Kushner's Business Got Loans from Companies After White House Meetings  —  Apollo, the private equity firm, and Citigroup made large loans last year to the family real estate business of Jared Kushner, President Trump's senior adviser.  —  Early last year, a private equity billionaire started paying regular visits to the White House.

Senate Intelligence Leaders Say House G.O.P. Leaked a Senator's Texts  —  WASHINGTON — The Senate Intelligence Committee has concluded that Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee were behind the leak of private text messages between the Senate panel's top Democrat and a Russian-connected lawyer …

Hope Hicks' “white lies” testimony becomes a flashpoint for House Intel Committee  —  In a rare, on-the-record accounting of some of the House Intelligence committee's secret, closed-door proceedings, two members of the House Intelligence Committee explained to CBS News what led White House …

See HUD's $31,000 mahogany dining set  —  Washington (CNN)A $31,000 dining set the Department of Housing and Urban Development purchased, which raised eyebrows when first reported Tuesday, includes a table, sideboard, breakfront — all in mahogany — and 10 mahogany chairs with a blue velvet finish …

Putin threatens US arms race with new missiles declaration  —  President says Russia has new line of nuclear-capable weapons that can breach US defences … Vladimir Putin has announced that Russia has developed and is testing a new line of strategic, nuclear-capable weapons that would be able …

Questions linger about how Melania Trump, a Slovenian model, scored ‘the Einstein visa’  —  In 2000, Melania Knauss, a Slovenian model dating Donald Trump, began petitioning the government for the right to permanently reside in the United States under a program reserved for people with “extraordinary ability.”

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen charged over IS photos  —  PARIS (AP) — French prosecutors filed preliminary charges Thursday against far-right leader Marine Le Pen for tweeting brutal images of Islamic State violence, in a new blow to a woman long seen as the face of Europe's anti-immigrant populism.

Trump Says He'll Impose Tariffs on Steel and Aluminum Imports  —  President Donald Trump, in a meeting at the White House with company leaders, said Thursday he will impose tariffs on imported steel and aluminum—10% for aluminum, 25% for steel—and will sign the measure next week.

U.S. Ambassador to Mexico to Quit Amid Tense Relations Under Trump  —  MEXICO CITY — The United States ambassador to Mexico plans to resign from her post in May, according to a memo circulated on Thursday to embassy staff, the latest in a string of senior diplomatic departures from the region …

AP-NORC Poll: Most Americans say Trump is racist  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — More than half of Americans, including large majorities of blacks and Hispanics, think President Donald Trump is a racist.  More than half think his policies have made things worse for Hispanics and Muslims …

D.C. Public Schools graduation rate on track to decline this year … Fewer high school seniors in the District are expected to receive a diploma in June than the year before, a sharp reversal for a school system that had celebrated a 20-point increase in its graduate rate since 2011.

Walmart Statement on Firearms Policy  —  In light of recent events, we've taken an opportunity to review our policy on firearm sales.  Going forward, we are raising the age restriction for purchase of firearms and ammunition to 21 years of age.  We will update our processes as quickly as possible to implement this change.

Shelby says he'd leave Trump if he were Sessions: 'I wouldn't be anybody's whipping boy'  —  U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., said Wednesday he would not stick around and be President Trump's “whipping boy” if he was in the position of his former colleague, Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

Fights Worth Having  —  For my money, the best op-ed published in The Times this week was Mona Charen's Feb. 25 barn-burner, “I'm Glad I Got Booed at CPAC.”  Charen is a movement conservative who worked for Nancy and Ronald Reagan and is a longtime contributor to National Review.

The Trump Official Who Blocked Undocumented Teens From Getting Abortions Said He Doesn't Believe They Have The Constitutional Right To The Procedure  —  Scott Lloyd, the head of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, is a central figure in several lawsuits over the Trump administration blocking …

Voters vow to elect a Congress that stands up to Trump, poll shows  —  WASHINGTON — Americans are mad, and that is putting Republicans at risk.  —  A new USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll finds voters looking toward the midterm elections are overwhelmingly unhappy with the country's direction …

Some NBA teams played ‘negro national anthem’ at games  —  WASHINGTON (AP) - Several NBA teams have played what is known as the “negro national anthem” at games during Black History Month thanks in part to the urging of a retired Howard University professor.

First on CNN: Planned Parenthood to target 8 states, spend $20 million as part of midterm battle plan  —  Pro-choice activist: White women can do better  —  Washington (CNN)Planned Parenthood's political arm is targeting eight states with competitive Senate and governor's races in its largest-ever midterm election campaign.

Trump's corruption deserves to be a central issue in the 2018 midterms  —  Democrats need to shine a spotlight on conflicts of interest.  —  Democrats are still licking their wounds from the presidential election, afraid to return to a strategy that many believe cost Hillary Clinton the White House …

CNN vs. Fox: Why these two cable networks can't stop talking about each other … When a young survivor of the Parkland, Fla., school shooting accused CNN of trying to “script” his questions for its town-hall-style telecast last week, Fox News's opinionated hosts Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham jumped on the story.

Hundreds gather at church for blessing ceremony featuring AR-15s  —  NEWFOUNDLAND, Pa. — Hundreds of crown-wearing worshipers clutching AR-15 rifles drank holy wine and exchanged or renewed wedding vows in a commitment ceremony at a Pennsylvania church on Wednesday, prompting a nearby school to cancel classes.