Trump asked the acting FBI director whom he voted for during Oval Office meeting … Shortly after President Trump fired his FBI director in May, he summoned to the Oval Office the bureau's acting director for a get-to-know-you meeting.  —  The two men exchanged pleasantries, but before long …

Exclusive: New signs Gates may be negotiating with Mueller's team  —  Who is Rick Gates?  —  STORY HIGHLIGHTS  — At this stage, with Gates' charges filed and bail set, talks could concern the charges and Gates' plea  —  Washington (CNN)Former Trump campaign aide Rick Gates has quietly added …

Pat Meehan says he saw younger aide as ‘a soul mate’ but denies harassment  —  U.S. Rep Pat Meehan said Tuesday he had developed a deep “affection” for a younger aide and told her that he saw her as “a soul mate” as they talked over ice cream one night last year, but in an interview …

EXCLUSIVE: Tammy Duckworth is pregnant; will be 1st senator to give birth  —  Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., is pregnant and will become the first sitting U.S. senator to give birth.  Duckworth is holding her daughter, Abigail, during a ceremonial swearing in by Vice President Joe Biden on Jan. 3, 2017.

Schumer withdraws offer on Trump's wall  —  Chuck Schumer is taking his big spending boost for Donald Trump's border wall off the table.  —  The Senate minority leader, through an aide, informed the White House that he was retracting the offer he made last week to give Trump well north …

Investigation: For some who lived in it, Keillor's world wasn't funny … When Minnesota Public Radio abruptly severed ties with Garrison Keillor in November, the sole explanation offered by the company was “inappropriate behavior” with a female colleague.  —  For his part, the creator …

Manchin Will Seek Re-Election but Sends Democrats a Stern Warning  —  WASHINGTON — Senator Joe Manchin III of West Virginia told colleagues on Tuesday that he intended to run for re-election this year after all, ending an anxiety-making flirtation with retirement and easing Democratic fears …

Ursula K. Le Guin, Acclaimed for Her Fantasy Fiction, Is Dead at 88  —  Ursula K. Le Guin, the immensely popular author who brought literary depth and a tough-minded feminist sensibility to science fiction and fantasy with books like “The Left Hand of Darkness” and the Earthsea series …

Poll: Democrats, Trump to blame for government shutdown  —  Americans blame President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats about equally for the three-day government shutdown that ended Monday with another stopgap spending measure, according to a new NBC News|  SurveyMonkey poll.

The Bigot Threatening CNN Got Out of Jail in Time for Dinner  —  Early Tuesday morning, we learned that Brandon Griesemer, a 19-year-old grocery store clerk from Novi, Michigan, made at least 22 calls to CNN's Atlanta headquarters where he not only threatened to shoot and kill employees …

Men Only: Inside the charity fundraiser where hostesses are put on show  —  At 10pm last Thursday night, Jonny Gould took to the stage in the ballroom at London's Dorchester Hotel.  “Welcome to the most un-PC event of the year,” he roared.  —  The sports broadcaster was there to host a charity auction …

Border Patrol arrests ASU instructor who gave food, water to immigrants  —  The arrest came hours after the group released videos showing some Border Patrol agents kicking over water bottles left for immigrants.  —  PHOENIX (AP) - A volunteer for group that offers aid to immigrants crossing …

Where Were the Cutesy Tweets from Melania and Donald Trump on Their 13th Wedding Anniversary?  —  Past presidents and first ladies have often taken to social media to celebrate their birthdays and wedding anniversaries, giving the American people rare glimpses into their private lives and marriages.

Drudge: Trump loves his job, can't wait to run for reelection in 2020  —  Drudge Report's Matt Drudge said in a rare tweet Tuesday that President Trump  —  loves his job and is “already talking about his 2020 re-election run.”  —  Drudge's tweet linked to a story on The Hill detailing comments …

Alabama House votes to end special U.S. Senate elections  —  The crowd cheers as Democratic candidate Doug Jones is declared the projected winner of the U.S. Senate race against Republican Roy Moore on Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017, in Birmingham.  Shannon Heupel/Advertiser

Biden: McConnell stopped Obama from calling out Russians  —  Joe Biden said Tuesday that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell stopped the Obama administration from speaking out about Russian interference in the 2016 campaign by refusing to sign on to a bipartisan statement of condemnation.

Hannity Goes Off on DOJ/FBI: People Must Be Investigated, Indicted, and Probably ‘Thrown in Jail!’  —  Sean Hannity concluded yet another fiery monologue on corruption at the FBI and DOJ by saying that high-ranking people should probably be “thrown in jail.”

Female journalists covering Pence in Israel forced to stand behind male colleagues  —  JERUSALEM — If there's one thing female journalists covering the trip of Vice President Pence to Israel will remember it is the “special treatment” they received, first by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin …

This Is Facebook's News Survey  —  Last week, Facebook said its News Feed would prioritize links from publications its users deemed “trustworthy” in an upcoming survey.  Turns out that survey isn't a particularly lengthy or nuanced one.  In fact, it's just two questions.

AMVETS says NFL censored its ad against flag protests  —  WASHINGTON — AMVETS officials are decrying “corporate censorship” from the National Football League for their decision not to run an ad in their Super Bowl program which responds to league players' decision to kneel for the national anthem in protest of national equality issues.

The Guy Who Played Barney the Dinosaur Now Runs a Tantric Sex Business  —  He started his current practice in 2004, and finds clients any number of ways, from word of mouth to converting women he's met on Tinder into believers.  —  Photo of Barney the purple dinosaur via Getty Images