Trump predicts exoneration in Russia investigation as allies fear a ‘meltdown’  —  STORY HIGHLIGHTS  —  Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump is privately striking a less agitated tone on the Russia investigation, sources say, even insisting he'll soon be cleared in writing.

Franken urged to reverse his resignation  —  At least four senators are urging Al Franken to reconsider resigning, including two who issued statements calling for the resignation two weeks ago and said they now feel remorse over what they feel was a rush to judgment.

A Tax Plan to Turbocharge Inequality, in 3 Charts  —  The Republican tax bill is an audacious attempt to accelerate the economic trends of the last half-century.  —  If you're a fan of these trends — rapidly rising inequality and stagnant middle-class incomes — you should love the bill.

Sources: Jerry Richardson, Panthers Have Made Multiple Confidential Payouts for Workplace Misconduct, Including Sexual Harassment and Use of a Racial Slur  — SI has learned that at least four former Panthers employees have received ‘significant’ monetary settlements due to inappropriate workplace comments …

Rebelling Republican Suburbs Offer Democrats Path to House Control  —  HOUSTON — As she sat with a glass of sauvignon blanc waiting for a women-focused Democratic fund-raiser to begin, Nancy Sharp let loose in a Texas-seasoned drawl why she and so many other onetime supporters of the Bush family were abandoning the Republicans.

New security strategy drops climate from threat list  —  The White House will unveil a new national security strategy that, according to multiple reports, will break with the Obama administration by declining to recognize climate change as a threat to national security interests.

Federal appeals judge announces immediate retirement amid investigation prompted by accusations of sexual misconduct  —  Alex Kozinski, the powerful judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit who was facing a judicial investigation over allegations that he subjected 15 women …

Former Fox News contributor who settled sexual harassment lawsuit breaks confidentiality agreement  —  A former Fox News contributor who reached a $2.5 million settlement with the network after alleging sexual assault on Sunday said she broke the terms of her confidentiality agreement in order to return fire on Fox mogul Rupert Murdoch.

Trump year one: better scorecard than predicted … President Donald Trump is within reach of his first big legislative victory as the US Congress prepares to pass a tax bill that would allow him to end his first year with a better scorecard than many had predicted.

Puerto Rico Orders Review and Recount of Hurricane Deaths  —  Facing mounting evidence that Puerto Rico has vastly undercounted the number of people who died because of Hurricane Maria, Gov. Ricardo A. Rosselló ordered on Monday that every death on the island since the calamitous storm be reviewed.

Linda Sarsour Accused Of Enabling Sexual Assault Against Woman Who Worked For Her  —  The inspiration behind the Women's March on DC, Linda Sarsour, has been accused of enabling the alleged sexual assault and harassment of a woman who worked for the feminist activist, according to the victim …

What happened in Wisconsin: Sen. Tiffany comments  —  Shortly after posting “What happened in Wisconsin, cont'd” yesterday morning, we received the message below from Wisconsin state Senator Tom Tiffany.  Senator Tiffany's message updates and comments on the story so far.

Shots fired as ‘car rams gate’ at US Air Force base in Suffolk  —  A car rammed the gates of a US Air Force base in Suffolk as gun shots were fired.  —  A Ministry of Defence (MoD) source said a man driving a car tried to force the vehicle into the barriers at the entrance to RAF Mildenhall near Bury St Edmunds at 1pm on Monday.

News Feed FYI: Fighting Engagement Bait on Facebook  —  People have told us that they dislike spammy posts on Facebook that goad them into interacting with likes, shares, comments, and other actions.  For example, “LIKE this if you're an Aries!”  This tactic, known as “engagement bait,” …

Monmouth University Polling Institute  —  Half The Public Say Their Taxes Will Go Up Under Gop Plan  —  Trump policies not helping middle class  —  West Long Branch, NJ - Americans disapprove of the tax reform plan currently making its way through Congress by a nearly 2-to-1 margin.

Trump, Real Estate Investors Get Last-Minute Perk in Tax Bill  —  Late revision supplies break based on investments in property  —  Corker, who dropped opposition, says he wasn't aware of change  —  Lawmakers scrambling to lock up Republican support for the tax reform bill added …

Obamacare will survive  —  It won't be pretty.  But the law might really, finally be in the clear.  —  The Affordable Care Act is going to survive.  —  Republicans are on track to repeal the law's individual mandate in their tax overhaul as early as next week.

Sharing the News in a Polarized Congress  —  Partisan and ideological divides shape which news outlets legislators share links to on Facebook  —  Methodological note  —  This report describes findings from an analysis of all Facebook posts issued by members of the 114th and 115th Congresses between Jan. 2, 2015, and July 20, 2017.

Twitter suspends far-right British figure retweeted by Trump  —  A far-right British activist who gained prominence after President Trump  —  retweeted her anti-Muslim tweets in November had her Twitter account suspended on Monday as part of the social network's effort to crack down on hate speech.