Pre-Christmas Trump: Rebuked, rampaging  —  The last member of an informal alliance of top Trump officials with enough swat or stature to stand up to President Trump — the Committee to Save America, as Jim VandeHei and I called these officials 16 months ago — resigned in epic fashion.

‘A tailspin’: Under siege, Trump propels the government and markets into crisis  —  President Trump began Thursday under siege, listening to howls of indignation from conservatives over his border wall and thrusting the government toward a shutdown.  He ended it by announcing the exit …

What should worry Trump most: Republican allies are turning on him  —  Another reason this is a historic week — and what President Trump should really worry about — is that lots of different Republicans have been turning on him over different topics.  —  Why it matters: A former Trump aide …

U.S. to Withdraw About 7,000 Troops From Afghanistan, Officials Say  —  President Trump made the decision at the same time he decided he was pulling American forces out of Syria, one official said.  —  Turmoil in Congress, National Security and Markets: The State of Play  —  A lot has happened in the last couple days.

Mattis Puts Trump's Presidency in Peril  —  This resignation stings because it's not about policy, it's about values.  —  Donald Trump may not know it yet, but his presidency is collapsing.  —  His tweets Thursday announcing the resignation of Defense Secretary James Mattis by the end of February were polite and respectful.

Analysis: As advisers leave, Trump's guardrails come off  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Last year, during one particularly frenetic stretch in Donald Trump's presidency, a top Republican senator said there were three men guarding the country from chaos: Defense Secretary Jim Mattis …

In budget brinkmanship, Republicans once again hold themselves hostage  —  House Republicans are ending their eight-year run in the majority exactly the way it began — grabbing a hostage and seeking ransom.  —  This week's standoff, like so many others this decade, pits an alienated House GOP caucus …

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis' Resignation Message to Trump Is Basically ‘F*** This’  —  The Pentagon chief quit after Trump announced plans to withdraw troops from Syria and just before he ordered a drawdown in Afghanistan.  —  By SCOTT BIXBY12.20.18 5:27 PM ET  —  Jim Mattis had enough.

No More Excuses  —  For almost two full years, James Mattis has provided the nation with a collective security blanket—and national-security-minded Republicans with a credible excuse.  Whatever outrageous or weird or even suspicious things President Donald Trump might do …

The Year in Trump Freakouts  —  Jim Mattis is out, the President is leaving Syria without consulting anyone, and that's just this week in crises of the President's own making.  —  President Trump is ending the year as he began it: outraging Washington with a Twitter diktat, one that was cheered in Moscow and jeered on Capitol Hill.

Mattis' Message to the World: Trump Is Out of Control  —  “Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects,” Mattis continued, “I believe it is right for me to step down from my position.”