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.

Michael Flynn deserves up to six months in prison, U.S. Justice Department says in reversal for former Trump national security adviser  —  Federal prosecutors on Tuesday recommended that former national security adviser Michael T. Flynn serve up to six months in prison, reversing …

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.

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 …

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 …

Bloomberg Will Target Trump in a Super Bowl Ad, Spending About $10 Million  —  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.  —  After news emerged that President Trump's re-election campaign …

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

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 …

Bots Are Destroying Political Discourse As We Know It  —  Presidential-campaign season is officially, officially, upon us now, which means it's time to confront the weird and insidious ways in which technology is warping politics.  One of the biggest threats on the horizon …

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 …

Amid rising spy concerns, 2 more Chinese students held after shooting photos at base  —  Key West visitors always flock to the town's favorite tourist spots — Mallory Square, Duval Street, Ernest Hemingway's home, and the Southernmost Point Buoy — to snap photos and record memories.

Disturbing photos of grinning ‘poachers’ with gorilla ‘shot dead’ spark outrage  —  The primate was “shot dead illegally” in a “crime against nature” in Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of Congo, animal rights campaigners fear  —  Disturbing photos of grinning “poachers” …

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.

The Ladies Who Launch Lingua Franca and the rise of the resistance socialite.  —  One office of the fashion brand Lingua Franca is in a warren of spaces below the Jane Hotel, where Diane Jaffe, an embroiderer, is working on a white sweater with WE THE PEOPLE stitched in red and blue thread that will sell for $380.