Donald Trump Goes Full Fredo  —  “I can handle things.  I'm smart!  Not like everybody says, like dumb.  I'm smart and I want respect!”  —  This morning's presidential Twitter outburst recalls those words of Fredo Corleone's in one of the most famous scenes from The Godfather series.

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 …

SEC Looks Into Kushner Cos.  Over Use of EB-5 Program for Immigrant Investors  —  Probe is being conducted in collaboration with Brooklyn U.S. attorney's office, which issued similar subpoena  —  The Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating the real-estate company run by the family …

George Papadopoulos' fiancée opens up about her interview with Mueller, that mysterious London professor, and her wedding plans  — Simona Mangiante, the fiancée of former Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos, described in an interview with Business Insider this week …

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 …

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.

Appeal denied: ICE to move forward with deportation of paraplegic boy's caregiver … Yancarlos Mendez, a dual citizen of Spain and the Dominican Republic living illegally in the United States, was stopped for driving without a license, his second such offense.  Sam Greene/The Enquirer

A Major Democratic Donor Is Reconsidering Support For Senators Who Pushed For Al Franken's Resignation  —  Clinton with Buell in 2007.  —  One of the Democratic Party's biggest donors says she is reconsidering her support for the women in the U.S. Senate who called for Al Franken's resignation …

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.

Tapes Reveal Egyptian Leaders' Tacit Acceptance of Jerusalem Move  —  As President Trump moved last month to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, an Egyptian intelligence officer quietly placed phone calls to the hosts of several influential talk shows in Egypt.

HEAR IT: Eliot Spitzer chides blackmailer in alleged profanity-filled recording (WARNING: GRAPHIC LANGUAGE)  —  A woman who says she carried on a longtime affair with disgraced former Gov. Eliot Spitzer told police she has the pervy pol on tape berating and threatening her, and the NYPD is investigating her allegation.

The Latest: Trump to campaign heavily in 2018 midterms  —  The Latest on President Donald Trump's meetings at Camp David with congressional leaders (all times local):  —  President Donald Trump says he won't sign legislation protecting hundreds of thousands of young people brought …

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 …

ACLU to storm 2018 midterms  —  The group is aiming to become the NRA of the left, starting with plans to spend tens of millions in the election.  —  The American Civil Liberties Union, rarely an active player in national campaigns, is jumping into the 2018 midterms with plans to spend upward …

McConnell dances on Bannon's grave  —  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his allies rang in the new year with a week-long celebration of Steve Bannon's self-immolation.  —  But the festivities may prove to be short-lived.  —  The Republican leader still has a slate …

U.S. Trade Deficit Balloons to Widest in Almost Six Years  —  The U.S. trade deficit in November reached the highest level in almost six years as an increase in imports exceeded a gain in shipments overseas, Commerce Department data showed Friday.  —  Highlights of Trade Balance (November)