Senate and John Roberts face possibility of epic tie on witnesses  —  Ahead of a tight vote on whether to hear new witnesses in President Donald Trump's impeachment trial, the Senate is preparing for the possibility that this crucial roll call has an asterisk in the history books: It ends in a tie.

Portion of US border wall in California falls over in high winds and lands on Mexican side  —  (CNN)Newly installed panels from the US border wall fell over in high winds Wednesday, landing on trees on the Mexican side of the border.  —  The area is part of an ongoing construction project to improve existing sections of the wall.

John Roberts blocks mentions of alleged whistleblower's name  —  Chief Justice John Roberts has communicated to senators that he will not read aloud the alleged Ukraine whistleblower's name or otherwise publicly relay questions that might out the official, a move that's effectively blocked Sen. Rand Paul from asking a question.

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.

ALAN DERSHOWITZ FOR THE DEFENSE: L'ÉTAT, C'EST TRUMP  —  Donald Trump's lawyer says that the President can do just about anything he wants.  —  An hour into the Senate trial of Donald John Trump on Wednesday, the emeritus Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz came to the floor to answer …

Biden, rivals privately pitching caucus night deals  —  DES MOINES — Joe Biden and other leading candidates are actively courting lower-polling campaigns in the final days before the Iowa caucuses, hoping to forge election night alliances designed to pick up the supporters of candidates who fail to move past the first ballot.

Trump Impeachment Trial: Top Democrat Concedes ‘Probably No’ on Witnesses  —  During questioning, a lawyer for President Trump argued that any action to aid re-election could be considered in the nation's interest and therefore could not be impeachable.

What Will You Do When the Culture War Comes for You?  —  Newsrooms still aren't ready for the trolls.  —  Mr. Warzel is an Opinion writer at large.  —  The culture war will come for us all.  —  On Sunday, it came for a Washington Post reporter, Felicia Sonmez.

Hillary Clinton refuses to be served Tulsi Gabbard's defamation lawsuit  —  Hillary Clinton has now twice snubbed a process server attempting to deliver the defamation lawsuit filed against her by Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard, according to Gabbard's attorney.

I have just read 25 books and am here to perform your open-heart surgery  —  “What I would encourage people to do is try to divorce yourself from all of the history that's happened over the years and read this plan.”  —  “I've been getting criticized for the last couple of years by all the people …

Prosecutors appear to back away from prison recommendation for Michael Flynn  —  Prosecutors backed away from their recommendation that former national security adviser Michael Flynn serve up to six months in prison, saying in a court filing Wednesday that probation remained a “reasonable sentence” that they would not oppose.

Liz Warren Finally Has a Good Idea  —  Elizabeth Warren wants to jail fellow Democrats who spread the Russia collusion hoax and, more recently, the Ukraine impeachment fraud.  That, at least, is how I read her latest proposal: “Elizabeth Warren proposes criminal penalties for spreading voting disinformation online.”

Klobuchar Called On To Suspend Campaign As Questions Swirl Around Myon Burrell Case  —  MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Senator and presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar is facing new scrutiny over an old case.  —  The 2002 murder of 11-year-old Tyesha Edwards happened when Klobuchar was the Hennepin County attorney.

10 Worst Colleges for Free Speech: 2020  —  Since 2011, FIRE has named and shamed 65 individual colleges and universities as America's worst for free speech.  Some — we're looking at you Harvard, DePaul, and Syracuse — are regulars and have appeared four or five times.

NeverTrump: Most Overrepresented Demographic in Media  —  Over the weekend, Washington Post columnist Max Boot had a novel take on President Trump's impeachment.  According to Boot, what Trump said on the phone call with Ukraine's president was in some ways worse than Andrew Jackson's forced relocation …

Trump Ally Held Event Handing Out Cash in a Black Community  —  The group that hosted the event last month in Cleveland is run by a prominent black ally of the president, and it promoted Trump administration policies while doling out cash prizes.  —  WASHINGTON — A nonprofit organization run …

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?

‘Mind Boggling’: Take a Look at These Demographic Numbers From Trump's New Jersey Rally  —  Tuesday night President Trump traveled to deep blue New Jersey for a campaign rally.  Despite freezing temperatures in the middle of winter, people camped out a day ahead of his remarks in order to make it inside the arena.

Judge in Virginia Giuffre's defamation suit against Jeffrey Epstein's ‘madam’ Ghislaine Maxwell is asked to reconsider her decision to keep trove of case documents sealed  — NY Judge Loretta A. Preska was asked to reconsider her decision to keep under seal documents in Virginia Giuffre's defamation case against Ghislaine Maxwell

Arab Leaders' Support for Mideast Peace Plan Marks a Regional Shift  —  Tentative backing of U.S. proposal reflects changing priorities, frustration with the Palestinians and more willingness to work with Israel  —  BEIRUT—President Trump's Middle East peace plan has jolted regional dynamics …