McConnell prepares to move forward on impeachment trial rules without Democrats  —  Senate Republican leaders are preparing to move forward on a set of impeachment trial rules without Democratic support.  —  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has locked down sufficient backing …

Stampede kills 32 at funeral for Iran general killed by US  —  TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — A stampede erupted on Tuesday at a funeral procession for a top Iranian general killed in a U.S. airstrike last week, killing 32 people and injuring 190 others, state television reported.

Bloomberg Takes On Trump With a $10 Million Super Bowl Ad  —  Michael R. Bloomberg's presidential campaign has secured a 60-second advertising spot to be aired nationally during the game on Feb. 2, campaign officials said.  —  Michael R. Bloomberg's presidential campaign has secured …

New incident at Mar-a-Lago under ‘criminal investigation’ by Secret Service  —  Palm Beach police say they are conducting an “open and active criminal investigation” at Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump's South Florida estate, following an unspecified incident Monday night.

Don't Tilt Scales Against Trump, Facebook Executive Warns  —  In an internal memo, Andrew Bosworth said he “desperately” wanted the president to lose.  But, he said, the company should avoid hurting Mr. Trump's campaign.  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Since the 2016 election, when Russian trolls …

Prosecutors recommend Michael Flynn serve up to 6 months in prison  —  Federal prosecutors recommended in a sentencing memo Tuesday that President Trump's former national security adviser Michael Flynn receive a sentence of zero to six months in prison, arguing that he should not receive credit …

The Nightmare Stage of Trump's Rule Is Here  —  Unstable and impeached, the president pushes the U.S. toward war with Iran.  —  There are no more adults in the room.  —  After three harrowing years, we've reached the point many of us feared from the moment Donald Trump was elected.

6.4 quake strikes Puerto Rico, killing at least 1 amid heavy seismic activity  —  “We've never been exposed to this kind of emergency in 102 years,"said the governor as the island grapples with ongoing aftershocks and assesses the damage.  —  A 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck Puerto Rico early Tuesday …

Bernie Sanders can unify Democrats and beat Trump in 2020  —  The first in a Vox series making the best case for each of the top Democratic contenders. … The case for Bernie Sanders is that he is the unity candidate.  —  The Vermont senator is unique in combining an authentic …

Anatomy of a Screw-Up: The Story Behind the Letter Withdrawing Our Troops  —  In a letter dated January 6, Brigadier Gen. William Seely III, the commanding general of Task Force Iraq, wrote to his Iraqi counterpart with big news: The United States military was preparing to leave Iraq.

Mysterious repeating fast radio burst traced to nearby galaxy  —  (CNN)Astronomers have traced the signal of an enigmatic repeating fast radio burst for only the second time — and it's in a spiral galaxy similar to our own, not so far away.  —  Fast radio bursts, or FRBs, are millisecond-long bursts of radio waves in space.

Russian trolls are targeting American veterans, and Trump's government isn't helping, group says  —  The Trump administration has for nearly two years ignored mounting evidence that Russian operatives and other foreign actors were deliberately targeting U.S. troops and veterans …

Trump Inaugural Committee Donor to Plead Guilty to Obstruction  — Zuberi back-dated check to donor, deleted emails, U.S. says  — Lawyer says Zuberi will plead guilty for a second time  —  A fundraiser for President Donald Trump will plead guilty to obstructing a federal investigation …

Ball of Confusion  —  As noted below, in the broadest sense we know why President Trump ordered the assassination of Soleimani: it was an attempt to dominate a weaker power by dramatically escalating a simmering conflict.  This squares with how states act and it squares with President Trump's personality.

Ricky Gervais, Man of the People  —  In a room filled with self-absorbed narcissists, one brave, slightly less self-absorbed narcissist had the balls to speak truth to power—and his name is Ricky Gervais.  —  If courage had a face, it would be a slightly overweight, pasty British multi-millionaire drinking a pint.

Muslim religious leader in Texas charged with sex crimes against four children  —  A well-known Islamic religious leader in Texas has been busted for sexually assaulting four children — though authorities believe he's victimized others.  —  Mohamed Omar Ali, a 59-year-old Somali national …

Trump walks back targeting cultural sites: “I like to obey the law”  —  President Trump said in the Oval Office Tuesday that he would obey international laws banning the targeting of cultural sites when considering how to retaliate against a potential Iranian attack.

Trump's Foreign Policy Is A Growing Point Of Contention In Democratic Primaries  —  Progressive House challengers see a chance to distinguish themselves following the killing of Qassem Soleimani.  —  Progressive candidates challenging Democratic members of Congress in primaries …

D.C. Council member Jack Evans to resign over ethics violations; was city's longest-serving lawmaker  —  Longtime D.C. Council member Jack Evans announced Tuesday that he will resign Jan. 17, ending a 29-year political career that helped revive a foundering city but in the end was deeply tainted by ethics violations.

Windshield … To stay connected with the campaign:  —  About Pete:  —  Pete Buttigieg is a husband, Afghanistan veteran, and the Mayor of his hometown, South Bend, Indiana.  —  Pete is running for president because this is a now or never moment for our nation.

Fox News's Tucker Carlson: In San Francisco, ‘Civilization Itself Is Coming Apart’  —  Fox News host and Daily Caller co-founder Tucker Carlson described San Francisco as a place where “civilization itself is coming apart.”  —  “The reality of that city we discovered when we spent …

Ivanka Trump's CES keynote address sparks backlash  —  Some critics say there are women with more technical experience who are better qualified to speak at the annual technology conference  —  LAS VEGAS — Ivanka Trump may face an icy reception today at one of the world's largest technology conferences …

Republicans clear Wisconsin primary field for Trump  —  MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Republicans decided Tuesday to place only President Donald Trump's name on Wisconsin's primary ballot this spring, making it a challenge for any long-shot GOP candidates to run against him in the state.

Trump Is The Most Unpopular President Since Ford To Run For Reelection  —  Now that the 2020 election has gone from “next year” to “this year,” it's worth taking a step back and asking a question that we first posed in early 2017: How popular is Donald Trump?

Bloomberg, Northam push back on gun law ‘misinformation’  —  RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Democratic presidential hopeful Michael Bloomberg voiced strong support Tuesday for enacting new gun regulations in Virginia a few months after groups he backs spent millions of dollars helping Democrats win full control of state government.

President Trump's stock market gamble  —  As the 2020 presidential election campaign gets into full swing, President Trump might want to reflect on a 1929 cautionary tale involving Irving Fisher, the pre-eminent U.S. economist of his time.  Maybe then Trump would not keep making …

Every American family basically pays an $8,000 ‘poll tax’ under the U.S. health system, top economists say  —  SAN DIEGO — America's sky-high health-care costs are so far above what people pay in other countries that they are the equivalent of a hefty tax, Princeton University economists Anne Case and Angus Deaton say.