Rex Tillerson makes rare public appearance in Houston  —  Russia interfered with the 2016 U.S. elections, former Secretary of State and Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson said during a Thursday evening visit to Houston.  —  Making his first public appearance in nearly nine months …

White House chief of staff John Kelly expected to resign soon  —  Washington (CNN)John Kelly is expected to resign as White House chief of staff in the coming days, two sources familiar with the situation unfolding in the West Wing tell CNN.  —  Seventeen months in, Kelly and President Donald Trump …

Inside the frantic decision to open a Trump obstruction probe before Mueller got the job  —  Washington (CNN)In the hectic eight days after President Donald Trump fired FBI Director James Comey, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and top FBI officials viewed Trump as a leader who needed to be reined in …

North Carolina Republican Owes $34,310 for Disputed Absentee Ballot and Turnout Work, Records Show  —  LUMBERTON, N.C. — The congressional campaign of Mark Harris disclosed late Thursday night that it owed more than $34,000 in connection with an absentee ballot and voter turnout operation …

Poll: Republicans Are Only Group That Mostly Sees Mueller Probe As A ‘Witch Hunt’  —  President Trump continues to rail against special counsel Robert Mueller and his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible collusion with the Trump campaign.

Trump to Pick Nauert to Replace Haley as UN Ambassador, Sources Say  — Nauert has been State Department spokeswoman, Fox News anchor  — Maintaining North Korea sanctions, defending Israel key jobs  —  President Donald Trump has decided to nominate State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert …

German conservatives pick a Merkel ally to be party leader, signaling continuity and a long goodbye  —  HAMBURG, Germany — Germany's conservatives on Friday picked Chancellor Angela Merkel's preferred successor as party leader, delivering Merkel a badly needed victory that solidifies her legacy …

Only the Best Candidates for Federal Courts  —  We should stop bringing candidates with questionable track records on race before the full Senate for a vote.  —  Over the past two years the Senate has confirmed a record number of judicial nominees.  I have proudly voted for more than 99% of them …

Democrats speeding up their 2020 campaign launches  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Democrats are hitting fast forward.  —  The first major presidential campaign announcements could come before year's end.  The Democratic National Committee plans to announce a debate framework by then featuring 15 to 20 candidates.

Kevin Hart Refuses to Apologize, Despite Academy Ultimatum, for Past Anti-Gay Comments  —  It appears the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences may be looking for a new host for the upcoming Oscars ceremony very soon.  —  In a new Instagram video, Kevin Hart, who was tapped to emcee …

Canada caught between Trump and China in Huawei case  —  MONTREAL — The arrest of Huawei CFO Sabrina Meng at a Vancouver airport puts Canada in the middle of a volatile diplomatic situation between two world superpowers.  —  On Friday, Huawei's jailed CFO faces her bail hearing.

Trump is not capable  —  Weekday nights Fox News Channel star, Tucker Carlson, can be found merrily berating hapless guests, grilling liberal pundits, and defending America's working and middle classes.  Puckish and pugilistic, the 49-year-old insists the Washington elites among whom he grew up despise America's “normal people.”

I'm not calling to revive WASP culture.  Just to learn from it.  —  The death of George H.W. Bush has occasioned a fair amount of nostalgia for the old American establishment, of which Bush was undoubtedly a prominent member.  It has also provoked a heated debate among commentators about that establishment …

State GOP chairman warns California is ‘canary in the coal mine’ for national party  —  SAN FRANCISCO — The outgoing chair of the California GOP — the nation's largest state Republican Party — has issued a dire warning that his state represents “the canary in the coal mine” …

Democratic Rep. Stephen Lynch, who signed letter opposing Rep. Nancy Pelosi's speaker bid, reverses course and announces support  —  The Massachusetts congressman said Friday that after several days of conversations, he will cast a vote for Pelosi when the full House votes on Jan. 3.

Anti-Zionism Isn't the Same as Anti-Semitism  —  American Jews have nothing to fear from the new congressional critics of Israel.  —  On Monday, in an interview with The Intercept, Rashida Tlaib, a Michigan Democrat who in November became the first Palestinian-American elected to Congress …

Millennials aren't breaking traditions.  They're just broke.  —  Millennials are a murderous bunch, a generation of homicidal maniacs.  —  At least that's the impression you get from reading news stories about my generation.  —  According to the headlines, we've wreaked carnage across the economy with our fickle, selfish tastes.

Trump advisers fear 2020 nightmare: A recession  —  President Donald Trump's economic officials are reassuring investors about recent white-knuckle stock market volatility, while Trump's political advisers are increasingly alarmed that the economy could present a stiff 2020 campaign headwind.

Judge orders Justice and State departments to reopen part of Hillary Clinton email inquiry  —  Hillary Clinton speaks onstage at LA Promise Fund's “Girls Build Leadership Summit” at Los Angeles Convention Center on Dec. 15, 2017 in Los Angeles.  —  Washington Post

At ‘60 Minutes,’ Independence Led to Trouble, Investigators Say  —  For decades, “60 Minutes” has reigned at the top of television news, bringing in hundreds of journalistic awards, not to mention weekly ratings for CBS that are the envy of the industry.  The success has allowed “60 Minutes” …