House Republicans quietly investigate perceived corruption at DOJ, FBI  —  A group of House Republicans has gathered secretly for weeks in the Capitol in an effort to build a case that senior leaders of the Justice Department and FBI improperly — and perhaps criminally …

Wells Fargo, Fifth Third Bancorp unveil minimum wage hikes after tax bill passage  — Fifth Third and AT&T are paying employees special bonuses after getting tax cuts under the Republican tax plan.  — Wells Fargo said Wednesday that it would boost minimum wages for employees to $15 an hour …

Wall Street Journal Killed Editorial on Trump's Mob Ties  —  In a short period of time, five staffers have departed The Wall Street Journal editorial page.  The general cause of their departures, willing and otherwise, is known: the Journal editorial line has increasingly conformed …

Court tosses out one-vote victory in recount that had briefly ended a Republican majority in Virginia  —  A three- judge panel declined to certify the recount of a key House race today, saying that a questionable ballot should be counted in favor of the Republican and tying a race that Democrats …

Memphis removing Confederate statues from Downtown parks  —  Yalonda M. James/The Commercial Appeal  —  The city of Memphis sold two public parks containing Confederate monuments to a nonprofit Wednesday in a massive, months-in-the-planning operation to take the statues down overnight.

President Commutes Sentence of Iowa Meatpacking Executive  —  President Trump on Wednesday commuted the prison sentence of Sholom Rubashkin, whose Iowa meatpacking plant was the target of a huge immigration raid in 2008, and whose 27-year prison sentence angered many Orthodox Jews.

Glenn Thrush, Suspended Times Reporter, to Resume Work but Won't Cover White House  —  The New York Times said on Wednesday that Glenn Thrush, one of the paper's most prominent political reporters, would remain suspended until late January and then be removed from the team covering the White House …

Puerto Rico governor vows midterm revenge for tax bill  —  Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló says he plans to mobilize 5.3 million Puerto Ricans living on the mainland to shake up the midterm elections in states ranging from Florida to California.  —  Rosselló …

White House Counsel Knew in January Flynn Probably Violated the Law  —  Don McGahn was looking at whether the national security advisor violated federal laws just days after Trump moved into the White House.  —  The White House turned over records this fall to special counsel Robert Mueller revealing …

Prosecutors ask FBI agents for info on Uranium One deal  —  On the orders of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Justice Department prosecutors have begun asking FBI agents to explain the evidence they found in a now dormant criminal investigation into a controversial uranium deal that critics …

Ridiculous video emerges of wealthy Koch heir — and the internet is dying of laughter  —  The billionaire heir of conservative industrialist Bill Koch stands to benefit mightily from the newly passed Republican tax overhaul.  —  Wyatt Ingraham Koch is president and CEO of the Wyatt Ingraham clothing brand …

Tom Hanks Wouldn't Screen ‘The Post’ at the White House, Decries Attacks on First Amendment  —  “We have to decide when we take to the ramparts,” the Oscar-winner tells THR, noting that he would not attend a screening of his new film at the White House if invited.

The tax cut expectations game  —  I was reading the Penn Wharton Budget Model's dynamic analysis (this is an outfit run by a George W. Bush-era Treasury tax guy) of the tax bill Monday night, and I saw something interesting in its modeling assumptions.  It had to decide what to do with the fact …

Trump threatens to cut aid to U.N. members over Jerusalem vote  —  U.S. President Donald Trump holds a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington  —  WASHINGTON/UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened to cut off financial aid to countries that vote …

McConnell will allow immigration vote if senators strike a deal  —  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will bring an immigration bill to the floor by the end of January if lawmakers and the White House can reach a compromise, he said in a statement Wednesday.

Ex-MSP trooper charged with murder in death of Detroit boy being chased on ATV  —  It is alleged that Mark Bessner “unnecessarily deployed his Taser” at the boy while the ATV was traveling at 35-40 m.p.h.  —  CONNECT  —  A former Michigan State Police trooper is facing a murder charge …

I spoke my mind on guns.  Then my Senate confirmation was put on hold.  —  Dean L. Winslow, a retired Air Force colonel and flight surgeon, is a professor of medicine at Stanford University.  —  Last week, I withdrew my name from consideration to be assistant secretary of defense for health affairs.

Facebook Job Ads Raise Concerns About Age Discrimination  —  This article was written through collaboration between The New York Times and ProPublica, the independent, nonprofit investigative journalism organization.  —  A few weeks ago, Verizon placed an ad on Facebook to recruit applicants …

Most Influential in Media 2017  —  5. Rachel Maddow  —  When it comes to MSNBC prime time, there is Maddow. . and then everyone else.  The 9 PM MSNBC break out star has successfully positioned herself as a leading voice (and perhaps the leading voice) of “The Resistance” …

Forget what they say — House Democrats are readying for impeachment  —  To fill their top spot on the House Judiciary Committee, Democrats had a choice between experts in two critical policy arenas: a constitutional law ace with firsthand experience battling President Trump, and an architect of sweeping immigration legislation.

In Cabinet meeting, Pence praises Trump once every 12 seconds for three minutes straight  —  Back in June, President Trump allowed almost his entire Cabinet to speak, one by one, in praise of him.  And praise him they did, with each being more effusive than the last.

Chuck Close Apologizes After Accusations of Sexual Harassment  —  Several women complained that the celebrated artist, known for his outsize portraits, asked them to pose naked and made inappropriate sexual comments.  —  Chuck Close, the acclaimed artist whose massive portraits reside …

Apple addresses why people are saying their iPhones with older batteries are running ‘slower’  —  Because of a Reddit post and the loose interpretation of subsequent benchmark tests posted by Primate Labs' John Poole, the “Apple throttles old iPhones” meme has reared its ugly head again.

Judge declares mistrial in Bundy Ranch standoff case  —  LAS VEGAS — A federal judge declared a mistrial Wednesday in the case against Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, saying U.S. prosecutors willfully withheld critical and “potentially exculpatory” evidence from the defense.

Dec. 21 will be the worst day of 2017, astrologers say … The winter solstice — also known as Yule, Midwinter, the Shortest Day of the Year and the Longest Night — occurs at 11:28 a.m. ET Thursday.  —  But this short, little day with the great many names also may be the worst day of the year, according to astrologers.