Republican Tax Bill Has Grown More Unpopular, Poll Shows  —  Overall, 41% of Americans in the survey said the tax plan was a bad idea, up from 35% in October.  —  The Republican tax-cut bill has grown more unpopular in the two months it has taken to usher it through Congress …

After tax cuts, Republicans may suddenly find Trump is more trouble than he's worth  —  After months of debate, Congress has released a final tax reform bill.  The bill eliminates some personal exemptions while increasing the standard deduction.  —  The GOP members of Congress had a brilliant plan …

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 …

Nikki Haley in Threatening Letter to UN Members: Trump ‘Will Be Watching’ Who Votes Against U.S. Recognition of Jerusalem  —  U.S. envoy's letter, obtained by Haaretz, sent one day before resolution rejecting U.S. move expected to pass by sweeping majority at the General Assembly

Sizing up the 2017 scorecard for Trump and the GOP  —  First Read is your briefing from Meet the Press and the NBC Political Unit on the day's most important political stories and why they matter.  —  Paul Ryan: 'Don't forget this is a big tax cut for families as well' 9:20

Koch heir sues ex-fiancée to get giant ring back  —  Wyatt Koch — the son of billionaire Bill Koch — is suing his ex-fiancée to get back an 8.24-carat ring after she broke off their engagement, according to court documents.  Wyatt's lawyers claim that he purchased …

FBI's McCabe faces GOP calls for ouster, ahead of closed-door testimony  —  Top Republicans are stepping up their criticism of FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, even suggesting he should be ousted amid allegations conflicts of interest and anti-Trump political prejudice at the agency.

Donald Trump's Holiday Gift to America: A Fundamental Crisis  —  In a commencement speech years ago, author David Foster Wallace told this story: Two young fish are swimming along, and they pass an older fish swimming the other way.  The older fish says, “Morning, boys, how's the water?”

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 …

House must vote again on tax bill after Senate changes  —  The House will have to vote a second time on the GOP's tax cut bill after the Senate was forced to change the bill to clear a parliamentary hurdle.  —  Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., announced to House lawmakers Tuesday …

The Mooch rips ‘loser’ Steve Bannon at Hanukkah party  —  Potty-mouthed flameout White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci spoke to NYC Jews about his inspiring pilgrimage to Israel — but still couldn't resist laying into his nemesis Steve Bannon as a “messianic loser.”

Cornel West's attacks on Ta-Nehisi Coates, explained  —  Coates is the latest target in West's war against Obama.  —  A public feud between two of America's top black intellectuals has led one of them to abandon Twitter.  —  Cornel West, author of the well-known Race Matters …

Tucker Carlson Hits Media Over Mueller: Journalists Shouldn't Be ‘Cheerleaders For Prosecutions’  —  On Tuesday night, Tucker Carlson chided media critics who have slammed Fox News for their recent coverage of the Robert Mueller investigation.  —  The Fox News host began by mocking …

The ‘Lost Boys’: Hollywood producer Gary Goddard accused of sexual misconduct by 8 former child actors  —  Bret Nighman, 56, is among at least eight former Santa Barbara child actors who allege that producer Gary Goddard molested or attempted to molest them.  (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Ryan calls reports that he'll retire ‘rank speculation’  —  House Speaker Paul Ryan said Wednesday that he has not discussed the prospect of stepping away from Congress anytime soon with anybody, nor has the thought even crossed his mind, calling reports that he might resign next year “rank speculation.”

What North Korea told a U.N. envoy trying to prevent war  —  A senior U.N. envoy who visited Pyongyang this month carrying a pressing appeal for diplomacy was told by his North Korean hosts that it was “too early” for steps that might ease the confrontation over their nuclear program.

Meryl Streep Targeted by Street Artists With “She Knew” Posters  —  The posters appeared in several locations in Los Angeles.  —  In posters that appeared in several locations in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Meryl Streep was seemingly depicted as a Harvey Weinstein enabler by anonymous street artists.

Internal Emails Show Twitter Struggled To Interpret Its Own Verification Rules While Hunting Trolls  —  Emails suggest that verification was never quite what Twitter said it was and that the company was aware it served as a tacit endorsement long before it admitted so publicly.

Exclusive: GOP Engages Political Ground Game to Defend Tax Overhaul in 2018  —  Republicans readying election-year tactics of phone-banking and canvassing to sell tax reform  —  Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel is overseeing a political ground game effort to drum …

Trump triumphant: a consequential, lasting end to 2017  —  President Trump takes a beating in the media, but he's ending 2017 on the high note of his presidency.  —  The big picture: You might not like his words or actions.  But measured in terms of what Republican voters want and expected, he's winning on important fronts: