Sen. Collins says retribution against witnesses in impeachment process is inappropriate  —  Maine's Republican senator defended her votes to acquit Trump as Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who testified against him, was escorted out of the White House.  —  U.S. Sen. Susan Collins …

NBC News/Marist poll: Sanders, Buttigieg continue to lead in New Hampshire  —  Just days away from the first-in-the-nation primary, Sanders holds a narrow lead but Buttigieg has seen enthusiasm for his candidacy rise.  —  MANCHESTER, N.H. — Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg remain atop …

“We're losing our damn minds”: James Carville unloads on the Democratic Party  —  James Carville arrives for the annual JFK Profiles in Courage Award ceremony in Boston, Massachusetts, on May 20, 2018.  Paul Marotta/Getty Images  —  Why the longtime Democratic strategist is “scared to death” of the 2020 election.

Vice President Pence defends deficit expansion under Trump as necessary for economic growth  — Vice President Mike Pence defended deficit expansion under the Trump administration during a CNBC interview Friday, saying that debt and deficits are secondary concerns compared to economic growth.

The Real Truth the Iowa Caucuses Don't Want You to Know!  —  I have a very simple maxim that I share with non-political friends who ask me to explain what I think is happening behind the scenes in any given political scandal:  —  When in doubt, it's VEEP, not House of Cards.

Secret Service has paid rates as high as $650 a night for rooms at Trump's properties  —  President Trump's company charges the Secret Service for the rooms agents use while protecting him at his luxury properties — billing U.S. taxpayers at rates as high as $650 per night …

Joe Biden Shakes Up Campaign Leadership, Elevating Anita Dunn  —  Ms. Dunn, who worked in the Obama White House, is taking on a new role as Mr. Biden seeks a reset after a disappointing fourth-place finish in Iowa.  —  MANCHESTER, N.H. — Anita Dunn, a veteran Democratic operative and top adviser …

As usual, Trump called me a sleaze.  But the audience reaction to his rant was more upsetting.  —  James B. Comey is a former director of the FBI and former deputy attorney general.  —  The most important thing that happened during President Trump's post-impeachment rant at the White House didn't happen at the lectern.

Mike Bloomberg Is Paying ‘Influencers’ to Make Him Seem Cool  —  The Bloomberg campaign is trying an ad strategy familiar to every other startup with a ton of cash and a questionable business model: paying influencers to make it seem cool.  —  One day after the Iowa caucuses were effectively botched …

The Woman Defending Harvey Weinstein … In the trial of Harvey Weinstein, six women have taken the stand, each making similar accusations of rape and sexual assault against the movie producer.  Throughout their testimony, Weinstein's defense lawyers have portrayed those encounters as consensual …

Antarctica just hit 65 degrees, its warmest temperature ever recorded  —  It comes days after earth's warmest January on record.  —  Just days after the earth saw its warmest January on record, Antarctica has broken its warmest temperature ever recorded.  A reading of 65 degrees was taken …

New York to Sue Trump Administration Over Global Entry Freeze  —  The lawsuit will challenge the federal government's decision to bar New Yorkers from enrolling in programs that allow travelers to skip lines at airports.  —  New York State officials said on Friday that they planned to sue …

The Age of Decadence  —  Cut the drama.  The real story of the West in the 21st century is one of stalemate and stagnation.  —  An Opinion columnist and the author of the forthcoming book “The Decadent Society,” from which this essay is adapted.  —  Everyone knows that we live …

Exclusive photos of Giuliani in Spain show Lev Parnas has lots more to share  —  New York (CNN)Stored in devices seized from Lev Parnas by law enforcement, there's a 34-second cell phone video of Rudy Giuliani relishing a bullfight.  There are also photos of Donald Trump's personal attorney posing …

What It Was Like to Work for Andrew Yang  —  He has called his campaign “the journey of my life.”  But what got lost in the novelty of his bid, former employees say, was scrutiny of his life before this particular journey.  —  MANCHESTER, N.H. — The Andrew Yang on the presidential debate stage …

Chris Cillizza, impeachment, and a grotesque monument to modern media  —  What CNN's analyst shows about what gets prioritized in the press  —  You know how in movies like Freaky Friday, 13 Going on 30, and Big, there are always those scenes where the main character has to learn how to be an adult?

In its own document, Fox News rips Fox News host Sean Hannity  —  Each night, Fox News hosts Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity engage in some shallow blather during the “handoff” between their ratings-killing programs.  In Thursday night's version, Hannity told Carlson, “You know the deep-state story is even getting bigger.

Who Is Writing Brad Pitt's Awards Season Speeches?  —  By this point in awards season, Brad Pitt's march toward a Best Supporting Actor Oscar seems all but inevitable.  Not to say anyone's complaining.  In fact, the loudest knock against the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood star is that his warm …

AOC: It's “Impossible” to Get a Good Bacon-Egg-and-Cheese in DC  —  “I don't know how anybody eats in Washington, DC,” the congresswoman says.  —  We get it, we get it, DC isn't New York.  The political bickering!  The lack of bodegas!  The lack of bodega cats!

Trump's State of the Union speech was a white supremacist vision of America  —  President Trump defiled the majesty of the East Room of the White House with a vulgar display of vindictiveness that shocked even those of us who didn't expect anything less.  For more than an hour …

How Trump Rewired the Electoral Map  —  When President Barack Obama launched his 2012 reelection campaign, he did it with back-to-back rallies in a pair of logical places: Virginia and Ohio.  The two essential swing states, with 31 electoral votes between them, were vital to Obama's chances of winning a second term.

Culinary Union suggests Sanders, Warren asking union members to trade health plans for ‘promises’  —  Union members cheer during a UNITE HERE Culinary Union Town Hall meeting with former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020.  (Jeff Scheid/The Nevada Independent)