Video Shows Ukrainian Plane Being Hit Over Iran  —  The New York Times has obtained video that shows the moment a Ukrainian airliner was hit minutes after takeoff from Tehran.  —  Video verified by The New York Times appears to show an Iranian missile hitting a plane above Parand …

Who Will Win The 2020 Democratic Nomination?  —  Our latest forecast for how many pledged delegates each candidate will win after all states have voted  —  FiveThirtyEight's model simulates the primary season thousands of times to find the most likely outcome for each candidate.

GOP senator who erupted over Iran briefing shares awful new details  —  If President Trump made the decision to assassinate the supreme leader of Iran, would he need to come to Congress to get authorization for it?  —  The Trump administration won't say.  —  That remarkable claim …

'We've Upped the Ante.' Why Nancy Pelosi Is Going All in Against Trump  —  Nancy Pelosi isn't wild about the question.  The impeachment of President Donald Trump is under way, and I've asked the Speaker of the House if she thinks it's the most important thing she'll ever do.

McConnell backs measure to change Senate rules, dismiss impeachment without articles  —  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is backing a resolution to change the Senate's rules to allow for lawmakers to dismiss articles of impeachment against President Trump before the House sends them over.

Exclusive: Americans say Soleimani's killing made US less safe, Trump ‘reckless’ on Iran  —  Americans by more than 2-1 say the killing of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani has made the United States less safe, a nationwide USA TODAY/Ipsos Poll finds, amid broad concerns about the potential consequences ahead.

‘I left parts of my body in Iraq’: Duckworth rips into GOP rep who said Democrats ‘love’ terrorists  —  Trump: Soleimani was looking to blow up US embassy  —  Washington (CNN)Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who lost both of her legs serving in the Iraq War, on Thursday ripped into the top Republican …

Maybe Nominating Bloomberg for President Isn't a Crazy Idea  —  Not long ago, my teenaged kids and one of their friends asked me what I thought about Michael Bloomberg's presidential campaign.  The question momentarily took me aback, since even though I spend hours a day following campaign coverage …

Surveillance video of Jeffrey Epstein's cell during suicide attempt was destroyed: prosecutors  —  Surveillance footage from outside Jeffrey Epstein's cell during his suicide attempt was destroyed, prosecutors revealed Thursday.  —  The revelation in a letter filed by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maurene Comey …

Army general denies request by officer pardoned by Trump to have his Special Forces tab reinstated  —  An Army general has denied a request by an officer pardoned in an open murder case by President Trump to have his Special Forces tab reinstated, setting up a potential showdown between senior defense officials and the White House.

Harry and Meghan to step back as senior royals  —  Harry and Meghan quit as senior Royals, announcing they will split their time between the UK and North America, and are understood to have done so without discussing the matter with other Royals.

Bloomberg won't release women who sued him from secrecy agreements  —  Bloomberg was sued several times over the years.  The cases were resolved.  —  Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg told ABC News this week he will not take any steps to release women who have signed …

New Iowa Poll to be released Friday, could help determine which Democratic candidates get on the January debate stage  —  Results of a new Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom Iowa Poll on Democratic presidential candidates will be released online at 5 p.m. CST Friday.

Eliminating Qasem Soleimani was Donald Trump's Middle East farewell letter … In July 55 BC, in the midst of his campaigns to civilize Gaul, Julius Caesar was troubled by the Germans.  They would cross the Rhine, wreak havoc, and then disappear back across the mighty river …

NYC Bar Association Asks Congress to Investigate AG Barr for Bias  — A rare rebuke of a U.S. attorney general by a bar association  — Group says Barr has ‘disregarded’ his duty to be impartial  —  The New York City Bar Association has asked Congress to investigate U.S. Attorney …

A Visual Representation of New York in 2020, as Designed by Cuomo  —  Gov. Andrew Cuomo's 10th State of the State address had a lot of concepts — both big and small.  The speech is thousands of words, and, the over-arching agenda fits into a small book of 318 pages.  So, how can that be visually represented?

Statue mocking Donald Trump torched in Slovenia  —  LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) — A wooden statue mocking U.S. President Donald Trump was burned to the ground Thursday in Slovenia, the birthplace of his wife Melania, authorities said.  —  The nearly eight-meter (26-foot) high construction …

Was This Ex-Fox News Anchor Benched for Accusing Trump?  —  Courtney Friel appeared in none of her regularly scheduled KTLA anchoring slots the weekend after publicly accusing the president of making a pass at her.  —  Last Friday, KTLA weekend anchor Courtney Friel gave a revealing interview with the New York Daily News.

The Supreme Court Should Step In To Rule This Impeachment Unconstitutional  —  Democrats' obsession from day one to impeach President Donald J. Trump, without regard to substance or process, led them to change the grounds for impeachment every couple of months.

Queens Woman Sentenced to 15 Years' Imprisonment for Teaching and Distributing Information About Weapons of Mass Destruction  —  Asia Siddiqui and Her Co-Defendant Planned to Build Explosive or Destructive Devices Similar to those Used in Prior U.S.-Based Terrorist Attacks

Booker: Impeachment trial could be ‘big blow’ to my campaign  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Cory Booker said a looming impeachment trial and other pressing issues in Washington could deal a “big, big blow” to his Democratic presidential campaign by keeping him away from Iowa in the final weeks before the Feb. 3 caucuses.

US border arrests drop as focus turns to Mexicans  —  SAN DIEGO (AP) — The number of people arrested or stopped entering the United States on the Mexico border fell for a seventh straight month in December, with Mexicans making up a larger part of the mix, authorities said Thursday.

‘He Is Our O.J.’  —  Explain yourself, I asked readers who are indignant about President Donald Trump's impeachment shortly before the holiday break.  I wasn't asking merely for a defense of Trump, but for an honest illumination of what defenders would think if the essential facts …