Sen. Al Franken will resign, Democratic official says  —  A Democratic official who has spoken to Al Franken and key aides says Franken will resign his Minnesota Senate seat on Thursday, the official tells MPR News.  —  The official spoke to Franken and separately to Franken's staff.

Flynn Said Russian Sanctions Would be ‘Ripped Up,’ Whistle-Blower Says  —  WASHINGTON — Michael T. Flynn, President Trump's former national security adviser, told a former business associate that economic sanctions against Russia would be “ripped up” as one of the Trump administration's first acts …

Trump Jr. says he communicated with Hope Hicks, not his father, about Trump Tower response  —  (CNN)Donald Trump Jr. told House investigators that did not communicate directly with his father when confronted with news reports about his June 2016 Trump Tower meeting, according to multiple sources with knowledge of his testimony.

Trump Recognizes Jerusalem as Israel's Capital and Orders U.S. Embassy to Move  —  WASHINGTON — President Trump on Wednesday formally recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, reversing nearly seven decades of American foreign policy and setting in motion a plan to move the United States Embassy …

The Mysterious Buyer of the $450 Million Leonardo da Vinci?  A Saudi Prince  —  LONDON — He is a little-known Saudi prince from a remote branch of the royal family, with no history as a major art collector, and no publicly known source of great wealth.  But the prince, Bader bin Abdullah …

John Conyers III arrested but not prosecuted in domestic abuse case  —  LOS ANGELES — John Conyers III, a Detroit hedge fund manager named as a possible successor to his scandal-rocked father, Rep. John Conyers, was arrested in Los Angeles this year on suspicion of domestic violence …

Paris Review Editor Resigns Amid Inquiry Into His Conduct with Women  —  Lorin Stein, the editor of The Paris Review, the prestigious magazine that for more than 60 years has acted as an international literary tastemaker, resigned on Wednesday, amid an internal investigation into his behavior toward female employees and writers.

This Is MSNBC's De Facto Ombudsman  —  The network has decided that Pizzagate conspiracist Mike Cernovich is its new voice of reason.  —  On Monday, The Wrap reported that MSNBC would not be renewing its contract with contributor Sam Seder in the wake of an online smear campaign led by a group …

Kim Davis denied him a marriage license.  Now he wants to take her job.  —  MOREHEAD  —  David Ermold, one of the men denied a same-sex marriage license by Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis in 2015, hopes to challenge her for the clerk's seat next year, he announced Wednesday.

Fire closes I-405, rages near Bel Air, Getty museum in Los Angeles  —  Los Angeles (CNN)A new wildfire closed Interstate 405 early Wednesday near Los Angeles' posh Bel Air area and prompted evacuations — one in a series of blazes that have scorched more than 83,000 acres …

The three ultra-rich families battling for control of the Republican party  —  This week, the House and Senate will work to reconcile their different versions of the tax bill into something that president Donald Trump can sign into law.  As they do, dozens of protests and rallies against the bill …

Bredesen running for Senate  —  Former governor jumps in the Democratic primary  —  Former Gov. Phil Bredesen is entering the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate.  —  According to multiple sources, Bredesen began calling major donors this afternoon to confirm that he is in the race.

Millions Are Hounded for Debt They Don't Owe.  One Victim Fought Back, With a Vengeance  —  Andrew Therrien wanted payback.  He got it—and uncovered a conspiracy.  —  On the morning a debt collector threatened to rape his wife, Andrew Therrien was working from home …

‘Holy crap’: Experts find tax plan riddled with glitches  —  Republicans' tax-rewrite plans are riddled with bugs, loopholes and other potential problems that could plague lawmakers long after their legislation is signed into law.  —  Some of the provisions could be easily gamed, tax lawyers say.

I Made My Shed the Top Rated Restaurant On TripAdvisor  —  Once upon a time, long before I began selling my face by the acre for features on VICE dot com, I worked other jobs.  There was one in particular that really had an impact on me: writing fake reviews on TripAdvisor.

VA cuts program for homeless vets after touting Trump's commitment  —  Two days after Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin held a big Washington event to tout the Trump administration's promise to house all homeless vets, the agency did an about-face, telling advocates it was pulling resources from a major housing program.

Trump wants LePage to challenge King in Maine Senate race  —  President Donald Trump is pushing Maine Gov. Paul LePage to run for the U.S. Senate, according to White House advisers.  —  Trump has told advisers he plans to call Mr. LePage, the bombastic governor who endorsed him in February 2016 …

House rejects Trump impeachment resolution after Dem Rep. Al Green forces vote  —  The House of Representatives overwhelmingly rejected an attempt to impeach President Trump after a liberal Texas congressman forced a vote on his effort.  —  Democratic Rep. Al Green, who has repeatedly called …

ABC reprimands producer for giving data to Trump campaign  —  Chris Vlasto gave Trump adviser David Bossie proprietory exit polling on Election Night.  —  ABC News said it has reprimanded its top producer for investigative reporting for giving Donald Trump's presidential campaign proprietary exit polling data on election night 2016.

The Silence Breakers are TIME's 2017 Person of the Year  —  TIME has named The Silence Breakers, the individuals who set off a national reckoning over the prevalence of sexual harassment, as its 2017 Person of the Year.  —  The magazine's editor-in-chief Edward Felsenthal revealed …

Deutsche Bank Records Said to Be Subpoenaed by Mueller  —  Corrects Dec. 5 story that said subpoena ‘zeroed in’ on Trumps  —  Subpoena is said to seek information on affiliated people  —  Deutsche Bank AG provided records to special prosecutor Robert Mueller's investigation after receiving …