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CIA slams CNN's 'misguided' and 'simply false' reporting on alleged spy's extraction from Kremlin

The Central Intelligence Agency on Monday evening slammed what it called CNN's "misguided" and "simply false" reporting, after the cable channel's chief national security correspondent authored a hole-filled piece claiming that the CIA had pulled a high-level spy out of Russia because President Trump had "repeatedly mishandled classified intelligence and could contribute to exposing the covert source as a spy." The extraordinary CIA rebuke came as the New York Times published a bombshell piece late in the evening, which largely contradicted CNN's reporting. According to the Times, CIA officials "made the arduous decision in late 2016 to offer to extract the source from Russia" -- weeks before Trump even took office. Click here to read more about our top story.

Trump blasts 'America-hating left,' 'disloyal' Democratic House candidate at rally ahead of key North Carolina special election

President Trump on Monday urged voters to "take the first steps" toward "winning back the House in 2020" ahead of Tuesday's closely watched special election. Voters will decide whether Republican Dan Bishop or Democrat Dan McCready will hold a long-vacant House seat. At a rally in Fayetteville, N.C., on Monday night, Trump indicated that he saw the election as a way of setting the tone for 2020. "To stop the far-left, you must vote in tomorrow's special election," Trump told attendees, before slamming Democratic candidate McCready. The president said a vote for any Democrat in 2020 is "a vote for the rise of radical socialism and the destruction of the American dream."

North Korea fires two projectiles after offering to restart nuke talks with US

North Korea fired two unidentified projectiles into the East Sea on Tuesday, South Korea military officials said, hours after the hermit kingdom offered to restart denuclearization talks with the United States. "Our military is observing the situation and maintaining readiness," South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. The White House has not commented on reports of Tuesday's launching, which is the 10th such launch since May.

New questions raised about the FBI's investigation of Michael Flynn

Then-Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe told the White House in early February 2017 that the bureau was not considering Michael Flynn, the national security adviser at the time, for a potential Logan Act prosecution over conversations with the Russian ambassador before Donald Trump was sworn in as president, government records reviewed by Fox News indicate. McCabe was referring to the rarely prosecuted 200-year-old statute that bars American citizens from engaging with a foreign government without authorization from the current U.S. government. The records also indicate that before his firing, Flynn reported, on two separate occasions, that FBI agents told him the bureau investigation was over or being closed out.

Both incidents raise questions over the underlying offense that formed the basis for the initial FBI and DOJ investigation into Flynn. The revelations come as Flynn is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday for a status conference on his case.

Alien civilizations may have explored the Milky Way and visited Earth already: new study

Our Milky Way galaxy could be filled with alien civilizations, a new study claims, but we don't know because they haven't stopped by Earth for a visit in millions of years. According to a study published last month in The Astronomical Journal, extraterrestrial life might be taking its time to fully explore the galaxy, even using the movement of star systems to make this type of journey easier.

The scientists' work is the latest response to what's known as the Fermi paradox, which wonders why we have yet to detect signs of alien life. Click here to read more.

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TODAY'S MUST-READS

Sarah Palin and husband, Todd, apparently getting a divorce, court papers indicate.

CBP leader insists border agency did not violate law over migrant detainee DNA.

Soros calls Trump’s China policy his ‘greatest’ foreign policy achievement, warns on Huawei.

Scientists uncover new evidence of the asteroid that killed off the dinosaurs.

MINDING YOUR BUSINESS

Taxes on some Gold Star family benefits skyrocket.

Las Vegas non-gaming hotel to target health-minded crowd.

Some state DMVs made millions selling drivers' personal data for next to nothing.

#TheFlashback: CLICK HERE to find out what happened on "This Day in History."

SOME PARTING WORDS

Laura Ingraham believes the Democratic agenda indicates that the party does not want Americans to be happy. "The more money you have in your pocket to spend, the more freedom you have to just live the life you want to live, the unhappier they seem to get," she said during her monologue on "The Ingraham Angle."

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Fox News First is compiled by Fox News' Bryan Robinson. Thank you for joining us! Enjoy your day! We'll see you in your inbox first thing on Wednesday morning.