Trump Considering Full Withdrawal of U.S. Troops From Syria  —  WASHINGTON — President Trump is considering pulling 2,000 United States ground troops out of Syria in a move that would seek to describe the four-year American-led war against the Islamic State as largely won, officials said Wednesday.

New secret filing in case of former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen placed in NY federal court vault  — A document that is sealed from public view was placed in a New York federal court vault in a criminal case against President Donald Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen.

In Defense of Emmet Sullivan: Van Grack Suggested Mueller Did Review Whether Flynn's Behavior Amounted to Treason  —  I'd like to defend Judge Emmet Sullivan's intemperate mentions of unregistered foreign agents and treason in the Mike Flynn sentencing hearing yesterday.

South Carolina GOP could scrap 2020 primary to protect Trump  —  The South Carolina Republican Party could cancel its marquee presidential nominating contest in 2020 in a move to protect President Trump from any primary challengers.  —  Drew McKissick, chairman of the South Carolina GOP …

D.C. attorney general sues Facebook over alleged privacy violations from Cambridge Analytica scandal  —  The attorney general for the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against Facebook for allowing Cambridge Analytica, a political consultancy, to gain access to the names …

I worked at CBS.  I didn't want to be sexually harassed.  I was fired  —  The narrative propagated by CBS, actor Michael Weatherly, and writer-producer Glenn Gordon Caron is deceptive and in no way fits with how they treated me on the set of the television show “Bull” and retaliated …

Legal Bombshell: Mueller Flipped Trump's Confidant's Lawyer's Friend's Associate Gorpman (Who Could Testify Against Bleemer!)  And It's Not Even Lunchtime  —  The day's just getting started, and the Trump house of cards is already crumbling.  This morning, Special Counsel Robert Mueller dropped …

‘It got a little heated’: GOP infighting almost killed criminal justice reform  —  Just hours before the Senate passed major reforms to the criminal justice system, Mike Lee and Tom Cotton were still bickering.  —  At a private party lunch, the two young Republican senators argued one last time …

In Party Switch, 3 Kansas Lawmakers Will Start The New Session As Democrats  —  When the Kansas state government reconvenes in January, three of its formerly Republican members will report as freshly minted Democrats.  —  The two state senators and one state representative, all women …

We were FBI agents.  We want to know why Flynn lied to the bureau.  —  He could have been covering his tracks — or hiding something worse.  —  Tuesday's sentencing hearing for Michael Flynn, President Trump's former national security adviser, took an unexpected twist after his attempts to shift blame to the government backfired.

Fed hikes rate, lowers 2019 projection to 2 increases  — Central bank officials now forecast two hikes next year, down from three rate raises previously projected.  — However, the Fed continued to include in its statement that further ‘gradual’ rate hikes would be appropriate.

Why not indict the Trump Organization?  —  Legal scholars debate whether a sitting president can be indicted or only impeached.  If the latter, it's not clear given the statutes of limitation on most crimes whether he could ever be prosecuted for certain crimes.

United States added to list of most dangerous countries for journalists for first time  —  At least 63 professional journalists were killed doing their jobs in 2018, a 15 percent increase over last year, Reporters Without Borders said.  —  PARIS — The murder of the Saudi columnist Jamal Khashoggi …

Federal judge strikes down Trump asylum rules for domestic and gang violence victims  —  In a ruling Wednesday, Judge Emmet Sullivan struck down large portions of Justice Department policies that made it harder for immigrants to claim asylum.  —  A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed Justice …

The Imagined Threat of a Woman Who Governs Like a Man  —  On Tuesday, Politico posted a provocative, anonymously sourced piece claiming that New York congresswoman elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez might be planning, in concert with Justice Democrats, to recruit a Democratic primary challenger …

Revealed: Antifa Leader Relied On Anonymity To Push Radical, Violent Communist Agenda  —  Editor's note: The subject of this story is being identified because he's pushed radical rhetoric and has advocated for politically-motivated violence from behind a mask.

Facebook Took Money From White Nationalist Candidate to Promote Neo-Nazi Podcast  —  White nationalist and former Wisconsin Republican House candidate Paul Nehlen was kicked off Twitter in February for posting deeply racist and anti-Semitic material.  But Facebook didn't seem to have a problem with Nehlen's social media habits.

Bump Stock Rule Bumps Up Against the Constitution  —  This morning, Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker signed the Trump Administration's new regulation banning bump stocks.  The final rule is largely unchanged from the one put up for notice and comment several months ago …

A 5-Month-Old Girl Has Been Hospitalized With Pneumonia After Being Detained By Border Patrol  —  A five-month-old girl who traveled with the migrant caravan has been hospitalized with pneumonia after spending five days inside freezing cells operated by border authorities in California, her mother said.

Warning To Democrats: Most Americans Against U.S. Getting More Politically Correct  —  Heading into the 2020 Democratic primaries, a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll has a warning for Democrats: Americans are largely against the country becoming more politically correct.

Markets Revolt as Steadfast Powell Downplays Recent Sell-Off  — S&P 500 careens to 15-month low as Fed chairman speaks  — Dollar firms and Treasury yields tumble on latest policy move  —  The Federal Reserve leaned dovish during its latest policy meeting.  Financial markets wanted more.

John Kasich says he couldn't beat President Donald Trump in a GOP primary  —  COLUMBUS, Ohio—Gov. John Kasich on Wednesday voiced doubts about challenging President Donald Trump in 2020, saying right now he couldn't beat the president in a Republican primary.

Sinclair fires reporter as she battles cancer  —  Alex George had already been through a lot.  In the summer of 2017, four weeks after graduating from the University of Michigan, she moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee, at the age of 22, to work as a general assignment reporter at WTVC, an ABC-affiliate, on a two-year-contract.

The Most-Read New York Times Stories of 2018  —  Here are the top 100 stories our subscribers read in 2018.  Want a break from politics?  Click “no politics.”  Want to settle in for some deeply reported stories?  Click “long reads.”  Or explore them all.