New witnesses unlikely, Trump impeachment trial could end quickly: GOP sources  —  The Senate trial could be over by the weekend if Republicans have the votes.  —  LIVE NOW  —  Senators return at 1 p.m. Thursday for a second day of questions to House managers and President Donald Trump's legal team …

New recording shows access Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman had to Trump at Mar-a-Lago donor event  —  Ten days before Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman dined with President Trump at his Washington hotel, they were part of a small group of Republican Party donors who met with the president at Mar-a-Lago, his Florida estate, a new recording shows.

GOP senators know Trump's defense is based on lies.  Here's proof.  —  As President Trump's trial hurtles toward a vote on new witnesses, his lawyers have based his defense in part on the notion that Trump's demand that Ukraine investigate the Bidens was legitimate.

Bernie Sanders praised George Wallace as ‘sensitive’ in 1972  —  Seven years after Martin Luther King, Jr. referred to George Wallace as “perhaps the most dangerous racist in America today,” a young Bernie Sanders praised the segregationist Alabama governor.

AP Exclusive: Woman who says Trump raped her seeks his DNA  —  NEW YORK — Lawyers for a woman who accuses President Donald Trump of raping her in the 1990s are asking for a DNA sample, seeking to determine whether his genetic material is on a dress she says she wore during the encounter.

Trump administration has yet to reveal details of Jared Kushner's secretive 2017 meeting in China  — In late 2017, CNBC filed a Freedom of Information Act request for details about Jared Kushner's secretive meeting in China during President Trump's visit to the country.

George … Mike Bloomberg 2020's ad airing during Super Bowl LIV highlights the urgent need to prevent gun violence in America and why Mike is the candidate to get it done.  —  As an entrepreneur, mayor, and problem-solving philanthropist, Mike has taken on the toughest challenges and gotten big things done.

How Trump's impeachment created two Democratic superstars  —  The House Democratic Caucus has long been dominated by a gaggle of also-rans: men and women who, while good enough for Congress, proved to be underwhelming on the larger stage of national politics.  —  That's changed.

The Atlantic made Rahm Emanuel a contributing editor.  Then, suddenly, he wasn't.  —  Last May, the Atlantic announced that Rahm Emanuel, who'd just left his post as Chicago mayor, would be joining the magazine as a contributing editor.  “The Atlantic will be the primary home for Emanuel's writing …

Trump's border wall, vulnerable to flash floods, needs large storm gates left open for months  —  NACO, Ariz. — President Trump's border wall likely will require the installation of hundreds of storm gates to prevent flash floods from undermining or knocking it over, gates that must be left open …

Leaked memo shows US border officers were directed to stop Iran-linked travelers  —  (CNN)An internal Customs and Border Protection memo obtained by CNN suggests that US border officers working at Canadian ports of entry were directed to detain and question travelers of Iranian descent …

Read The Question About Eric Ciaramella That Chief Justice John Roberts Just Refused To Read  —  During the Senate impeachment trial Thursday, Chief Justice John Roberts declined to read a question submitted by Sen. Rand Paul which included the name of Eric Ciaramella, the man RealClear Investigations …

Coronavirus Live Updates: W.H.O. Declares a Global Health Emergency  —  The World Health Organization has declared the epidemic an international public health emergency.  Chinese officials say 170 people have died.  —  RIGHT NOW The infected U.S. patient is the husband of a woman who returned from Wuhan, China.

Coronavirus could mean more U.S. jobs.  Wilbur Ross goes there.  —  “I think it will help to accelerate the return of jobs to North America,” Trump's commerce secretary said.  —  Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said Thursday that the coronavirus outbreak in China could lead businesses …

Facebook closes down 6%, wiping out more than $30 billion in market value  — Facebook stock closed Thursday down 6.1% after it reported fourth-quarter earnings Wednesday evening.  — The drop erased more than $30 billion from the social media giant's market cap.

‘High Maintenance’ and the New TV Fantasy of New York  —  It was probably during the fourth episode of the second season of HBO's “High Maintenance” when I finally noticed what it was up to.  The show follows a weed dealer known only as The Guy while he bikes around Brooklyn …

Burr backs Trump lawyer claim on foreign dirt  —  Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr (R-N.C.) said on Thursday he has “no problem” with a White House lawyer's argument that American politicians can accept damaging information on their opponents from a foreign country.

Bernie Sanders Is Still Sad About the Dodgers  —  And he knows how to nurse a grudge.  —  BURLINGTON, Iowa — The role was not an artistic stretch.  —  “My name is Rabbi Manny Shevitz,” Bernie Sanders began, acting in a little-seen 1999 comedy called “My X-Girlfriend's Wedding Reception.”

AP Exclusive: Barr names new U.S. attorney in DC  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General William Barr on Thursday named Timothy Shea, one of his closest advisers, to be the next top prosecutor in the nation's capital.  —  Shea will lead the largest United States attorney's office in the country …