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 …

Feds Target Butina's GOP Boyfriend as Foreign Agent  —  Paul Erickson served as accused Kremlin spy Maria Butina's guide as she penetrated the American conservative movement.  Now he's under investigation as a Russian agent, too.  —  BETSY WOODRUFF, ERIN BANCO12.5.18 8:00 AM ET

Inside The North Carolina Republican Vote Machine: Cash, Pills — And Ballots  —  BLADENBORO, North Carolina — The allegations that Republicans tampered with absentee ballots in a close North Carolina election represent the most serious federal election tampering case in years …

The Latest: Wisconsin Senate limits governor's power  —  MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Latest on Wisconsin Republican lawmakers moving to limit the powers of the incoming Democratic governor and attorney general (all times local):  —  The Republican-controlled Wisconsin Senate has passed …

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 …

Why We Miss the WASPs  —  Their more meritocratic, diverse and secular successors rule us neither as wisely nor as well.  —  The nostalgia flowing since the passing of George H.W. Bush has many wellsprings: admiration for the World War II generation and its dying breed of warrior-politicians …

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 …

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 …

‘Chaos breeds chaos’: Trump's erratic and false claims roil the globe.  Again.  —  After his Argentine steak dinner last weekend with Chinese President Xi Jinping, President Trump announced that they had reached an “incredible deal” to temporarily suspend his trade war.

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 …

“Everyone's for Sale”: A Generation of Digital-Media Darlings Prepares for a Frigid Winter  —  Vice, Vox, and BuzzFeed, among other companies that once heralded the dawn of a new media age, are now grappling with decidedly old-media problems.  —  It was around this time last year that things …

Facebook allegedly offered advertisers special access to users data and activities, according to documents released by British lawmakers  —  A key British lawmaker alleged Wednesday that Facebook maintained “whitelisting agreements” that gave select companies preferential access to valuable user data …

Deval Patrick bows out of 2020 presidential run  —  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 Tuesday …

New York's Vanishing Mayor  —  Mayor Bill de Blasio spends far less time at City Hall than he once did, leading some city officials to ask: Has the mayor lost focus?  —  When the New York City commissioner who oversaw a much-criticized response to a recent snowstorm was told to resign late last week …

14 Trump and Russia Questions Robert Mueller Knows the Answers To  —  MICHAEL FLYNN'S SENTENCING memo, filed yesterday with the most intriguing and interesting parts redacted by special counsel Robert Mueller, provided yet another frustrating glimpse into an investigation that seems at times almost maddeningly opaque.

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.

Roger Stone won't shut up  —  Defying the advice of pretty much every defense lawyer in America, Roger Stone won't stop talking.  —  The longtime political adviser to President Donald Trump gives lengthy interviews about his role in the 2016 presidential election.

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.

Rudy Giuliani Says Twitter Sabotaged His Tweet.  Actually, He Did It Himself.  —  To Rudolph W. Giuliani, the former New York mayor who is one of President Trump's lawyers, it was an example of how low Twitter would stoop to carry out its anti-Trump agenda.  —  It was, decidedly, no such thing.

Trump campaign aide Sam Nunberg to meet with Senate Intelligence Committee in January  —  Sam Nunberg, a former Trump political aide who has met with investigators for the special counsel and was long close to Trump loyalist Roger Stone, will meet with the Senate Intelligence Committee …

Michigan Legislature OKs gutting wage, paid sick time laws  —  LANSING, Mich. — The Republican-led Michigan Legislature on Tuesday passed bills that would delay a minimum wage hike and scale back paid sick leave requirements, an unprecedented lame-duck strategy that was endorsed legally …

America's Two Political Parties Are Asymmetrical  —  Michael Avenatti was never going to be president.  The Avenatti boomlet, which began in August, lasted for a little less than three months, until the attorney officially took himself out of the running on Tuesday, citing concerns about his family.

The Clintons Are Now The Spinal Tap Of The Political World  —  Prices: Bill and Hillary Clinton thought they were in high demand around the country.  Collapsing ticket prices to their “Evening With The Clintons” show how wrong they were.  It is, as the saying goes, a teachable moment.

‘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.

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.

Hill watchdog report: Rep. Garrett misused staff  —  The House Ethics Committee on Tuesday released a watchdog report accusing Rep. Tom Garrett of inappropriately using his congressional staff — allegations the panel is probing and that POLITICO first reported.

E.P.A. to Roll Back a Restriction on New Coal-Burning Plants  —  WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is poised to roll back a significant climate change regulation on coal-fired power plants, making it easier to build new coal plants in the United States.