Democrat wins Va. House seat in recount by single vote, creating 50-50 tie in legislature  —  NEWPORT NEWS — A Republican seat flipped Democratic in a wild recount Tuesday - with the Democrat winning by a single vote - creating a rare 50-50 tie between the parties in the House of Delegates …

Poll: Public sours on GOP tax plan as Democrats regain lead on economy  —  WASHINGTON — The tax plan that Republicans are soon expected to pass has grown more unpopular in the last two months, with nearly two-thirds of Americans believing it's designed mostly to help corporations and the wealthy …

House will have to vote for tax-cut bill again  —  House Republicans will need to pass their tax plan for a second time after the Senate parliamentarian ruled that provisions in the bill violated the rules governing the legislation.  —  “Members are advised that we expect Senate Democrats …

Democrats unlikely to force DACA vote this week, probably averting shutdown  —  Democrats are backing away from a pledge to force a vote this month over the fate of thousands of undocumented immigrants brought to this country as children, angering activists but likely averting the threat …

Collins decries coverage of her tax bill support as ‘unbelievably sexist’  —  The Maine Republican decried the media coverage as premature and unfair.  —  Sen. Susan Collins on Tuesday blasted coverage of her support for the GOP tax bill as “extremely discouraging” and “unbelievably sexist.”

David Frum Proves My Point  —  At the Atlantic, David Frum has responded to my piece on Jennifer Rubin.  I say “responded,” because he hasn't refuted what I wrote so much as he has chosen to confirm it, and to then make excuses for those who have succumbed to the bad behavior I described.

‘Silicon Valley’ Star T.J. Miller Accused of Sexually Assaulting and Punching a Woman … Warning: This story includes graphic content.  —  An alleged victim of former Silicon Valley star T.J. Miller is coming forward with accusations that Miller hit and sexually assaulted her while in college.

Haley: ‘The US will be taking names’ when UN votes on Jerusalem decision  —  U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley  —  warned the international body on Tuesday that the U.S. “will be taking names” when the U.N. General Assembly votes this week on a resolution urging …

Fox contributor floats conspiracy theory that the FBI might have planned to assassinate Donald Trump  —  HARRIS FAULKNER (CO-HOST): Senate Judiciary Committee chair [Sen.] Chuck Grassley [(R-IA)] reportedly says he wants the FBI to replace Andrew McCabe.  All right, so we got to get to the bottom …

Mueller's little surprise (4)  —  Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Ron Johnson has now responded to Presidential Transition Team (or Trump for America) attorney Kory Langhofer's December 16 letter to him by letter to the Administrator of the General Services Administration.

EPA chief sweeps office for bugs, installs high-tech locks  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The head of the Environmental Protection Agency used public money to have his office swept for hidden listening devices and bought sophisticated biometric locks for additional security.

Hillary Clinton Favorable Rating at New Low  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Hillary Clinton's image has declined since June and is now the worst Gallup has measured for her to date.  Her favorable rating has fallen five percentage points since June to a new low of 36%, while her unfavorable rating has hit a new high of 61%.

Who are we as a country?  Time to decide: Sally Yates  —  Stand up and speak out on America's core founding values.  We are not living in ordinary times, and it's not enough to admire them from afar.  —  Over the course of our nation's history, we have faced inflection points …

Jim Clapper Just Nuked the Trump Presidency  —  Spy bosses are by nature the most tight-lipped of people.  Those who head our intelligence agencies got there in no small part by knowing precisely what to say to whom, when.  In recent decades, as the heads of Western intelligence have emerged …

Suspected House Hackers Ran Car Dealership With Markings Of A Hezbollah Front  —  The used car dealership known as CIA never seemed like an ordinary car dealership, with inventory, staff and expenses.  —  On its Facebook page, CIA's “staff” were fake personalities such as “James Falls O'Brien …

Amtrak train was speeding significantly before crash  —  Amtrak train derails, dangles onto highway  —  DuPont, Washington (CNN)Careening around a curve at almost three times the speed limit, an Amtrak train derailed and hurled passenger cars off an overpass — and onto rush hour traffic below.

Leahy regrets calling for Franken to resign  —  Minnesota Gov. Dayton names Lt. Gov. Tina Smith to fill Franken seat until November election.  Smith will run in that election to complete Franken's term through 2020.  (Dec. 13) AP  —  CONNECT  —  Sen. Patrick Leahy now says he was too hasty …

The FBI Routinely Abuses Its Powers but the Trump Investigation Has Been By the Book  —  “The FBI has become America's secret police.”  —  Gregg Jarrett was just getting started.  It was December 6, and the Fox News legal analyst was a guest on Sean Hannity's show.

Cornyn Says Tax Bill Mandate Repeal Makes Obamacare ‘Unworkable’  —  The No. 2 Senate Republican said Tuesday that the GOP's tax bill will make Obamacare “unworkable,” which he hopes will force Democrats into negotiations to replace the law.  —  Asked about the failure of the GOP's efforts …

St. Catherine University security guard who falsely said black man shot him will avoid jail time, at least for now  —  A St. Catherine University security guard who falsely reported to police that he was shot by a black man will not have to serve any immediate jail time and could avoid it altogether.