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 …

The Suburban Backlash Against the GOP Is Growing  —  The shift of metro areas away from the Republican Party under President Donald Trump rumbled on in yesterday's elections, threatening the fundamental calculation of his 2020 reelection plan.  —  Amid all the various local factors that shaped GOP losses …

Behind the Deal That Put Giuliani Together With a Dirt-Hunting Partner  —  The president's lawyer wanted $500,000 to help a venture started by a man who would go on to help him in Ukraine.  A Republican donor from Long Island put up the money.  —  WASHINGTON — It has been one of the enduring mysteries …

Republicans again shift their defense of Trump over impeachment inquiry barrage  —  Graham claims Trump admin ‘incapable of forming quid pro quo’  —  (CNN)Facing damaging testimony from senior diplomats that President Donald Trump sought to condition the release of US military aid to Ukraine …

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,” …

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 …

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.

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 …

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

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 …

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.

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.

Appeals Court Nominee Shaped DeVos's Illegal Loan Forgiveness Effort  —  Steven J. Menashi, who could be confirmed Thursday, helped devise an Education Department plan to use Social Security data to deny students debt relief, an effort that a judge ruled violated privacy laws.

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 …

Trump Book Author Admits He Screwed Up by Wrongly Claiming Obama Held ‘Political Correctness’ Meetings  —  Fox News promoted an excerpt of the book, initially claiming the Obama White House frustrated CIA officers with weekly “political correctness” meetings.

Fox News brass to network hosts and personalities: Do not identify the whistleblower  —  New York (CNN Business)Fox News hosts and personalities have been instructed over the last several days not to identify the whistleblower whose complaint sparked an impeachment probe against President Trump …

Thousands of College Kids Paid to Work for a Viral Party Kingpin.  What Could Go Wrong?  —  The chief executive of I'm Shmacked promises students Instagram fame, then silences them with threats.  —  For eight years, a digital media company called I'm Shmacked has posted viral videos of the college party scene.

Billionaires are bashing Elizabeth Warren's plan to fix America's inequality problem  —  New York (CNN Business)Elizabeth Warren's aggressive plans to level the playing field for the American economy are drawing heavy fire from billionaires, even ones who acknowledge the system needs to be fixed.

Law firm representing whistleblower calls Trump Jr.'s speculation on client's identity ‘disgusting and reckless’  —  An attorney for the law firm who represents the anonymous whistleblower whose complaint pulled back the curtain on the Ukraine scandal called the disclosure of the client's identity Wednesday “disgusting and reckless.”

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 …

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 …

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.

Rand Paul blocks Senate push to protect Trump whistleblower  —  Sen. Rand Paul, R.- Ky., on Wednesday blocked a resolution to reaffirm whistleblower protections, accusing Democrats of “selective outrage.”  —  Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D.-N.Y., and Sen. Mazie Hirono, D.-Hawaii …

Jeffrey Epstein had ‘unexplained’ injuries on wrists and shoulder, brother says  —  Jeffrey Epstein's brother Mark says “unexplained” injuries were found on his body during the autopsy and is calling on the Department of Justice to release all forensic medical examiner files …