Mueller says Michael Flynn gave ‘first-hand’ details of Trump transition team contacts with Russians  — Former national security advisor Michael Flynn has given special counsel Robert Mueller “first-hand” details of contacts between President Donald Trump's transition team and Russian government officials …

Fate of The Weekly Standard is uncertain, editor tells staff  —  New York (CNN Business)The fate of The Weekly Standard, the conservative magazine that has staked out a position as a publication on the right still critical of President Donald Trump, is uncertain, Editor-in-Chief Stephen Hayes told staff …

Exclusive: Emails of top NRCC officials stolen in major 2018 hack  —  The House GOP campaign arm suffered a major hack during the 2018 midterm campaigns, exposing thousands of sensitive emails to an outside intruder, according to three senior party officials.

President Trump traveled 250 yards to greet George W. Bush.  He used a stretch limo and an eight-vehicle motorcade to make the trip.  —  President Trump traversed a wide political chasm Tuesday evening when he personally welcomed George W. Bush, his occasional foil, to Blair House …

DOJ Alumni Statement Regarding the Appointment of Matthew Whitaker and the Rule of Law  —  We, the undersigned, are proud alumni of the United States Department of Justice.  We have served under Senate-confirmed Attorneys General who come from both political parties.

Les Moonves Obstructed Investigation Into Misconduct Claims, Report Says  —  Facing multiple sexual misconduct allegations and fearing his career as an entertainment titan was over, Leslie Moonves, the chief executive of CBS, destroyed evidence and misled investigators in an attempt to preserve …

GOP senators come out and say it: The Trump administration is covering up Khashoggi's killing  —  Republican senators emerged from a briefing Tuesday about journalist Jamal Khashoggi's killing and essentially accused the Trump administration of misleading the country about it — and even covering it up for Saudi Arabia.

U.S. Stocks Battered by Trade, Yield Concerns: Markets Wrap  — Thirty-year bonds lead rise in Treasuries after inversion  — Pound erases gain as push to avoid hard Brexit may be at risk  —  U.S. stocks plunged, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbling more than 800 points …

2 attorneys general to subpoena Trump Organization, IRS  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The attorneys general of the District of Columbia and Maryland plan to file subpoenas Tuesday seeking records from the Trump Organization, the Internal Revenue Service and dozens of other entities as part …

Second woman claims she was paid to pick up ballots in U.S. House District 9 race  —  BLADEN COUNTY, N.C. - A second woman Channel 9 spoke with on Tuesday said she was paid by an electioneer in Bladen County to pick up absentee ballots in the U.S. House District 9 race.

Michelle Obama Tells a Secret: ‘I Have Been at Every Powerful Table You Can Think of... They Are Not That Smart’  —  Former first lady Michelle Obama confessed she still suffered from “imposter syndrome,” even as her memoir, Becoming, broke sales records last month and became the year's best-selling book 15 days after it was published.

How Trump appointees curbed a consumer protection agency loathed by the GOP  —  Mick Mulvaney struck a jovial tone as he introduced the political appointees who would run the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.  One was nicknamed Dreamboat, he said in an email.  Another was Mumbles.

Nikki Haley sells SC home, plans to stay in New York, reportedly writing book  —  COLUMBIA — Former Gov. Nikki Haley is not coming straight back to the Palmetto State after she leaves the United Nations at year's end.  —  She plans on staying in New York where her son attends high school.

Beto O'Rourke met with Barack Obama as he ponders a 2020 presidential campaign  —  Beto O'Rourke, weighing whether to mount a 2020 presidential bid, met recently with Barack Obama at his post-presidency offices in Washington.  —  The meeting, which was held on Nov. 16 at the former president's offices …

Deval Patrick to announce he won't run for president, sources say  —  Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick is calling close allies and informing them he is not running for president in 2020, sources close to the governor tell POLITICO.  —  Patrick informed staff and advisers of his decision today …

‘No Labels’ Needs A Warning Label  —  I was duped.  —  When I was elected to Congress in 2012, I attended the Bipartisan Program for Newly Elected Members of Congress at Harvard University.  I was so excited to be a member of a branch of government for the most awesome country on the planet.

‘Hillary wants Trump to win again’  —  Camille Paglia is one of the most interesting and explosive thinkers of our time.  She transgresses academic boundaries and blows up media forms.  She's brilliant on politics, art, literature, philosophy, and the culture wars.

We Over-Honor Our Presidents  —  It is in no way to insult George H. W. Bush — or any other president, for that matter — to ask whether the retooling of their calendars is an appropriate way for the people of a republic to respond to the death of an elected representative.

What's driving the toned-down Trump?  —  Analysis: Temporary or not, from foreign trips to funeral preparation, the most unconventional of commanders-in-chief is suddenly hitting some standard presidential notes.  —  WASHINGTON — Don't call it a pivot.  Not yet.  Maybe it's just a blip.

Republican Brad Raffensperger wins Georgia secretary of state runoff  —  In a contest seen as a referendum on the future of voting rights, voters elected a candidate backed by Governor-elect Brian Kemp.  —  Republican Brad Raffensperger just won a runoff election to become Georgia's next secretary of state.

Jeffrey Epstein, sexual abuser of dozens of girls, settles case, apologizes.  Now what?  —  A trial that could have allowed the victims of serial molester Jeffrey Epstein to finally tell their stories from a witness stand was aborted Tuesday when it was announced in court that the case had been settled.

BREAKING: Bannon “unavailable,” Missoula debate cancelled  —  Steve Bannon will no longer be speaking at a UM, the latest and third event to be canceled following the announcement he would be a keynote speaker at a joint conference on sex robots this month.  —  An email sent to people registered …

Stone pleads the Fifth to snub Senate document request  —  Longtime Trump ally Roger Stone is under scrutiny in special counsel Robert Mueller's ongoing probe of Russian interference in the 2016 election.  —  President Donald Trump's longtime political ally Roger Stone invoked …

'Damn Right, I'm a White Nationalist' Declares Texas GOP Platform Committee Member  —  At the Texas Republican Party's 2018 convention, Ray Myers was a part of a select group of activists charged with crafting the platform for the biggest and most influential state party in the country.

The Trump Administration Is Considering Charging A Fee To Apply For Asylum  —  The US has never charged a fee to apply for asylum before.  Immigration advocates are outraged.  —  The Trump administration is considering charging immigrants a fee to apply for asylum protections in the United States …

New White House counsel to arrive as Democrats, Mueller close in  —  Pat Cipollone will start his new job as White House counsel on Monday, following a nearly two-month delay since his appointment, with dwindling time to prepare for a coming onslaught of House Democratic oversight demands.

How Facebook Groups sparked a crisis in France  —  I had an excellent time talking about social media with Kara Swisher and her precocious 16-year-old son, Louie, on the 300th episode of the Recode Decode podcast.  To the hundred or so of you who signed up for The Interface seemingly right after listening — welcome!