The stakes have never been higher.  Here's who I plan to vote for in April's Dem primary  —  I believe in my political independence, but I also believe in fate.  In 2016, declaring the stakes were just too damn high, I ended nearly three decades as a registered independent to become a Democrat …

Esper Says He Saw No Evidence Iran Targeted 4 Embassies, as Story Shifts Again  —  The disparity between the defense secretary and President Trump added another twist to an ever-evolving explanation for a strike on an Iranian general that led to the brink of war.

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 …

Jeff Bezos announces Amazon is donating $690,000 to help the country recover from the devastating brushfires  —  Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos announced that the tech company will donate $1 million Australian dollars to help Australia recover from the fires.

'I'm spending all my money to get rid of Trump': Michael Bloomberg  —  SAN ANTONIO, Texas (Reuters) - U.S. presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg told Reuters he is ready to spend much of his vast fortune to oust Republican President Donald Trump from the White House in 2020 …

Canadian billionaire Frank Giustra providing luxe hideout for Prince Harry, Meghan Markle  —  Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been hiding out at the home of Canadian billionaire Frank Giustra, whose close ties to the Clintons have created international controversy, Page Six can exclusively reveal.

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.

Hillary Clinton is 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 …

Killing of Soleimani reflects an aggressive national security team not inclined to curb Trump  —  President Trump has from his earliest days in office raised the possibility of killing Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, the powerful Iranian military commander who died this month in a U.S. military drone strike.

Flushing ‘10 times’: What's really behind Trump's tirades about toilets  —  Federal regulations on water use in bathrooms and kitchens have caught the president's ire.  Some conservatives have long held a grudge about the restrictions.  —  Impeachment wasn't all that was on President Donald Trump's mind …

Exclusive: Trump tells Kim Jong-un he wants to resume talks  —  White House national security adviser Robert O'Brien tells Axios that the Trump administration has “reached out to the North Koreans” to ask them to resume diplomacy that has been all but dead since October.

McConnell walks impeachment tightrope  —  FLORENCE, Ky. - It is not easy these days to lose as a Republican running in ruby-red Kentucky.  But that is what happened here in November in the governor's race, when the caustic incumbent managed to alienate enough of his base to fall just short.

In surprise, Benedict openly defends clerical celibacy as Francis considers married priests  —  VATICAN CITY — Retired Pope Benedict XVI has coauthored a new book defending the Catholic Church's practice of a celibate priesthood, in a shocking move that comes as Pope Francis is considering …

Public schools in Virginia can censor student journalists any time, for any reason.  A proposed law would change that.  —  Kate Karstens knew she'd nailed the story when the Yale-bound son of a school board member confessed to skipping class more than two dozen times — without consequences.

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.