Biden to pre-empt Trump rally with speech and ad on ‘character’  —  DES MOINES, Iowa — Former Vice President Joe Biden is set to take on President Donald Trump ahead of the president's rally in Iowa Thursday, pointing out key differences between their leadership styles as he attempts …

New Audio Appears to Show Ex-Giuliani Pal Lev Parnas at Dinner With Trump  —  A second audio recording released by Lev Parnas's attorney purportedly shows the former Giuliani fixer socializing at a 2018 Republican fundraising event.  —  New audio obtained by The Daily Beast appears …

Document shows Bernie Sanders's team preparing dozens of potential executive orders  —  Rising in the polls ahead of the Iowa caucuses, the presidential candidate considers spelling out how he could go around Congress if elected president  —  Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) …

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.

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 longer GOP blocks Bolton, the more he will hurt them  —  Senate Republicans are digging their own political graves.  —  If Republicans do not allow at least a few witnesses into the Senate impeachment trial, they will pay a heavy political price if evidence emerges later proving deep corruption by President Trump.

New witnesses unlikely, Trump impeachment trial could end quickly: GOP sources  —  The Senate trial could be over by the weekend if Republicans have the votes.  —  LIVE NOW  —  Senators return at 1 p.m. Thursday for a second day of questions to House managers and President Donald Trump's legal team …

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross says China's coronavirus ‘will help’ bring jobs back to U.S.  —  Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the Chinese coronavirus — which has killed 170 in China and infected more than 7,700 people — could “help” to bring jobs to the United States because companies …

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 …

How Trump's impeachment created two Democratic superstars  —  The House Democratic Caucus has long been dominated by a gaggle of also-rans: men and women who, while good enough for Congress, proved to be underwhelming on the larger stage of national politics.  —  That's changed.

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.

Trump administration has yet to reveal details of Jared Kushner's secretive 2017 meeting in China  — In late 2017, CNBC filed a Freedom of Information Act request for details about Jared Kushner's secretive meeting in China during President Trump's visit to the country.

Katie Hopkins' Twitter account suspended  —  Move comes after Countdown host Rachel Riley and campaigners demand action from social network  —  Far-right commentator Katie Hopkins has been suspended from Twitter after calls for a “full review” by the social network.

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 …

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.

Trump administration expected to loosen restrictions on use of landmines  —  Washington (CNN)The Trump administration is expected to loosen restrictions on the US military's ability to use landmines in the coming days, weapons that have been banned by more than 160 countries due to their history …

Conservative group will launch ad broadside against Collins in Georgia  —  The conservative Club for Growth plans to air a massive ad campaign attacking Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.), adding fuel to the intraparty battle that kicked off after the GOP congressman launched a Senate campaign this week.

Sinking in the Swamp: How Trump's Minions and Misfits Poisoned Washington.  —  Lachlan Markay and Asawin Suebsaeng.  Viking, $28 (304p) ISBN 978-1-9848-7856-4  —  Daily Beast reporters Markay and Suebsaeng detail their interactions with the Trump administration in this gossip-fueled comedy of errors.

The Iowa Caucuses Are In 4 Days.  Almost Anything Could Still Happen.  —  As much as we try to remind you all about how uncertain elections can be — pleas that sometimes fall on deaf ears — it's important to keep in mind in advance of the Iowa caucuses.  To begin with, primaries are much harder …

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.

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.

‘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 …

Burr backs Trump lawyer claim on foreign dirt  —  Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr (R-N.C.) said on Thursday 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 — a proposal that shocked Democrats.

Unpaid bills and legal discipline: Devin Nunes' lawyer questioned over ethics in complaints  —  The attorney representing Rep. Devin Nunes in five high-profile defamation lawsuits has a history of using questionable tactics in litigation, including claiming to represent people who did not know him.

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 …

State attorneys general sue to demand certification of Equal Rights Amendment  —  Three Democratic state attorneys general filed a lawsuit against a federal government official on Thursday to certify the Equal Rights Amendment, which would ban sex-based discrimination, into the U.S. Constitution.