Republican Senators Recommend Charges Against Author of Trump Dossier  —  WASHINGTON — More than a year after Republican leaders promised to investigate Russian interference in the presidential election, two influential Republicans on Friday made the first known congressional criminal referral …

Roy Moore accuser's Gadsden home burns; arson investigation underway  —  Roy Moore accuser Tina Johnson lost her home Tuesday in a fire that is now under investigation by the Etowah County Arson Task Force.  —  Tina Johnson, who first came to public notice for accusing Senate candidate Roy Moore …

The Wolff lines on Trump that ring unambiguously true  —  There are definitely parts of Michael Wolff's “Fire and Fury” that are wrong, sloppy, or betray off-the-record confidence.  But there are two things he gets absolutely right, even in the eyes of White House officials …

Trump campaign digital director: ‘Not one person made a decision’ without Kushner and Eric Trump's ‘approval’  — The digital director of the Trump campaign on Friday painted Jared Kushner and Eric Trump as “joint deputy campaign managers.”  — Brad Parscale's statement came amid …

CDC to hold briefing on how public can prepare for nuclear war  —  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has scheduled a briefing for later this month to outline how the public can prepare for nuclear war.  —  “While a nuclear detonation is unlikely, it would have devastating results …

The Increasing Unfitness of Donald Trump  —  The West Wing has come to resemble the dankest realms of Twitter, in which everyone is racked with paranoia and everyone despises everyone else.  —  What made the Emperor Nero tick, Suetonius writes in “Lives of the Caesars,” was …

World Leaders on Twitter  —  There's been a lot of discussion about political figures and world leaders on Twitter, and we want to share our stance.  —  Twitter is here to serve and help advance the global, public conversation.  Elected world leaders play a critical role in that conversation …

‘Romantic encounter’ set off Australia's role in triggering Donald Trump investigation  —  It was a chance romantic encounter by George Papadopoulos that set in train the events that led to the Australian government tipping off Washington about what it knew of Russian hacking efforts to swing the US presidential election.

FBI documents: Andrew McCabe had no conflict in Hillary Clinton email probe  —  WASHINGTON — FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, whom President Trump has blamed for influencing the decision not to criminally charge Hillary Clinton for her use of private email server, did not oversee that inquiry …

NPR Host Robert Siegel Signs Off  —  The Bureau of Labor Statistics says the median number of years that American workers have been working for their current employer is a little over four.  —  I say that to acknowledge how unusual it is that I have been working at National Public Radio for a little over 40 years — 41, to be precise.

Exclusive: Top Pence aides quietly depart in new year  —  STORY HIGHLIGHTS  —  (CNN)Vice President Mike Pence's chief lawyer and domestic policy director are leaving his office at the beginning of the New Year, according to four sources familiar with the staff turnover.

Krasner fires 31 from Philly DA's Office in dramatic first-week shakeup  —  Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner asked 31 members of the office to resign Friday, a dramatic shake-up and the first major staffing decision announced by the city's new top prosecutor, just three days after he was sworn in.

First phase of Trump border wall gets $18 billion price tag, in new request to lawmakers  —  The Trump administration has told lawmakers that it wants $18 billion over the next decade for the initial phase of a Mexico border wall, laying out for the first time a detailed financial blueprint …

The Trouble With Kirsten Gillibrand … Back when she had an A rating from the NRA, Kirsten Gillibrand used to brag that she and her family shot their own turkeys for Thanksgiving.  —  But in her relentless positioning for a possible presidential run in 2020, was she too quick on the trigger …

For Kraft, Brady and Belichick, is this the beginning of the end?  —  THE PROBLEM WITH living your life under the spotlight is that the camera captures only the public eruption, not the months of silent anger.  On Dec. 3, when the New England Patriots played the Buffalo Bills …

4 women accuse filmmaker Paul Haggis of sexual misconduct  —  LOS ANGELES (AP) — A civil lawsuit charging Oscar-winning filmmaker Paul Haggis with raping a publicist has prompted three additional women to come forward with their own sexual misconduct accusations, including another publicist …

Letterman Netflix series gets Obama as first guest: See trailer  —  Ready for your first look at David Letterman's new talk show?  —  Above is the first teaser trailer for the series, titled My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman.  —  That title suggests a show that's setting …

Judge won't block Republican in tight Virginia House race tainted by ballot mix-up … A federal judge denied a request to block a Republican from taking office in a Virginia House race tainted by more than 100 voters casting ballots in the wrong district, dimming Democrats' hopes for ending the Republican majority in the chamber.

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Josh Mandel drops out of U.S. Senate race  —  Republican U.S. Senate candidate Josh Mandel quit the race Friday, citing his wife's health.  —  He hoping to unseat U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat.  The Enquirer will update this story.

If the poor must work to earn every dollar, shouldn't the rich?  —  The argument over which poor people deserve aid has begun anew thanks to incipient Republican efforts to harshen work requirements attached to welfare programs.  For conservatives and thus-inclined Democrats …

David Clarke to face trial Jan. 22 over airport incident, but most claims dismissed  —  Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. was sued in 2017 in the wake of a brief exchange with Riverwest resident Dan Black aboard an American Airlines flight from Dallas to Milwaukee.  The sheriff has now given his version of what happened.

An Eyelash-Freezing ‘Icy Hell’: The One Spot That Could Feel Like Minus 100  —  GORHAM, N.H. — The moment you step out into the frozen air on the way up Mount Washington — considered the most frigid spot in the lower 48 — the icy wind steals your breath and freezes your eyelashes.  You can't blink.

The Bannon Fallacy  —  No one destroyed Bannon save Bannon himself.  —  EDITOR'S NOTE  —  The following is Jonah Goldberg's weekly “news"letter, the G-File.  Subscribe here to get the G-File delivered to your inbox on Fridays.  —  D  —  ear Reader (including those of you with merely average-size nuclear buttons),