Esper Says He Didn't See Specific Evidence Iran Planned to Attack 4 Embassies  —  President Trump had claimed that a planned attack on four American embassies was a justification for the strike on an Iranian general.  —  WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper said on Sunday …

Two States.  Eight Textbooks.  Two American Stories.  —  TWO STATES.  EIGHT TEXTBOOKS.  TWO AMERICAN STORIES.  —  American history textbooks can differ across the country, in ways that are shaded by partisan politics. … We analyzed some of the most popular social studies textbooks used in California and Texas.

While Bernie Sanders has always stood up for African Americans, Joe Biden has repeatedly let us down  —  In choosing between the two Democratic Party candidates atop the polls, African American voters have a consequential decision to make:  —  Will our community side with former Vice President Joe Biden …

Pelosi does not rule out possibility of subpoenaing testimony if Senate skips witnesses  —  “Let's just see what the Senate does,” she said on ABC's “This Week.”  —  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday did not rule out the possibility of a House subpoena for testimony from former national …

This playboy tortoise had so much sex he saved his entire species.  Now he's going home  —  (CNN)A womanizing tortoise whose rampant sex life may have single-handedly saved his entire species from extinction has retired from his playboy lifestyle, returning to the wild with his mission accomplished.

Majority of Americans disapprove of Trump's handling of Iran, feel less safe after strike: POLL  —  The results come from a new ABC News/Ipsos poll.  —  In a week dominated by increased tension with Iran and speculation over when impeachment articles would be delivered to the U.S. Senate …

Donald Trump's Iran Problem  —  The killing of General Qassem Suleimani has undermined the Trump Administration's top goals in the Islamic Republic.  —  On September 19, 1983, during Lebanon's long civil war, the Reagan Administration ordered Marine peacekeepers in Beirut to open fire …

For transgender men, pain of menstruation is more than just physical  —  Safety concerns and a lack of access to menstruation products are among the issues trans and gender-nonconforming people face during “that time of the month.”  —  When transgender model and activist Kenny Ethan Jones experienced …

If Trump Wins in 2020, Get Ready for President Don Jr.  —  In an excerpt from his new book, “Running Against the Devil,” Daily Beast columnist Rick Wilson conjures what a Trump dynasty would look like.  —  Eight years of Trump sucks, right?  It's terrible, isn't it?  I mean, it can't get worse, right?

Iran's sole female Olympic medalist says she's defected  —  (CNN)Iran's sole female Olympic medalist, Kimia Alizadeh, has announced that she's permanently left her country for Europe.  —  “Let me start with a greeting, a farewell or condolences,” the 21-year-old wrote in an Instagram post explaining why she was defecting.

Local New Hampshire Union Backs Bernie Sanders, Bucking National Affiliate  —  The move by SEA/SEIU Local 1984 stood in contrast to its national affiliate's decision so far to stay neutral in the presidential race.  —  A local union branch of New Hampshire state and local employees said Sunday …

Satan, the FBI, the Mob—and the Forgotten Plot to Kill Ted Kennedy  —  The FBI and Secret Service agents made their way through the streets of San Francisco's foggy Richmond District neighborhood, about two miles from the Golden Gate Bridge, toward a narrow Victorian house that looked …

Trump Took Credit for Lower Cancer Death Rates.  Advocates Say Not So Fast.  —  President Trump's recent suggestion that his administration was responsible for the decline drew a rebuttal from the American Cancer Society, which published the findings.  —  When the American Cancer Society reported …

Of Causation and Emojis  —  My favorite literary expostulation from the last couple of days came from Javad Zarif, foreign minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran.  —  It entered the world in the form of a tweet, that contemporary answer to the haiku, and concerned the fate of Ukrainian flight 752 …

Trump tweet in Farsi ‘the most liked Persian tweet’ in history of Twitter  —  President Trump's tweet in Farsi expressing his support for Iranians protesting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has already earned over 200,000 likes, making it the “most liked Persian tweet” …

First on CNN: More than a dozen Saudi servicemen to be expelled from US after review of December shooting at Naval Air Station  —  (CNN)More than a dozen Saudi servicemen training at US military installations will be expelled from the United States after a review that followed the deadly shooting …

France's #MeToo: Book on child-sex writer prompts outcry  —  PARIS (AP) — He was a middle-aged French author becoming known, even celebrated, for writing about sex with children.  She was a fragile 14-year-old, too young to foresee the damage she says was done to her life by his predatory grip on her body and mind.

Hillary Clinton: The most exonerated politician ever  —  Hillary Clinton has a unique distinction: She has been exonerated twice after extensive federal investigations, the latest entirely unjustified and the result of a politicized Justice Department.  President Trump of course was NOT exonerated …