No One Believes Trump  —  Which isn't good in an international crisis.  —  “This is where having credibility — and having a president who didn't lie about everything — would be really, really helpful,” Samantha Power, the former United States ambassador to the United Nations, wrote recently.

Mike Pompeo Is Said to Decide Against Running for Senate in Kansas  —  The secretary of state's decision most likely ends Republicans' hopes of securing a potentially dominant candidate for the open seat in Kansas, his home state.  —  Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday told Mitch McConnell …

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.

Why Trump should fear Sanders much more than Warren in 2020  —  It is conventional political wisdom that President Trump stands his best chance in 2020 if Democrats nominate a far left candidate like Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren.  That is half right.  I have witnessed both of these candidates …

Elizabeth Warren's new plan to reform bankruptcy law, explained  —  Sen. Elizabeth Warren campaigning in New Hampshire on January 2, 2020.  Scott Eisen/Getty Images  —  A return to her political roots.  —  With a new plan out Tuesday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren is returning to her roots …

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.

Pentagon Rules Out Striking Iranian Cultural Sites, Contradicting Trump  —  The defense secretary acknowledged that “the laws of armed conflict” prohibited attacking antiquities and said the military had no plans to do so, even though the president declared them targets.

Trump administration begins drafting possible sanctions against Iraq following Trump's economic threat  —  No decision has been made on whether to implement the penalties, but aides scrambled following presidential warning to Baghdad  —  Senior administration officials have begun drafting sanctions …

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 …

A Near-Extinct Language Finds a Home in One Brooklyn Building  —  There are just 700 Seke speakers left in the world, and 100 live in New York — half of them in one building.  —  The apartment building, in Brooklyn's Flatbush neighborhood, is a hive of nationalities.

Russia offers Iraq S-400 air defense system to protect airspace  —  BEIRUT, LEBANON (10:00 A.M.) - Russia has offered Iraq their S-400 air defense system to protect their airspace, RIA Novosti reported this week, citing the Russian Ministry of Defense.  —  According to the report …

US forces on high alert for possible Iranian drone attacks, and intelligence shows Iran moving military equipment  —  Washington (CNN)US forces and air-defense missile batteries across the Middle East were placed on high alert overnight Monday to possibly shoot down Iranian drones …

How Lindsey Graham Lost His Way  —  The senator once enjoyed respect on both sides of the aisle.  Why has he become a blind loyalist to Trump?  —  Lindsey Graham and Donald Trump were born nine years and one month apart.  Trump came first, but when they appear side by side …

Puerto Rico earthquake Tuesday morning triggers blackout, reports of injuries and at least one dead  —  A powerful 6.4-magnitude earthquake off Puerto Rico's southwestern coast early Tuesday morning has triggered a widespread blackout, interrupted telecommunications and sent homeowners scrambling …

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.

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 …

Coal's Collapse Has America's Greenhouse Gas Emissions Falling  — Greenhouse gas emissions have dipped two of past three years  — U.S. coal power declined last year to lowest level since 1975  —  Greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. slipped last year as coal-fired power plants continue to close.

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.

The 57-Page PowerPoint Harvey Weinstein's Team Is Sending Reporters  —  As New York prepared to publish this week's look at the coming trial of Harvey Weinstein, along with a portfolio of women who have made allegations against him, I reached out to his current publicist, Juda Engelmayer, for comment.

Number Of Animals Feared Dead In Australia's Wildfires Soars To Over 1 Billion  —  Ecologists at the University of Sydney and WWF Australia estimate that a billion is a conservative figure.  —  SYDNEY ― The number of wildlife estimated to have died in Australia's wildfire catastrophe has skyrocketed to more than 1 billion.

Feds to Hand Over Roger Stone Records to Media Outlets  —  WASHINGTON (CN) — Federal prosecutors told a judge Monday they are prepared to release sealed materials in search and seizure warrants against Roger Stone issued during the FBI probe into the Trump campaign's ties to Russia.

Buttigieg releases 4 early-state ads — with 4 distinct messages  —  Buttigieg: Donors not ‘disqualified’ from ambassador posts  —  (CNN)Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg will begin airing four distinct ads in the early-nominating states on Tuesday, tailoring a message ranging …

The Health 202: Mike Bloomberg is pounding voters with a single ad.  It's about health insurance.  —  Mike Bloomberg has pitched his tent in the improve-on-Obamacare camp as he tries to forge his own pathway to the White House among a still-crowded Democratic field.

More Dems face debate chopping block  —  The Democratic presidential debate stage is set to shrink again next week.  —  Only five candidates so far have earned spots in the Jan. 14 CNN/Des Moines Register debate in Iowa: Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.