Trump cancels White House Christmas party for the press  —  EXCLUSIVE - President Trump has canceled the White House holiday party for the media, making the decades-old tradition a victim of his increasingly contentious relationship with major news organizations.

Get Ready for Mueller's Phase Two: The Middle East Connection  —  The ‘Russia investigation’ is set to go global.  In court filings due to drop in 2019, prosecutors will unveil Middle Eastern countries' attempts to influence U.S. politics.  —  Over the past year, the indictments, convictions …

Key lawmakers seek to haul in Trump associates working with Mueller  —  (CNN)Now that President Donald Trump's former “fixer,” Michael Cohen, has been sentenced to prison, leaders of the House and Senate Intelligence committees are preparing to haul him back before Congress before he begins serving time.

Apple Plans Billion-Dollar Austin Campus in Wave of New Sites  —  iPhone maker says its planned Austin facility could create 15,000 jobs, would come alongside new offices in Seattle, San Diego and Culver City  —  Apple Inc. AAPL 0.28% plans to invest $1 billion building a new corporate campus in Austin …

'They don't care': Facebook fact-checking in disarray as journalists push to cut ties  —  Journalists paid to help fix Facebook's fake news problem say they have lost trust in the platform  —  Journalists working as fact-checkers for Facebook have pushed to end a controversial media partnership …

Chris Hayes's Work Diary: ‘My Life Is an Unceasing Festival of Impatience’  —  The journalist and MSNBC host wakes up to Twitter and ends the day “basically a brain-dead mess.”  —  As told to J. K. Trotter  —  Before he began hosting “All In,” which airs weeknights on MSNBC …

Trump and Democrats can reach a deal on the wall — if they have the spine to take it  —  PUT ASIDE Tuesday's Oval Office theatrics and remember this: There's a compromise within reach on the wall and immigration for President Trump and congressional Democrats — if each side has the spinal fortitude …

A law firm in the trenches against media unions  —  In May, the law firm Jones Day hosted a conference in its Manhattan office focused on labor and employment law in the news media industry.  It was an invitation-only affair, bringing together Jones Day attorneys and media executives …

Does This Look Right to You?  HOLLAD TONNEL  —  They decked the Holland with boughs of holly Then people called their décor folly.  —  Hundreds signed a web petition Now they'll vote on their position.  —  As it has in so many Decembers past, the Port Authority of New York …

The Rise of Right-Wing Extremism, and How We Missed It … Listen and subscribe to our podcast from your mobile device:  —  Despite repeated warnings over the past two decades, federal law enforcement officials in the United States have ignored the threat of violence from far-right extremists.

Tribune, Tronc And Beyond: A Slur, A Secret Payout And A Looming Sale  —  Several months after taking control of the troubled Tribune Publishing Co. in 2016, Chicago investor Michael Ferro convened a session of corporate leaders from within his own news empire, including chief news executives …

Walls Work  —  WE ARE BUILDING THE FIRST NEW BORDER WALL IN A DECADE.  —  DHS is committed to building wall and building wall quickly.  We are not replacing short, outdated and ineffective wall with similar wall.  Instead, under this President we are building a wall that is 30-feet high.

Courier Journal and ProPublica to launch state government investigation  —  The Courier Journal and the national nonprofit news outlet ProPublica will partner in a yearlong investigation of a Kentucky state government program, the news organizations announced Wednesday.

The Flynn Entrapment  —  A court filing shows the ugly tactics employed by James Comey's FBI.

Senate 2020: Republican exposure on paper, but not necessarily in practice  —  GOP defending a lot of turf, but much of it is dark red  —  KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE  — Of the 34 Senate races on the ballot in 2020, Republicans already control 22 of them while Democrats hold only 12.

Judge tosses suit by Maine GOP congressman who lost election  —  AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — A federal judge rejected a lawsuit Thursday by a Republican incumbent from Maine who lost the nation's first congressional election held under a candidate-ranking system.

Sen. James Inhofe Bought Defense Stock Days After Pushing for Record Pentagon Spending—Then Dumped It When Asked About It  —  Ethics experts say the purchase underscores the moral hazard of lawmakers owning assets in areas of industry affected by legislation they are in positions to author.

When Anti-Zionism Tunnels Under Your House  —  For the people of northern Israel, anti-Zionism isn't some feckless sally in the world of ideas.  —  In 2002, Hassan Nasrallah, the secretary-general of Hezbollah, was said to have given a speech noting that the creation of the state of Israel …

‘He got screwed’: Gillum absent from indictment after DeSantis bashed him as corrupt  —  MIAMI — Federal authorities unveiled a 44-count, 66-page indictment Wednesday of a Tallahassee politician and a city official that involved six companies, five other players and a bank in a wide-ranging bribery …

Foul-mouthed Santa horrifies parents  —  (CNN)Organizers of a Christmas event have apologized to outraged parents after a fire alarm reportedly prompted Santa Claus to burst out of his grotto, rip off his beard and scream at children to “get the f**k out.”  —  The incident occurred at an event …

We read Democrats' 8 plans for universal health care.  Here's how they work.  —  Graphics by Javier Zarracina and Christina Animashaun/Vox; Photos via Getty Images  —  Sure, Democrats are lining up behind Medicare-for-all.  But what exactly does that mean?

Why Trump Can't Kill the Electric Car  —  The electric vehicle revolution, after years of hype that outpaced reality, finally seems to be taking off in the United States.  The best five months for plug-in sales in American history have been the past five months.

Trump Aides Warn Him Against Intervening in Huawei Case  —  Advisers told president the arrest and potential prosecution of Meng Wanzhou was essentially out of his hands  —  Despite President Trump's statement that he might intervene in a criminal case against the chief financial officer …