With Virginia, Voters Give Democrats First Big Wins of the Trump Era  —  FAIRFAX, Va. — Voters delivered their first forceful rebuke of President Trump and his party on Tuesday night, with Democrats exploiting Mr. Trump's deep unpopularity to capture the governorships in Virginia and New Jersey …

Trump Tells Democrats He'll ‘Get Killed’ Financially in GOP Tax Bill  —  WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump called 12 Senate Democrats Tuesday, hoping to sway them in favor of the Republican tax cut bill, and told them he would personally “get killed” financially by the GOP bill.

Woman who ran after Atlantic County Freeholder mocked the Women's March knocks him off the board  —  Ashley Bennett, 32, a psychiatric emergency screener from Egg Harbor Township who showed up at an Atlantic County Freeholder's meeting to protest comments made by Freeholder John Carman mocking …

Manka Dhingra leading Jinyoung Englund in pivotal 45th District Senate race  —  Democrat Manka Dhingra held a double-digit lead over Republican Jinyoung Englund Tuesday night for the 45th District state Senate seat.  —  Holding a double-digit lead Tuesday night over her 45th District Senate opponent …

Collins unseats Mayor Smith; ‘progressive ticket’ sweeps Helena City Commission  —  Wilmot Collins will be Helena's new mayor, unseating incumbent Jim Smith in a close race Tuesday.  —  Collins, 54, will be the city's first new mayor in 16 years after running a long campaign based in progressive principles.

Inside secret court hearing in Mueller's Trump-Russia probe  —  One of the first court appearances by special counsel Robert Mueller's team got off to an inauspicious start with a federal magistrate scolding prosecutors for being late.  —  “Where were you all?

Johnstown Never Believed Trump Would Help.  They Still Love Him Anyway.  —  JOHNSTOWN, Pa.—Pam Schilling is the reason Donald Trump is the president.  —  Schilling's personal story is in poignant miniature the story of this area of western Pennsylvania as a whole—one of the long-forgotten …

Jenny Durkan Elected Seattle Mayor … Jenny Durkan has been elected mayor of Seattle, making her the city's first out lesbian mayor and its first woman mayor since the 1920s.  —  Durkan won 61 percent of the vote, more than 21 percentage points ahead of her opponent, Cary Moon, The Seattle Times reports.

Gay Talese Would Like to Profile Kevin Spacey  —  And not necessarily for the reason one might imagine.  Plus more scenes from the New York Public Library's Literary Lions Gala.  —  One night a year, the New York Public Library, the Beaux-Arts bastion of the city's literary life, becomes a shade less public.

Ravi Bhalla wins Hoboken election, becomes N.J.'s first Sikh mayor  —  HOBOKEN — City Councilman Ravi Bhalla has emerged victorious in the six-person mayoral race, becoming the first Sikh mayor of the Mile Square City — and the state of New Jersey.  —  Bhalla, an Indian-American born in New Jersey …

Trump to become first foreign leader to dine in Forbidden City since founding of modern China  —  Trump's whirlwind Asia tour: The big issues  —  STORY HIGHLIGHTS  —  Hong Kong (CNN)Donald Trump will receive an honor in Beijing not granted to any US President since the founding …

Tee times, smoothie diets, and fat paychecks: A look inside post-Trump life  —  Steve Bannon now only flies by private plane — and has his own small security team that surrounds him 24 hours a day.  —  Reince Priebus spends Friday afternoons at the swanky Belle Haven Country Club in Alexandria …

Time to Ask Why  —  As I have done a few times previously this year, I am sharing with you an advance copy of my President's Views column for the December edition of The Foreign Service Journal.  —  ADVANCE COPY  —  President's Views  —  By AFSA President Ambassador Barbara Stephenson

Senator Menendez Juror Asks Trial Judge: ‘What Is a Senator?’  —  On their first full day of jury deliberations at the bribery trial of Senator Robert Menendez, a juror asked the judge a basic question: What is a senator?  —  U.S. District Judge William Walls declined to answer the question …

Wasserman Schultz Ducks Questions On Brazile Accusations  —  Brazile accused former DNC chair of handing 2016 ops to Clinton campaign  —  O'Rourke Hosts 110 Barbecues in One Day for Senate Campaign Assault on Rand Paul Had ‘Absolutely Nothing’ to Do With Politics, Attacker's Lawyer …