Pelosi unloads on Trump in private meeting after SOTU standoff  —  Speaker Nancy Pelosi ripped into President Donald Trump in a private meeting with Democrats Wednesday, just hours after the two jousted in a silent sparring match during his State of the Union address.

Senator Doug Jones Statement on Impeachment Decision  —  “As this chapter of history draws to a close, one thing is clear: our country deserves better than this.  We must find a way to come together, to set aside partisan differences, and to focus on what we have in common as Americans.”

How Iowa Slipped Away From Joe Biden  —  Former vice president now must convince donors and voters in other early states to stick with him in a fiercely competitive field  —  DES MOINES, Iowa—In the months leading up to the Iowa caucuses, Joe Biden suggested he could stake an early claim to the Democratic nomination with a victory.

Beyond the Partisan Fight, a Wealth of Evidence About Trump and Ukraine  —  Regardless of the Senate's verdict, the impeachment inquiry, President Trump's own words and other revelations yield a narrative establishing his involvement in the pressure campaign.

He complained about Democrats' tech ‘morass’ — then built the Iowa app  —  Shadow CEO Gerard Niemira had high hopes for improving Democrats' tech tools.  —  The CEO of the tech startup at the center of the Iowa caucus debacle complained last year that critical parts of the Democrats' election technology …

She Shunned Islam And Was Embraced By Trump World.  They Took Her Money, Then Turned On Her.  —  Rabia Kazan, a Turkish national who used to be a Trump fanatic, made a big donation to the president's campaign.  But she's not a US citizen.  —  A former rising star in MAGA world recently renounced …

Record economic optimism under Trump, better than Reagan, Clinton, Obama  —  Economic optimism has reached a 44-year high and economic gloom a record low under President Trump in the latest survey that shows people in the United States are cheering their best personal economy in decades.

How Rick Perry waltzed past the impeachment probe  —  Former Energy Secretary Rick Perry will skirt questioning by Congress during the impeachment of President Donald Trump despite his central role in the administration's contacts with Ukraine.  —  Perry stonewalled all requests from lawmakers …

Kill the tradition: NH and Iowa should not vote first  —  A hundred years ago, New Hampshire blazed a trail as the first among 20 states to hold a 1920 presidential primary election.  It is a tradition that has endured for the century since, and will repeat on Feb. 11 — a fact owed not just to custom …

Pentagon officials stunned by White House decision to block Ukraine aid, new emails show  —  Washington (CNN)Days before the July 2019 call between President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart, US officials were still working to expedite the delivery of Javelin anti-tank missiles to the country …

Bloomberg Used Box to Boost Height as NYC Mayor, Documents Show  —  The Bloomberg campaign was quick to shoot down President Donald Trump's claim that the Democratic presidential candidate plans to use a box to boost his height at Friday's Democratic debate.

No, Susan Collins, Trump is never going to learn  —  President Trump is not going to change.  Not now, not ever.  “Chastened” is not in his vocabulary; pivoting to presidential is not in his repertoire.  If there is anything the country should have learned in the age of Trump, it is this.

Donald Trump's 3rd State of the Union Address Tumbles in Broadcast TV Ratings  —  We'll get cable news numbers later today  —  Donald Trump's State of the Union address was all anybody could talk about on Tuesday, but “Ellen's Game of Games” showed up for NBC too.

Fact-checking President Trump's 2020 State of the Union address  —  President Trump's State of the Union speech once again was chock-full of stretched facts and dubious figures.  Many of these claims have been fact-checked repeatedly, yet the president persists in using them.

Board fires two leaders of the 2020 DNC Host Committee  —  The two leaders of Milwaukee's host committee for the 2020 Democratic National Convention are out.  —  Late Tuesday, the board for the Milwaukee 2020 Host Committee terminated President Liz Gilbert and her chief of staff, Adam Alonso.

Private payrolls soar in January, the best monthly gain in nearly 5 years  —  By Jeff Cox@JEFF.COX.7528@JEFFCOXCNBCCOM  — Private payrolls rose by 291,000 in January, the best month since May 2015, according to ADP and Moody's Analytics.  — The report was nearly twice the expected gains.

New Silicon Valley extreme: The 2:30 a.m. tech bus from Salida  —  In search of affordable housing, tech employees move all the way into the Central Valley.  Private tech shuttles follow.  —  It's 2:30 a.m. in the Central California farm town of Salida, and the only sound is the tech bus pulling …

All the things I believe about President Trump  —  George T. Conway III is a lawyer in New York and an adviser to the Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump super PAC.  —  I believe the president, and in the president.  —  I believe the Senate is right to acquit the president.