First results of 2020 New Hampshire Primary are in.  Amy Klobuchar, Donald Trump lead  —  Midnight voting took place in Dixville Notch, Hart's Location & Millsfield  —  HIDE TRANSCRIPT SHOW TRANSCRIPT  —  DIXVILLE NOTCH, N.H. —  The first votes in the 2020 New Hampshire primary …

Justice Dept. to reduce sentencing recommendation for Trump associate Roger Stone, official says, after president calls it ‘unfair’  —  The Justice Department plans to reduce its sentencing recommendation for longtime President Trump confidant Roger Stone, after top officials were apparently blindsided …

For decades, the CIA read the encrypted communications of allies and adversaries.  —  For more than half a century, governments all over the world trusted a single company to keep the communications of their spies, soldiers and diplomats secret.  —  The company, Crypto AG …

Bloomberg heard in 2015 audio clip defending ‘stop and frisk,’ throwing minority kids against wall: report  —  A newly surfaced recording from a 2015 speech by Michael Bloomberg, in which the former three-term mayor of New York City gives a full-throated defense of the controversial policing procedure known …

Former CNBC anchor Michelle Caruso-Cabrera will challenge Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in House Democratic primary  — Former longtime CNBC correspondent and anchor Michelle Caruso-Cabrera filed late Monday to run for Congress in New York's 14th District.  — The seat is currently held …

‘Fear and chaos’: Andrew Yang staffers are furious over sudden layoffs and a campaign near collapse  — Yang's staff said they were blindsided by the layoffs.  Many found out something was amiss when they suddenly lost their email accounts or heard about it from the rumor mill.

Most Expect Trump Will Be Reelected; Sanders Overtakes Biden Among Dem Voters  —  Enthusiasm up from 2016, but with a partisan gap  —  West Long Branch, NJ - As New Hampshire primary voters go to the polls, there already seems to be an impact from the Iowa caucus results on presidential preferences among Democrats nationwide.

Socialism and Atheism Still U.S. Political Liabilities  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — More than nine in 10 Americans say they would vote for a presidential candidate nominated by their party who happened to be black, Catholic, Hispanic, Jewish or a woman.  Such willingness drops to eight in 10 …

Here's What I Do Like About Bernie Sanders  —  I have devoted a lot of space to criticizing Bernie Sanders (and, especially, bad arguments made on his behalf).  I will probably continue to do so, in part because I have disagreements with his worldview, and mainly because I think the available evidence …

Exclusive: New Unredacted Emails Show How Deeply OMB Misled Congress on Ukraine  —  “Can we call you in 5, DoD is being extraordinarily difficult.”  —  It was almost 6 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 12, and Mark Paoletta, the general counsel at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) …

‘I would trust Alex with my life’: Trump's decision to boot Lt. Col. Vindman was ‘designed to humiliate,’ his former Army commander says  — President Donald Trump's early dismissal of US Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman from the National Security Council staff on Friday came as a shock …

A Pedophile Writer Is on Trial.  So Are the French Elites.  —  For decades, Gabriel Matzneff wrote openly of his pedophilia, protected by powerful people in publishing, journalism, politics and business.  Now cast out, he attacks their “cowardice” in a rare interview.

DOJ Nears Decision on Whether to Charge Blackwater Founder Erik Prince  —  Prince could face charges stemming from his testimony to Congress about Seychelles meeting with Putin adviser and potential arms-trafficking violations  —  The Justice Department is in the late stages of deciding whether …

Inside the Trump Bubble  —  A view from inside the silo.  —  In a moment of weakness and jet-lagged naivete I found myself musing that maybe, possibly, the new revelations about Donald Trump's fleecing of taxpayers by charging the Secret Service exorbitant rates might make a difference with some of Trump's base.

Native burial sites blown up for US border wall  —  Native American burial sites in Arizona have been blown up by construction crews building the US-Mexico border wall, according to lawmakers and tribal leaders.  —  Authorities confirmed that “controlled blasting” has begun …

The FBI Makes a Bizarre Claim About Pro-Choice Terrorism  —  The bureau revamped its homegrown-terror efforts to include “people on either side” of the abortion debate.  But there's almost no evidence of pro-choice violence.  —  The FBI is expanding its focus on domestic terrorism …

VA Democrats Kill Pro-Union Bill After Learning CEOs Oppose It  —  Virginia isn't for workers.  Old Dominion is currently one of only three states to explicitly bar all public-sector employees from bargaining collectively.  It was also one of the first states to enact a “right to work” …

Ruth Bader Ginsburg says deadline to ratify Equal Rights Amendment has expired: 'I'd like it to start over'  —  Why the Equal Rights Amendment is a 2020 priority  —  (CNN)Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a long-time supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment, suggested Monday night that the deadline …

Newsrooms Rethink a Crime Reporting Staple: The Mugshot  —  Some are red-eyed from crying, others visibly drunk.  Some sport black eyes or jarring face tattoos.  Occasionally, one offers an addled grin.  —  Online mugshot galleries, where news organizations post rows of people who were arrested …

‘The Hunt’ Is Back On: Universal Sets Release for Controversial Elites vs. “Deplorables” Satire (Exclusive)  —  In an exclusive interview with The Hollywood Reporter, producer Jason Blum and screenwriter Damon Lindelof defend the film as a satirical take on a divided country: “None of us were interested in taking sides with this movie.”

The Day One Agenda Polls Pretty Well  —  And where the polling is more mixed says a lot about where Democratic politics focuses its energies these days.  —  As his position for the nomination improves, Bernie Sanders has signaled that he wants to use the powers of the presidency to advance his agenda.