Chief Justice John Roberts says Americans may ‘take democracy for granted’  —  Photos:  —  In photos: Chief Justice John Roberts  —  Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts listens to President Donald Trump's State of the Union address in January 2018.  —  1 of 20  —  Photos:

Democrats sharpen their differences as Iowa caucuses loom  —  DES MOINES — The Democratic presidential candidates spent the final day of 2019 sharpening their differences as they braced for the final sprint to the Iowa caucuses, with polls showing a fluid and unsettled race five weeks before the first nominating contest.

Up to 4,000 US troops could deploy to Middle East amid Baghdad unrest: officials  —  The U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division's alert brigade has been issued orders to deploy rapidly to Kuwait amid the unrest in Baghdad, three U.S. defense officials told Fox News on Tuesday.

North Korea Is No Longer Bound by Nuclear Test Moratorium, Kim Says  —  Kim Jong-un said North Korea was free of a self-imposed pause on testing nuclear weapons and long-range missiles, which President Trump had called a diplomatic victory.  —  SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea's leader …

Susan Collins Becomes Second GOP Senator to Question McConnell Over Impeachment Trial  —  With only a four-vote Senate majority, a small bloc of Republican senators could upend majority leader's efforts  —  WASHINGTON—Maine Sen. Susan Collins has become the second Republican to question …

Illinois governor clears thousands of marijuana convictions  —  CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois' governor granted more than 11,000 pardons for low-level marijuana convictions on Tuesday, describing the step as a first wave of thousands of such expungements anticipated under the state's new marijuana legalization law.

Ghosn's Escape Followed Weeks of Planning  —  Aim of associates was to help spirit him to a more friendly legal environment  —  Carlos Ghosn's escape to Lebanon from Japan followed weeks of planning by associates aimed at getting the former auto executive to a country they believed would provide …

FBI Agents: McCabe Apologized for Changing His Story on Leak  —  McCabe flip-flopped on the origins of a Wall Street Journal story during the 2016 campaign—then apologized for his changing account.  —  Former FBI chief Andrew McCabe faced scorching criticism and potential criminal prosecution …

DLCC's Top Ten Victories of 2019  —  There are a lot of victories for Democrats to celebrate from 2019, a major battleground year in the states.  We had newly blue chambers ready to enact forward-thinking legislation.  We won critical elections that flipped seats, and legislatures, blue.

NC voter ID law written with ‘discriminatory intent,’ says judge who just struck it down  —  Racial discrimination was at least part of the motivation for a new voter ID law in North Carolina, a federal judge wrote Tuesday, striking the law down for now.  —  The judge's ruling Tuesday …

FDA to Ban All E-Cigarette Pod Flavors Except Tobacco and Menthol  —  Impact on small businesses and Trump's re-election prospects drive compromise  —  The Food and Drug Administration plans to ban the sale of fruity flavors in cartridge-based e-cigarettes, but the restriction won't apply …

Here's why Congress wants to look inside the bank that fronted Donald Trump $2 billion  —  Just try phoning Trump's private banker Rosemary T. Vrablic at Deutsche Bank's U.S. headquarters in Manhattan.  Back in 2017, before too many bankers involved with Deutsche Bank started turning up dead …

From the Brig to Mar-a-Lago, Former Navy SEAL Capitalizes on Newfound Fame  —  After receiving presidential clemency, Edward Gallagher has left the SEALs to become a pitchman and conservative activist.  —  A year ago, Navy SEAL Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher was wearing drab prison scrubs …

EPA's scientific advisers warn its regulatory rollbacks clash with established science  —  The Environmental Protection Agency is pressing ahead with sweeping changes to roll back environmental regulations despite sharp criticism from a panel of scientific advisers, most of whom were appointed by President Trump.

Two tribes aren't recognized federally.  Yet members won $500 million in minority contracts  —  Companies set up by members of a self-described and state-recognized Creek Indian tribe in Alabama have received more than $240 million in federal minority-business contracts …

‘Yeah, I briefly chased the pee tape’ — New York Times reporter talks Steele dossier, Horowitz report and more  —  Seventh in a series on the media's handling of the dossier.  See Parts one, two, three, four, five and six.  —  The headline on the front page of the New York Times on Nov. 23 read …