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 …

‘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 …

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 …

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.

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.

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.

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 …

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.”

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.

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.

Donald Trump Becomes Twitter Laughingstock Over ‘Envy Of The World’ Boast  —  “Take it from an outsider: we feel sorry for Americans.”  —  Donald Trump on Thursday sought to stifle media reports that his administration is engulfed “in chaos” and “in meltdown” by claiming that the U.S. under his presidency was “the envy of the world.”

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 …

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.

Trump's Rages and the Case for Optimism  —  If Donald Trump were not so unbalanced, were he not exacting such immeasurable damage on the domestic welfare and the national security of the United States, you might find it in yourself to feel a tinge of sympathy for one so lost.

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.

Trump's 2016 Showing Was the Most Important Factor in 2018 House Races  —  Not long after the November 2017 elections, I had lunch with David Petts, a Democratic pollster and longtime veteran of congressional campaigns.  He remarked that the Republican gubernatorial candidates in Virginia …

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 …

The Best Way To Save People From Suicide  —  It was still dark outside when Amanda woke up to the sound of her alarm, got out of bed and decided to kill herself.  She wasn't going to do it then, not at 5:30 in the morning on a Friday.  She told herself she would do it sometime after work.