Dow drops 653 points in worst Christmas Eve trading day ever  —  The plummet followed a tumultuous few days in Washington, amid reports that Trump was discussing how to remove Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell.  —  Both major stock indexes nosedived on Monday in the worst …

Actor Kevin Spacey faces criminal complaint in alleged sexual assault at Nantucket bar  —  Actor Kevin Spacey faces a felony charge for allegedly sexually assaulting the teenage son of former Boston WCVB-TV news anchor Heather Unruh at a Nantucket bar in July 2016, authorities said Monday.

Lebron James Posts ‘Jewish Money’ Selfie With 21 Savage Rap Lyrics, Angering Conservative Critics  —  Los Angeles Lakers superstar Lebron James landed himself in a second racially-charged controversy this weekend after posting rap lyrics about “Jewish money.”

How Banks Unwittingly Finance Mass Shootings  —  The New York Times reviewed hundreds of documents including police reports, bank records and investigator notes from a decade of mass shootings.  Many of the killers built their stockpiles of high-powered weapons with the convenience of credit.

Mystery case that appears tied to Mueller investigation reaches Supreme Court  —  The matter involving a foreign company remains shrouded in unusual secrecy.  —  A legal battle that appears to involve Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation has reached the Supreme Court.

Trump tweets he's alone at White House waiting for Dems deal  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump was meeting with his Homeland Security secretary and other officials on Monday to discuss border security issues as a partial government shutdown over his U.S.-Mexico border wall entered Christmas without …

McCaskill warns Dems about ‘cheap’ rhetoric; says GOP senators privately believe Trump is ‘nuts’  —  (CNN)Sen. Claire McCaskill has some advice for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the incoming freshman who has rapidly risen from obscurity to one of the most well-known figures in the Democratic Party: Talk is cheap.

‘No bottom for Trump’: Disgusted conservative launches epic rant over ouster of Mattis on MSNBC  —  Conservative commentator Charlie Sykes battered Donald Trump on MSNBC's “Morning Joe,” calling him the “chaos candidate” and stating that there is “no bottom” to his lack of “decency.”

Judge orders North Korea to pay more than $500 million in damages for Otto Warmbier's death  —  A federal court judge issued an order Monday for North Korea to pay the parents of Otto Warmbier more than $500 million, holding the country liable for the death of their son.

“They Are Suspicious of Beto”: Why Are Democrats Trying to Annihilate an O'Rourke Campaign Before It Has Even Started?  —  The howls about O'Rourke from the Chapo wing of the Internet say as much about Bernie Sanders's diminished stature as they do about the golden boy from Texas.

Jim Mattis and I Fought Together.  No One Called Him Mad Dog.  —  Jim Mattis was a scholar of war, blunt, courageous and loyal to his troops.  Our enemies will cheer his departure.  —  Mr. Nagl is a former Army officer.  —  I met Jim Mattis in Anbar Province, Iraq, in 2004.

Patrick Shanahan, Trump's pick for acting defense secretary, steps into spotlight after Mattis's ouster  —  When Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick M. Shanahan faced the Senate Armed Services Committee 17 months ago during his confirmation hearing, Sen. John McCain quickly turned up the heat.