Barr Installs Outside Prosecutor to Review Case Against Michael Flynn, Ex-Trump Adviser  —  Amid turmoil in the U.S. attorney's office in Washington, the attorney general has also sent outside prosecutors to review other politically sensitive cases.  —  WASHINGTON — Attorney General William P. Barr …

Bernie Sanders leaps to first among Texas Democrats in latest UT/TT Poll  —  Sanders now leads the Democratic presidential candidates among Texas voters, but Donald Trump maintains a slight lead over each of the top Democrats in the race, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll.

She pushed Trump to exit the Paris climate agreement and roll back environmental rules.  And she's returning to EPA as chief of staff.  —  One of EPA's first Trump appointees, Mandy Gunasekara has run a ‘pro-Trump nonprofit’ since leaving the agency a year ago.

U.S. Readied Sanctions on Russian Oligarch's Associates—Then Mysteriously Backed Off  —  “Somebody overruled [Treasury], essentially,” one sanctions expert said.  “That's the most likely scenario.”  —  Something strange happened in mid-December involving Oleg Deripaska, the Russian oligarch.

Boris Johnson has cancelled his planned trip to the White House after Trump slammed the phone down on him in a moment of ‘apoplectic’ fury  — UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has cancelled his planned trip to meet Donald Trump next month after a furious row between the two men.

Facebook reverses on paid political messages that aren't ads  —  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Facebook decided Friday to allow a type of paid political message that had sidestepped many of the social network's rules governing political ads, in a reversal that highlights difficulties tech companies …

Sanders holds lead heading into Nevada's Democratic caucuses, poll finds  —  Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders leads the presidential field by a solid margin among likely Democratic caucusgoers heading into Nevada's four-day early voting period, but all six of the candidates actively campaigning …

Democrats are wasting time fighting over policies the Senate will never pass  —  It was a sight to behold: a former vice president, two senators and a former mayor on a stage in New Hampshire a week ago, arguing over the impossible.  Would Sen. Bernie Sanders deliver Medicare-for-all immediately, as he promised to do?

White House ‘1264 Notice’ and Novel Legal Claims for Military Action Against Iran  —  To its credit, the Trump administration has submitted a newly released notice to Congress, describing the legal and policy basis for the Jan. 2 airstrike against Qassem Soleimani, Iran's top military commander.

We Checked the Iowa Caucus Math.  Here's Where It Didn't Add Up.  —  Caucus volunteers tally the final round votes.  Then they divide the county delegates among the viable candidates based on their vote shares.  —  They must round down or up to the nearest whole number to award the delegates.

Culinary Union officials face profanity-laced attacks after scorecard says Sanders would ‘end’ their health care  —  Geoconda Arguello-Kline, left, secretary-treasurer for the Culinary Union announced that the culinary will not endorse a Democratic presidential candidate in the primary.

An Unrestrained Trump May End Up Trapping Himself  —  The Senate pushes back on war powers and a Fed nominee, while a White House purge might undercut the president's clout.  —  I'm not sure what the conventional wisdom is about the current health of Donald Trump's presidency …

The Benefits of Being Joe Biden's Brother  —  Jim Biden has been at his brother's side at nearly every critical junction in Joe's life.  He's also repeatedly tapped into Joe's political network for help with his finances, and used Joe's fame to promote his business ventures. … Jim Biden was in a bind.

Official says US, Taliban reach truce Afghan truce agreement  —  MUNICH (AP) — A senior U.S.official said Friday the United States and the Taliban have reached a truce agreement that will take effect “very soon” and could lead to withdrawals of American troops from Afghanistan.