Kansas Dem Andrea Ramsey, accused of sexual harassment, will drop out of US House race  —  McClatchy Washington Bureau and The Kansas City Star  —  WASHINGTON  —  Andrea Ramsey, a Democratic candidate for Congress, will drop out of the race after the Kansas City Star asked her about accusations …

Republicans finalize plan, expand benefits for working families in bid to win over Rubio … Congressional Republicans finished rewriting their massive plan to overhaul the tax code on Friday, adding in a significant expansion of the Child Tax Credit aimed at boosting benefits for low-income families.

Harlem Shook: Google Is Using Its Immense Power To Censor Content That Doesn't Fit Its Political Goals.  Everyone In America Should Be Concerned About That  —  The Daily Caller released a funny video Tuesday of FCC Chairman Ajit Pai defending the commission's upcoming net-neutrality rollback.

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 …

Exclusive: Prominent lawyer sought donor cash for two Trump accusers  —  A well-known women's rights lawyer sought to arrange compensation from donors and tabloid media outlets for women who made or considered making sexual misconduct allegations against Donald Trump

Ashley Judd responds to Peter Jackson's claims on Harvey Weinstein blacklist  —  Film producer Weinstein is facing multiple allegations of sexual misconduct by Hollywood actresses.  —  Ashley Judd has spoken out after Sir Peter Jackson said the Weinstein brothers orchestrated a smear campaign …

White House: FBI has ‘extreme bias’ against Trump … White House spokesman J. Hogan Gidley ripped the FBI in an interview with Fox News on Friday, saying the bureau has an “extreme bias” against President Trump  —  in the wake of the release of anti-Trump text messages between two FBI officials.

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.

G.O.P. Establishment Declares Open Season on a Weakened Bannon  —  WASHINGTON — A small group of conservative leaders had gathered in the Trump International Hotel last week for a friendly discussion about the year that was ending and their priorities for the year to come, when Stephen K. Bannon spoke up.

New Mexico School Shooter Had Secret Life on Pro-Trump White-Supremacy Sites … In real life, William Edward Atchison—people called him Bill—lived in a little yellow house with his parents, about a mile away from the Giant gas station where he worked and from Aztec High School …

Breitbart editor-in-chief: We had to defend Roy Moore from child molestation accusations to protect Trump from his accusers  —  Alex Marlow: Moore “was a terrible candidate,” but Breitbart had “no option”  —  From the December 15 edition of SiriusXM Patriot's Breitbart News Daily:

Al Franken continues working while departure date unclear  —  STORY HIGHLIGHTS  —  Washington (CNN)Even though he announced he would resign within “the coming weeks” amid accusations he groped women, Sen. Al Franken is still reporting for duty to Capitol Hill with no departure date set.

‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ Review  —  Remixing the structure of the originals with the aesthetics of the prequels  —  The following piece of criticism will include the discussion of plot points and the fates of characters; please do not complain to me about spoilers if you read beyond this sentence.

Inside Matt Lauer's Secret Relationship With a ‘Today’ Production Assistant (EXCLUSIVE)  —  In 1999, Addie Collins arrived at NBC's “Today” as a young intern with big aspirations.  A few months later, she landed her dream job as production assistant, forming close bonds with her new colleagues Katie Couric, Ann Curry and Al Roker.

A journey through a land of extreme poverty: welcome to America  —  The Guardian joined him on a special two-week mission into the dark heart of the world's richest nation  —  Los Angeles, California, 5 December  —  “You got a choice to make, man.  You could go straight on to heaven.

Americans pessimistic about Trump, country: AP-NORC Poll  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump frequently casts his first year in office as a string of successes and campaign promises fulfilled.  But less than a quarter of Americans think Trump has made good on the pledges he made to voters …

The EPA Hired a Major Republican Opposition Research Firm to Track Press Activity  —  Using taxpayer dollars, the Environmental Protection Agency has hired a cutting-edge Republican PR firm that specializes in digging up opposition research to help Administrator Scott Pruitt's office track and shape press coverage of the agency.

Kushner's legal team looks to hire crisis public relations firm  —  Senior White House official Jared Kushner and his legal team are searching for a crisis public relations firm, according to four people familiar with the matter.  —  Kushner's lawyer, Abbe Lowell, has quietly called at least two firms, these people said.

Labor Board Reverses Ruling That Helped Workers Fight Chains  —  The National Labor Relations Board on Thursday overturned a key Obama-era precedent that had given workers significant leverage in challenging companies like fast-food and hotel chains over labor practices.

Law School Is Hot Again as Politics Piques Interest  —  The number of people applying to law school has risen 12%, in the first significant boost in years  —  It's cool to go to law school again.  —  After years of plummeting enrollment and hand-wringing over the value of a law degree, interest in law school is starting to rebound.

Statement of the Chairwoman and Ranking Member of the Committee on Ethics Regarding Representative Ruben Kihuen  —  Pursuant to Committee Rule 7(g), the Chairwoman and Ranking Member of the Committee on Ethics (Committee) determined to release the following statement:

4 senior managers at Interior Dept. fired for harassment  —  Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke revealed today he has fired four senior managers at the Interior Department for inappropriate conduct, including sexual harassment.  —  “I've already removed four senior leaders that were guilty …

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.”

Farewell  —  To Our Readers:  —  When I turned 80 three years ago, I retired my weekly PBS series and have since focused on the web with a small, dedicated team as the avenue for our journalism.  Your response rewarded our efforts, and we have been pleased and grateful for your interest and attention.