Republican Tax Bill Passes Senate in 51-48 Vote  —  WASHINGTON — Republicans took a critical step toward notching their first significant legislative victory since assuming full political control, as the House and Senate voted along party lines on Tuesday and into early Wednesday to pass …

Democrats' 2018 advantage expands  —  STORY HIGHLIGHTS  —  WASHINGTON (CNN)Democrats' already wide advantage over Republicans in a hypothetical Congressional matchup has grown, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS.  At the same time, enthusiasm about voting next year …

2 Women Who Settled With O'Reilly Over Sexual Harassment Sue for Defamation  —  Two women who reached sexual harassment settlements with Bill O'Reilly joined a defamation lawsuit against Mr. O'Reilly and Fox News on Wednesday, asserting that statements that he and the network made depicted them as liars …

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 …

Treasury Targets Individuals Involved in the Sergei Magnitsky Case and Other Gross Violations of Human Rights in Russia  —  A total of 49 individuals have been designated under the Magnitsky Act  —  WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) …

Breitbart went all out for Roy Moore.  Now its top editor says he was a ‘weak candidate’  —  Breitbart Editor-in-Chief Alex Marlow was in his home office last Tuesday night running the front page of the far-right website when he learned that Judge Roy Moore would not be elected as the next senator from Alabama.

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 …

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 …

The GOP's Tax Bill Kicks Puerto Rico When It's Down  —  The island is getting slapped with new taxes as it drowns in debt and tries to recover from a catastrophic hurricane.  —  WASHINGTON The hits just keep coming for Puerto Rico.  —  As the U.S. island struggles to climb …

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?”

Mar-a-Lago hikes New Year's Eve party ticket prices  —  Partying with President Donald Trump on New Year's Eve is getting more expensive.  —  Ticket prices for the annual Dec. 31 bash at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in South Florida are going up to $600 for dues-paying members and $750 for their guests …

A Man Got Stranded On A Fountain After Taking A Ton Of Molly And Stealing A Swan Boat  —  The man told police he “wanted to go be with the swans because they don't judge him.”  —  A man had to be rescued early Friday morning in Orlando after taking “a large quantity of Molly,” stealing a swan boat …

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.”

Maxine Waters Connects the Dots on Trump, Deutsche Bank, and Russia  —  Mueller's bank subpoenas could shed light on Trump associates' ties to Russian money-laundering.  —  Representative Maxine Waters, the California Democrat who is the ranking member on the House Committee on Financial Services …

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

Last uncounted ballots: Moore can't close 20,000-vote loss  —  MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Republican Roy Moore hasn't conceded his 20,000-vote loss to Democrat Doug Jones in Alabama's Senate race, and provisional ballots and military votes still being counted show Moore can't close the deficit.

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

Parents pull kids from class as Ivanka Trump visits CT school  —  NORWALK -  —  First daughter Ivanka Trump made a surprise visit to the Norwalk Early College Academy Monday, prompting some parents who oppose the president's views to pull their kids out of school.

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 …

Fox News contributor, channeling Alex Jones, suggests FBI plot to assassinate Trump  —  For weeks, Fox News and far-right pundits have been working overtime to discredit the FBI and special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian election interference in the U.S. 2016 presidential election.

‘Racist’ trees separating a black neighborhood from a golf course will come down  —  PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — Palm Springs will remove a row of trees blocking a historically African-American neighborhood from a city-owned golf course.  —  At an informal meeting with neighborhood residents Sunday …

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)

Trump Jr. suggests top government officials are undermining his father  —  President Donald Trump's son suggested Tuesday evening that “people at the highest levels of government” are conspiring against the Trump administration, evidence, he said, of the president's campaign claims about a “rigged” system.

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: