Dems' New Year's resolution: Stiff Trump on the wall and reopen the government  —  House Democrats — increasingly convinced they're winning the shutdown fight with President Donald Trump — are plotting ways to reopen the government while denying the president even a penny more for his border wall when they take power Jan. 3.

The Latest: White House and Dems are “far apart” on shutdown  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the partial government shutdown (all times local):  —  The White House says President Donald Trump and Democrats are “far apart” on reaching an agreement on ending a partial government shutdown, indicating it could continue for some time.

Blue Light Floods NYC Sky as Transformer Explodes in Queens  —  A transformer explosion in Queens sent an eerie blue light flooding into the nighttime sky over New York City Thursday night, startling residents.  —  Con Edison says a couple of transformers tripped offline at the substation …

Former McKinsey Executive Imprisoned by Saudis  —  Saudi citizen arrested in last year's sweep has been beaten, people familiar with the matter say  —  Saudi Arabian officials arrested a partner at consulting giant McKinsey & Co. in the fall of 2017 and have been holding him in detention since then …

Trump used her slain daughter to rail against illegal immigration.  She chose a different path.  —  BROOKLYN, Iowa — The letters began immediately.  Dozens at first, then hundreds, each day bringing more: from a Texas man telling her this was why we needed to build the wall.

Nation's oldest living veteran Richard Overton dies in Austin at age 112  —  AUSTIN, Texas (FOX 7 Austin) - The nation's oldest living veteran, Richard Overton, has died in a rehab facility in Austin, Texas.  —  He was 112 years old.  —  Family says Overton was admitted to the hospital last week with pneumonia.

As 2018 draws to a close, I'm continuing a favorite tradition of mine and sharing my year-end lists.  It gives me a moment to pause and reflect on the year through the books, movies, and music that I found most thought-provoking, inspiring, or just plain loved.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller Seized Russian Trolls' ‘Nude Selfies’  —  The special counsel turned over reams of material from the email and social media accounts of accused Russian trolls.  —  Special Counsel Robert Mueller has collected at least three million pages of material from the email …

Welcome to the world of President Rand Paul  —  President's Trump's foreign policy follows no firm ideology but is often a combination of his long-held personal views and the influence of whoever currently has his ear.  These days, Trump is listening more than ever to Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) …

Agency: Government workers could do painting or carpentry work to help pay rent during shutdown  —  The U.S. Office of Personnel Management has offered federal workers affected by the partial government shutdown a guide for negotiating with creditors, landlords and mortgage companies while their income is cut off.

House Democrats scooping up staff, lawyers to power Trump investigations  —  Trump Organization braces for investigations  —  (CNN)The House Judiciary Committee is looking for a few good lawyers.  —  A recent committee job posting reviewed by CNN asked for legislative counsels with a variety of expertise …

Amos Oz, Israeli Literary Giant, Dies at 79  —  Israel Prize laureate was one of the most esteemed and widely-translated Israeli authors  —  Israeli writer Amos Oz, Israel Prize laureate, died on Friday at 79 from cancer.  —  Oz was the author of dozens of Hebrew-language books …

The Inevitability of Impeachment  —  Even Republicans may be deciding that the president has become too great a burden to their party or too great a danger to the country.  —  Ms. Drew is a journalist based in Washington who covered Watergate.  —  An impeachment process against President Trump now seems inescapable.

Trump's New Judges Are Everything Conservatives Hoped For And Liberals Feared  —  WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has gotten more judges confirmed to federal appeals courts in his first two years in office than any president in modern history.  With 30 new circuit judges on the bench …

With identical tweets, Schumer and Pelosi reveal themselves as mouthpieces for the same propaganda puppet master  —  I have long wondered about who writes the talking points that keep Democrats reading from the same script.  That person - or more likely, persons - evidently issues instructions …

Mizzou Official Claims Tall Men Asking Out Short Women Could Constitute Sexual Misconduct  —  Getting up the courage to ask someone out on a date can already be nerve-racking, but now that college campuses have completely gone off the deep end, that fear will be intensified.

White Referee Fired After Forcing Black Wrestler to Cut Dreadlocks  —  Alan Maloney, the White referee who made a Black high school wrestler cut his dreadlocks to compete, has been let go by the school district.  —  Alan Maloney, the White referee who forced, Andrew Johnson …

Trump bragged to service members in Iraq about a 10 percent raise they haven't been given  —  Speaking to members of the military during his surprise trip overseas this week, President Trump spoke about the raises they received.  —  “You haven't gotten one in more than 10 years — more than 10 years,” he said Wednesday.

Inside Facebook's Secret Rulebook for Global Political Speech  —  Under fire for stirring up distrust and violence, the social network has vowed to police its users.  But leaked documents raise serious questions about its approach.  —  MENLO PARK, Calif. — In a glass conference room …

Lauderhill man brings loaded assault rifle into store over dispute on cigarette price  —  LAUDERHILL, FLA. (WSVN) - Cameras were rolling when a Lauderhill man brought a loaded assault rifle into a convenience store over a dispute about the price of cigarettes.