Bernie Sanders leads the Iowa Poll for the first time, just weeks before the Iowa caucuses  —  U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders leads the Democratic field three weeks ahead of Caucus Day in Iowa — narrowly overtaking his closest competitors, who remain locked in a tight contest just behind him.

White House considers expanding travel ban to more countries  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is considering expanding its much-litigated travel ban to additional countries amid a renewed election-year focus on immigration issues by President Donald Trump, according to four people familiar with the deliberations.

George Conway and Neal Katyal: How Pelosi should play her impeachment cards  —  George T. Conway III is a lawyer in New York and an adviser to the Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump super PAC.  Neal Katyal, a law professor at Georgetown University, is the author of “Impeach: The Case Against Donald Trump” …

Iran says it ‘unintentionally’ shot down Ukrainian jetliner  —  A woman mourns outside the Alberta Legislature Building in Edmonton, Alberta, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020, during a vigil for those killed after a Ukrainian passenger jet crashed, killing at least 63 Canadians, just minutes after taking off from Iran's capital.

Trump Allies Explore Buyout of Conservative News Channel One America News Network  —  Hicks Equity Partners, a family investment firm tied to Republican National Committee co-chair Thomas Hicks Jr., is pitching GOP donors on possible deal  —  Allies of President Trump are pursuing an effort …

On the day U.S. forces killed Soleimani, they launched another secret operation targeting a senior Iranian official in Yemen  —  On the day the U.S. military killed a top Iranian commander in Baghdad, U.S. forces carried out another top secret mission against a senior Iranian military official in Yemen, according to U.S. officials.

Stephanie Grisham: Trump's Press Secretary Who Doesn't Meet the Press  —  A presidency in crisis, a nation on the brink of war — and a White House press secretary who was largely out of sight.  —  It's not every day that the White House press secretary is offered $200,000 to appear on camera …

Trump angered by House ally's push to limit his authority on Iran  —  Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Florida Republican and staunch Trump ally, pushed other Republicans to vote in favor of limiting the president's authority in the military confrontation with Iran, drawing ire from the president …

We Found Major Trump Tax Inconsistencies.  New York's Mayor Wants a Criminal Investigation.  —  ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power.  Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they're published.  —  New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said Friday …

Texas governor to reject new refugees, first under Trump  —  HOUSTON (AP) — Texas will no longer accept the resettlement of new refugees, becoming the first state known to do so under a recent Trump administration order, Gov. Greg Abbott said Friday.  —  Abbott's announcement …

Instagram says it's removing posts supporting Soleimani to comply with US sanctions  —  Washington DC (CNN Business)Instagram and its parent company Facebook are removing posts that voice support for slain Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani to comply with US sanctions, a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement to CNN Business Friday.

You Won't Believe What Trump Said About His Middle Name  —  Special correspondent Gabriel Sherman dishes on the White House's Iran scramble, Don Jr.'s electoral ambitions, and—most importantly—the latest evidence of the president's mental decay.  —  In the midst of the Golden Globes …

Swiss Back Channel Helped Defuse U.S.-Iran Crisis  —  The U.S. sent an encrypted fax via the Swiss Embassy in Tehran urging Iran not to escalate, followed by a flurry of back and forth messages  —  BERN, Switzerland—Hours after a U.S. strike killed Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani …

Donald Trump Is Starting To Fixate On Bernie Sanders  —  President Donald Trump's reelection campaign is beginning to aggressively attack a rising threat to his power: Bernie Sanders.  —  The Trump campaign put out two statements centered on Sanders this week, and the Vermont senator …

BREAKING: Iranian National With Machete, Pick Ax Detained on Bridge Near Mar-a-Lago  —  Authorities in and around President Donald Trump's home, Mar-a-Lago, in Florida are no doubt used to dealing with threats and crazy people.  —  But with the uptick in tension because of trouble with Iran …

Fired Boeing C.E.O. Muilenburg Will Get More Than $60 Million  —  Dennis A. Muilenburg, who was ousted last month, forfeited stock awards worth some $14.6 million, but he is still contractually entitled to receive other benefits.  —  Dennis A. Muilenburg, who was ousted as Boeing's chief executive …

The Real Backstory of Why Trump Ordered the Killing of Suleimani Is Becoming More Clear  —  The Trump-Iran story continues to develop in alarming ways.  On Thursday, reports that Western governments believe Iranian military forces mistakenly shot down a Ukrainian passenger jet …

DOJ says neo-Nazi group used ‘swatting’ to target officials, journalists, church  —  Federal officials said a Virginia man arrested Friday is linked to a string of fake bomb threats and “swatting” attacks on journalists, government officials and others as part of an international group sympathetic to neo-Nazi ideology.

CNN Sets Record $76 Million Back Pay Settlement With National Labor Relations Board  —  CNN has agreed to pay $76 million to settle a back pay case involving union workers that marks the largest “monetary remedy” in the 85-year history of National Labor Relations Board.

With love and gratitude...  I ran for president to help forge another direction for our country.  I wanted to discuss things I felt needed to be discussed that otherwise were not.  I feel that we have done that.  —  I stayed in the race to take advantage of every possible effort to share our message.

Sultan Qaboos of Oman dies aged 79  —  Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said of Oman, the Arab world's longest-serving ruler, has died aged 79, state media say.  —  Last month he returned home after undergoing medical checks and treatment in Belgium.  There were reports he was suffering from cancer.

State Department's Release of Volker Calendars and Text Messages Raises Further Questions  —  Late on Friday night, the State Department released 71 pages of Ukraine-related records to American Oversight, including text messages of Kurt Volker, the former special envoy to Ukraine, and his calendars.

Kerry on $1.7 Billion Payment to Iran: ‘We Gave Them a Little Bit of Money’  —  Former secretary of state John Kerry, who along with his wife Teresa Heinz is estimated to be worth $1 billion, on Friday referred to the $1.7 billion payment the United States made to Iran in 2016 as a “little bit of money.”