In the Middle of His Official Business, Trump Took the Time to Send Checks to Michael Cohen  —  WASHINGTON — On a busy day at the White House, President Trump hosted senators to talk about tax cuts, accused a Democratic congresswoman of distorting his condolence call to a soldier's widow …

Trump promised to shrink the trade deficit.  Instead it exploded.  —  BREAKING NEWS: U.S. posted record-breaking $891.2 billion merchandise trade deficit in 2018, despite Trump's ‘America First’ policies  —  President Trump's tariffs and tough policies have failed to shrink a trade gap …

Payments to corporation owned by Ocasio-Cortez aide come under scrutiny  —  Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.)'s chief of staff helped establish two political action committees that paid a corporation he ran more than $1 million in 2016 and 2017, federal campaign finance records show.

‘I think you mean that, too’: Trump's aides struggle to defend, explain his foreign policy statements  —  Secretary of State Mike Pompeo grew testy in a recent newspaper interview when asked to explain why President Trump would take North Korean leader Kim Jong Un “at his word” …

The Mueller report no one's talking about  —  Most people don't know it, but there's another Mueller report coming.  —  Around the same time the special counsel sends his Russia investigation findings to the Justice Department, Attorney General William Barr must give Congress an account …

Charges dropped against Aaron Schock  —  Andy Kravetz of the Journal Star @andykravetz  —  CHICAGO — After four years, legal twists and turns that rise to the level of either high comedy or incredible drama, the public corruption case of former U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock is over.

60 false claims in 2 hours: Trump's CPAC speech was by far his most-dishonest single event as president  —  WASHINGTON—Donald Trump made 60 false claims in his speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference on Saturday, shattering his old record for false claims in a single speech.

Trump in trouble in Florida poll  —  Donald Trump is in trouble in Florida, a state that's crucial to his reelection hopes.  —  Just 40 percent of Florida voters said they believed the president should be reelected, while 53 percent were opposed to a second term, according to a new Bendixen & Amandi International poll.

Democrats Plan to Grill Kirstjen Nielsen on Perjury Allegations  —  According to staffers, Nielsen should expect harsh questioning on child deaths in detention, Trump's emergency declaration, and the veracity of her own past statements to Congress.  —  Scott Bixby

Americans, but Not Liberal Democrats, Mostly Pro-Israel  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — The majority of Americans remain partial toward Israel in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with 59% saying they sympathize more with the Israelis whereas 21% sympathize more with the Palestinians.

McConnell preps new nuclear option to speed Trump judges  —  President Donald Trump's stream of judges is about to become a torrent.  —  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his GOP caucus have long prioritized confirming conservative judges to lifetime appointments.

Trump Fussed Over Tablecloths and Rockettes for the Inauguration  —  It was Christmas Day 2016, and President-elect Donald Trump had the Rockettes on his mind.  —  A few days earlier, James Dolan, chief executive officer of Madison Square Garden, had announced that the famous New York dance troupe …

American and British bombs killed more than 200 Yemeni civilians, report says  —  CAIRO — American- and British-made bombs may have killed or injured nearly 1,000 civilians, including women and children, in Yemen's four-year-old conflict, according to a report released Wednesday by human rights groups.

Prominent Democratic super PAC says Ohio isn't a top priority in 2020  —  CLEVELAND, Ohio - One of the most prominent Democratic super PACs in the country does not have Ohio high on its list of targets for the 2020 presidential election, further eroding the state's status as a presidential battleground.

Biden nabs big-name Latino operative in latest sign he's running  —  In the latest sign that Joe Biden will run for president, his team has brought on Cristóbal Alex, the head of the influential Latino Victory Fund, according to a source familiar with the move.

R. Kelly breaks his silence on sexual abuse claims: “I have been assassinated”  —  In an explosive interview, R. Kelly is breaking his silence about the sexual abuse charges that landed him in jail last month.  The embattled R&B singer spoke with “CBS This Morning” co-host Gayle King for nearly 80 minutes Tuesday.