U.S. Is Optimistic It Will Prosecute Assange  —  Over the past year, U.S. prosecutors have discussed several types of charges they could potentially bring against the WikiLeaks founder  —  The Justice Department is preparing to prosecute WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and is increasingly optimistic …

Florida Dems planned to use altered forms to fix mail ballots across state after deadline  —  Senator Bill Nelson has called for a recount.  Do the vote margins in his race against Rick Scott call for one?  —  CONNECT  —  TALLAHASSEE — A day after Florida's election left top state races …

To ease Turkish pressure on Saudis over killing, White House weighs expelling Erdogan foe  —  “Once they realized it was a serious request, the career guys were furious,” a U.S. official said of request tied to Khashoggi killing.  —  WASHINGTON — The White House is looking for ways to remove …

‘Preparing for the worst’: Mueller anxiety pervades Trump world  —  Lawyers for President Donald Trump and his son Donald Trump Jr. insist they aren't worried about special counsel Robert Mueller.  —  But half a dozen people in contact with the White House and other Trump officials …

AP source: Whitaker told Graham that Mueller probe to go on  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker told Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham in a meeting on Thursday that special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation will proceed, according to a person familiar with the meeting.

Ocasio-Cortez gets in closed-door fight with veteran lawmaker over climate change  —  A fight broke out in a closed-door meeting of House Democrats over climate change as a powerful veteran lawmaker fought with freshman star Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other members-elect over the creation of a special panel for the issue.

Camp fire death toll climbs to 63; number of missing jumps to 631  —  The death toll from the devastating Camp fire jumped to 63 on Thursday as search crews recovered seven more bodies in the burn area.  —  The number of people unaccounted for jumped dramatically to 631 people, up from 130 on Wednesday evening.

These charts show how Democrats represent the growing modern economy - and how Republicans are left behind  —  Among other results, this year's midterm elections affirmed this much: in Washington, the two parties now speak for dramatically different segments of the American economy.

Democrat Porter flips GOP House seat in Southern California  —  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Democrat Katie Porter captured a Republican-held U.S. House seat Thursday in the heart of what once was Southern California's Reagan country, extending a rout of the state's GOP House delegation.

Black caucus members back Pelosi for speaker over their former chair  —  Lawmakers in the Congressional Black Caucus back Nancy Pelosi for speaker over one of their own members, Rep. Marcia Fudge — a bad sign for the former CBC chair who's considering a challenge to the California Democrat.

Mark Zuckerberg Defends Facebook as Furor Over Its Tactics Grows  —  WASHINGTON — On Thursday, Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's chief executive and chairman, held a conference call with reporters to discuss how the social network manages problematic posts and its community standards.

Republican senator claims ‘the left’ will start a civil war unless federal highway system abolished  —  We are ruled by monsters and fools.  —  On Thursday, Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) delivered a speech to the conservative Federalist Society that would have been more at home on Alex Jones' radio show …

The NRA Has Killed Free Coffee for Employees  —  The National Rifle Association is doing away with free coffee and water coolers for employees at its Fairfax, Virginia, headquarters — a cost-cutting move that has NRA insiders “freaking out,” The Trace has learned.

What Did ‘Pod Save America’ Expect?  —  Don't put professional Republican smear men on your liberal podcast.  —  Until Wednesday night, at least, Tim Miller was known — if he was known at all outside Beltway circles — as the token Republican pet of Crooked Media, the distributor of the wildly popular “Pod Save America.”

Even Trump Can't Stop Mocking Sean Hannity's ‘Dumb’ Softball Questions  —  Trump craves friction to set off sparks and drama.  Hannity's slobbering extinguishes them.  —  Donald Trump's close relationship—on air and off—with Sean Hannity hasn't stopped the president from mocking …

Mississippi GOP Sen. Hyde-Smith calls voter suppression ‘great idea.’ Campaign: ‘Obviously’ joking.  —  The caught-on-camera comment surfaced days after her remark about attending a “public hanging” stirred controversy.  —  A video surfaced Thursday of Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith …

Michael Avenatti ‘still considering’ running for president after domestic violence arrest  —  WASHINGTON - Attorney Michael Avenatti says despite his run-in with the law Wednesday evening over an alleged domestic violence incident, he is still debating a bid for the White House.

Homeless vet, couple allegedly made up story for GoFundMe scam  —  The New Jersey couple who raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in a viral charity campaign for a homeless man were allegedly working with the vagrant as part of an elaborate ruse, according to a new report.

Man shouts ‘Heil Hitler, Heil Trump’ during intermission of Baltimore performance of ‘Fiddler on the Roof’  —  The audience reacts after a man interrupts the “Fiddler on the Roof” performance at the Hippodrome Theatre.  (Video courtesy of Rich Scherr)  —  A man shouted a pro-Nazi …

Trump Names Mar-A-Lago Member And Handbag Designer As Ambassador  —  If confirmed, Lana Marks would bring no prior diplomatic experience to her role as the U.S. ambassador to South Africa.  —  President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced his intention to nominate Lana Marks …