Trump Deputy Chief of Staff to Step Down  —  Rick Dearborn, latest high-profile departure from West Wing, plans to pursue private sector work  —  WASHINGTON—Rick Dearborn, one of President Donald Trump's top aides, will step down early next year to pursue private-sector work …

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 …

“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.

‘We Will Remember’  —  Photo Credit: Eduardo Munoz Alvarez / AFP / Getty … To its shame, the United Nations has long been a hostile place for the state of Israel.  Both the current and the previous secretary generals have objected to the U.N.'s disproportionate focus on Israel.

Russian hackers targeted more than 200 journalists globally  —  PARIS (AP) — Russian television anchor Pavel Lobkov was in the studio getting ready for his show when jarring news flashed across his phone: Some of his most intimate messages had just been published to the web.

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.

Mitch McConnell ready to defend Senate majority from Democrats — and Steve Bannon  —  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell intends to play a central role in the midterm elections, using his affiliated super PAC to block insurgent Republicans and help his party withstand the headwinds from President Trump's low approval ratings.

Opioid Deaths Are Spreading Rapidly Into Black America  —  2016 drug overdose deaths per 100,000 residents  —  In counties with fewer than 10 drug overdose deaths, the map combines observed totals with modeled estimates.  —  The epidemic of drug overdoses, often perceived as a largely white rural problem …

Warner sees fire in Russia probe  —  Robert Mueller isn't the only one hot on the trail of the Russians' election interference and Facebook manipulation.  —  Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), vice chair of the Intelligence Committee, tells us that based on witness testimony and documents …

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.

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 …

Trump Promised to Protect Steel.  Layoffs Are Coming Instead.  —  CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa. — At this sprawling steel mill on the outskirts of Philadelphia, the workers have one number in mind.  Not how many tons of steel roll off the line, or how many hours they work, but where they fall on the plant's seniority list.

Ex-Trump adviser Carter Page accused academics who twice failed his PhD of bias  —  Carter Page, Donald Trump's former foreign policy adviser, accused his British examiners of “anti-Russian bias” after they took the highly unusual step of failing his “verbose” and “vague” PhD thesis, not once but twice.

Corker on media: I have ‘newfound empathy’ for Trump … Sen. Bob Corker  —  (R-Tenn.) said Thursday he has “newfound empathy” for President Trump  —  after a report he benefited from a provision in the final GOP tax bill went viral.  —  “I told (Trump) that I'd had a healthy respect …

Hundreds of People Made Gifts of Stock With Great Timing  —  Michael Milken is among investors who gave shares near peak prices or before drops, a WSJ analysis shows  —  When Michael Milken donated $27 million of stock to charity in September 2013, the former junk-bond financier's timing scarcely …

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 …

55 Ways Donald Trump Structurally Changed America in 2017  —  The GOP tax bill will mark the Trump administration's first major legislative achievement.  It's likely to jolt the economy more than any one political event since Trump's election, if not since the Affordable Care Act was passed …

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.

Why I started saying ‘reality-based press’ in 2017, instead of ‘mainstream media’  —  On Jan. 22, Kellyanne Conwaydefended the president's order that Sean Spicer, in his first appearance before the White House press corps, should feed reporters a whopping lie.

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.