Putin backs Trump's move to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria, says Islamic State dealt ‘serious blows’  —  MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin praised President Trump's decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria, describing the American presence there as illegitimate and the Islamic State as largely defeated on the ground.

Trump's Attorney General Pick Criticized an Aspect of Mueller Probe in Memo to Justice Department  —  William Barr said obstruction of justice inquiry by special counsel is ‘fatally misconceived’  —  WASHINGTON—William Barr, President Trump's choice for attorney general …

Conservatives revolt against funding bill as shutdown approaches  —  House Republican leaders are struggling to rally their own members behind a funding bill that deprives President Donald Trump of a long-sought border wall victory, with no certainty about what he might do next.

N. Korea says it won't denuclearize unless US removes threat  —  SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea said Thursday it will never unilaterally give up its nuclear weapons unless the United States removes its nuclear threat first, a statement that raises further doubts on whether leader Kim Jong Un …

Der Spiegel journalist messed with the wrong small town  —  In February 2017, my husband and I attended a concert at our local theater, and were sipping some wine in the lobby before the show started.  Several people came up to us at separate times excitedly, and asked, “did you meet the German guy yet?!”

Secret Experiment in Alabama Senate Race Imitated Russian Tactics  —  As Russia's online election machinations came to light last year, a group of Democratic tech experts decided to try out similarly deceptive tactics in the fiercely contested Alabama Senate race, according to people familiar with the effort and a report on its results.

And What Can You Say About Paul Ryan?  —  How much time do you have?  —  WASHINGTON Paul Ryan was furious.  —  He'd been caught in a trap lured into an auditorium by the promise of a speech about fiscal responsibility.  Instead, President Barack Obama was lecturing the crowd …

Trump administration aims to toughen work requirements for food stamp recipients  —  The Trump administration unveiled a plan Thursday to force hundreds of thousands more Americans to hold jobs if they want to keep receiving food stamps, pursuing through executive powers what it could not achieve in Congress.

No-deal Brexit could mean ‘minimalist’ withdrawal deal, says UK minister  —  A “managed no-deal” Brexit would not necessarily mean no withdrawal deal between the U.K. and EU, according to a leading Brexiteer Cabinet minister.  —  If MPs in the House of Commons do not approve Prime Minister …

Wilbur Ross said he divested a stock holding — but he didn't  —  Failure to dump BankUnited shares is the latest inaccurate statement by Trump's Commerce secretary.  —  U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross twice submitted sworn statements to ethics officials saying he had divested stock …

It Is So Much Worse Than I Thought  —  How can a family that can't run a charity run a country?  —  I will be going on book leave soon — today is my last column for a while because of the holiday schedule — to write what I believe to be the most important thing that I've ever written.

Trump 2020 campaign used a shell company to pay ad buyers at the center of alleged illegal coordination scheme with NRA  —  The Trump campaign funneled money to ad buyers alleged to have facilitated illegal coordination between the campaign and the NRA by routing funds through a secretive LLC …

‘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.

Tribune editorial: Chaffetz has made his choice  —  By The Salt Lake Tribune  —  Jason Chaffetz has made his choice.  —  The former Utah congressman has not just taken a break from a career as a media-savvy and slightly wonkish politician, someone who might reasonably have aspired …

Trump Testimony From Decades Ago Indicates Knowledge of Campaign-Finance Laws  —  Legal experts say that could be critical if investigators pursue a case over hush-money payments to women in the 2016 campaign  —  Sworn statements by President Trump dating back several decades indicate …

BREAKING: John McCain Associate Gave Dossier To BuzzFeed  —  A longtime associate of late Republican Arizona Sen. John McCain provided a copy of the infamous Steele dossier to BuzzFeed News, according to an explosive court filing released Wednesday.  —  David Kramer, a former State Department official …

Rudy Giuliani spotted chuckling about Mueller investigation  —  Turns out Rudy Giuliani isn't any more discreet about his biggest client's case at his local cigar club than he is on cable news.  —  Giuliani — who, for an active attorney, is surprisingly open about the Mueller investigation on TV …

Mueller seeks Roger Stone's testimony to House intelligence panel, suggesting special counsel is near end of probe of Trump adviser  —  Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III asked the House Intelligence Committee on Friday for an official transcript of Trump adviser Roger Stone's testimony …

More than 15% of childhood deaths in America are due to guns, study says  —  More than 3,000 children and adolescents died of a gunshot wound in the United States in 2016, a new tally of childhood deaths finds.  These episodes accounted for 15.4% of all Americans between the ages of 1 and 19 …

Citing ‘rotten, stinking politics,’ Kasich vetoes gun bill  —  Jim Siegel The Columbus Dispatch @phrontpageRandy Ludlow The Columbus Dispatch @RandyLudlow  —  Saying that signing a gun rights measure “would be detrimental to the safety of all of our citizens,” Gov. John Kasich vetoed …

Mick Mulvaney as chief of staff: Let Trump be Trump  —  Outgoing White House chief of staff John Kelly tried and failed to bring a military discipline to the West Wing.  Mick Mulvaney doesn't plan to try.  —  Mulvaney will approach the job far differently than Kelly, according to six sources close …

They tested positive for HIV.  Then the military kicked them out.  —  Testing positive for HIV was difficult enough.  Getting forced out of the military by the Air Force because of the diagnosis proved even harder.  —  So say two U.S. airmen who filed suit on Wednesday …

Visionary Brain Genius Elon Musk Has Invented The World's Worst And Most Expensive Subway  —  If you are anything like me, many times you have been riding the subway and have had the thought, “What is wrong with this dang subway is that it is not exponentially more expensive and slower than this.”

Exclusive: Big Pharma returning to U.S. price hikes in January after pause  —  NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Novartis AG (NOVN.S) and Bayer AG (BAYGn.DE) are among nearly 30 drugmakers that have taken steps to raise the U.S. prices of their medicines in January, ending a self-declared halt …

Barack Obama dons a Santa hat and hands out gifts in surprise visit to D.C. children's hospital  —  Watch out, Santa: Former president Barack Obama is coming for your sleigh.  —  With a fluffy red cap and a bulging bag slung over his shoulder, Obama delivered presents (and more than a few gasps) …