Ethics officials said Whitaker should recuse from the Mueller probe, but his advisers told him not to, officials say  —  A senior Justice Department ethics official concluded acting attorney general Matthew G. Whitaker should recuse from overseeing special counsel Robert S. Mueller III's probe …

Conservative Revolt Endangers Deal to Avoid a Shutdown  —  WASHINGTON — A deal to avert a Christmastime government shutdown teetered on Thursday amid growing anger from President Trump and a conservative revolt in the House that could block a bill to keep funds flowing past midnight Friday.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis Resigns, Rebuking Trump's Worldview  —  WASHINGTON — Jim Mattis, the four-star Marine general turned defense secretary, resigned on Thursday in protest of President Trump's decision to withdraw 2,000 American troops from Syria, where they have been fighting the Islamic State.

Russian Agents Sought Secret US Treasury Records On Clinton Backers During 2016 Campaign  —  US Treasury Department officials used a Gmail back channel with the Russian government as the Kremlin sought sensitive financial information on its enemies in America and across the globe, according to documents reviewed by BuzzFeed News.

Trump Administration Is Considering Substantial Afghan Troop Drawdown  —  The administration is considering a substantial reduction of troops in Afghanistan and could begin a drawdown in several weeks, officials said.

Planned Parenthood Is Accused of Mistreating Pregnant Employees  —  Employers that champion women face accusations of discriminating against their pregnant workers, showing how widespread the problem is in American workplaces.  —  As a medical assistant at Planned Parenthood …

‘Oh, no’: The day Trump learned to tweet  —  The content of the tweet @RealDonaldTrump posted on the night of Feb. 5, 2013, was bland: a simple thank you to the actress Sherri Shepherd for flattering comments she'd made about Trump on television.  —  But its implications were historic.

Jerry Falwell: I Lent $1.8 Million To A Venture Involving A Pool Attendant  —  The prominent evangelical leader Jerry Falwell Jr. has for the first time acknowledged putting up $1.8 million for a business venture managed by a young pool attendant whom he and his wife befriended during a stay at a luxury hotel in 2012.

Trump announces Secretary of Defense James Mattis will retire at the end of February … In his resignation letter, obtained by ABC News, Mattis said the president has a right to a defense secretary “whose views are better aligned with yours... I believe it is right for me to step down from my position. ”

Republican Leadership Is Slowly Backing Away From Trump  —  Trump's popularity with voters is only one part of the picture.  Leaders within the GOP are clearly hedging their bets as 2020 approaches.  —  “The Wall” began as just a slogan.  By the end of the 2016 presidential campaign …

The Itsy-Bitsy, Teenie-Weenie, Very Litigious Bikini  —  On a sunny summer day in Montauk, Ipek Irgit was in the familiar situation of not knowing what she was doing with her life.  It was 2012, and she was 34 years old.  Earlier in the year, after having her heart broken …

A First Take on Bill Barr's Memo on Presidential Authority and the Mueller Investigation  —  For what it's worth, here's a very tentative first take on Bill Barr's June 8, 2018 memo to Rod Rosenstein and Steve Engel.  Because I'm in the midst of other, time-sensitive matters …

Democrats want to use obscure law to grab Donald Trump's tax returns  —  A 1924 law says the Treasury secretary “shall furnish” tax returns of any person for private review by the chairs of the House and Senate tax committees.  —  WASHINGTON — Soon after the Democrats take control of the House next year …

Former Senate Intelligence Committee Staffer James Wolfe Will Serve Two Months In Prison For Lying To The FBI  —  WASHINGTON — James Wolfe, the former head of security for the Senate Intelligence Committee, was sentenced on Thursday to spend two months in prison for lying to the FBI about his communications with reporters.

Tucker Carlson's show has been hit by an advertiser boycott, and it's having an effect  —  Cuomo, Lemon slam Fox News' hateful speech  —  New York (CNN Business)The advertiser boycott spearheaded by liberal organizations of Fox News host Tucker Carlson is starting to have a visible effect.

Ladders to Get Over Trump's Wall  —  We saw some folks are raising money for a border wall to keep out our migrant siblings and fellow human beings, who are fleeing violence and persecution and whose tragically-underpaid labor is essential to the U.S. economy.  Seems like a bad idea on countless levels for everyone involved.

Democrats to Start Presidential Primary Debates in June 2019  —  (AP) — Democrats will hold at least a dozen presidential primary debates starting in June 2019 and running through April 2020, with party Chairman Tom Perez promising rules that will give everyone in a potentially large field a fair shot at voters' attention.

Former Ga. candidate for governor indicted  —  State Sen. Michael Williams, who waged an unsuccessful and at times incendiary campaign for governor this year, was indicted this week in Hall County, apparently stemming from allegedly false report he made saying computer servers were stolen from his campaign office.

How bad does the ‘Illinois Exodus’ have to get?  —  The estimated net reduction in Illinois' population this year is 45,116 residents.  Every other state in the Midwest is growing.  (Zbigniew Bzdak/Chicago Tribune)  —  Editorials reflect the opinion of the Editorial Board …