Mueller calls back at least one participant in key meeting with Russians at Trump Tower  —  Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya and lobbyist Rinat Akhmetshin.  (Yury Martyanov/AFP/Getty Images, Alex Wong/Getty Images)  —  Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III has recalled for questioning …

What the Trump dossier criminal referral means  —  There's been a lot of confusion about the decision by Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Chuck Grassley and crime subcommittee chairman Lindsey Graham to refer Christopher Steele, author of the Trump dossier, to the Justice Department for possible criminal investigation.

Roy Moore accuser's Gadsden home burns; arson investigation underway  —  Roy Moore accuser Tina Johnson lost her home Wednesday 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 U.S. Wanted to Discuss Iran.  Russia Brought Up Black Lives Matter.  —  UNITED NATIONS — Efforts by the Trump administration to marshal a muscular international response to Iran's crackdown on anti-government protesters appeared to backfire on Friday, as members of the United Nations …

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 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 …

‘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.

Mandalay Bay staff interacted with Las Vegas shooter more than 10 times in days before Oct. 1  —  Mandalay Bay resort and casino.  Joel Angel Juarez Las Vegas Review-Journal @jajuarezphoto  —  Two windows are blown out from Mandalay Bay the morning after a mass shooting in Las Vegas, Monday, Oct. 2, 2017.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Pulse gunman's wife: I knew he was going to Orlando to attack  —  A handwritten statement given to the FBI by the wife of Pulse nightclub gunman Omar Mateen says she saw him prepare for the deadly attack for months and knew that the LGBT nightclub was his target.

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 …

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.

Bannon Goes Belly-Up and the Stock Market Soars  —  There's an important connection here.  —  There were two big money-and-politics stories in the first week of the new year: The Dow Jones soared 577 points and Steve Bannon ended his political career.  —  Are these two events related?

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.

Trump poised to take action on Medicaid work requirements  —  The Trump administration is preparing to release guidelines soon for requiring Medicaid recipients to work, according to sources familiar with the plans, a major shift in the 50-year-old program.  —  The guidelines will set …

Voters Used To See Moderation In Trump.  Not Anymore.  —  Welcome to Pollapalooza, our weekly polling roundup.  Today's theme song is Sammy Davis Jr.'s rendition of “Movin' on Up” from the television show “The Jeffersons.”  —  Poll of the week  —  A new YouGov survey released this week found …

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),