No fatalism allowed: Democrats can beat Trump with a progressive-centrist unity ticket
President Trump and President George W. Bush won the electoral vote during the election, but not the popular vote. How does the electoral college work? Just the FAQs, USA TODAY

Bloomberg needs to take down Sanders — immediately
In any political campaign, candidates need to know what they stand for, and who — or what –they’re up against. At this stage in the game for Bloomberg, that enemy is not Trump. It’s Sen. Bernie Sanders and the election calendar, writes Joe Lockhart.

An area sacred to indigenous groups is being destroyed for Trump’s border wall
Border wall construction in the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is threatening a burial ground and other sacred areas.

A Profile in Courage
Senator Mitt Romney’s decision to vote to convict President Donald Trump is an extraordinary act.

Senators’ handwritten notes offer a new view of President Trump’s impeachment trial
Seven senators shared with us some of their notes from the impeachment trial of Trump. What they provided offers a new glimpse of the proceedings.
Sleeping senators, snacks, shaking heads: What you can’t see on TV at Trump’s impeachment trial
Two key Republican senators criticized the slow pace of how the Democratic impeachment managers have been presenting their case, and they said they trusted American voters to decide President Donald Trump’s fate over the U.S. Senate. (Jan. 24) AP

Parnas releases extended audio from 2018 dinner with Trump
Donald Trump Jr. also appears to have been at the April 2018 dinner attended by the president.

Endangered Democrats sound the alarm on Bernie and Warren
Vulnerable House members are rallying behind Joe Biden, looking to head off a liberal nominee they fear would cost them reelection, sources told POLITICO.

Cory Booker ends 2020 presidential campaign
Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) has announced that he will end his campaign after failing to qualify for the Democratic debate planned in Iowa.


Bloomberg says he would support Sanders over Trump
In an interview with CBS News, Michael Bloomberg said he would support the Democratic candidate over President Trump — even if the nominee is Bernie Sanders. Watch the full interview with CBS News campaign reporter Tim Perry.

The Senate Republicans Who Could Still Turn Against Trump
A guide to the lawmakers who control the president’s impeachment fate
Dozens of Iranians and Iranian Americans report being detained at US border crossing
Los Angeles is home to a large Iranian population, earning the nickname, “Tehrangeles.” Community members give us their thoughts on the U.S. ordered strike that killed General Qasem Soleimani. Allison Zaucha, for USA TODAY
Nancy Pelosi says House will vote to limit Trump’s war powers on Iran as tensions grow
Members of the 290-seat Iranian parliament raise a fist and chant “death to America” to protest the death of Qasem Soleimani. USA TODAY

Julián Castro ends presidential campaign
Julián Castro has announced on Twitter that he has ended his 2020 presidential campaign. CNN’s MJ Lee reports.

A CBS News documentary:
CBS News takes viewers inside the real-life challenges facing migrant families split apart by the Trump administration’s “Zero Tolerance” policy. The documentary provides an immersive look at the hotly debated issue through the eyes of those impacted the most — the fathers, mothers, sons and daughte…

‘Game changer’: Top Democrats say bombshell report shows need for witnesses in Senate impeachment trial
The New York Times reported that top administration officials, including Mike Pompeo, John Bolton and Mark Esper, tried to get President Donald Trump to release Ukraine aid, and Democrats want the officials to testify before the Senate.


Rep. Connolly: Oversight “full steam” on other investigations into Trump
Democratic Congressman Gerry Connolly of Virginia discusses the next steps on impeachment and other investigations into the Trump administration with MSNBC’s David Gura.

Joe Biden says he would consider a Republican for his running mate
Joe Biden told voters in New Hampshire on Monday that he would consider choosing a Republican as a running mate, but added,

Pompeo to meet with Zelensky ahead of likely Senate impeachment trial
The politically sensitive meeting will take place during the first leg of a five-day, multi-country tour.

How Close Did Russia Really Come to Hacking the 2016 Election?
Government reports indicate a Florida election technology company was hacked in 2016. There’s plenty the public doesn’t know about the incident—but should—going into 2020.
Are Republicans Crazies or Cowards?
The evidence against Trump just keeps piling up, not that it matters.

‘He’s the linchpin’: Buttigieg blocking all roads to the nomination
Buttigieg’s ideology, profile and poll position in Iowa has spurred the rest of the Democratic field to take him on.

Opinion | Democrats have one bit of impeachment leverage left. And Pelosi should use it.
After Trump House impeachment vote, Nancy Pelosi and Democrats should delay sending the articles of impeachment to Senate Republicans

Appeals court says Obamacare individual mandate unconstitutional and sends law back to lower court
The Trump administration said the entire Affordable Care Act should be struck down, in a dramatic reversal.

CNN reporter: Rudy Giuliani made a stunning admission – CNN Video
In an interview with the New Yorker Rudy Giuilani said he

Pomp, circumstance and silence: How a Senate presidential impeachment trial works
It begins with dramatic flourishes and keeps senators from talking. A look at the likely Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump and how it would work.

Ilhan Omar says Republicans making
“I think it is the responsibility of the American people to hold these senators accountable,” the congresswoman from Minnesota said.

