Trump jams Republicans with shutdown vow  —  The president's eagerness to take ownership of a partial government shutdown if he doesn't get border wall funding has painted Republicans into a corner.  —  President Donald Trump just made it nearly impossible for Republicans to blame Democrats …

Twitter users mercilessly mock Mike Pence for ‘Elf on the Shelf’ performance in Oval Office  —  WASHINGTON - Vice President Mike Pence drew Twitter users' attention Tuesday with his restrained performance during a heated Oval Office meeting between President Donald Trump and Democratic congressional leaders.

Pelosi on verge of deal with rebels to reclaim speakership  —  House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is on the verge of a deal with Democratic rebels once intent on denying her the speakership, an accord that could deliver her the decisive votes needed to reclaim the gavel, according to multiple Democratic sources Tuesday.

Marriott Data Breach Is Traced to Chinese Hackers as U.S. Readies Crackdown on Beijing  —  WASHINGTON — The cyberattack on the Marriott hotel chain that collected passport information or other personal details of roughly 500 million guests was part of a Chinese intelligence-gathering effort …

Biden Should Run on a Unity Ticket With Romney  —  Last summer, John McCain told the world that he regretted not picking Joe Lieberman, the former senator and Democrat, to be his vice presidential running mate in the 2008 presidential election.  A McCain/Lieberman ticket might not have won the White House …

Google CEO Sundar Pichai emerges ‘unscathed’ from the circus in Washington  —  His voice was so quiet at times he could barely be heard across the chambers of the House Judiciary Committee, and he faced a firing line of dour lawmakers, some of them intent on hammering the tech giant for alleged political bias.