George Conway: Republican senators run the risk of being shamed by Trump himself  —  George T. Conway III is a lawyer in New York and an adviser to the Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump super PAC.  —  In his unhinged letter Tuesday, President Trump accused House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of having …

Twelve Million Phones, One Dataset, Zero Privacy  —  EVERY MINUTE OF EVERY DAY, everywhere on the planet, dozens of companies — largely unregulated, little scrutinized — are logging the movements of tens of millions of people with mobile phones and storing the information in gigantic data files.

First in POLITICO Playbook: Mark Meadows to leave Congress, plus what McConnell will say on impeachment  —  “OBVIOUSLY, I'VE LOOKED AT THIS AS A TEMPORARY JOB,” Meadows told us in an interview Wednesday, speaking of serving in the House.  “Endorsed term limits — never ran on a term-limit pledge.

White House defends Trump as ‘counter-puncher’ after he suggests late Michigan congressman in hell  —  The president suggested the late Rep. John Dingell was “looking up.”  —  WASHINGTON — After President Donald Trump lashed out against a Michigan congresswoman for supporting his impeachment …

Putin: Trump impeachment ‘far-fetched,’ Senate will acquit  —  MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin called the U.S. impeachment process “far-fetched” Thursday, making a seemingly obvious prediction that Donald Trump will be acquitted in the Senate.

How 2 Soviet Émigrés Fueled the Trump Impeachment Flames  —  “Lev and Igor” were obscure businessmen who became fixtures of the Republican donor set.  Then they played an unlikely role in the proceedings gripping the nation.  —  On a warm summer evening last year …

Exclusive: Phrase ‘White Nationalists’ Cut From Measure To Screen Military Enlistees  —  Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), the measure's author, fears other lawmakers are not taking the threat of white nationalists in the military seriously.  —  A measure in the National Defense Authorization Act meant …

The big, ugly lie driving Trump's rant about being impeached  —  Now that President Trump has been impeached by the House, it has already been widely observed that Trump has not shown a hint of contrition, as Bill Clinton did, or any sense of obligation to accept a shred of responsibility …

The House's Sad, Predictable, Partisan, and Historic Impeachment of Donald Trump  —  It was a sad day—on that, at least, everyone could agree.  On her way to the House floor, soon after 9 a.m., to begin the historic debate on the impeachment of Donald Trump, the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, told reporters that she felt “sad.”

‘Who is Mar-a-Lago?’  Arrested Chinese woman appears confused after intrusion at Trump club  —  The Chinese woman arrested after trespassing at Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump's South Florida estate Wednesday had managed to get to a high-end shopping district about two miles away …

Key impeachment witness told to leave Ukraine before Pompeo visit  —  (CNN)A top State Department aide told acting US ambassador to Ukraine Bill Taylor — a key witness in President Donald Trump's impeachment inquiry — to hand over his duties just days before Secretary of State Mike Pompeo …

AOC slams Tulsi Gabbard over ‘present’ vote on impeachment articles  —  Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez slammed 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful Tulsi Gabbard for being the only House Democrat to vote “present” on impeachment articles against President Trump and refusing to take a stand.

Apple Held Preliminary Talks With Pac-12 Conference, MGM  —  Tech giant is considering ways to broaden the appeal of its Apple TV app and TV+ service that launched with nine original programs  —  Apple Inc. AAPL -0.02% has been exploring opportunities to strengthen its upstart TV service …

House votes to amend constitution to pick judges by district  —  HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Majority Republicans in the state House on Wednesday took the first step to amend the Pennsylvanian Constitution so that appeals court judges would be elected by district rather than statewide.

How Mike Bloomberg would expand health coverage  —  He argues that a government-run “public option” will lead to universal coverage while cutting costs.  —  Michael Bloomberg.  Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images  —  Democratic presidential hopeful Mike Bloomberg on Thursday released …

A Lonely Plea: ‘Anybody Need a Grandma for Christmas?’  —  A woman from Tulsa, Okla., with no place to go for the holidays became a painful reminder of the isolation felt by many older Americans.  —  This month on Craigslist, tucked among ads for worn couches and dusty pianos, was an odd and poignant offer from a woman in Tulsa.

‘Lot of issues’: Former Obama doctor says Biden ‘not a healthy guy’  —  Former President Barack Obama's once-longtime doctor said the medical records Joe Biden's campaign disclosed are concerning and incomplete.  —  “He's not a healthy guy,” Dr. David Scheiner, who was Obama's personal physician …

ANALYSIS: In impeachment vote, how Republicans got to zero  —  After rushed and intense proceedings into the Ukraine affair, the House has voted to impeach President Trump.  The vote was 230 to 197 for the first article of impeachment charging the president with abuse of power and 229 to 198 …

Researcher who lost job for tweeting ‘men cannot change into women’ loses employment tribunal  —  Judgment 'removes women's rights and the right to freedom of belief and speech,' says sacked tax expert Maya Forstater  —  A researcher who lost her job after tweeting that men cannot change …

Who's Behind the Mysterious PAC Dropping Huge Sums to Reelect Susan Collins?  —  From its TV spots to its digital ads to its financial backing, all signs point towards 1820 PAC's involvement with the US Chamber of Commerce.  —  BEAST INSIDE  —  One of the most vulnerable Republican 2020 Senate incumbents …

To avoid removal, Trump needs senators representing only 7 percent of the country to support him  —  The House impeachment vote, however, largely mirrored what Americans in those districts wanted.  —  It is the nature of a representative democracy that people will sometimes be represented by politicians with whom they disagree.

Obama golfed in Hawaii as Trump was being impeached  —  While President Trump was hunkered down in the White House monitoring impeachment proceedings Wednesday, his predecessor in the Oval Office was hitting the links in Hawaii.  —  Photos show Barack Obama — a native of Honolulu …