‘Insulting and demeaning’: Two GOP lawmakers rip Trump administration after Iran briefing  —  “It was probably the worst briefing I've seen at least on a military issue in the nine years I've served” in the Senate, said GOP Sen. Mike Lee of Utah.  —  WASHINGTON — Lawmakers on both sides …

U.S. officials knew Iranian missiles were coming hours in advance  —  The Iranian missile strike on U.S. bases in Iraq on Tuesday was a calibrated event intended to cause minimal American casualties, give the Iranians a face-saving measure and provide an opportunity for both sides to step …

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle ‘to step back’ as senior members of royal family … In a stunning declaration, Britain's Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, said they are planning “to step back” as senior members of the royal family and “work to become financially independent.”

Top US general says Iran tried to kill US troops as some administration officials believe they purposely missed  —  Washington (CNN)The top US general made clear Wednesday night that he believes Iran meant to kill US troops in the ballistic missile attack on US forces in Iraq …

Did Donald Trump and Iran Use Twitter to Prevent a War?  —  Tweets from US president Donald Trump and Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif Tuesday offered a fascinating glimpse at how world leaders can communicate more quickly and directly than ever in times of crisis.

Mnuchin seeks delay of proposed disclosure of Secret Service spending on presidential travel until after election  —  The Trump administration is seeking to delay a Democratic effort to require the Secret Service to disclose how much it spends protecting President Trump and his family when they travel …

How Rupert Murdoch Is Influencing Australia's Bushfire Debate  —  Critics see a concerted effort to shift blame, protect conservative leaders and divert attention from climate change.  —  WOMBEYAN CAVES, Australia — Deep in the burning forests south of Sydney this week …

The Mystery of Teen Vogue's Disappearing Facebook Article  —  The online magazine deleted a glowing story about Facebook after questions were raised about whether it was an ad.  —  On Wednesday, Teen Vogue published an article on Facebook's efforts to safeguard political speech.

How Ruth Bader Ginsburg is trying to check the conservative majority  —  Washington (CNN)Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is in the liberal minority on the Supreme Court but has a way of steering the debate on a case.  —  Ginsburg spoke to CNN in a rare interview in her chambers this week.

PRESIDENT AND THE ‘PIMP’ Bill Clinton poses with Epstein's ‘pimp’ Ghislaine Maxwell and a sex slave on board private jet the ‘Lolita Express’  —  BILL Clinton poses side-by-side with suspected pimp Ghislaine Maxwell - as the pair board pedophile Jeffrey Epstein's notorious private jet.

Senate Democrats break with Pelosi over impeachment trial  —  Democrats are finally acknowledging that their efforts to extract concessions from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on President Donald Trump's impeachment trial are coming to an end.  —  Though Speaker Nancy Pelosi …

Twitter will put options to limit replies directly on the compose screen  —  Several features inspired by Twitter's beta app are coming  —  Speaking today at a CES event in Las Vegas, Twitter's director of product management, Suzanne Xie, unveiled some new changes that are coming to the platform this year …

Kentucky judge accused of courthouse threesome is suspended  —  Judge Dawn Gentry, who is facing nine counts of misconduct, denies engaging in sexual activity at the courthouse with two employees.  —  A Kentucky family court judge was suspended temporarily without pay after she was accused of misconduct …

Trump's deepening Iran morass all started with one big lie  —  As we await President Trump's response to Iran's missile attack, one word is everywhere: confusion.  —  There's confusion over Trump's rationale for assassinating Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani.  Confusion over Trump's broader strategic goals.

Kansas Democrat Bollier raises more than $1 million; Senate race heats up without Pompeo  —  Kansas Democrats may have their best shot in decades to win a Senate seat in 2020, lifted by a flood of money and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's apparent exit from from the state's political scene.

Americans Aren't Rallying to Trump  —  So that was not exactly the Cuban missile crisis.  —  In apparent retaliation for the killing of Iran's top terror commander, Iran fired short-range ballistic missiles in the direction of military bases inside Iraq.  The missiles inflicted no casualties on U.S. or allied forces.

Ukrainian airplane crashes near Iran's capital, killing 176  —  SHAHEDSHAHR, Iran (AP) — A Ukrainian passenger jet carrying 176 people crashed on Wednesday, just minutes after taking off from the Iranian capital's main airport, turning farmland on the outskirts of Tehran into fields of flaming debris and killing all on board.

Trump pulls back from war with Iran  —  Sebastian Smith, with Maya Gebeily in Baghdad and Marc Jourdier in Tehran  —  US President Donald Trump emphasized there were “no Americans harmed” in the Iranian ballistic missile salvo aimed at two bases in Iraq  —  Washington (AFP) …

Tom Cotton accuses a Koch and Soros-backed think tank of fomenting antisemitism  —  Cotton to call out Quincy Institute, NY Bail reform, and others in Senate floor speech  —  On Capitol Hill Wednesday afternoon, Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) will criticize the Quincy Institute and the BDS movement …

Glacier National Park is replacing signs that predicted its glaciers would be gone by 2020  —  (CNN)The signs at Glacier National Park warning that its signature glaciers would be gone by 2020 are being changed.  —  The signs in the Montana park were added more than a decade ago …

Mayor Pete's Invisible Black Police  —  Given the choice of superpowers, would you rather have the ability to fly or the power of invisibility?  —  This comic book-based Rorschach test allegedly reveals deep-seated personality traits.  Supposedly, people who choose the gift of flight …