Rudy Giuliani says Trump will stay loyal to him but jokes that he has ‘insurance’  —  Exclusive: The president's personal lawyer has emerged as a key figure in the impeachment inquiry, with speculation that Republicans will seek to paint him as a rogue actor

AP source: 2nd US official heard Trump call with Sondland  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — A second U.S. Embassy staffer in Kyiv overheard a cellphone call between President Donald Trump and his ambassador to the European Union discussing a need for Ukrainian officials to pursue “investigations,” The Associated Press has learned.

Senate GOP confirms highly controversial Trump judicial nominee  —  Trump nominee worked on illegal plan to deny help to scam victims  —  It's not just the quantity of Donald Trump's judicial nominees who've been confirmed by Senate Republicans, it's also the quality that's striking.

Italian council is flooded immediately after rejecting measures on climate change  —  (CNN)Veneto regional council, which is located on Venice's Grand Canal, was flooded for the first time in its history on Tuesday night — just after it rejected measures to combat climate change.

Gov. Bevin concedes election following recanvass  —  FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — At a podium inside his office, Governor Matt Bevin conceded the election nine days after losing to Gov.-elect Andy Beshear.  —  The governor formally requested a recanvass following his loss to Attorney General Andy Beshear.

Santa Clarita shooting: 2 teens killed; attack came on suspect's birthday, officials say  —  One person was killed and at least four others were injured in a shooting at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita early Thursday, authorities said.  —  Two students were killed …

Deval Patrick Announcement Video  —  In a spirit of profound gratitude for all the country has given to me, with a determination to build a better, more sustainable, more inclusive American Dream for everyone:  —  I am today announcing my candidacy for President of the United States.

Fox's prime time stars are telling Trump that the impeachment hearings are a ‘disaster’ for Democrats  —  New York (CNN Business)A version of this article first appeared in the “Reliable Sources” newsletter.  You can sign up for free right here.  —  I wanted to know what President Trump …

Scoop: Erdogan upends Oval meeting to play anti-Kurd film on iPad  —  An Oval Office meeting yesterday with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan took a dark turn when Erdoğan pulled out his iPad and made the group watch a propaganda video that depicted Kurds as terrorists …

Bloomberg's Team Calls His Crude Remarks on Women ‘Wrong’  —  As Michael Bloomberg prepares a presidential run, his history of crude remarks is likely to draw scrutiny.  His team said some were “disrespectful.”  —  It was a cheeky birthday gift for a hard-charging boss …

Pelosi: USMCA deal is ‘imminent’  —  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi indicated on Thursday that a deal between House lawmakers and the Trump administration on the USMCA could be announced within the coming days.  —  “I do believe that if we can get this to the place it needs to be …

A Trump Tax Break To Help The Poor Went To a Rich GOP Donor's Superyacht Marina  —  Wealthy donors Wayne Huizenga Jr. and Jeff Vinik lobbied then-Gov. Rick Scott for the lucrative tax break — and won it.  Poorer communities lost out. … The Rybovich superyacht marina lies on the West Palm Beach …

Exclusive: Trump DC hotel sales pitch boasts of millions to be made from foreign governments  —  The hotel's biggest selling point though, according to a copy of the brochure seen by CNN, is the one thing that the Trump family insists it didn't take advantage of: profiting off foreign governments.

Trump admin preparing to take over private land in Texas for border wall  —  The Trump administration is preparing court filings to begin taking over private land in Texas to build a border wall as early as this week, say officials.  —  The Trump administration is preparing court filings …

RNC plunges into Louisiana gov's race amid signs of trouble  —  The Republican National Committee is pouring another $1 million into the Louisiana governor's race ahead of Saturday's runoff — a move that comes amid mounting GOP concerns about losing a second major election in a conservative state in as many weeks.

Steve King Goes Full Steve King: Posts Photos of George Soros' Son Falsely Claiming He's Whistleblower (UPDATED)  —  Rep. Steve King (R-IA) posted photos of the son of left-wing billionaire George Soros on Thursday, absurdly accusing him of being the White House whistleblower.

Facebook fetes Kavanaugh  —  Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh has kept a relatively low-profile since the Senate narrowly confirmed him last year amidst serious allegations of sexual assault.  That will change tonight when Kavanaugh is the keynote speaker at the annual convention …

One of the defenses of Trump is — literally — a TV-cartoon joke  —  A former ‘Simpsons’ writer on the ‘Sideshow Bob defense.’ … — Sideshow Bob, “The Simpsons,” Season Six, Episode Five, 1994  —  This rhetorical absurdity, originally intended as joke on a TV cartoon, is now being trotted out in all seriousness by the GOP.

First Day of Televised Impeachment Hearings Draws 13.1 Million Viewers  —  Fox News leads rivals with 2.9 million viewers, edging MSNBC's 2.7 million  —  Some 13.1 million people tuned in to watch the first day of public hearings in the impeachment inquiry across the major cable and broadcast networks …

Ohio House passes bill allowing student answers to be scientifically wrong due to religion  —  COLUMBUS, Ohio (WKRC) - Ohio lawmakers are weighing in on how public schools can teach things like evolution.  The Ohio House on Wednesday passed the “Student Religious Liberties Act. ”

Bill Clinton calls out Trump for refusing to work with Congress during impeachment  —  Former President Bill Clinton called into CNN on Thursday and criticized President Trump for refusing to work with Congress on things like gun control due to the ongoing House impeachment inquiry.  —  The exchange:

AP-NORC/USA Facts poll: Americans struggle to ID true facts  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — In a sharply divided country, here's something many Americans agree on: It's hard to know what's a true and honest fact.  —  A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research …

On Facebook, fears of parasites push people to post pictures of feces and pursue dangerous remedies  —  While these groups have been under pressure from authorities, they have so far been successful in sidestepping Facebook's broader crackdown on health misinformation.