Trump and Candidates for National Security Adviser Spar Over Staffing  —  Retired Vice Adm. Bob Harward and retired Gen. David Petraeus have dropped out of consideration  —  President Donald Trump won't guarantee that his next national security adviser will have full control over staffing and process …

Leaked Trump tape: ‘You are the special people’  —  President Donald Trump, living alone inside the White House, often hungers for friendly interaction as he adjusts to the difficult work of governance.  At his clubs, he finds what's missing.  —  That showed last November at a cocktail …

Michael Flynn, General Chaos … Two days before the Inauguration of Donald Trump as the forty-fifth President of the United States, Michael Flynn, a retired lieutenant general and former intelligence officer, sat down in a Washington restaurant.  On the tablecloth, he placed a leather-bound folder …

REMARKS BY SASC CHAIRMAN JOHN McCAIN AT THE 2017 MUNICH SECURITY CONFERENCE  —  Washington, D.C. ­- U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, delivered the following remarks today at the 2017 Munich Security Conference:  —  “Thank you, Ian, for that kind introduction.

A Medical Theory for Donald Trump's Bizarre Behavior  —  Many mental health professionals believe the president is ill. But what if the cause is an untreated STD?  —  Al Franken recently raised a provocative question about Donald Trump: Is he mentally ill?

Popular Domestic Programs Face Ax Under First Trump Budget  —  WASHINGTON — The White House budget office has drafted a hit list of programs that President Trump could eliminate to trim domestic spending, including longstanding conservative targets like the Corporation for Public Broadcasting …

Pope Francis: ‘Muslim Terrorism Does Not Exist’  —  In an impassioned address Friday, Pope Francis denied the existence of Islamic terrorism, while simultaneously asserting that “the ecological crisis is real.”  —  “Christian terrorism does not exist, Jewish terrorism does not exist, and Muslim terrorism does not exist.

Betsy DeVos being guarded by U.S. Marshals Service  —  The U.S. Marshals Service says it is providing security for Education Secretary Betsy DeVos after a handful of protesters prevented her from entering a D.C. middle school.  —  The move is unusual for the Education Department …

Coal is North Korea's largest export, and China just announced it won't buy any for the rest of 2017  —  China's Ministry of Commerce announced the ban without giving a reason, but China is thought to be deeply frustrated with North Korea over its recent missile test and the assassination of Kim Jong Un's half brother in Malaysia.

Eight people flee U.S. border patrol to seek asylum in Canada  —  ((This version of the Feb. 17 story corrects the headline and first paragraph to eight people from nine))  —  Eight asylum-seekers, including four children, barely made it across the Canadian border on Friday …

Although President Trump has stepped back from daily management of the Trump Organization, his businesses continue to expand, often in foreign countries.  —  On Saturday, Trump's sons Eric and Donald Jr. will be in the United Arab Emirates, helping cut the ribbon for the new Trump International Golf Club …

Trump ignores ‘the grown-ups’ in his Cabinet  —  President Donald Trump this week abruptly dropped the nation's commitment to a two-state solution for Middle East peace — without reviewing the specifics of his new strategy with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

Milo Yiannopoulos spars with Bill Maher, attacks female comics  —  Bill Maher and Milo Yiannopoulos had their controversial showdown on HBO's Real Time on Friday night, though there were fewer sparks than some had perhaps expected.  —  The liberal talk show host and conservative Breitbart editor tried …

Trump yells at CIA director over reports intel officials are keeping info from him  —  CBS News has learned that on Thursday, an angry President Trump called CIA Director Mike Pompeo and yelled at him for not pushing back hard enough against reports that the intelligence community was withholding information from the commander-in-chief.

President Trump, White House Apprentice  —  It's with a whiff of desperation that President Trump insists these days that he's the chief executive Washington needs, the decisive dealmaker who, as he said during the campaign, “alone can fix it.”  What America has seen so far is an inept White House led by a celebrity apprentice.

Mark Cuban takes apparent jab at Donald Trump with No. 46 jersey  —  NEW ORLEANS — Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban wore a No. 46 jersey in Friday night's NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, an apparent response to President Donald Trump's recent tweet that Cuban is “not smart enough to run for president.”

Source Says Dr. Ben Carson “Baffled” At Firing Of HUD Staffer  —  One of Carson's closest aides was fired from the agency after writings critical of Trump from October resurfaced.  —  WASHINGTON — Dr. Ben Carson was “baffled” and “speechless” that one of his most loyal aides was walked …

U.S. deports first Cubans since end of ‘wet foot, dry foot’  —  Two Cuban women who were deemed “inadmissible” for entry to the United States were placed on a morning flight to Havana on Friday, becoming the first to be deported since the Jan. 12 elimination of an immigration policy known as “wet foot, dry foot.”

Conservatives Object to Obamacare Replacement's Tax Credits  —  Refundable tax credit would help people buy insurance coverage  —  Debate underscores difficulty in agreeing on a new plan  —  Some conservative House Republicans are objecting to a major part of the Obamacare replacement outline presented …

AP: Trump admin considers using 100,000 National Guard troops for immigration raids  —  The Trump administration is considering a proposal to mobilize as many as 100,000 National Guard troops to round up unauthorized immigrants, including millions living nowhere near the Mexico border …