DNC penalizes Sanders campaign for improper access of Clinton voter data  —  Officials with the Democratic National Committee have accused the presidential campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders of improperly accessing confidential voter information gathered by the rival campaign of Hillary Clinton, according to several party officials.

Donald Trump left Joe Scarborough stunned after being asked about Vladimir Putin killing journalists  —  During a Friday-morning interview with Donald Trump, MSNBC host Joe Scarborough was baffled by the Republican front-runner's embrace of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Hagel: The White House Tried to ‘Destroy’ Me  —  In an exclusive interview, Chuck Hagel said the Obama administration micromanaged the Pentagon, stabbed him in the back on the way out — and still has no strategy for fixing Syria.  —  Jet-lagged from a long overseas trip …

Augusta County schools closed Friday after parental outrage over Arabic assignment  —  AUGUSTA COUNTY, Va. — Augusta County schools and all administrative offices are closing Friday December 18, after parental objections to a controversial high school geography assignment involving Arabic.

Rubio misses spending bill vote  —  Sen. Marco Rubio missed Friday's Senate vote approving a massive $1.8 trillion end-of-the-year spending bill and tax package — a day after he suggested that he could try to slow the legislation down.  —  The Florida Republican, who is running for president …

NY Times Stealth-Edits Article to Remove Embarrassing Obama Admission  —  If you read The New York Times' story on President Barack Obama's private meeting with news columnists Friday morning, you may have caught one quote that made the President look particularly bad:

Congress Passes $1 Trillion Spending Measure  —  WASHINGTON — Congress on Friday morning overwhelmingly gave final approval to a sweeping, year-end fiscal package that includes a $1.15 trillion spending measure as well as $620 billion in tax breaks for businesses and low-income workers.

Progressive PR Firm Closes Down Over Sexual Harassment And Assault Allegations  —  The group represented some of the biggest progressive organizations.  —  WASHINGTON — FitzGibbon Media, a prominent progressive public relations firm, abruptly shut down on Thursday amid allegations …

New York pizza parlor owner admits to recruiting for ISIS  —  The owner of a Rochester, N.Y., pizza parlor pleaded guilty on Thursday to trying to recruit people to join Islamic extremists in the Middle East.  —  The man, 31-year-old Mufid Elfgeeh, used the Internet to find potential supporters …

An Open Letter to Reuters Reporters Nate Raymond and David Ingram  —  Dear Mr. Raymond and Mr. Ingram:  —  Today you reported on the arrest of the widely-hated Martin Shkreli on securities fraud charges.  You ran a picture of the “perp walk” — the once-free now-defendant being led away in handcuffs by law enforcement:

Rahm Emanuel Must Resign  —  From Laquan McDonald to Homan Square, Rahm has tacitly endorsed police violence.  —  By  —  In the coming months, a jury will consider the fate of Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke, who has been charged with first-degree murder for shooting 17-year-old Laquan McDonald 16 times at close range.