Trump Got Tons of Campaign Cash Before Handing Out Pardon  —  “I watched his wife on television,” Trump said of his decision to pardon Blago after seeing his spouse on Fox.  The network seems to have influenced several of Tuesday's pardons.  —  President Donald Trump on Tuesday granted clemency …

AP source: Barr tells people he might quit over Trump tweets  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General William Barr has told people close to him he's considering quitting his post after President Donald Trump wouldn't heed his warning to stop tweeting about Justice Department cases, an administration official told The Associated Press.

Pentagon Official Involved in Certifying Ukraine Aid Leaves  — Under Secretary Rood said to have faced pressure to resign  — Rood is latest in a wave of Trump administration departures  —  John Rood has stepped down as the top policy official at the Defense Department, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Sanders surges into national lead in new Post-ABC poll  —  Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), on the strength of his performances in Iowa and New Hampshire, has surged nationally and now holds a sizable lead over all of his rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll.

China Expels Three Wall Street Journal Reporters  —  China's Foreign Ministry says move was punishment for a recent opinion piece published by the Journal  —  China revoked the press credentials of three Wall Street Journal reporters based in Beijing, the first time in the post-Mao era …

Bernie Sanders takes wide lead in California primary, new poll finds  —  Bernie Sanders has opened a wide lead in California's Democratic presidential primary, and four rivals are virtually tied for a distant second place, according to a poll released Tuesday.

Bernie Sanders says he won't release full medical records  —  WASHINGTON - Bernie Sanders said Tuesday night that he is not planning to release any additional medical records.  —  Sanders, 78, suffered a heart attack in October during a campaign event.  He had a blockage in one artery …

Mike Bloomberg Once Again Called Transgender People “It” And “Some Guy Wearing A Dress”  —  Bloomberg suggested transgender rights would sink Democratic campaigns in comments recorded last year in New York.  He's tried to distance himself from similar comments he made in 2016.

Mexican accused of being Russian agent after photographing U.S. informant's car in Miami  —  As he stood in Miami federal court, Hector Cabrera Fuentes didn't exactly look like an “international man of mystery.”  —  But Cabrera, a short and stocky Mexican citizen, was charged Tuesday with being an …

Klobuchar tries to explain forgetting Mexican president and mispronounces his name  —  Amy Klobuchar offered an excuse on why she couldn't name the Mexican president in an interview with Telemundo, clapping back at Pete Buttigieg, who has turned her blunder into a punchline on the campaign trail.

Bloomberg would sell business interests if elected president  —  Democratic presidential candidate and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg speaks during a campaign rally at the Buffalo Soldier Museum in Houston, Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020.  Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner stands at right.

Susan Collins Faces Tough Re-Election Race in Maine, Poll Suggests  —  Survey shows her slightly behind expected Democratic rival in November race  —  WASHINGTON—The polarized political climate is taking a toll on Sen. Susan Collins (R., Maine), who is facing a competitive race …

Limbaugh: Trump advised me to ‘never apologize’ for Buttigieg remarks  —  Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh said President Trump advised him to “never apologize” for his comments on Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg's sexuality.  —  Limbaugh said on his Monday show …

Andrew Yang joins CNN as a political commentator  —  Yang: I will support whoever the Democratic nominee is  —  Washington (CNN)Former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang is joining CNN as a political commentator, the network announced Wednesday.

Trump campaign hires alum of controversial data company  —  President Donald Trump's campaign is bringing on an alum of the controversial data firm Cambridge Analytica, a move likely to raise alarms among Trump critics and data privacy advocates who worry the president will push the technological envelope to get reelected in 2020.

When Bloomberg News's Reporting on China Was Challenged, Bloomberg Tried to Ruin Me for Speaking Out  —  I am one of the many women Mike Bloomberg's company tried to silence through nondisclosure agreements.  The funny thing is, I never even worked for Bloomberg.

After Fighting Nazis, Black G.I.s Faced Racism in U.S. Military  —  In commemoration of Black History Month, the latest article from “Beyond the World War II We Know,” a series by The Times that documents lesser-known stories from World War II, focuses on the challenges of black troops stationed in Germany in the aftermath of the war.

After learning of Whitey Bulger LSD tests, juror has regrets  —  EASTHAM, Mass. (AP) — One of the jurors who convicted notorious crime boss James “Whitey” Bulger says she regrets her decision after learning that he was an unwitting participant in a covert CIA experiment with LSD.

It's time to give the elites a bigger say in choosing the president  —  Julia Azari is an associate professor and assistant chair in the Department of Political Science at Marquette University.  This is the third op-ed in a series about how to improve the presidential nominating process.