Trump advisers vent frustrations about 2018 strategy as president listens … Within hours of celebrating President Trump's biggest legislative achievement, at the South Portico of the White House on Wednesday, his aides and outside advisers had a spirited, and at times tense …

“I Have Power”: Is Steve Bannon Running for President?  —  On a whirlwind tour around the globe, Trump's former aide and alter ego reveals what really went down in the White House, his unfettered thoughts on Javanka, his complicated relationship with his erstwhile boss—and his own political ambitions.

Top FBI official grilled on Comey, Clinton in Hill testimony  —  Washington (CNN)FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe faced numerous questions this week about his interactions, conversations and correspondence with his one-time boss, former FBI Director James Comey, spanning both the FBI's Russia investigation …

Judge dismisses suits claiming Trump violated emoluments clause  —  A federal judge on Thursday dismissed a pair of lawsuits claiming that President Donald Trump's failure to divest himself of his real estate empire and other business holdings violated the Constitution's provision banning receipt of foreign …

Papa John's Founder To Step Down As CEO After Backlash Over NFL Comments  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Papa John's founder John Schnatter will step down as CEO next month, about two months after he publicly criticized the NFL leadership over national anthem protests by football players — comments for which the company later apologized.

Trump Administration Considers Separating Families to Combat Illegal Immigration  —  The Trump administration is considering a new policy that would separate parents from their children when families are caught entering the country illegally, according to officials who have been briefed on the plans.

Obamacare Sign-ups at High Levels Despite Trump Saying It's ‘Imploding’  —  WASHINGTON — The Trump administration said Thursday that 8.8 million people had signed up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act's federal marketplace, a surprisingly large number only slightly lower …

Sessions rescinds Justice Dept. letter asking courts to be wary of stiff fines and fees for poor defendants  —  Attorney General Jeff Sessions is rescinding an Obama-era Justice Department letter that asked local courts across the country to be wary of slapping poor defendants with fines …

Five Women Are Accusing A Top Left-Leaning Media Executive Of Sexually Harassing Them  —  Don Hazen, the executive editor of AlterNet, was placed on “indefinite leave” after BuzzFeed News asked his oversight board about accusations that he inappropriately touched employees, sent lewd emails, and showed them explicit photographs.

Trump just gave a bigger Christmas gift to Putin than corporate America — while no one was watching  —  In a move that went largely unnoticed last week, Donald Trump quietly handed Russian President Vladimir Putin the best Christmas gift he could possibly ask for — an invitation …

FBI's top lawyer said to be reassigned … The FBI's top lawyer, James Baker, is being reassigned — one of the first moves by new director Christopher A. Wray to assemble his own team of senior advisers as he tries to fend off accusations of politicization within the bureau.

U.N. resoundingly rejects U.S. decision on Jerusalem in pointed rebuke … The U.N. General Assembly on Thursday overwhelmingly passed a measure rejecting the Trump administration's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, a stunning rebuke of a U.S. decision that allies and adversaries alike warned …

Long Live City Paper  —  Darrow MontgomeryI am overjoyed to report that local venture capitalist and philanthropist Mark Ein has reached an agreement to purchase Washington City Paper from SouthComm, Inc. The news hit us in the middle of our annual holiday potluck.

Ex-CIA director Brennan goes there, compares Trump to “narcissistic, vengeful autocrats”  —  Foreign relations have been in a tailspin since Donald Trump upended decades of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and declared America would recognize Jerusalem solely as the capital of Israel.

A deafening media silence on the Obama-Hezbollah scandal  —  Politico published a jaw-dropping, meticulously sourced investigative piece this week detailing how the Obama administration had secretly undermined US law-enforcement agency efforts to shut down an international drug-trafficking ring run by the terror group Hezbollah.

Congress Passes Stopgap Bill to Avoid Government Shutdown Against a Friday Deadline  —  WASHINGTON — Congress gave final approval on Thursday to legislation to keep the government funded into January, averting a government shutdown this weekend but kicking fights over issues like immigration …

Joint Statement from DNI Coats, AG Sessions, CIA Director Pompeo, FBI Director Wray, and NSA Director Rogers on FISA Section 702 Reauthorization  —  Reauthorizing Section 702 before it expires is vital to keeping the nation safe.  Let us be clear: if Congress fails to act …

Commentary: Democrats may wish they'd supported Trump's tax cut  —  Why is a plan to cut taxes for working families, enact an Obama-style approach to corporate taxes and increase child-friendly spending the subject of such partisan passion?  It's not policy.  It's not math.  —  It's Trump.

Callista Gingrich becomes Trump's envoy to pope as differences mount  —  VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Callista Gingrich, wife of the former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, on Friday became U.S. ambassador to the Vatican, which is at odds with Washington over immigration, climate change and Jerusalem.

Feeble Resistance  —  Look at what the Democrats haven't accomplished.  —  Charles Schumer Photo Credit: Win McNamee / Getty  —  Shocked by Donald Trump's election, Democrats adopted a strategy of resistance that's simple and blunt: Anything Trump is for, they're against.

The Miss America Emails: How The Pageant's CEO Really Talks About The Winners  —  Internal correspondence reveals name-calling, slut-shaming and fat-shaming in emails between the Miss America CEO, board members and a pageant writer.  —  In late August 2014, the CEO of the Miss America Organization …