Dozens at White House lack permanent security clearances … Dozens of White House employees are awaiting permanent security clearances and have been working for months with temporary approvals to handle sensitive information while the FBI continues to probe their backgrounds, according to U.S. officials.

The dumbest shutdown ever  —  Rand Paul and Nancy Pelosi have virtually nothing in common.  But on Thursday night, the conservative Kentucky firebrand and San Francisco Democratic leader teamed up to push Washington into what Capitol Hill dwellers are calling the dumbest shutdown fight ever.

Democratic Sen. Mark Warner texted with Russian oligarch lobbyist in effort to contact dossier author Christopher Steele  —  EXCLUSIVE - Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee who has been leading a congressional investigation into President Trump's alleged ties to Russia …

Devin Nunes is investigating me.  Here's the truth.  —  Jonathan M. Winer, a Washington lawyer and consultant, is a former U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for international law enforcement and former special envoy for Libya.  —  House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes …

Breaking with tradition, Trump skips president's written intelligence report and relies on oral briefings … For much of the past year, President Trump has declined to participate in a practice followed by the past seven of his predecessors: He rarely if ever reads the President's Daily Brief …

Has Anyone Seen the President?  —  Michael Lewis goes to Washington in search of Trump and winds up watching the State of the Union with Steve Bannon.  —  Back when he was president, Barack Obama told me that only two people treated any interaction with him as a zero-sum game.

Sen. Tim Kaine demands release of secret Trump war powers memo  —  WASHINGTON — Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine is demanding the release of a secret memo outlining President Trump's interpretation of his legal authority to wage war.  —  Kaine, a member of the Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees …

Pence bashes North Korea's military parade, endorses Trump's parade  —  Vice President Mike Pence engaged in a game of parade one-upmanship on Friday as he spoke to reporters in South Korea ahead of the opening ceremonies for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

California police worked with neo-Nazis to pursue ‘anti-racist’ activists, documents show  —  Officers expressed sympathy with white supremacists and sought their help to target counter protesters after a violent 2016 rally, according to court documents

Jill Messick's Family Issues Blistering Statement on Harvey Weinstein and Rose McGowan  —  “Seeing her name in headlines again and again, as part of one person's attempt to gain more attention for her personal cause, along with Harvey's desperate attempt to vindicate himself, was devastating for her,” the family said.

The Michigan town where only Christians are allowed to buy houses  —  Bay View is for many an idyllic community - but a lawsuit will test its rule that only practicing Christians can own property … Tucked away in Michigan's Lower Peninsula, somewhere along the winding roads that hug Great Lakes shores …

Amazon to Launch Delivery Service That Would Vie With FedEx, UPS  —  The company is preparing to begin the offering in Los Angeles with its ‘third-party merchants’ and then roll it out more broadly  —  Amazon.com Inc. AMZN -4.68% is preparing to launch a delivery service for businesses …

100 people die in Germany each year due to risky sex practices  —  DPA/The Local  —  Across the Bundesrepublik, 80-100 people accidentally die each year due to risky masturbation practices where a lack of oxygen in the search for sexual satisfaction is the most common reason for death.