Exclusive: Russian Ex-Spy Pressured Manafort Over Debts to an Oligarch  —  When the U.S. government put out its latest sanctions list on Dec. 19, the man named at the top did not seem especially important.  Described in the document as a former Russian intelligence officer …

Bre Payton, Beloved Staff Writer At The Federalist, Has Passed Away  —  Bre Payton, our beloved staff writer for The Federalist, passed away on Friday in San Diego, California following a sudden illness.  —  Bre was born in California on June 8, 1992, to George and Cindy Payton.

Tucker Carlson's Show Sheds Advertisers After Immigration Comments: Report  —  Tucker Carlson's nightly show on Fox News has been hemorrhaging advertisers since the conservative host said that immigration makes the United States “poorer and dirtier and more divided” on Dec. 13, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The Thinnest Skins In Media In 2018  —  What follows is a list of our favorite media piss-babies and corncobs of the past year.  A quick note to the piss-babies and corncobs themselves: Any communication with me regarding this post will be considered on the record.

Congress ends with Trump's fight for wall, shutdown and GOP leaders hard to find  —  Republicans are ending the 115th Congress in an all-too-familiar spot: standing on the sidelines while President Trump picks a fight they wanted to avoid as he ignores what they consider major conservative accomplishments.

Departing senators warn: There's a problem with the current state of politics  —  (CNN)As departing senators said their goodbyes to Washington, a number of Democrats and Republicans took the opportunity to express concern about the state of the Senate and the political climate.

Two-year-old whose Yemeni mother fought for U.S. visa to visit him dies in hospital  —  Abdullah Hassan's mother was granted a waiver last month after being barred from entering the country under the Trump administration's travel ban.  —  A terminally ill boy whose Yemeni mother fought …

Trump's Dilemma: Go To Mar-a-Lago And Get Criticized?  Or Disappoint Dues-Paying Members?  —  Members and guests at Trump's for-profit club are shelling out as much as $1,270 each to mingle with him at his New Year's Eve party.  —  WASHINGTON — Is it worse to disappoint your rich …

These Are 50 Of The Biggest Fake News Hits On Facebook In 2018  —  After spending two years launching third-party fact-checking programs, rolling out News Feed updates, and investing in other anti-misinformation initiatives, Facebook is still the home of viral fake news.

Mueller appears to respond early in subpoena fight at Supreme Court  —  Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office appears to have responded to a foreign company's bid to get the Supreme Court to step into a fight over a grand jury subpoena served on the firm.  —  Most details of the case …

House Republicans wrap their investigation into FBI's handling of Clinton and Russia probes  —  (CNN)The Republican leaders of two House committees say their investigation into the FBI's handling of Hillary Clinton's email server and its probe of alleged coordination between the Trump campaign …

Four Key Senators Shift 2020 Presidential Planning Into High Gear  —  Senator Kamala Harris of California is eyeing Baltimore or Atlanta as a possible base of operations for her likely 2020 presidential bid and is close to bringing on a top aide to run her campaign.

On the Front Line of the Saudi War in Yemen: Child Soldiers From Darfur  —  KHARTOUM, Sudan — The civil war in Darfur robbed Hager Shomo Ahmed of almost any hope.  Raiders had stolen his family's cattle, and a dozen years of bloodshed had left his parents destitute.

Margot Kidder Played Every Character, No Matter How Small, With a Vivid Inner Life … Her fierce portrayals were informed — if not powered — by personal upheaval.  —  B. 1948  —  MARGOT KIDDER'S ONLY child, Maggie McGuane, wasn't sure she wanted to talk with me.

Rudy Giuliani now wants Robert Mueller to be investigated  —  Rudy Giuliani is now calling for special counsel Robert Mueller to be investigated for “destruction of evidence”  —  Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who has worked as President Donald Trump's lawyer since April …

UK to spend £108m on no-deal ferries  —  The UK will spend more than £100m chartering extra ferries to ease “severe congestion” at Dover, in the case of a no-deal Brexit.  —  Over the last few months, additional ferry contracts were awarded to French, Danish and British companies.

Reversed Course: Coast Guard Will Now Get Final 2018 Paychecks  —  Complications arose because service funded through Homeland Security, but pay schedule is military  —  House Passes Trump-Backed Stopgap; Senate to Vote Again Friday House GOP Takes Another Shot With Trump-Backed Stopgap Trump …

Immigration Advocates Are Alarmed By The Rising Numbers of Asylum-Seekers Crossing The Arizona Border  —  Hundreds of people from Central America have begun turning up in a remote stretch of desert between Yuma and Ajo, Arizona, in an apparent response to Trump administration policies …

France faces lawsuit for rescinding harsh carbon tax  —  Four NGOs, including Oxfam and Greenpeace, have initiated legal proceedings against the French government, claiming that France has defaulted on its environmental obligations by eliminating, under intense pressure from “Yellow Vests,” the stiff carbon tax it had imposed.

If You're Over 50, Chances Are the Decision to Leave a Job Won't be Yours  —  Tom Steckel hunched over a laptop in the overheated basement of the state Capitol building in Pierre, South Dakota, early last week, trying to figure out how a newly awarded benefit claims contract will make it easier for him do his job.

North Carolina Elections Board Dissolves, Adding New Chaos in House Race  —  The North Carolina state elections board dissolved on Friday under a court order, two weeks before its much-anticipated hearing to consider evidence of possible absentee ballot fraud in the disputed November election for the Ninth District's seat in Congress.

Shutdown could block federal aid to farmers hit by trade war  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The end of 2018 seemed to signal good things to come for America's farmers.  Fresh off the passage of the farm bill, which reauthorized agriculture, conservation and safety net programs …

Republicans should accelerate confirmation of judges in 2019  —  Republican losses in the House have eliminated the possibility of advancing major legislation in 2019, but the party's gains in the Senate have provided a rare opportunity to shape the judiciary with a wave of judges who believe …