‘A gift-wrapped package of poo:’ Why a man left a box of manure for Steven Mnuchin  —  It was one of those gag cards you can buy in a drugstore.  “Merry Catsmess!” read the caption.  And in a personal touch, as if for emphasis, Robby Strong had enclosed a box of horse manure.

Parents Killed After Warning Daughter About Boyfriend's Racist Views, Family Says  —  A husband and wife were shot dead in their Virginia home three days before Christmas by a 17-year-old boy they had warned their daughter not to date because of his racist views, according to officials and news accounts.

Sally Yates: Watch out for ghosts at Mar-a-Lago  —  Former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates  —  is defending the FBI in response to President Trump  —  's attacks on the law enforcement agency — and specifically Deputy Director Andrew McCabe.  —  Yates in a tweet on Sunday …

Why Saad Hariri Had That Strange Sojourn in Saudi Arabia  —  BEIRUT, Lebanon — Lebanon's prime minister, Saad Hariri, was summoned at 8:30 a.m. to the Saudi royal offices — unseemly early, by the Kingdom's standards — on the second day of a visit that was already far from what he had expected.

Democrats Leave Few Seats Unchallenged in Quest for House Control  —  WASHINGTON — Representative Pete Sessions, a veteran Republican, was re-elected to his affluent Dallas-area House seat in 2016 with 71 percent of the vote, the remaining 29 percent split between the Libertarian and Green Party candidates.

Departing GOP lawmakers warn that their party could lose majorities in 2018  —  Republicans could easily lose their congressional majorities in 2018, two retiring GOP lawmakers warned Sunday, pointing to a lack of diversity in the party and President Trump's pattern of catering …

Former Gov. Kathleen Blanco: Seeking prayers in new ‘fight for my own life’ against cancer … Blanco, 75, a devout Catholic, says she is at peace with her fate, whatever it might be.  —  “I've had an extraordinarily full life,” she told The Advocate during a four-hour visit to her Lafayette home that included dinner.

HOW TRUMP AND THE NAZIS STOLE CHRISTMAS TO PROMOTE WHITE NATIONALISM  —  President Donald Trump wants Americans to think he re-invented Christmas.  —  “We can say merry Christmas again,” he has said on numerous occasions both during his campaign for president and his presidency.

Guatemala announces plan to move Israel embassy to Jerusalem  —  The president of Guatemala on Sunday announced that the country plans to move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, days after the United Nations overwhelmingly voted against President Trump  —  's decision to recognize the contested city as the Israeli capital.

Mideast needs two-state solution, Pope says in Christmas message  —  VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis used his Christmas message on Monday to call for a negotiated two-state solution to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, after U.S. President Donald Trump stoked regional tensions …

Sanders: Middle-class tax cuts in GOP bill a ‘very good thing’ that should have been permanent … Sen. Bernie Sanders  —  (I-Vt.) on Sunday agreed the tax cuts for the middle class in the GOP tax bill are a “very good thing” — but added they should have been made permanent.