‘Take her out’: Recording appears to capture Trump at private dinner saying he wants Ukraine ambassador fired  —  Trump apparently heard discussing firing Ukraine ambassador Marie Yovanovitch.  —  A recording reviewed by ABC News appears to capture President Donald Trump telling associates …

Pentagon: 34 US troops had brain injuries from Iran's strike  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon said Friday that 34 U.S. troops were diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries suffered in this month's Iranian missile strike on an Iraqi air base, and that half of the troops have returned to their military duties.

Neo-Nazi Rinaldo Nazzaro running US militant group The Base from Russia  —  The American founder of US-based militant neo-Nazi group The Base is directing the organisation from Russia, a BBC investigation has found.  —  Rinaldo Nazzaro, 46, who uses the aliases “Norman Spear” and “Roman Wolf” …

Why Democrats Still Have to Appeal to the Center, but Republicans Don't  —  Polarization has changed the two parties — just not in the same way.  —  Mr. Klein is the author of “Why We're Polarized.”  —  American politics has been dominated by the Democratic and Republican Parties since the Civil War.

Adam Schiff Stands Up and Speaks the Truth at Mitch McConnell's Upside-Down Stalinist Show Trial  —  Yes, say Senate Republicans, we know there's evidence that makes Trump's guilt even clearer.  But we will sit as judges to disallow it before we sit as jurors to “exonerate” him.  —  BEAST INSIDE

Report Alleging Saudi Hack of Bezos Phone Puzzles Security Experts  —  Investigation by FTI appears to be inconclusive, several specialists in cybersecurity say  —  A report concluding that Saudi Arabia likely hacked into Jeff Bezos ' smartphone has spurred questions and confusion among cybersecurity experts …

Joe Biden Is Stronger Than You Think  —  Here's why he is still winning.  —  It was yet another epic failure of political punditry.  Go back to the early months of Joe Biden's presidential campaign and read what the consultants and commentators were saying about him: His support is just name recognition; he'll fade!

Americans still divided on Trump's removal from office, but a strong economy is boosting his approval rating, Post-ABC poll finds  —  President Trump's approval rating has climbed to match the highest of his presidency, boosted by majority approval of his economic stewardship …

Trump Administration Plans Action Against California Over Abortion-Coverage Requirement  —  The administration is expected to say that the state's requirement violates federal law  —  WASHINGTON—The Trump administration is planning on Friday to announce action against California …

Coronavirus Live Updates: Travel Limits Cover 35 Million People, and Hospitals Plead for Help  —  Shanghai Disneyland shut down, and the youngest victim so far was identified as a 36-year-old man in central China.  —  RIGHT NOW A second case was confirmed in the United States …

Donald Trump Is Already Trying to Cut Entitlements  —  Earlier this week, at the bleeding-heart billionaire class' annual handwringing exhibition in Davos, Switzerland, Donald Trump suggested that he would “take a look” at cutting entitlement programs “at some point.”

‘On life support’: Buttigieg's struggles with black voters threaten his candidacy  —  ORANGEBURG, S.C. — When Pete Buttigieg holds “big rally type events” in South Carolina, “it's mostly white folks showing up,” he acknowledged ruefully Thursday night.  And his struggle to fix that problem …

Judge sets high bar for former Trump adviser Flynn to withdraw guilty plea  —  To persuade a judge to let him withdraw his guilty plea, Flynn could be called to testify under oath and be subject to cross-examination during a hearing.  —  Federal District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan …

Exclusive: This site pays Americans to write ‘news’ articles.  Signs indicate it originates in Iran  —  New York (CNN)American Herald Tribune bills itself as a “genuinely independent online media outlet.”  Set up in 2015, it publishes in English and pays Americans to write articles.

The honest Trump defense that is too embarrassing to advance  —  House impeachment managers have demonstrated through a painstaking presentation of facts and law that: 1) President Trump wanted a foreign government to help him win reelection by announcing an investigation into former vice president Joe Biden …

When Senate Republicans were quite concerned about Trump and Ukraine  —  As we head into the last day of House Democrats' opening arguments in President Trump's impeachment trial, we are getting closer to the point at which GOP senators will have to decide whether they want additional evidence and witnesses.

How the Gun Show Became the Trump Show  —  AUTHOR'S NOTE: Late last year, I moved home to Michigan.  I did so primarily for family reasons, but also because I wanted to get back in touch with parts of the country where D.C. journalists often visit but rarely stay for long.

Sanders supporters have weaponized Facebook to spread angry memes about his Democratic rivals  —  Users are using mass-posting technologies to flood Facebook with attacks on Elizabeth Warren and others  —  A Democrat in Michigan scrolled through a surge of nasty Facebook memes …

Vice Officers Fired Over Stormy Daniels's 2018 Arrest at Ohio Strip Club  —  The misdemeanor charges of illegal sexually oriented activity were dropped within 24 hours after the pornographic film actress was arrested in 2018.  —  Two vice officers were fired on Thursday by the city of Columbus …

Trump impeachment team looks at shorter trial defense  —  President Trump's team is considering using just a portion of the 24 hours they're given for arguments in his impeachment trial.  —  Why it matters: A truncated defense would likely reflect a decision not to contest facts …