Virginia Sen. Tommy Norment was an editor for VMI yearbook filled with racist photos and slurs  —  Blackface and Confederate flag images are seen from the 1968 edition of Bomb: Virginia Military Institute's yearbook.  —  Virginia Senator Thomas K. Norment arrives on the floor of the Senate chamber on Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019.

Trump furious after Schiff hires former NSC aides to help oversee his administration  —  Washington (CNN)House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff has hired officials with experience at the National Security Council to help with its oversight of President Donald Trump's administration, according to a committee aide.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Releases Green New Deal Outline  —  Whether it's a deadly cold snap or a hole in an Antarctic glacier or a terrifying new report, there seem to be constant reminders now of the dangers that climate change poses to humanity.  —  Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez …

Whitaker says he won't testify unless Democrats drop their subpoena threat  —  Acting attorney general Matthew G. Whitaker said he will not appear before Congress Friday without assurances he won't be subpoenaed — giving Democrats a deadline of 6 p.m. Thursday to respond.

Transcript of closed-door Manafort hearing  —  A federal court released a partial transcript from Paul Manafort's four-and-a-half hour sealed court hearing held on Monday.

Former Fox News reporter expected to be named to lead counter-propaganda efforts at State  —  (CNN)A former Fox News reporter is expected to be appointed to lead the State Department agency in charge of efforts to counter foreign propaganda and disinformation, two officials told CNN.

No thank you, Mr. Pecker  —  Something unusual happened to me yesterday.  Actually, for me it wasn't just unusual—it was a first.  I was made an offer I couldn't refuse.  Or at least that's what the top people at the National Enquirer thought.  I'm glad they thought that, because it emboldened them to put it all in writing.

The Mueller investigation has sprouted.  Therein lies the jeopardy for Trump.  —  It's not the crime; it's the offspring of the crime.  —  If the old Watergate expression is “It's not the crime; it's the coverup,” then today's equivalent might be “It's not the crime; it's the crime's offspring.”

Virginia Police Sergeant Suspended After Antifa Ties Him to White Nationalism  —  A police sergeant in Virginia who was assigned to monitor the protests related to Gov. Ralph Northam was suspended Wednesday after being identified by an anti-fascist group as having an “affinity with white nationalist groups.”

BREAKING: U.S. Rep. Rob Woodall will not seek re-election  —  U.S. Rep. Rob Woodall, who narrowly won the closest congressional race in the nation last fall, will not seek re-election next year, all but ensuring his rapidly-diversifying suburban House district will become one of the country's fiercest political battlegrounds in 2020.

Democratic focus groups may have identified a hidden vulnerability for Trump  —  This is the week that the broad outlines of President Trump's reelection strategy are coming into focus.  Trump will continue pushing forward with his reactionary xenophobic nationalist agenda on immigration …

Phoenix Police Refute Cindy McCain's Story of Human Trafficking at Airport  —  Phoenix police on Wednesday disputed Cindy McCain's account of human trafficking at an Arizona airport.  McCain had told local news station KTAR on Monday that she intervened at Sky Harbor International Airport …

A Florida politician allegedly made a habit of licking men's faces.  She's now resigned.  —  It was supposed to be a fun, lighthearted alternative to typical government meetings, and one befitting a laid-back beach town.  The city commission of Madeira Beach, Fla. — a coastal community …

Richard Burr on the Senate Intelligence Committee's Russia investigation, 2 years on  —  The investigation into Russian intelligence activities by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence turned two years old, without fanfare, last month.  —  For almost as long, the inquiry …

U.S. Military Sets April Target Date for Leaving Syria  —  The U.S. military is preparing to pull all American forces out of Syria by the end of April, even though the Trump administration has yet to come up with a plan to protect its Kurdish partners from attack when they leave, current and former U.S. officials said.

A Swamp Divided: How Trump's Arrival Turned D.C. Nightlife Upside Down  —  “Trump doesn't need to build a wall; he's built one here.”  —  Washington is one of the only places in America where an election transforms the city's social life.  Plenty of people live here with no regard …

Trump's Popularity Slumps to Record Low in January  —  (Photo by Jim Lo Scalzo-Pool/Getty Images)  — A majority of voters in 12 states approved of Trump's job performance, while a majority disapproved in 27 states.  — Trump's best numbers came in Wyoming and West Virginia …

Blackface is a tool of white oppression.  There are many more towering over us.  —  James Comey is a former director of the FBI and a former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York.  —  White people designed blackface to keep black people down, to intimidate, mock and stereotype.

Trump Is Walling Off the GOP  —  The most misleading line in Donald Trump's State of the Union address this week might have also been the most revealing about how he is reconfiguring the Republican Party and reshaping America's electoral alignment.  —  “Legal immigrants enrich our nation …

Surveillance video from the January 25 FBI raid exclusively to Sinclair Broadcast Group (CBS12 WPEC)  —  FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (Sinclair Broadcast Group) — With heavy guns drawn and approaching before sunrise, a swarm of FBI agents swiftly advanced at the home of Roger Stone in late January.

Democratic group to spend $30M on voting rights effort  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — With the 2020 presidential election on the horizon, one of the largest outside Democratic groups announced on Thursday a $30 million effort to register voters, push ballot measures that expand voter rights …

‘I was up all night’ going through plagiarism claims, Jill Abramson says  —  Former New York Times executive editor Jill Abramson responded Thursday to allegations that she plagiarized portions of her new book, “Merchants of Truth: The Business of News and the Fight for Facts,” …

Kushner to visit Mideast for peace plan push  —  Jared Kushner will crisscross the Middle East later this month seeking buy-in for his peace plan from leaders throughout the region.  —  During the trip, the president's son-in-law will for the first time share significant details …

Liam Neeson Can't Be Racist Because of How He Kisses, Says Michelle Rodriguez  —  “Dude, have you watched Widows?  His tongue was so far down Viola Davis's throat,” Neeson's onetime co-star said.  —  Michelle Rodriguez is certain that her Widows co-star Liam Neeson is not a racist.

New York's Grand Hyatt Hotel to Be Torn Down  —  A development group will demolish the glass-sheathed hotel by Grand Central Terminal that was Donald Trump's first major Manhattan project, and replace it with a mixed-use tower.

Who Wants to Be a Billionaire?  —  Howard Schultz has a point: They don't deserve all the blame for America's wealth inequality.  —  I have found that when somebody or something is remorselessly mocked in my Twitter feed, there is usually something to be said in their defense.