced.”

U.S. victims in Mexico massacre were tied to family with a long history of violence  —  The roadside killings of nine U.S. citizens in northern Mexico has brought renewed attention to the scattered communities of Mormons who settled in the country more than a century ago to escape persecution.

Federal judge raises possibility of compromise in House Democrats' suit for Trump's tax returns  —  A federal judge said Wednesday that he'd like to see if compromise is possible in House Democrats' lawsuit seeking President Donald Trump's long-hidden tax returns.

These Hugely Popular Local News Sites In The US And Canada Are Fake  —  Since 2004, more than 2,000 newspapers have closed in the United States, and many local news outlets are struggling to build a digital business.  But one remarkable success story is the Albany Daily News …