Trump authorized Soleimani's killing 7 months ago, with conditions  —  The timing raises new questions about the Trump administration's stated justification for taking out the top Iranian general.  —  WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump authorized the killing of Iranian …

How Schumer might get the last laugh on impeachment trial  —  Chuck Schumer lost the first impeachment trial battle to Mitch McConnell.  But the Democratic leader and his party insist they can still win the war.  —  While Senate Majority Leader McConnell has locked up enough Republican votes …

Sanders surges as progressives flock to him over Warren  —  IOWA CITY, Iowa — Something's happening with Bernie Sanders that looked unlikely to many a few months ago: Progressive leaders and organizations are lining up behind him, not Elizabeth Warren, in the lead-up to voting.

John Roberts may be leading the Senate impeachment trial, but this woman is shaping it  —  The first female Senate parliamentarian will be advising the chief justice on how to address arcane procedural questions.  —  Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts will be advised by the Senate parliamentarian …

Trump's ‘four embassies’ claim utterly falls apart  —  The Trump administration has struggled to justify the killing of Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani from the jump.  And now the one justification presented publicly by President Trump has utterly fallen apart.

Video: Iran police shoot at those protesting plane shootdown  —  DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iranian security forces fired both live ammunition and tear gas to disperse demonstrators protesting against the Islamic Republic's initial denial that it shot down a Ukrainian jetliner, online videos purported to show Monday.

UPDATING Oscar Nominations: Snubs Include JLo, Beyonce, Eddie Murphy, “1917” for Editing, No Women Directors, “The Farewell,” “Cats,” Just 1 African American Nominee  —  The 2020 Oscar nominations are here.  Snubs include Jennifer Lopez for “Hustlers.”  Eddie Murphy for “Dolemite” and everything for that movie.

Bloomberg blasts role of early states in Democratic nominating process in CNN op-ed  —  Bloomberg: Trump would ‘eat alive’ other candidates  —  Washington (CNN)Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg blasted his party's nominating system in a CNN op-ed for placing an outsized emphasis …

William Barr, Trump's Sword and Shield  —  The Attorney General's mission to maximize executive power and protect the Presidency.  —  Last October, Attorney General William Barr appeared at Notre Dame Law School to make a case for ideological warfare.  Before an assembly of students and faculty …

With its 228 delegates and Super Tuesday slot, Texas looms in the presidential primary  —  The focus is on the early states, but candidates are also paying attention to Texas.  Early voting starts here before the Nevada and South Carolina primaries wrap up.

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.

James Fallows' thought experiment about Trump  —  James Fallows asks the audience to “try to think of a personality like the one who's currently in the White House in any other position of responsibility,” and asks, “would you want somebody with this kind of temperament to be in a position …

Behind the Collins scandal: How one phone call devastated two families  —  Chris Collins, his wife Mary, son, Cameron, and daughter Caitlin, in happier times when he won his 2012 congressional primary.  Now all, plus Cameron's fiancé and future in-laws, must deal with the fallout from the insider trading convictions.

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.

THE HRH QUESTION  —  Harry and Meghan wish to continue to undertake duties on behalf of the Queen and for that they will need titles.  —  They could voluntarily relinquish their HRHs and retain their courtesy titles, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, given by the Queen.

In McGahn Case, an Epic Constitutional Showdown  —  1.7k  —  WASHINGTON — “Has there ever been,” the judge asked, “an instance of such broad-scale defiance of a congressional request for information in the history of the Republic?”  —  It was the first Friday of the new year …

The Twitter Electorate Isn't the Real Electorate  —  Does Twitter matter?  The temptation is to say no. Its user base is small compared with Facebook—321 million monthly active users versus more than 2 billion—and a quick glance at the trending topics reveals its fractious, claustrophobic atmosphere.

The Republican case for Biden  —  It isn't easy to support a Democrat after an attachment to Republican politics that began when I watched the 1992 GOP convention at age 12.  Eventually I worked on Capitol Hill as a Republican senior counsel for the House Financial Services Committee …

Bloomberg and Steyer Reveal That Billionaires Are Underinvesting In Politics  —  Tom Steyer has the résumé of a hedge-fund manager and the charisma of an accountant.  His public speaking skills are minimal, political experience, negligible, and taste in ties, unforgivable.

FISA court selects former Obama admin lawyer, left-wing blogger to oversee FBI's surveillance reforms  —  Devin Nunes, R-Calif., discusses the FISC's appointment of former Obama DOJ lawyer, as well as whistleblower matters.  —  The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) …

Bob Dole endorses Kansas Rep. Roger Marshall in Senate race  —  Kansas Republican icon Bob Dole has endorsed Rep. Roger Marshall's campaign for U.S. Senate, a major boost to the congressman who holds the same House seat Dole had at the start of his political career.

Protesters interrupt Buttigieg at Iowa rally  —  Protesters with a local Black Lives Matter group disrupted an event being held in Des Moines, Iowa, by South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D) on Sunday.  —  Videos showed demonstrators wearing “Black Lives Matter” shirts being led out by security while chanting …

Foiled in U.S. Courts, Anti-Trump Lawyer Got Results Taking Ukraine Cases to Mueller and FBI  —  When the FBI began investigating Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman - the indicted pair who worked with Rudy Giuliani on his Ukraine inquiries - one of the first people agents interviewed early last year was Kenneth McCallion.