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.

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 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 …

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 …

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.

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.

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.

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 …

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.

Melania Trump's favorite TV show is ‘How to Get Away With Murder’  —  is a fan of ABC's “How to Get Away With Murder,” according to The New York Times.  —  Trump reportedly told the Times's Katie Rogers that the ABC legal drama, about a lawyer and her students tied up in murder cover-ups, was her favorite TV show.

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.

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.

Your Uber Car Creates Congestion.  Should You Pay a Fee to Ride?  —  The sputtering traffic in Manhattan has long been blamed on cars and delivery trucks pouring onto the streets from the rest of the city and beyond.  —  Since at least the 1970s, New York City officials have proposed various toll systems …

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.

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 …

The Man Who Gave White Nationalism A New Life  —  Fifty years ago, France lost a war while trying keep millions of Muslims French citizens.  One French writer launched a movement to rethink “identity” in its aftermath, and helped reinvent nationalism for the 21st century.  —  Reporting From

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.

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 …

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 …