FBI Agent Removed From Russia Probe Held Dim Views of Holder, Sanders  —  Texts between agent and FBI lawyer reveal harsh words for several prominent figures  —  Two FBI employees who used to work for Special Counsel Robert Mueller have already been criticized by Republicans for texts they shared insulting President Donald Trump.

This Tax Bill Is a Trillion-Dollar Blunder  —  Congress and President Trump put politics ahead of smart reform.  —  Last month a Wall Street Journal editor asked a room full of CEOs to raise their hands if the corporate tax cut being considered in Congress would lead them to invest more.

Mueller Sought Emails of Trump Campaign Data Firm  —  Special counsel asked Cambridge Analytica to hand over employees' emails, in sign of investigators' interest in campaign data operation  —  Special Counsel Robert Mueller has requested that Cambridge Analytica, a data firm that worked …

Dustin Hoffman Accused of Exposing Himself to a Minor, Assaulting Two Women (EXCLUSIVE)  —  Cori Thomas was in high school when she says Dustin Hoffman exposed himself to her in a hotel room.  Melissa Kester was a recent college graduate when Hoffman allegedly sexually assaulted her while recording audio for the film “Ishtar.”

Trump allies say Tillerson has ‘not learned his lesson’ and cannot continue in job for long … Secretary of State Rex Tillerson seemed focused this week on rebooting his image as a beleaguered Cabinet member on the outs with his boss and his own employees — holding a rare town hall with employees …

The Internet Is Free Again  —  Killing Obama-era rules will remove the FCC as political gatekeeper.  —  The Editorial Board  —  Disney's deal announced Thursday to buy some premium 21st Century Fox properties for $52.4 billion underscores how technology is remaking the media landscape.

At ESPN, the problems for women run deep  —  When ESPN canceled its new program with Barstool Sports this fall after just one episode, the network tried to distance itself from the men's blog that has stoked criticism for everything from calling Rihanna fat to saying girls wearing skinny jeans deserve to be raped.

Poll: 54 percent say Mueller has conflict of interest  —  A majority of polled voters say special counsel Robert Mueller has a conflict of interest because of his past ties to former FBI Director James Comey, according to the latest Harvard CAPS-Harris survey.

Good Riddance to the Biggest Fake in American Politics  —  Paul Ryan makes noises about going back to Janesville.  —  Ring and run, you wretched cur.  —  In what passes for a genuine scoop  —  , Tim Alberta and Rachael Cade broke the news in  —  Politico  —  o

The Memo: Omarosa's exit is headache for White House  —  Team Trump is bracing for negative revelations from Omarosa Manigault Newman after she resigned from the White House in disputed circumstances on Wednesday.  —  “She is a total press hog, so we will certainly see her say horrible things …

Homeland Security senior adviser promoted birtherism, said Obama knew ‘nothing about the black American experience’  —  STORY HIGHLIGHTS  —  (CNN)A White House senior adviser at the Department of Homeland Security previously promoted conspiracy theories about former President Barack Obama's birthplace …

One last chance for Collins to reject bad GOP tax bill  —  It's becoming clear that Republican leaders in Congress won't meet the conditions that Senator Susan Collins of Maine set out in the tax legislation.  So now what?  —  The final version of the GOP's tax bill, whose framework …

Head of Congressional Ethics Office Sued for Abusing Position, Accused of Assaulting Women  —  A key official involved in House investigations faces a federal lawsuit alleging misconduct.  —  A top congressional ethics official who oversees investigations into misconduct by lawmakers …

Trump judicial nominee fumbles basic questions about the law  —  Nomination hearings for U.S. district judges tend to be dry affairs that offer little in the way of mass entertainment — in other words, they're not typically the stuff of viral videos.  —  But a clip of one of President …

Ivanka Opens Her First Store Just In Time For Christmas  —  Located in the lobby of Donald Trump's tower in midtown Manhattan, the store is equal parts gift shop and tourist attraction.  —  To get to Ivanka Trump's store in Trump Tower, shoppers must first walk past metal barricades and police in body armor toting automatic weapons.

RUBIO pulls emergency brake on tax debate — PUTIN to Congress: Are you normal at all ... FAIR QUESTION — SPOTTED: Frank Luntz and Ohio Democrat Tim Ryan lunching at the DEM CLUB  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  THE INEVITABLE TURBULENCE — SEUNG MIN KIM, BRIAN FALER and COLIN WILHELM …

Deutsche Bank Had Flagged Manafort-Related Transactions  —  Transfers reflect bank's role as global money conduit  —  Deutsche Bank AG earlier this year flagged around $30 million in potentially suspicious transactions as part of an internal investigation into its role as a conduit …

Actresses to Protest Harassment in Hollywood by Wearing Black to the Golden Globes  —  The red carpet will be all-black at the 2018 Golden Globes.  —  Multiple sources confirm to PEOPLE that many major actresses — including presenters and nominees (Jessica Chastain, Meryl Streep and Emma Stone …

Why Did Disney Expand Its Sports Kingdom With Out-of-Favor Networks?  —  Disney's chief executive, Robert A. Iger, will wake up Friday morning as the most powerful person in United States sports, with a massive portfolio of media rights to the N.F.L., the N.B.A., tennis majors …

With Billions at Stake in Tax Debate, Lobbyists Played Hardball  —  WASHINGTON — As the largest tax rewrite in decades powered through Congress, lobbyists found themselves sprinting to keep up and find ways to persuade, influence or cajole the small group of lawmakers empowered to tweak language …

Kelly Cutrone: Russell Simmons tried to rape me  —  Furious about Russell Simmons denying rape allegations against him, Kelly Cutrone has come forward to say that Simmons attempted to rape her in 1991.  —  Cutrone, who founded fashion PR powerhouse People's Revolution and has starred in MTV's …

How One Harasser Can Rob a Generation of Women  —  As the sexual misconduct scandals continue to unfold, our gender team is providing updates and analysis in a new newsletter.  Today, Amanda Taub shares a personal reflection on how harassment's consequences reach far beyond the immediate victims …

U.S. Displays Weaponry It Says Proves Iran's Influence  —  A new United Nations report says investigators couldn't definitively conclude missiles came from Iran  —  The U.S. for the first time publicly displayed what officials said were Iranian-made missiles, drones and other weaponry …