The Decline of Anti-Trumpism  —  Let me start with three inconvenient observations, based on dozens of conversations around Washington over the past year:  —  First, people who go into the White House to have a meeting with President Trump usually leave pleasantly surprised.

From ‘Fire and Fury’ to Political Firestorm  —  Inside the Trump White House  —  312 pp.  Henry Holt & Company.  $30.  —  He is a New Yorker in Washington, far more consumed with the news media and personalities than policy issues.  He elides facts, fudges the specifics and dispenses …

Oprah Winfrey for President: Have We All Gone Bonkers?  —  Have we all gone bonkers?  —  On Sunday evening, #Oprah2020 began trending on social media after Oprah Winfrey delivered a rousing speech against misogyny and racism at the Golden Globe Awards.  While Oprah has in the past ruled …

Trump booed on live TV at Alabama-Georgia championship football game  —  Donald Trump is used to surrounding himself with adoring fans at political rallies.  —  But when he steps outside of that pre-scripted setting to attend events open to the public, he is met with derision and protests …

FBI agents' text messages spur congressional probe into possible news leaks  —  Republican-led House and Senate committees are investigating whether leaders of the Russia counterintelligence investigation had contacts with the news media that resulted in improper leaks, prompted in part …

Republicans: Budget deal prospects are dimming  —  Congressional Republicans and White House officials are increasingly skeptical that they'll reach a long-term budget agreement with Democrats in the next 11 days, accusing progressives of slow-walking a spending deal until they get what they want on immigration.

Amid Signs of a Thaw in North Korea, Tensions Bubble Up  —  Trump administration weighs a risky strategy as Seoul and Pyongyang prepare to meet  —  As one sign of how fraught the confrontation with North Korea remains despite the tentative onset of diplomatic activity, consider this …

U.S. Spy Satellite Believed Lost After SpaceX Mission Fails  —  Secret payload code-named Zuma failed to reach orbit after Sunday launch; industry officials estimate satellite worth billions  —  An expensive, highly classified U.S. spy satellite is presumed to be a total loss after it failed …

Rep. Steve Alford cites belief blacks more susceptible to marijuana  —  During Saturday's Legislative Coffee session at St. Catherine Hospital, State Rep. Steve Alford, R-Ulysses, made an ostensibly racist comment when citing domestic Jim Crow-era drug policies.

The impending GOP catastrophe in Trump's backyard  —  ALBANY, N.Y. — Two potential candidates for New York governor against incumbent Andrew Cuomo have dropped out in the past week.  No candidate against Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand has gotten beyond the whisper phase.

John Dickerson Of CBS's ‘Face The Nation’ Is Set To Replace Charlie Rose  —  Rose was fired by CBS following allegations of sexual misconduct.  —  John Dickerson, anchor of the CBS Sunday news program “Face the Nation,” is set to replace Charlie Rose on “CBS This Morning,” three sources familiar with the decision tell HuffPost.

In Defense of Robert Mueller  —  The growing attacks don't stand up to scrutiny.  —  Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election is coming under growing attack from those most blinded by partisanship and — in the case of the White House — self-interest.

To Pay for Wall, Trump Would Cut Proven Border Security Measures  —  WASHINGTON — The Trump administration would cut or delay funding for border surveillance, radar technology, patrol boats and customs agents in its upcoming spending plan to curb illegal immigration — all proven security measures …

The White House struggles to silence talk of Trump's mental fitness … The White House is struggling to contain the national discussion about President Trump's mental acuity and fitness for the job, which has overshadowed the administration's agenda for the past week.

Teacher removed from Vermilion school board meeting in handcuffs  —  The superintendent of Vermilion Parish schools says the board won't press charges against a teacher who was removed from the board's special meeting Monday night.  —  Deyshia Hargrave, an English language arts teacher …

Tillerson tells AP Cuba still risky; FBI doubts sonic attack  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States would be “putting people intentionally in harm's way” if it sent diplomats back to Cuba, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says in an Associated Press interview, even as a new FBI report casts doubt …