Democratic Rep. Jeff Van Drew, critic of Trump impeachment, to switch to GOP
Shortly after the House Judiciary Committee voted to approve two articles of impeachment against him, President Donald Trump called the proceedings a “scam” and a “hoax.” Still, he said impeachment is “very good for him politically.” (Dec. 13) AP
Stephen Colbert explains why Rudy Giuliani is in Ukraine
As articles of impeachment are written, shouldn’t everyone involved in scandal stay away from Kiev? Comics explain otherwise in Best of Late Night. Eileen Rivers, USA TODAY Opinion

McConnell to work in ‘total coordination’ with White House on impeachment trial
The committee met for just a few minutes after some 14 hours of bitter debate over the wording of the charges of “abuse of power” and “obstruction of Congress” on Thursday.
Trump: ‘I’ll do whatever I want’ during Senate impeachment trial
President Trump said Friday that he hasn’t decided whether to wage a long or short impeachment defense in the U.S. Senate, but either way, he expressed confidence in the outcome.

Mike Huckabee Argues Trump Is Eligible For Third Term Due To Dem ‘Attempts To Oust Him’
Former Republican Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said he will appear alongside Fox News host Sean Hannity Thursday night to “explain” how President Trump “will be eligible for a 3rd term.” Huckabee claimed Trump’s critics, including former FBI Director James Comey and Democrats in general, as well as t…

Fox News host delivers a scathing rebuke of Trump? Yes, it happened… again
If Trump had a problem with Chris Wallace before (he did), then he’s really not going to like his latest critique.

Trump shocks black voters — by trying to get their votes
The president’s reelection team knows he’s never going to win sizable African American support. But that’s not the point.

Mitch McConnell Brags About Blocking Obama For 2 Years, Then Laughs About It
The Senate majority leader boasted about stacking the courts with conservative judges under Trump.

Johnson checks Gaetz for bringing up Hunter Biden’s past substance abuse
After Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., brought up Hunter Biden’s past substance abuse problems, Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga. said “the pot calling the kettle black is not something we should do.”

Joe Biden denies he is mulling a one-term pledge if elected president
The former vice president and 2020 hopeful responded directly to a voter at a town hall who questioned his age, health and his son’s Ukraine connections.

Why Democrats sidelined Mueller in impeachment articles
The decision divided leadership and the rank and file — but the caucus ultimately felt it was the best move for political, legal and practical reasons.

DOJ watchdog Michael Horowitz testifies on his findings before Senate Judiciary Committee
President Donald Trump says the Inspector General report on the FBI’s Russia probe reveals an attempted government “overthrow”. AP Domestic

House Democrats Unveil Articles of Impeachment Against Trump
Democratic leaders announced they would move to charge President Trump with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress when the Judiciary Committee meets to consider articles of impeachment

Michelle Obama weighs in on President Trump impeachment hearings: ‘It’s surreal’
The former first lady talked politics during an interview with Jenna Bush Hager.

House passes Sewell’s bill to restore voting rights protections
On Friday, the House of Representatives passed Rep. Terri Sewell’s bill to restore voting protection and eliminate potential local and state voter suppression laws. The bill, H.R. 4 or the Voting Rights Advancement Act, had previously failed four times to pass the Republican-led house. The bill pas…

How Giuliani and Barr set out to defend Trump
One lawyer took the outside lane and embroiled his client in scandal. The other played a different game entirely.

Vice President Mike Pence dispels talk about being replaced as Trump’s running mate for 2020
Pence told Fox News that he was “not only confident” that he’d be on the 2020 ticket, but that he was also “confident that we’re going to win in 2020.”

Kamala Harris getting vice president buzz as Democrats worry over lack of diversity in White House race
Kamala Harris is getting major buzz as a possible vice presidential pick even as Democrats raised the alarm over a dramatic lack of diversity in the all-white top tier of their presidential primary contest.

Cory Booker ‘taken aback’ by Mike Bloomberg’s ‘well spoken’ comment
Mike Bloomberg apologized for calling fellow presidential candidate Cory Booker “well spoken” in a TV interview Friday, after the New Jersey senator said he was “taken aback”…
Trump asks Supreme Court to stop banks from disclosing his financial data
President Donald Trump, fighting to keep details of his finances secret, asked t…

David Jolly says Trump team is ‘corrupt,’ and Giuliani will ‘ultimately end up in jail’
On Rudy Giuliani’s recent trip to Ukraine, David Jolly says “They’re all corrupt. This whole Trump team is corrupt. That’s the bottom line. I think Rudy Giuliani ultimately ends up in jail for FARA violations or some other violation related to disclosure and receiving foreign money.”
House Ethics Committee tells indicted Rep. Duncan Hunter to ‘refrain from voting’
California Congressman Duncan Hunter has pleaded guilty to misusing campaign funds. The Republican from San Diego appeared Tuesday in federal court to enter his plea. (Dec. 3) AP

Why world leaders seemingly joking about Donald Trump will drive the President crazy
This video is drawing attention because it shows French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte talking about President Donald Trump during a NATO reception.