GOP senator's vicious outburst shows the corruption of Trump's defenders  —  If you were a United States senator who just snapped angrily at a reporter for politely asking whether compelling new information about a matter of great import to the nation was weighing on your understanding …

“THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW” SCORES HISTORIC RATING OF 4.5M TOTAL VIEWERS IN EXPLOSIVE INTERVIEW WITH LEV PARNAS  —  Maddow's Exclusive Interview with Giuliani Associate Lev Parnas Dominates News Cycle and Draws Largest-Ever Audience for “The Rachel Maddow Show,” Kicking Off 2020 With Huge Ratings Win

Justice Dept. Investigating Years-Old Leaks and Appears Focused on Comey  —  An inquiry into years-old disclosures of classified information is highly unusual and leaves law enforcement officials open to accusations of politicizing their work.  —  WASHINGTON — Federal prosecutors in Washington …

Eleven US Troops Were Injured in Jan. 8 Iran Missile Strike  —  The troops were medevaced this week to Germany and Kuwait to be treated for traumatic brain injury after experiencing concussion symptoms.  —  Nearly one dozen American troops were wounded in Iran's Jan. 8 missile attack on Iraq's al-Asad air base.

Virginia Capital on Edge as F.B.I. Arrests Suspected Neo-Nazis Before Gun Rally  —  The three men had obtained guns and discussed traveling to Virginia for protests against new gun control measures, officials said.  —  RICHMOND, Va. — Alarming calls online for a race war.  The arrest of three suspected neo-Nazis.

Bernie ‘will play dirty’: Ex-Vermont governor slams Sanders  —  A former Vermont governor and ex-chair of the Democratic Governors Association is taking aim at Bernie Sanders and his campaign, accusing the senator of trying to “Hillarize” Elizabeth Warren.  —  In an interview with POLITICO …

Senator Chris Van Hollen on new GAO report: ‘This is a bombshell’  —  Nonpartisan U.S. Government Accountability Office, the GAO, concluded that the Trump administration violated the law in withholding the aid to Ukraine.  Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen, who last month …

A Meticulous Account of Trump's Tenure Reads Like a Comic Horror Story  —  The essence of irony, Henry Fowler wrote in “A Dictionary of Modern English Usage,” is that it “postulates a double audience” — one that's in on the joke, and another that isn't.  The title of Philip Rucker …

Georgia election server showed signs of tampering, expert says  —  The server was left exposed to the open internet for at least six months, a problem the same expert discovered in August 2016.  —  BOSTON — A computer security expert says he found that a forensic image of the election server central …

Inside Jared Kushner's Unusual White House Role  —  Jared Kushner's White House office is a shrine to his own influence.  Gold-framed accolades from his father-in-law hang on the walls, written in thick black Sharpie in President Donald Trump's spiky hand.  To Jared, Great job on Mexico.

Exclusive: Rep. Ayanna Pressley Reveals Beautiful Bald Head and Discusses Alopecia for the First Time  —  We'd like to have A Word with you.  In The Root's op-ed video series, thought leaders across various disciplines give their perspectives on the important issues you should know about.

This Trump Supreme Court Short-Lister Says God Can Instruct Juries on Guilt and Innocence  —  Judge William Pryor of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, a jurist from Alabama with a long record in law enforcement, has twice now been high on President Donald Trump's short list of potential Supreme Court nominees.

“It's Quite an Upheaval”: In an Ongoing Makeover of the Times Opinion Babel, the Old Editorial Voice of God Is Being Rationed  —  Even as controversies (Bret Stephens) explode like bombs, Opinion chief James Bennet, the second-most powerful journalist at the Times, pursues his cacophonous plans.

‘The View’ Has a Meghan McCain Problem  —  The daytime co-hosts' heated bipartisan debates are played down as disagreement among friends.  But the strain for “civility” is tiring.  —  Ms. Ibrahim is a culture writer and reporter.  —  During an episode of “The View” earlier this month …