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 …

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 …

A Muted Arab Response to Trump's Mideast Peace Plan  —  The U.S. is banking on Arab leaders to help make its plan for ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict work.  It is not clear how realistic that is.  —  BEIRUT, Lebanon — In unveiling his plan Tuesday for solving the conflict between Israel …

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.

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?

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.

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 …

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.

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 …

Trump trial lawyer admits abuse of power is impeachable, previews ‘temporary’ defense  —  Trump impeachment lawyer Robert Ray defended the President at his historic Senate trial this week, conceding some problems with Trump's approach to Ukraine while insisting there was no impeachable offense.

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.

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 …

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.