Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton Retain Most Admired Titles  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Americans once again are most likely to name Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton as the man and woman living anywhere in the world they admire most, as they have for the past 10 years.

Mueller probe outgrows its ‘witch hunt’ phase  —  Steve Bannon's eyes lit up.  Several months before he left his job as a senior White House adviser last August, Bannon was talking to President Trump about the brewing political storm over the Justice Department investigation into his campaign's alleged ties to the Kremlin.

New Western Wall train station to be named after Trump  —  “The Western Wall is the holiest place for the Jewish people, and I decided to call the train station that leads to it after President Trump.”  —  A train station that will be built next to the Western Wall will be named after US President Donald Trump.

It wants checks on power except its own.  —  From Hollywood comes a steady stream of movies casting powerful liberals as embattled and marginalized conservatives as menacing.  Hollywood's latest tribute to a hopelessly entitled press, The Post, is in that vein.

Breitbart's Disgrace  —  When news cycles are crowded with outrage — some of it justified, much of it hysterical — it's easy to lose track of the significant stories.  There was one last week that conservatives can't let slide down the memory hole.  Breitbart's editor-in-chief, Alex Marlow …

Years of Attack Leave Obamacare a More Government-Focused Health Law  —  WASHINGTON — The Affordable Care Act was conceived as a mix of publicly funded health care and privately purchased insurance, but Republican attacks, culminating this month in the death of a mandate that most Americans have insurance …

Russia is accusing the US of ‘direct interference’ in its elections  — A Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman on Tuesday said the US was meddling in Russia's coming presidential election by condemning the decision to bar the opposition candidate Alexei Navalny from running.

Many Comments Critical of ‘Fiduciary’ Rule Are Fake  —  Wall Street Journal analysis shows 40% of respondents didn't write the posts that were attributed to them  —  A significant number of fake comments appear among thousands criticizing a proposed federal rule meant to prevent conflicts …

L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti admits considering a 2020 bid: ‘I am thinking about this’  —  It's no secret Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti is interested in running for president.  —  When reporters ask about his intentions, he has used all sorts of ways to deflect, typically by saying he's focused on his day job — for the moment.

TRUMP SHOULD PARDON MICHAEL FLYNN, WHO TOOK ‘THE BIGGEST FALL,’ FAMILY SAYS  —  President Donald Trump should pardon his former national security adviser and campaign aide Michael Flynn, who “has taken the biggest fall,” Flynn's brother said Tuesday.  —  In a since deleted tweet …

Sen. Susan Collins: New tax law will benefit hardworking Mainers, not Washington elites  —  Among the positives are a larger standard deduction, relief for small businesses and an expanded child tax credit.  —  BY SUSAN COLLINSSPECIAL TO THE PRESS HERALD  —  I have heard a number …

ISIS has lost 98 percent of its territory — mostly since Trump took office, officials say  —  The U.S. military says ISIS has lost 98 percent of the territory it once held, half of those losses coming since President Trump took office; Lucas Tomlinson reports from the Pentagon.

Marines Take Out Taliban Kingpin Responsible for Killing, Maiming Troops  —  HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan — A Taliban shadow governor who had planned and executed improvised explosive device attacks on Marines and Afghan soldiers for well over a decade was killed in a precision airstrike …

We got it wrong on Brexit gloom, economists admit: Buoyant British economy is set to power past France by 2020  — Its economists accepted the fears they expressed last year that Brexit would leave the UK behind the French economy for five years were exaggerated

Homeowners Rush to Prepay 2018 Property-Tax Bills  —  Filers line up at municipal offices before the GOP law kicks in; 'It's been insane here'  —  Homeowners across the nation are rushing this week to prepay their property taxes for 2018 before the Republican tax law kicks in Jan. 1 and effectively raises the levy on higher-end homes.

Mike Huckabee Says Trump Is Like Churchill.  Historians Disagree.  —  Former Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas drew a swift and intense response with a provocative claim on Tuesday: President Trump, he wrote, is similar to Winston Churchill, one of history's most iconic leaders.

‘Never Trump’ Will Be the Only Faction Still Standing When He's Gone  —  As Donald Trump's first year in the White House ends observers are taking stock.  Eugene Robinson speaks for many Democrats and disaffected independents: “Just a few more days,” he wrote, “and this awful, rotten …

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee: Terror of the skies since 1995 … When United booted a paying customer from first class to make room for a member of Congress, the Internet erupted with good and healthy egalitarian outrage.  But don't blame the airline.  —  The congresswoman in question was Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas.

MELANIA TRUMP ORDERS REMOVAL OF NEAR-200-YEAR-OLD TREE FROM WHITE HOUSE  —  The historic Jackson magnolia has been on the south facade of the White House since the 1800s—making it the oldest on the grounds.  But Tuesday, Melania Trump reportedly made the decision to have it removed …

Paul Ryan wants to cut entitlements to trim the deficit, but political reality stands in his way  — Revenue shortfalls created by the new GOP tax law could make House Speaker Paul Ryan's political goals easier to achieve.  — Ryan wants to cut so-called entitlement programs such as Medicare …