McConnell ready to start impeachment trial with partisan power play  —  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is moving forward on a set of impeachment trial rules without Democratic support.  —  The Kentucky Republican said Tuesday he has locked down sufficient backing in his 53-member caucus …

Anatomy of a Screw-Up: The Story Behind the Letter Withdrawing Our Troops  —  In a letter dated January 6, Brigadier Gen. William Seely III, the commanding general of Task Force Iraq, wrote to his Iraqi counterpart with big news: The United States military was preparing to leave Iraq.

Don't Tilt Scales Against Trump, Facebook Executive Warns  —  In an internal memo, Andrew Bosworth said he “desperately” wanted the president to lose.  But, he said, the company should avoid hurting Mr. Trump's campaign.  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Since the 2016 election, when Russian trolls …

Bloomberg and Trump Buy Super Bowl Ads at $10 Million Each  —  Michael R. Bloomberg's presidential campaign has secured 60 seconds' worth of advertising during the game on Feb. 2.  President Trump's re-election campaign announced it had done the same.  —  Michael R. Bloomberg's presidential campaign …

CNN settles lawsuit with Nick Sandmann  —  COVINGTON, Ky. (FOX19) - CNN agreed Tuesday to settle a lawsuit with Covington Catholic student Nick Sandmann.  —  The amount of the settlement was not made public during a hearing at the federal courthouse in Covington, Kentucky.

New incident at Mar-a-Lago under ‘criminal investigation’ by Secret Service  —  Palm Beach police say they are conducting an “open and active criminal investigation” at Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump's South Florida estate, following an unspecified incident Monday night.

Trump's Fox News Pals Are Picking New Iran Targets On-Air  —  Trump listened to Pete Hegseth on pardoning alleged and convicted war criminals.  Will he listen to the ‘Fox & Friends’ host and others when it comes to bombing Iran?  —  In the wake of the U.S. airstrike that took …

Elizabeth Wurtzel, ‘Prozac Nation’ Author, Is Dead at 52  —  Her startling 1994 memoir won praise for opening a dialogue about clinical depression and helped introduce an unsparing style of confessional writing that remains influential.  —  Elizabeth Wurtzel, whose startling 1994 memoir …

Prosecutors recommend Michael Flynn serve up to 6 months in prison  —  Federal prosecutors recommended in a sentencing memo Tuesday that President Trump's former national security adviser Michael Flynn receive a sentence of zero to six months in prison, arguing that he should not receive credit …

Trump Inaugural Committee Donor to Plead Guilty to Obstruction  — Zuberi back-dated check to donor, deleted emails, U.S. says  — Lawyer says Zuberi will plead guilty for a second time  —  A fundraiser for President Donald Trump will plead guilty to obstructing a federal investigation …

Ricky Gervais, Man of the People  —  In a room filled with self-absorbed narcissists, one brave, slightly less self-absorbed narcissist had the balls to speak truth to power—and his name is Ricky Gervais.  —  If courage had a face, it would be a slightly overweight, pasty British multi-millionaire drinking a pint.

Long-Shot GOP Candidate Joe Walsh on His New Book and His Secret Plan to Beat Trump  —  The last time we caught up with Joe Walsh, he had just announced his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, joining an anemic primary field that included only Bill Weld, whom you've perhaps never heard of.

Donald Trump Jr.'s rifle shows how obsessed the right still is with the Crusades  —  Over the weekend, Donald Trump Jr. picked up a rifle inscribed with medieval Christian iconography, a molded knight's helmet and a magazine picturing Hillary Clinton behind bars, and went shooting.

How to Talk to Your Kids About the Situation With Iran  —  On Jan. 3, the U.S. military carried out a drone attack in Iraq.  The attack killed Qasem Soleimani, a top military leader from Iran.  The action comes after increased tensions between the U.S. and Iran, and has fueled anxiety about what might happen as a result.

Rep. Duncan Hunter will resign from Congress on Jan. 13  —  Rep. Duncan D. Hunter will resign from Congress effective Jan. 13, two congressional aides with knowledge of the move said Tuesday, more than one month after the California Republican pleaded guilty in federal court to misusing campaign funds.

Fair or dangerous?  Days after ending cash bail, New York has second thoughts  —  “Bail reform is well meaning, but there are unintended consequences,” a prosecutor said.  —  On Jan. 1, a landmark New York law curtailing the use of cash bail went into effect, signaling a leap …

6.4 quake strikes Puerto Rico, killing at least 1 amid heavy seismic activity  —  “We've never been exposed to this kind of emergency in 102 years,"said the governor as the island grapples with ongoing aftershocks and assesses the damage.  —  A 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck Puerto Rico early Tuesday …

Russian trolls are targeting American veterans, and Trump's government isn't helping, group says  —  The Trump administration has for nearly two years ignored mounting evidence that Russian operatives and other foreign actors were deliberately targeting U.S. troops and veterans …

Ivanka Trump's CES keynote address sparks backlash  —  Some critics say there are women with more technical experience who are better qualified to speak at the annual technology conference  —  LAS VEGAS — Ivanka Trump may face an icy reception today at one of the world's largest technology conferences …

Mysterious repeating fast radio burst traced to nearby galaxy  —  (CNN)Astronomers have traced the signal of an enigmatic repeating fast radio burst for only the second time — and it's in a spiral galaxy similar to our own, not so far away.  —  Fast radio bursts, or FRBs, are millisecond-long bursts of radio waves in space.

Trump Is The Most Unpopular President Since Ford To Run For Reelection  —  Now that the 2020 election has gone from “next year” to “this year,” it's worth taking a step back and asking a question that we first posed in early 2017: How popular is Donald Trump?

Trump, Iran and Where ‘The Forever War’ Was Always Headed  —  Trump says he hates endless wars, but the Soleimani hit writ large shows why he hasn't ended them.  He's the ultimate expression of impulses that have consumed the U.S. since 9/11.  —  It took less than 48 hours …