White House expects GOP defections on calling witnesses in Senate impeachment trial  —  Washington — The White House is preparing for some Republican senators to join Democrats in voting to call witnesses in President Trump's impeachment trial, which could get underway in the coming days.

Russians Hacked Ukrainian Gas Company at Center of Impeachment  —  With President Trump facing an impeachment trial over his efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and his son Hunter Biden, Russian military hackers have been boring …

Elizabeth Warren says her plan to eliminate student loan debt can bypass Congress  — Presidential contender Sen. Elizabeth Warren said on Tuesday that she would begin to eliminate student loan debt on the first day of her administration, using legal tools that would allow her to bypass Congress.

Off-duty Secret Service agent shoots and kills dog on a leash in Brooklyn  —  An off-duty Secret Service agent fatally shot a dog being walked on a leash through a Brooklyn neighborhood Monday night, police sources and witnesses said.  —  The agent, whose name has not been released …

Vince Vaughn faces backlash after shaking Trump's hand at football game  —  Wedding Crashers actor previously described himself as politically libertarian  —  Vince Vaughn is facing a backlash after being filmed shaking hands with Donald Trump at a football game.

Jitters at MSNBC as Brass Eyes Moving Chuck Todd and Talks to Shep Smith  —  Chuck Todd's daily show could move to mornings, causing angst among the show's staff.  Other potential changes could alter weekends and, eventually, the network's primetime roster.

‘Four embassies’: The anatomy of Trump's unfounded claim about Iran  —  The theory was born last Thursday in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, where President Trump stood before men in hard hats and orange construction vests for an environmental announcement and offered a fresh rationale …

Obama Passed the Buck.  Trump Refused to Play.  —  In the wake of the targeted killing of Iranian terror master Qassem Soleimani, an interesting fight has broken out—after Donald Trump failed to brief them in advance of the strike, Democrats began fulsomely criticizing the president.

Trump planning to divert additional $7.2 billion in Pentagon funds for border wall  —  President Trump is preparing to divert an additional $7.2 billion in Pentagon funding for border wall construction this year, five times what Congress authorized him to spend on the project in the 2020 budget …

Airline employee took woman's number from her bag tag, then followed her on a flight, lawsuit says  —  Ashley Barno was in a boarding area at San Diego International Airport, awaiting a Chicago-bound flight, when a message from an unfamiliar number flashed across her phone, saying hello and asking how she was doing.

James Murdoch Slams Fox News and News Corp Over Climate-Change Denial  —  Rupert Murdoch's younger son and his wife issued a rare public rebuke of the family's media empire and its promotion of climate-change skeptics during Australia's bushfire crisis.  —  In a long-simmering rift between factions …

Scientists use stem cells from frogs to build first living robots  —  Researchers foresee myriad benefits for humanity, but also acknowledge ethical issues  —  Play Video  —  Be warned.  If the rise of the robots comes to pass, the apocalypse may be a more squelchy affair than science fiction writers have prepared us for.

Dispute over former pope's role in controversial book  —  Vatican City (AFP) - The Vatican was gripped Tuesday by a dispute over whether elderly ex-pope Benedict XVI was being used by the Catholic Church's ultra-conservative wing to undermine his successor Pope Francis.

Saudi Arabia executed record number of prisoners in 2019: Report  —  Mohammed bin Salman had promised to curb the use of the death penalty.  —  LONDON — Saudi Arabia executed the highest number of prisoners in recent years in 2019, a year that saw the kingdom come under intense scrutiny …

Trump retweeted Pelosi in Muslim garb.  The White House made it worse.  —  After President Trump retweeted a doctored image of Democratic leaders dressed in Islamic garb, the White House offered a curious justification: Trump retweeted that image to send the message that Democrats are on the side of terrorists.

Here Are The Lawyers Who Will Defend President Trump Against Impeachment  —  Toggle more options  —  President Trump is finalizing his defense team for his Senate impeachment trial as the process draws nearer.  —  White House counselor Kellyanne Conway outlined the leadership of the team …

The cost of Sanders' agenda would set a peacetime US record  —  John King: No real leader among Dems heading into Iowa  —  (CNN)While the new spending programs Sen. Bernie Sanders has proposed in his presidential campaign would at least double federal spending over the next decade …

Fed up Venezuelans find solace on the beach  —  People enjoy Bahia de los Ninos beach in La Guaira, Vargas state, Venezuela  —  La Guaira (Venezuela) (AFP) - When Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido called for street protests at the weekend in a bid to rekindle popular outrage …

American Held in Egypt Prison Dies After a Hunger Strike  —  Moustafa Kassem, detained in Cairo in 2013 and suffering from serious medical problems, had protested his innocence.  —  CAIRO — An American imprisoned in Egypt for six years on what he insisted were false charges …

US speakeasies back in vogue — in echo of Prohibition era  —  The new speakeasies tend to lure in revelers seeking fancy cocktails with an illicit 1920s vibe — like The Mirror in Washington  —  Washington (AFP) - A century after the United States clamped down on alcohol and ushered in the Prohibition era …

Trump Campaign Adviser Pleads Guilty to Child Porn, Sex Trafficking  —  ALEXANDRIA, Va. (CN) - An informal adviser to Donald Trump's 2016 campaign who testified in the Mueller probe pleaded guilty Monday to charges of child sex trafficking and possessing child pornography.