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.

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.

In contrast with Trump legal team, Justice Department lawyer says House can impeach over defied subpoenas  —  Five memorable exchanges from Wednesday's trial  —  Washington (CNN)A Justice Department lawyer said Thursday in federal court that the House can impeach a president over ignored subpoenas …

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.

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 …

John Roberts refuses Rand Paul's whistleblower question  —  Chief Justice John Roberts refused on Thursday to read aloud a question from Sen. Rand Paul that identified an alleged whistleblower who first raised concerns with investigators that President Donald Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate his political rivals.

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.

Document shows Bernie Sanders's team preparing dozens of potential executive orders  —  Rising in the polls ahead of the Iowa caucuses, the presidential candidate considers spelling out how he could go around Congress if elected president  —  Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) …

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 …

Democrats Never Found Their Hero  —  As the final sliver of daylight faded over the Capitol dome last night, it was clear that Democrats' long, frustrated quest for a deus to save them from Donald Trump would produce no machina after all.  Instead, there was only Representative Adam Schiff …

Pence aide who testified in impeachment inquiry to leave VP's office  —  A national security aide to Vice President Mike Pence and key witness in the House's impeachment of President Donald Trump will be leaving her post in the vice president's office early to join Central Command, according to two people with knowledge of her plans.

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.

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.

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 …

‘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 …

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 …

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.

Exclusive: FBI probes use of Israeli firm's spyware in personal and government hacks - sources  —  (Reuters) - The FBI is investigating the role of Israeli spyware vendor NSO Group Technologies in possible hacks on American residents and companies as well as suspected intelligence gathering on governments …

Coronavirus misinformation surges, fueled by clout chasers  —  Misleading, unverified and clearly false information about the coronavirus has spread across social media platforms with a mix of fearmongering and racial stereotyping.  —  Misleading, unverified and clearly false information …

Outrage over offending red America highlights a major double standard in media  —  Right-wing media clutch pearls after a Republican strategist mocked Trump supporters on TV.  But when Trump attacks millions of Americans, they and mainstream journalists simply accept it as normal.

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.”

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 …