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.

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.

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 …

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 …

'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 …

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.

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.

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.

‘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 …

Canadian Michael Spavor missing in China after detention of Kovrig  —  Michael Spavor, a Canadian whose company brings tourists and hockey players into North Korea, has gone missing in China, days after Beijing's detention of former diplomat Michael Kovrig, two sources say.

Trump Moves to Deport Vietnam War Refugees  —  The Trump administration is resuming its efforts to deport certain protected Vietnamese immigrants who have lived in the United States for decades—many of them having fled the country during the Vietnam War.  —  This is the latest move …

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.

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 …

Michael Flynn Judge Seeks Review Of Key FBI Notes Before Sentencing Decision  — The judge presiding over the Michael Flynn case is ordering a review of key FBI documents before deciding on a sentence for the former national security adviser.  — Judge Emmet Sullivan wants to review …

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

North Carolina Legislature Calls for New Primary if New Election Is Held in Disputed District  —  LUMBERTON, N.C. — The North Carolina legislature Wednesday approved a bill requiring new primary elections if the state elections board calls for a second vote of an election.

Damnit, Ted Cruz's Beard Looks Tolerable Now  —  His greatest political opponent has always been his face.  A few weeks off the razor has changed that.  —  Clean-shaven, Ted Cruz might have the most upsetting face in politics.  It was just about two years ago, that feels like two decades ago …

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.

A top cardinal's sex-abuse conviction is huge news in Australia.  But the media can't report it there.  —  The front page of Thursday's Herald Sun newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, is dominated by a single word in huge white type, all caps, on a black background: CENSORED.

Have You Experienced a Petty Crime in London?  Tell Us Your Story  —  As the city's level of violent crime rises, help us understand how the London police are responding to minor property crimes.  —  A surge in violent crime in London has exacerbated a decade of service cuts under …

AP Exclusive: Iran hackers hunt nuclear workers, US targets  —  LONDON (AP) — As U.S. President Donald Trump re-imposed harsh economic sanctions on Iran last month, hackers scrambled to break into personal emails of American officials tasked with enforcing them, The Associated Press has found …

5 Democrats Bail Out Paul Ryan And Protect Saudi Arabia  —  Reps. Jim Costa, Al Lawson, Collin Peterson, Dutch Ruppersberger and David Scott helped the GOP ensure the House won't consider a companion bill to anti-Saudi legislation soon expected to pass the Senate.

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.