Public opposition to tax bill grows as vote approaches  —  STORY HIGHLIGHTS  — Trump's 35% approval is a new low in CNN polling, below previous first-year presidents at this point  —  WASHINGTON (CNN)With the House of Representatives set to vote on the Republican tax reform bill Tuesday …

The real reason Trump allies are attacking Mueller  —  President Donald Trump insists he's not going to fire Robert Mueller, but that's not stopping Republicans and others close to the president from orchestrating a relentless stream of attacks on the credibility and integrity of the special counsel and his team of Russia investigators.

‘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.

House passes final tax bill, edging GOP closer to win  —  The House on Tuesday approved the final version of the GOP's bill to overhaul the U.S. tax code, bringing Republicans closer to getting their first big legislative win with full control of government.  —  The tax measure easily passed by a vote of 227-203.

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 …

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 …

Conservatism Can't Survive Donald Trump Intact  —  On Monday morning the conservative-media world woke up to a savagely personal attack in National Review on the Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin.  The outburst might seem a textbook case of the narcissism of petty differences within the conservative world.

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 …

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 …

Leaked memo schooled Tillerson on human rights  —  Three months into his tenure as secretary of state, Rex Tillerson alarmed veteran diplomats with remarks that sounded like a potential shift in American foreign policy: The U.S., he said, should be careful not to let values like human rights create …

Heritage's New President  —  The Heritage Foundation Names Kay Coles James New President … The Heritage Foundation today announced Kay Coles James will become the sixth president in the think tank's 44-year history.  James will officially take over as president from founder Edwin J. Feulner on Jan. 1, 2018.

The G.O.P. Tax Bill Is Unworkable  —  With the House of Representatives set to pass the final version of the Republican tax bill on Tuesday, and a vote in the Senate expected later in the week, here is a prediction: no matter which party controls Congress after next year's midterms …

Trump talked about rescinding Gorsuch's nomination … For nearly eight months, President Trump has boasted that appointing Neil M. Gorsuch to the Supreme Court ranks high among his signature achievements.  —  But earlier this year, Trump talked about rescinding Gorsuch's nomination …

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 …

Le Bilboquet Owner Speaks Out About Donald Trump Jr.'s ‘Offensive’ Obama Cake  —  He expressed shock that Trump Jr. and Ted Cruz used his restaurant as a “platform to spread hatred”  —  What the... ?  Over the weekend, the French eatery Le Bilboquet played host to Donald Trump Jr., Ted Cruz …

Amtrak derailment: Train was traveling at 80 mph in 30-mph zone  —  The train that careened off a bridge outside Tacoma, Washington, killing three people was traveling at 80 mph on a 30-mph stretch of track, federal investigators confirmed late Monday.  —  During a late-night briefing with reporters …

Trump administration asks Supreme Court to prevent detainee from having abortion  —  The Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to intervene and stop one of two undocumented immigrants in federal custody from having an abortion.  —  A federal district court judge issued …

‘I Was An Easy Pickup’: How Trump Lost Manchin on Taxes  —  Subscribe to Off Message on Apple Podcasts here.  Subscribe via Stitcher here.  —  During the transition last year and several times since, Donald Trump repeatedly pushed Joe Manchin to switch parties and become a Republican …

Democrats have a new Southern strategy  —  MAGIC WALL: Jones' big Alabama win & its impact on 2018  —  STORY HIGHLIGHTS  —  (CNN)With Doug Jones' upset victory in last week's Alabama US Senate race, Democrats are solidifying a new model for rebuilding their tattered competitiveness in the South.

Decades after the company tried to tackle sexual misconduct at two Chicago plants, continued abuse raises questions about the possibility of change. … CHICAGO — The jobs were the best they would ever have: collecting union wages while working at Ford, one of America's most storied companies.

The Current Sex Panic Harks Back to the Era of Coddling Women  —  The outcome of #BelieveAllWomen is no utopia.  We've seen such a repressive regime before.  —  Last week I considered our culture's vanishing burden of proof when a prominent man is accused of any sexual impropriety.

We're witnessing the wholesale looting of America  —  Unchecked by norms or political prudence, it's smash-and-grab time for the GOP.  —  Over the course of 2017, both in Congress and in the executive branch, we have watched the task of government devolve into the full-scale looting of America.