Swamp News: AT&T confirmed that it paid President Trump’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen $600,000 through 2017 to act as a consultant. The company said in an email to its employees earlier this week that it had retained Cohen in 2017 …

Outbreak: With states establishing what amounts to a patchwork quilt of regulations to deal with the Ebola virus, the federal government has established new guidelines. Medical workers exposed to Ebola, or people who’ve had contact with patients in West Africa, …

The Big Melt: All that snow and ice that crippled the East Coast from Atlanta to Boston is melting today. Atlanta, 43, Washington, 40, NYC, 36. But a new storm is moving in over the weekend. The Deal: Comcast is …

Nation: The State department issued a report yesterday that could clear the way for President Obama to approve the Keystone XL oil pipeline from Alberta to the Gulf. The chief objection to the pipeline is that it will encourage the …

Pyongyang Purge: The formerly powerful uncle of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un was executed immediately after he was found guilty of plotting against the government, according to the country’s state news agency. Chang Song-thaek was physically removed from a Communist …

It Happened Last Night: Major portions of the federal government are shutting down this morning, but the website Healthcare.gov is up and running. About 800,000 federal workers are being sent off on furlough, although the president signed a bill to …

 World: The European Union voted to lift its arms embargo to Syrian rebels, although there is no immediate move to actually ship weapons. Individual governments will have to decide what they do. Meanwhile, US Sen. John McCain, who has been …