Exclusive: Iconic White House tree to be cut down  —  STORY HIGHLIGHTS  —  Washington (CNN)The south facade of the White House will undergo a dramatic change this week: the historic Jackson Magnolia, a tree that has been in place since the 1800s, is scheduled to be cut down and removed.

What's a Wendy's doing there?  The story of Washington's weirdest traffic circle.  —  First things first.  There's a Wendy's in the middle of the intersection.  Hard to get around that.  —  It's been there since the mid-'80s, on a wedge of land bordered by First Street NE and Florida …

Russia is going to attack our next election.  The Trump administration may not even try to stop it.  —  The Russians are coming for our elections — to disrupt them, to discredit them, and even to affect their outcome.  They'll be coming in 2018, and in 2020.

13 Days in July: The Trump White House's crucible  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — They were the 13 days that transformed the White House.  —  Even for an administration that spent most of 2017 throwing off headlines at a dizzying pace, events in the second half of July unfolded at breakneck speed.

Pro-Trump singer files assault claim against Lewandowski over butt-slap incident  —  The woman accusing President Donald Trump's former campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, of unwanted touching at a Trump International Hotel party last month has filed a sexual assault report …

Investigating the Investigators at DOJ and FBI  —  Why do heads seem to be rolling—or at least tilting—at the Department of Justice and FBI?  —  Eight high ranking Department of Justice and FBI officials have been removed, reassigned or are rumored to be leaving.

Democrat in tied Va. House race says she will challenge disputed ballot in court  —  Lawyers for a Democrat locked in a tied Virginia House of Delegates race were preparing a court challenge Tuesday, hoping to head off a name-drawing scheduled for Wednesday that will decide not only that race, but also which party controls the chamber.

U.S. retail holiday sales jump 4.9%, biggest increase since 2011  —  When it comes to shopping, it turns out we spend quite a bit on ourselves, and, often, it's not really out of need.  Buzz60's Nathan Rousseau Smith (@fantasticmrnate) has more.  Buzz60  —  Despite thousands of store closings …

To beat President Trump, you have to learn to think like his supporters  —  Scandals will never defeat a populist.  —  Almost a year later, Donald Trump is still president.  Powerful men in entertainment, media and even politics have seen their public lives implode under scandal almost instantly for months now, but Trump holds on.

GOP lawmaker calls for ‘purge’ of FBI … (R-Fla.) on Tuesday called for a “purge” of the FBI, warning of “deep state” figures at work in the agency.  —  Rooney said during an interview on MSNBC that the American people have “very high standards” for the country's government agencies, and suggested they aren't being met.

What's Bill de Blasio's Problem?  —  DES MOINES—The website for the Progressive Agenda Committee that Bill de Blasio launched in 2014 is now just an error message.  —  The mayors of Detroit, Chicago, New Orleans and Boston all declined or didn't return several requests seeking comment on him.

The inside story of Doug Jones's win in Alabama  —  A top Doug Jones staffer explains the Alabama win.  —  “The day before the Washington Post story came out, we were behind by one point, 46 to 45,” says Joe Trippi.  “And the day before the election, we were ahead in our own survey by 2 points.

Why Black People Own Guns  —  HuffPost spoke with 11 black gun owners to figure out what gun ownership means in a country determined to keep its black populace unarmed.  —  As much as America loves her guns, she has never liked the idea of seeing them in black hands.

Impeachment debate divides Democrats as 2018 wave builds  —  A tidal wave of liberal disdain for President Donald Trump may help deliver the House to Democrats in 2018.  And if it does, the new majority will face an immediate, fateful choice: to pursue Trump's impeachment as the base demands …

New York's Attorney General in Battle With Trump  —  Eric Schneiderman, New York's attorney general, reached a milestone of sorts recently.  —  By moving to sue the Federal Communications Commission over net neutrality this month, his office took its 100th legal or administrative action …

Cities sue Defense Dept. over gun-check system failures  —  Three large U.S. cities filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against the Department of Defense, arguing that many service members who are disqualified from gun ownership weren't reported to the national background check system.

Analysts Cut iPhone X Shipment Forecasts, Citing Lukewarm Demand  —  High price and few innovations dimming buyer interest, JL says  —  Asian Apple supplier shares fell on iPhone X order cut reports  —  Apple Inc. looks like it's having a not-so Merry Christmas.

America Is Not Yet Lost  —  Many of us came into 2017 expecting the worst.  And in many ways, the worst is what we got.  —  Donald Trump has been every bit as horrible as one might have expected; he continues, day after day, to prove himself utterly unfit for office, morally and intellectually.

America is on the brink of a historic break with Europe, thanks to Trump  —  Foreign service officers like me saw ourselves as guardians of this vital alliance.  But Trump isn't interested in leading it or writing its next chapter.  —  The Trump administration's newly unveiled national …

China halts oil product exports to North Korea in November as sanctions bite  —  Ryan Woo, Muyu Xu  —  BEIJING (Reuters) - China exported no oil products to North Korea in November, Chinese customs data showed, apparently going above and beyond sanctions imposed earlier this year …

Where is Trump's Cabinet?  It's anybody's guess.  —  The Cabinet members carrying out President Donald Trump's orders to shake up the federal government are doing so under an unusual layer of secrecy — often shielding their schedules from public view, keeping their travels under wraps …