Trump call with Turkish leader led to US pullout from Syria  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw American troops from Syria was made hastily, without consulting his national security team or allies, and over strong objections from virtually everyone involved …

Please don't wish me ‘Merry Christmas’  —  It's impolite and alienating to assume I follow your religion.  —  'Twas five nights before Christmas, and my Lyft driver was the umpteenth person to wish me a “Merry Christmas” that day.  He probably just meant it the way most people do …

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg undergoes surgery  —  Washington (CNN)Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had two malignant nodules removed from her left lung Friday at a New York hospital, the Supreme Court announced.  —  There is no evidence of any remaining disease, says a court spokesperson …

Mattis Always Understood Trump's Severe Defects  —  In the spring of 2016, not long after The Atlantic published an article I had written about President Barack Obama's foreign-policy record, I visited the Hoover Institution, a think tank on the campus of Stanford University …

Maggie Haberman: ‘Disgusted’ Republicans Now Privately Admitting They Regret Supporting Trump  —  New York Times reporter and CNN contributor Maggie Haberman appeared on New Day Friday morning and revealed insight into the current turmoil in Washington D.C.  —  In light of the many issues challenging …

A Top Aide's Exit Plan Raises Eyebrows in the White House  —  WASHINGTON — After weeks of discussions about his future, Zachary D. Fuentes, the 36-year-old deputy White House chief of staff, had a plan.  —  Mr. Fuentes told colleagues that after his mentor, John F. Kelly …

Founder of viral fundraiser for Trump's border wall has questionable news past  —  Brian Kolfage told NBC News he didn't want to mention his previous projects because he “didn't want it to be a distraction.”  —  An internet fundraiser for Donald Trump's border wall took in more than $7 million …

DNI Coats Statement on the Resignation of Secretary Mattis  —  I was deeply saddened to learn the news that General Mattis will resign from his post as Secretary of Defense at the end of February.  —  DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE  —  WASHINGTON, DC 20511  —  December 21, 2018

What Does Trump Really Care About?  What Ann Coulter Thinks  —  A president who cares only about his base will respond mainly to its voices.  —  Matt Lewis  —  BEAST INSIDE  —  What we've found out in the past 24 hours is that Ann Coulter matters more to Donald Trump than James Mattis.

The death of our Siemens factory is the result of another Trump lie  —  Trump has the power to tell companies such as Siemens to keep plants open.  All he would have to do is sign an executive order  —  This week, days before Christmas, I will clock into my good, union job one last time.

Mueller may submit report to attorney general as soon as mid-February, say sources  —  “They clearly are tying up loose ends,” said a lawyer who has been in contact with the Mueller team.  —  WASHINGTON — Special counsel Robert Mueller is nearing the end of his historic investigation …

Barack Obama Joins Lin-Manuel Miranda on a ‘Hamilton’ Remix  —  In the early hours of Friday morning, Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator of “Hamilton,” released “One Last Time (44 Remix),” a gospel reworking of a song from the hit musical.  Halfway through, Barack Obama — the 44 in question …

‘Vice’ Review  —  The best superhero origin story of the year  —  Vice—the new biopic about our greatest living vice president, Dick Cheney—is the movie our country needs right now: a story about a small-town guy who overcame the odds and kept his fellow Americans safe in an age of nihilistic terror.

After Big Losses, a N.Y. House Republican Clashes With Her Party  —  She arrived in Washington as a rising star, the youngest woman ever elected to Congress, and she quickly won leadership positions and garnered effusive praise from her party leaders.  —  Now, not even four years later …

Trump threatens government shutdown ‘will last for a very long time’ if Democrats oppose House bill that includes border wall money  —  President Trump on Friday threatened that a partial government shutdown would last “for a very long time” if Congress does not meet his demand Friday …

Why Kirstjen Nielsen Sounds Like the Hulk  —  On a worrisome day in Washington—with a government shutdown looming and the defense secretary resigning—a clip of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen served as unexpected comic relief.  Nielsen, speaking before the House Judiciary Committee …

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 …