Feinstein leans toward acquitting Trump as his lawyers end their impeachment defense arguments  —  Just after President Trump's defense lawyers ended arguments in their Senate trial Tuesday, Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California became the first Democrat to suggest that she could vote to acquit …

Pompeo Called Me a ‘Liar.’ That's Not What Bothers Me.  —  Journalists are supposed to ask tough questions, then share the answers — or lack thereof — with the world.  —  Ms. Kelly is a co-host of NPR's “All Things Considered.”  —  Ask journalists why they do the job they do, and you'll hear a range of answers.

Biden Aides Weigh Pursuing an Iowa Caucus Alliance With Klobuchar  —  Amy Klobuchar's campaign signaled no interest in such a plan, under which each candidate would encourage supporters to back the other in certain precincts.  —  Aides to former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. are discussing …

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 …

The Real Goal of Trump's Middle East Plan  —  The Trump administration's long-awaited and ill-named peace plan has many objectives, but making peace isn't among them.  —  Neither is jump-starting negotiations, or nudging the parties toward compromise, or even enshrining implicit …

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.

Joni Ernst Asks if Impeachment Trial Will Turn Iowa Caucusgoers Against Biden.  They Answer.  —  As Mr. Biden campaigned in the state, residents appeared unmoved: “I don't think much about anything Joni Ernst says.”  —  MUSCATINE, Iowa — Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa, a Republican …

Trump's lawyers gave thousands to Mitch McConnell, Lindsey Graham and Ted Cruz before the impeachment trial began  —  President Trump's legal team made numerous campaign contributions to Republican senators overseeing the impeachment trial.  —  Former independent counsels Ken Starr and Robert Ray …

Democrats are already bracing for a ‘hostile’ Trump transition  —  Democrats are bracing for the possibility that if President Donald Trump loses the 2020 election, he and his aides will bungle a smooth handover of power - and maybe even try to outright sabotage the transition.

Trio of Dem senators considering vote to acquit Trump  —  A trio of moderate Senate Democrats is wrestling with whether to vote to convict Donald Trump in his impeachment trial — or give the president the bipartisan acquittal he's eagerly seeking.  —  Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia …

Trump's Digital Advantage Is Freaking Out Democratic Strategists  —  Left and right agree on one point.  The president's re-election campaign is way ahead online.  —  Mr. Edsall contributes a weekly column from Washington, D.C. on politics, demographics and inequality.

John Roberts will not be silent Wednesday.  But the questions he asks will not be his.  —  Washington (CNN)Since the Senate impeachment trial began last week, Chief Justice John Roberts has been mainly out of the camera's line of sight.  He has, clerk-like, enforced Senate procedures and kept the clock for the lawyers at the lectern.

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 …

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.

Parnas Lawyer: Giuliani Delivered Graham Letter Calling for Sanctions on Ukrainian Officials  —  The mysterious letter-writer listed several Ukrainian officials, including one reformer who'd gone up against an oligarch, and claimed they were part of a “crime syndicate.”

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 …

Slashing food stamps hurts the poor.  It also hurts their supermarkets  —  New York (CNN Business)Independent grocery stores and regional supermarket chains already face brutal competition and shrinking profits.  Now, they are worried about losing out on a valuable source of sales: food stamp recipients.

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 …

Pentagon Raises Number of U.S. Troops Injured in Iranian Attack to 50  —  Most of troops added to new assessment have returned to work, Pentagon says  —  An additional 16 U.S. troops suffered concussions or traumatic brain injuries during Iran's ballistic missile strike earlier this month …