Sen. John McCain returns to Arizona, will miss vote on GOP tax bill  —  Republican Sen. John McCain is returning to Arizona after spending several days in a Maryland hospital recovering from side effects from chemotherapy treatment for brain cancer, CBS News has learned.

New: Trump officials demand Mueller return thousands of emails  —  Officials of President Trump's transition team plan to ask Special Counsel Robert Mueller to return “many tens of thousands” of transition emails they contend were unlawfully provided to him.

Kremlin says Putin thanked Trump for CIA tip on bombings  —  MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin telephoned U.S. President Donald Trump Sunday to thank him for a CIA tip that helped thwart a series of bombings in St. Petersburg, the Kremlin said.

Jones promises he will consider voting Republican in the Senate  —  Sen.-elect Doug Jones (D-Ala.) on Sunday said he will “of course” consider voting with Republicans on certain issues once he is sworn into the upper chamber.  —  He also pledged to look for areas where he can work across the aisle.

Democrats hold biggest lead in congressional preference since 2008  —  WASHINGTON — Fresh off their victory in Alabama's special Senate election, Democrats now enjoy their largest advantage in congressional preference in nine years, according to the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll …

APNewsBreak: US soldier ambushed in Niger wasn't captured  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — An American soldier killed in an ambush in Niger with three comrades but recovered days later wasn't captured alive by the enemy or executed at close range, The Associated Press has learned, based on the conclusion of a military investigation.

A Democratic winner in Virginia says it's time for bipartisanship  —  Gov.-elect Ralph Northam said he wants to lead Virginia in a civil, bipartisan manner.  He said voters are “looking for a moral compass right now.”  (Salwan Georges/The Washington Post)  —  RICHMOND — Virginia …

The Next Crisis for Puerto Rico: A Crush of Foreclosures  —  Puerto Rico has had an awful decade — and it's about to get worse.  —  First came a brutal 10-year recession and financial crisis that drove businesses from this island and left 44 percent of the population impoverished.

As Venezuela Collapses, Children Are Dying of Hunger  —  For five months, The New York Times tracked 21 public hospitals in Venezuela.  Doctors are seeing record numbers of children with severe malnutrition.  Hundreds have died.  —  Venezuela has the largest proven oil reserves in the world.

A War Trump Won  —  There is nothing more characteristic of the Trump era, with its fire hose of misinformation, scandal and hyperbole, than that America and its allies recently managed to win a war that just two years ago consumed headlines and dominated political debate and helped Donald Trump himself …

CNN's Stelter Goes Off on ‘Friends of Trump’ at Fox News: ‘Talking Like Propagandists’  —  CNN's Brian Stelter opened this morning talking about Fox News' coverage of the Robert Mueller probe in the last week and how the anti-FBI rhetoric has been seriously ratcheted up.

Paranoia grips Capitol Hill as harassment scandal spreads  —  The details change almost daily, but the rumor won't die: A credible news organization is preparing to unmask at least 20 lawmakers in both parties for sexual misconduct.  —  Speculation about this theoretical megastory is spreading …