Playing by His Own Rules, Trump Flips the Shutdown Script  —  WASHINGTON — The trick in Washington has always been to make sure a government shutdown is pinned on the other guy.  President Trump is the first to ever pin one on himself.  —  In a new twist on the old game of shutdown politics dating …

Incoming New York attorney general plans wide-ranging investigations of Trump and family  —  Just-elected Letitia James, who takes office next month, tells NBC she will probe real estate deals, Trump Tower meeting, emoluments, Trump Foundation and more.  —  New York Attorney Gen.-elect Letitia James …

Exclusive: Trump says standing by Saudi crown prince despite pleas from Senate  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he stood by Saudi Arabia's crown prince despite a CIA assessment that he ordered the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and pleas …

Exclusive: Trump says he is not concerned about being impeached, defends payments to women  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he was not concerned that he would get impeached and that payments made ahead of the 2016 election by his former personal attorney Michael Cohen …

Theresa May to face confidence vote  —  LONDON — British Prime Minister Theresa May will face a vote of confidence in her leadership of the Conservative Party Wednesday, something she vowed to contest “with everything I've got.”  —  Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 committee of backbench Tory MPs …

Photo shows Mark Harris and man at center of election fraud investigation together  —  CHARLOTTE, N.C. - A new photo obtained by Channel 9 is adding to the complex and ever-evolving story of the 9th Congressional District election fraud investigation.  —  The State Board of Elections …

Memo: FBI recommended Michael Flynn not have lawyer present during interview, did not warn of false statement consequences  —  Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, who arranged the bureau's interview with then-national security adviser Michael Flynn at the White House on Jan. 24, 2017 …

APNewsBreak: Julian Castro moves toward 2020 White House run  —  SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Former Obama housing chief Julian Castro says he's taking a step toward a possible White House campaign in 2020 by forming a presidential exploratory committee.  The Texas Democrat tells The Associated Press that he will announce a decision Jan. 12.

AP: Ivanka, Kushner could profit from tax break they pushed  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — At an Oval Office gathering earlier this year, President Donald Trump began touting his administration's new real estate investment program, which offers massive tax breaks to developers who invest in downtrodden American communities.

Workers are ghosting their employers like bad dates  —  Silent exits are on the rise.  —  Economists report that workers are starting to act like millennials on Tinder: They're ditching jobs with nary a text.  —  “A number of contacts said that they had been 'ghosted …

It's ridiculous that it's unconstitutional for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to run for president  —  Immigrants, young people, and everyone else should be allowed to run.  —  Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the biggest star in the Democratic Party, and she has been ever since she unseated …

Customs And Border Protection Paid A Firm $13.6 Million To Hire Recruits.  It Hired 2  —  A scathing report by the Office of the Inspector General revealed that a consulting company hired by U.S. Customs and Border Protection to fill thousands of new jobs to satisfy President Trump's mandate …

Saudi Arabia Declares War on America's Muslim Congresswomen  —  Gulf Arab monarchies are using racism, bigotry, and fake news to denounce Washington's newest history-making politicians.  —  Ever since the midterm election, conservative media in the United States have targeted with special zeal Ilhan Omar …

Christian Bale Recalls Meeting Donald Trump: ‘He Thought I Was Bruce Wayne’  —  With Christian Bale's latest film, “Vice,” a political dramedy, it's inevitable ties will be drawn between the film and the current political administration and its chief, President Donald Trump.

Would Indicting Trump Be Constitutional?  —  Yes, it would be.  But that question is a distraction from the principal objective of the Russia investigation.  —  Mr. Lederman has twice served in the Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel.  —  The government's recent sentencing …

An Upheaval at the Ends of the World  —  It was not so long ago—only 108 years, within a great grandma's memory—that a person's eyes first beheld the South Pole.  When Roald Amundsen made it to the bottom of the world in 1911, it marked a new chapter in the human story.

Trump has blasted Mueller's team for political donations.  But attorney general nominee William P. Barr has given more than $500,000.  —  President Trump has repeatedly derided prosecutors investigating potential coordination between his presidential campaign and Russia as “angry Democrats …

Christine Blasey Ford Introduces Rachael Denhollander as SI's Inspiration of the Year  —  SI's Sportsperson of the Year award ceremony will be telecast on NBCSN on Dec. 13 at 9 p.m. ET.  —  Dr. Christine Blasey Ford appeared in a video statement at Sports Illustrated's Sportsperson …

Republicans have failed to bring our message to minorities.  It's hurting the nation.  —  Mia Love, a Republican, represents Utah's 4th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.  —  For too long, conservatives in my party have focused on administering purity tests instead of expanding our audience.

Employees at Amazon's New NYC Warehouse Launch Unionization Push  — Union says any retaliation should cost the company its project  — Workers cite concerns over pressure, hours, safety, breaks  —  A committee of employees at Amazon's recently opened Staten Island fulfillment center …

France Declares Strasbourg Shooting to Be an Act of Terrorism  —  STRASBOURG, France — The shooting at a crowded street market in Strasbourg, France, was an act of terrorism, officials said Wednesday, as the police continued an intensive search for the gunman who killed at least two people and wounded 12 others.

Sen. Barbara Bollier Changes Party Affiliation To Democrat, Says Republican Party ‘morally Not Going Where My Compass Resides’  —  Mission Hills Sen. Barbara Bollier This Morning Officially Changed Her Party Affiliation From Republican To Democrat.  —  Citing “Frustrations That Have Been Ongoing …

‘Hi-tech robot’ at Russia forum turns out to be man in suit  —  State television praised the ‘modern’ tech despite photos revealing actor in costume  —  Play Video  —  A “hi-tech robot” shown on Russian state television has turned out to be a man in a suit.

For Trump, it's all downhill from here  —  The latest CNN poll underscores a grim political reality for the Republican Party, which has removed any separation between itself and President Trump.  He is unpopular and on the Russia investigation not credible:

Who's More Likely to Be Audited: A Person Making $20,000 — or $400,000?  —  If you claim the earned income tax credit, whose average recipient makes less than $20,000 a year, you're more likely to face IRS scrutiny than someone making twenty times as much.  How a benefit for the working poor was turned against them.