Why Republicans took aim at an ethics watchdog  —  The failed attempt by Republicans to rein in an independent ethics office was the culmination of years of mounting frustration on Capitol Hill.  —  While House Republicans backed down Tuesday from their effort to tighten oversight of the Office …

Schumer adopts Trump slogan: GOP wants to ‘Make America sick again’  —  It's a world where health insurance companies are jacking up rates, Americans are losing benefits and illness is racking the nation.  —  This is the apocalyptic picture of America offered by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer …

Congressman spent campaign funds for rabbit air travel  —  Rep. Duncan Hunter and his wife, Margaret, who is paid $3,000 a month in campaign funds to serve as his campaign manager.  (AP file/Alex Brandon)  —  Rep. Duncan Hunter used campaign funds to pay for $600 of airline fees to fly a family rabbit …

Megyn Kelly's Departure Is a Big Clue About the Future of Fox News  —  Megyn Kelly's decision to jump from Fox News to NBC resolves one of the last unanswered questions of the Roger Ailes scandal: Would she stay or would she go when her contract ended?  With her last show set to air on Friday …

Mariah Carey breaks silence on New Year's mishap: ‘Mortified’  —  One day after Mariah Carey's management team blasted Dick Clark Productions for its response to her now-infamous performance during Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest, the singer is breaking her silence on the matter as well.

Mass murderer Charles Manson seriously ill, moved to hospital, sources say  —  Charles Manson and other members of his so-called family were convicted of killing actress Sharon Tate and six other people during a bloody rampage in the Los Angeles area during two August nights in 1969.

Doctors group warns against loss of coverage from ObamaCare repeal  —  The country's leading doctors group is urging Republicans to take steps to ensure that people do not lose their health insurance once ObamaCare is repealed.  —  The American Medical Association (AMA) …

Every year I take on a personal challenge to learn new things and grow outside of my work.  In recent years, I've run 365 miles, built a simple AI for my home, read 25 books and learned Mandarin.  —  My personal challenge for 2017 is to have visited and met people in every state in the US by the end of the year.

Solar Could Beat Coal to Become the Cheapest Power on Earth  —  Global average solar cost may fall below coal within 10 years  —  Countries from Saudi Arabia to Mexico planning auctions  —  Solar power is now cheaper than coal in some parts of the world.

Can the Democrats Start from Scratch?  —  Before assailing Trump's Cabinet nominations, or thirsting for a Warren-Booker ticket, the left must do some serious soul-searching.  —  Last year, Americans discovered how many of us lived in houses of straw.  A few puffs from an impulsive orange …

A New Celebrity Video Urges Congress to Obstruct Donald Trump  —  In the weeks before the election, Hollywood figures unleashed a flood of videos urging voters to stop Donald Trump.  That, obviously, didn't happen.  —  But one of the groups that invested in the election has been renamed and …

NAACP occupies Jeff Sessions' Mobile office in protest of AG nomination  —  NAACP seeks answers in police-custody death  —  Birmingham NAACP President Bernard Simelton says he has no confidence that Jeff Sessions can be an impartial attorney general.  (Albert Cesare /The Montgomery Advertiser via AP) (AP File Photo)

U.S. Conservatives Outnumber Liberals by Narrowing Margin  —  PRINCETON, N.J. — Many more Americans have considered themselves politically conservative than liberal since the early 1990s.  That remained the case in 2016, when an average of 36% of U.S. adults throughout the year identified themselves as conservative and 25% as liberal.

Schumer: Trump ‘really dumb’ for attacking intelligence agencies … New Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer  —  (D-N.Y.) said Tuesday that President-elect Donald Trump  —  is “being really dumb” by taking on the Intelligence Community and its assessments on Russia's cyber activities.

Voters want Trump to concentrate on jobs  —  Voters want President-elect Donald Trump to focus on bringing back manufacturing jobs from overseas and preventing more jobs from leaving the country when he takes office later this month.  —  A new POLITICO/Morning Consult survey reveals less enthusiasm …

Free marijuana on Inauguration Day  —  4,200 free joints on Inauguration Day as part of a protest … WASHINGTON (WUSA9) - You might catch a strong smell of marijuana on Inauguration Day.  That's because there will be thousands of joints handed out—for free—by the DC Cannabis Coalition.

Omarosa Manigault joining Trump's White House staff to focus on public engagement: AP  —  Omarosa Manigault is getting hired.  —  A memorable contestant in the first season of “The Apprentice,” Manigault is expected to join President-elect Donald Trump's White House staff, according to two people familiar with the decision.

Janet Jackson Welcomes Son Eissa  —  It's a boy!  —  Janet Jackson and husband Wissam Al Mana welcomed their first child, a son, on Tuesday, Jan. 3, her rep confirms to PEOPLE exclusively.  —  “Janet Jackson and husband Wissam Al Mana are thrilled to welcome their new son Eissa Al Mana into the world …

Trump inauguration gala books country band Big & Rich  —  The country music band Big & Rich will headline an inaugural gala this month for President-elect Donald Trump  —  The Republican Party of New York and Great Alliance America announced Tuesday that the country band would perform at the event.

Ted Cruz introduces term limits amendment  —  Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Florida Rep. Ron DeSantis introduced a constitutional amendment on Tuesday that would impose term limits on members of Congress, following through on their December announcement about the proposal.