Don't let the defense fool you.  This impeachment is all about corruption.  —  George T. Conway III is a lawyer in New York and an adviser to the Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump super PAC.  —  The president's lawyers this week floated their catch-all impeachment defense, one tailor-made for President Trump.

Paul Manafort and Rudy's Indicted Associate Igor Fruman Go Way, Way Back  —  The relationship — stretching from New York to London to Kyiv — long predated Rudy Giuliani's attempts to discredit the evidence that played a key role in Manafort's downfall.  —  The web of connections between …

AP Exclusive: Woman who says Trump raped her seeks his DNA  —  NEW YORK — Lawyers for a woman who accuses President Donald Trump of raping her in the 1990s are asking for a DNA sample, seeking to determine whether his genetic material is on a dress she says she wore during the encounter.

Bernie Sanders praised George Wallace as ‘sensitive’ in 1972  —  Seven years after Martin Luther King, Jr. referred to George Wallace as “perhaps the most dangerous racist in America today,” a young Bernie Sanders praised the segregationist Alabama governor.

In contrast with Trump legal team, Justice Department lawyer says House can impeach over defied subpoenas  —  Five memorable exchanges from Wednesday's trial  —  Washington (CNN)A Justice Department lawyer said Thursday in federal court that the House can impeach a president over ignored subpoenas …

John Roberts refuses Rand Paul's whistleblower question  —  Chief Justice John Roberts refused on Thursday to read aloud a question from Sen. Rand Paul that identified an alleged whistleblower who first raised concerns with investigators that President Donald Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate his political rivals.

Trump's border wall, vulnerable to flash floods, needs large storm gates left open for months  —  NACO, Ariz. — President Trump's border wall likely will require the installation of hundreds of storm gates to prevent flash floods from undermining or knocking it over, gates that must be left open …

Trump: Coronavirus will have ‘a very good ending for us’  —  President Donald Trump on Thursday sought to assure Americans about the spread of a new coronavirus, saying it would have “a very good ending for us ... that I can assure you,” hours after the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a global emergency.

George … Mike Bloomberg 2020's ad airing during Super Bowl LIV highlights the urgent need to prevent gun violence in America and why Mike is the candidate to get it done.  —  As an entrepreneur, mayor, and problem-solving philanthropist, Mike has taken on the toughest challenges and gotten big things done.

The Atlantic made Rahm Emanuel a contributing editor.  Then, suddenly, he wasn't.  —  Last May, the Atlantic announced that Rahm Emanuel, who'd just left his post as Chicago mayor, would be joining the magazine as a contributing editor.  “The Atlantic will be the primary home for Emanuel's writing …

Pence aide who testified in impeachment inquiry to leave VP's office  —  A national security aide to Vice President Mike Pence and key witness in the House's impeachment of President Donald Trump will be leaving her post in the vice president's office early to join Central Command, according to two people with knowledge of her plans.

Democrats Never Found Their Hero  —  As the final sliver of daylight faded over the Capitol dome last night, it was clear that Democrats' long, frustrated quest for a deus to save them from Donald Trump would produce no machina after all.  Instead, there was only Representative Adam Schiff …

AP Exclusive: Barr names new U.S. attorney in DC  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General William Barr on Thursday named Timothy Shea, one of his closest advisers, to be the next top prosecutor in the nation's capital.  —  Shea will lead the largest United States attorney's office in the country …

Bernie Sanders Is Still Sad About the Dodgers  —  And he knows how to nurse a grudge.  —  BURLINGTON, Iowa — The role was not an artistic stretch.  —  “My name is Rabbi Manny Shevitz,” Bernie Sanders began, acting in a little-seen 1999 comedy called “My X-Girlfriend's Wedding Reception.”

GOP senators know Trump's defense is based on lies.  Here's proof.  —  As President Trump's trial hurtles toward a vote on new witnesses, his lawyers have based his defense in part on the notion that Trump's demand that Ukraine investigate the Bidens was legitimate.

Coronavirus misinformation surges, fueled by clout chasers  —  Misleading, unverified and clearly false information about the coronavirus has spread across social media platforms with a mix of fearmongering and racial stereotyping.  —  Misleading, unverified and clearly false information …

White Nationalist State Department Official Still Active in Hate Movement  —  U.S. State Department official Matthew Q. Gebert has been steadily producing white nationalist propaganda in the nearly six months since he was suspended from his job, Hatewatch has learned.

‘High Maintenance’ and the New TV Fantasy of New York  —  It was probably during the fourth episode of the second season of HBO's “High Maintenance” when I finally noticed what it was up to.  The show follows a weed dealer known only as The Guy while he bikes around Brooklyn …

Bloomberg surges past Warren into third place in new national poll  —  Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg surged past Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) in the latest nationwide Hill-HarrisX poll, putting him in third place in the field of Democratic presidential candidates.

The ‘Corrupt Motives’ Doctrine  —  Every President equates his re-election self-interest with the public interest.  It isn't grounds for impeachment.  —  By The Editorial Board  —  The questions from Senators in the impeachment trial aren't plowing much new ground, but they have been useful …

Senate floor fight breaks out over Trump lawyer claim on foreign dirt  —  Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr (R-N.C.) said he has “no problem” with a White House lawyer's argument that American politicians can accept damaging information on their opponents from a foreign country …

Facebook closes down 6%, wiping out more than $30 billion in market value  — Facebook stock closed Thursday down 6.1% after it reported fourth-quarter earnings Wednesday evening.  — The drop erased more than $30 billion from the social media giant's market cap.