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 …

Joe Biden believes he is the “most qualified person in the country to be president”  —  Biden: We must reset our nation's moral compass  —  (CNN)During a stop for his book tour in Missoula, Montana, Monday night, former Vice President Joe Biden discussed his 2020 prospects …

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. … GLOBAL ECONOMY  —  Despite Trade Truce, Trump Chooses Hard-Liner for Talks With China … Wynn Resorts was one of the biggest beneficiaries from the trade truce between the U.S. and China.

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 …

With State Official's Fate Looking Grim, NH Could Lose First In Nation Status  —  CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — The longtime protector of the New Hampshire presidential primary could get ousted by the Legislature this week despite concerns from his supporters that replacing him could jeopardize the state's coveted first-in-the-nation status.

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 …

Trump's alienation of younger voters is a generational gamble for GOP  —  (CNN)The sharp turn against the Republican Party by young people in the 2018 election may be only the overture to an even greater political risk for the GOP in 2020.  —  Both historical voting patterns …

Homeland Security chief Nielsen has saved her job — for now  —  Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, who was recently on the brink of losing her job, is now expected to survive the Cabinet shake-up President Donald Trump has spent weeks teasing — and she may have the caravan to thank.

Lack of minority staffers threatens to hobble 2020 Democrats  —  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 of nonwhite campaign managers and senior advisers.

The Trump-Xi Trade Truce Stock Rally Lasted 24 Hours.  Here's Why  —  The 90-day cease-fire in the U.S.-China trade war added about $520 billion of market value back to Asia's equity markets on Monday.  Now, it looks like the party is over.  —  Here is where we are: Asian shares took a breather Tuesday …

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 …

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.

EXCLUSIVE: ‘Get this b***h under control!’  Joy Behar tears into Meghan McCain off-air after the conservative host lashed out at her for throwing shade on President Trump during The View's tribute to George H. W. Bush  — Whoopi Goldberg was forced to cut to commercial break during another …

Corporate tax breaks cost U.S. schools billions of lost revenue: report  —  (Reuters) - Corporate tax subsidies, in the spotlight again after Amazon.com Inc's (AMZN.O) secretive quest to find a site for its second headquarters, are costing American public schools big money, a report will say on Tuesday.

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.

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!”

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.