White House has issued formal threat to Bolton to keep him from publishing book  —  Washington (CNN)The White House has issued a formal threat to former national security adviser John Bolton to keep him from publishing his book, “The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir,” sources familiar with the matter tell CNN.

Dem Caucuses Could Be a Five-Way Contest  —  Nearly half remain open to switching support on caucus night  —  West Long Branch, NJ - Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Pete Buttigieg, and Elizabeth Warren continue to jostle for the top spot in the fifth and final Monmouth University Poll of likely Iowa Democratic caucusgoers.

BREAKING: Gardner says he doesn't want to hear from more impeachment witnesses  —  U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner said Wednesday that he thinks the Senate has heard from enough witnesses in President Donald Trump's impeachment trial, taking off the table a potential Republican vote to subpoena national security adviser John Bolton.

Super PAC Attacks Sanders in an Ad.  Sanders Raises $1.3 Million in a Day.  —  As Bernie Sanders shows strength in the early-voting states, his opponents face a challenge: Attacking him can help fuel his campaign.  —  DES MOINES — A Democratic super PAC wanted to undermine Senator Bernie …

Trump allies are handing out cash to black voters  —  Allies of Donald Trump have begun holding events in black communities where organizers lavish praise on the president as they hand out tens of thousands of dollars to lucky attendees.  —  The first giveaway took place last month in Cleveland …

Lessons for Life: The Obituaries of Republicans Who Opposed Nixon's Impeachment  —  “Obituaries reflect what the present thinks of the past,” wrote journalism professor Kathleen McElroy.  —  What will the future think of President Donald Trump and two historic votes senators must take on his impeachment?

Elizabeth Warren proposes criminal penalties for spreading disinformation online  — Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren on Wednesday released a plan to fight disinformation to hold tech companies accountable for their actions in light of the 2016 election.

Dershowitz says a quid pro quo in Trump's political interest is fine and not impeachable  —  Alan Dershowitz argued that a quid pro quo involving a president's political benefit was fine because all presidents believe their elections are in the public's interest.

Anti-human-trafficking groups refuse to attend Ivanka Trump's White House summit  —  On Friday, President Trump is expected to attend a White House summit organized by his daughter Ivanka on human trafficking, an issue he frequently invokes as a top priority.

One year inside Trump's monumental Facebook campaign  —  A Guardian investigation of 218,100 ads reveals how the campaign's sophisticated social media machine targets conservative voters  —  As the Democratic candidates for president spent 2019 battling each other in early voting states …

Dutch Trump superfan who claimed he surveilled Ambassador Yovanovitch told people he was DEA  —  Interviews with a half-dozen people who know Anthony de Caluwe and documents obtained by NBC News show that the Trump superfan has a shadowy past.  —  WASHINGTON — The Dutch man who claimed …

Say hello to invisible Brexit  —  BRUSSELS — Britain is leaving the European Union this weekend with a whimper.  —  It took one referendum, two national elections, three prime ministers and four years of continentwide political anguish for the United Kingdom to achieve Brexit …

Ben Smith on Leaving BuzzFeed News  —  On Tuesday, the New York Times announced that its new media columnist, a job most famously held by the late David Carr, will be Ben Smith, the editor-in-chief of BuzzFeed News.  Smith, who was previously a political reporter for the New York Observer …