Mueller preparing end game for Russia investigation  —  WASHINGTON — Special counsel Robert Mueller's prosecutors have told defense lawyers in recent weeks that they are “tying up loose ends” in their investigation, providing the clearest clues yet that the long-running probe into Russia's interference …

Republicans plan vote Tuesday on curbing powers of Gov.-elect Tony Evers, limiting early voting  —  MADISON - Wisconsin lawmakers are set to take up plans Tuesday to diminish the powers of the incoming Democratic governor and attorney general that brought opponents to the state Capitol this week …

Channel 9 uncovers similarities between absentee ballots in U.S. House District 9 race  —  BLADEN COUNTY, N.C. - Channel 9 was back in Bladen County, North Carolina Monday, tracking down people involved in the controversy surrounding mail-in-absentee ballots in the U.S. House District 9 election.

Don't Spend Your Emotional Energy on Sully H.W. Bush  —  In January 2009, a pilot named Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger steered his struggling aircraft to a safe landing in the Hudson River and became a national hero.  Almost 10 years later, a dog named for the pilot has become a beloved “hero” …

Manafort Tried to Broker Deal With Ecuador to Hand Assange Over to U.S.  —  WASHINGTON — In mid-May 2017, Paul Manafort, facing intensifying pressure to settle debts and pay mounting legal bills, flew to Ecuador to offer his services to a potentially lucrative new client — the country's incoming president, Lenín Moreno.

Biden says he's ‘the most qualified person in the country’ to be president  —  Former vice president Joe Biden said Monday that he considers himself “the most qualified person in the country” to be president and that he would make a decision about moving forward with a 2020 bid in the next two months.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's $21 trillion mistake  —  “$21 TRILLION of Pentagon financial transactions ‘could not be traced, documented, or explained.’ $21T in Pentagon accounting errors.  Medicare for All costs ~$32T.  That means 66% of Medicare for All could have been funded already by the Pentagon.”

Britain can legally cancel Brexit.  That's EU advice - but will parliament agree?  —  A senior adviser to the EU court of justice has said the UK can revoke article 50.  The path to remain is hard - but now clearer  —  We can cancel Brexit.  That's what the advocate general to the court …

George H.W. Bush was the last of his kind — a Republican who didn't believe in ‘voodoo economics’  —  Many have mourned former president George H.W. Bush as the last of his kind.  Mostly they eulogize his decency (racist Willie Horton ad notwithstanding), his physical courage, his commitment to public service.

Majority of Americans believe House Dems should release Trump's tax returns: poll  —  A majority of people polled believe the incoming Democratic House majority should be allowed to obtain and release President Trump's tax returns, according to a Harvard CAPS/Harris poll released exclusively to The Hill on Monday.

Trump handles Bush's death with abnormal normality  —  A taboo-busting president who has often trashed the Bush clan observes traditional norms of etiquette after its patriarch's passing.  —  For President Donald Trump, there was once no worse insult than being “a Bushie.”

‘A kind of dark realism’: Why the climate change problem is starting to look too big to solve  —  In the daunting math of climate action, individual choices and government policies aren't adding up.  —  Solar panels are being nailed to rooftops, colossal wind turbines bestride the plains and oceans …

Russia Won't ‘Beg’ for Talks With Trump, Kremlin Aide Says  — Russia ready to meet, it's unclear when U.S. is, Ushakov says  — Planned Putin-Trump talks canceled twice in less than a month  —  Russian President Vladimir Putin still wants to have talks with U.S. counterpart Donald Trump …

Bob Brady aide Smukler found guilty on 9 of 11 counts in campaign finance case  —  A federal jury Monday found U.S. Rep. Bob Brady's top political strategist, Ken Smukler, guilty of nine of 11 counts of repeatedly flouting campaign finance laws in a case that once threatened to ensnare the congressman himself.

Bush Made Willie Horton an Issue, and for African-Americans, the Scars Are Still Fresh  —  WASHINGTON — The tributes to former President George Bush in recent days have focused on his essential decency and civility, and his embrace of others, including even his onetime opponents.

Trump Jr. Invested in a Hydroponic Lettuce Company Whose Chair Was Seeking Trump Administration Funds — “Trump, Inc.” Podcast Extra  —  Donald Trump Jr., the president's eldest son, took a stake last year in a startup whose co-chairman is a major Trump campaign fundraiser who has sought financial support …

France Suspends Fuel Tax Increase That Spurred Violent Protests  —  PARIS — In a major concession by President Emmanuel Macron, France will suspend for six months a tax increase on gasoline and diesel fuel that had been slated for January, in an attempt to quell weeks of protests and rioting by the so-called Yellow Vests movement.

CNN's Jeff Zucker dissects Trump's criticism of network with David Axelrod  —  New York (CNN Business)CNN Worldwide president Jeff Zucker dissected President Trump's hatred of CNN and discussed his own interest in running for office on a new episode of David Axelrod's popular podcast.

Dems' 2020 problem: Too many candidates, too few minority staffers  —  Potential 2020 Democratic presidential candidates in the early stages of assembling campaign staffs are running into an uncomfortable truth: Among the already small pool of capable operatives, there's an even smaller pool …

Voice Of America Vows Independence, As Trump Calls For ‘Worldwide Network’  —  President Trump, who has frequently railed against the U.S. news media and reporters, tweeted last week there should be, as he put it, a “Worldwide Network to show the World the way we really are, GREAT!”

Trump's Aides Struggle to Detail Deal He Says He Cut With Xi  — President hails ‘extraordinary’ dinner with Chinese leader  — Kudlow says China made ‘commitments’ to ‘presumably implement’  —  President Donald Trump's advisers are scrambling to explain a trade deal he claimed …