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 …

New Jersey AG has obtained evidence of possible crimes at Trump's golf club — and Mueller, FBI are involved in probe  —  New Jersey prosecutors have collected evidence that supervisors at President Trump's Garden State golf club may have committed federal immigration crimes …

Trump issues executive order freezing federal workers' pay in 2019  —  Federal workers brace for long shutdown  —  Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump issued an executive order Friday freezing federal workers' pay for 2019, following through on a proposal he announced earlier in the year.

POLITICO Playbook: Did Trump blow the shutdown?  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  DID TRUMP BLOW THIS SHUTDOWN?  PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP had an empty Washington and the captive attention of the media the last eight days.  Why wasn't he on TV blasting Congress for inaction every single day?

‘You Control Nothing’: House Republicans Brace for Life in the Minority  —  About two-thirds of Republicans returning to the House for the 116th Congress this week have never experienced the exquisite pain of being on the outs in an institution where the party in charge is totally in charge.

Trump pulled out of a massive trade deal.  Now 11 countries are going ahead without the US  —  New York (CNN)A major 11-country agreement goes into effect Sunday, reshaping trade rules among economic powerhouses like Japan, Canada, Mexico and Australia — but the United States won't be a part of it.

Is the Michael Cohen ‘Prague’ Story True?  —  The reporters behind it are either the new Woodward and Bernstein—or the new Judith Miller.  —  Three weeks after 9/11, Vice President Dick Cheney was already trying to tie the horror to Iraq.  He floated a bogus story that earlier in 2001 …

The Beauty of Bre Payton  —  It would have been easy to resent Bre Payton.  —  Blessed with rare natural beauty—she was even more stunning in person than she was in photos or on television—Bre seemed unaware or unaffected by her own physical gifts.  I know this because when she sat next …

Will Trump show up for New Year's Eve party?  —  President Donald Trump has canceled plans to spend the New Year's holiday at Mar-a-Lago.  A source who had planned to attend the Mar-a-Lago New Year's Eve party said Friday Palm Beach was abuzz with members and guests talking about their own plans …

McConnell at center of shutdown impasse but uncharacteristically disengaged  —  The federal government has been partially shut down for a week, and hundreds of thousands of workers are furloughed, but there's no sign of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), the veteran dealmaker who's brokered …

2-year-old Yemeni boy whose mom sued US to see him has died  —  OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The 2-year-old son of a Yemeni woman who sued the Trump administration to let her into the country to be with the ailing boy has died, the Council on American-Islamic Relations announced.

California organizers cancel Women's March due to ‘overwhelmingly white’ participants  —  A crowd fills Independence Avenue looking towards the U.S. Capitol and the stage, lower right, during the Women's March on Washington, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2017 in Washington.  THE ASSOCIATED PRESS  —  AA

It's Not That Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Knows Nothing . . .  As tragedy struck an acquaintance this week, I was reminded today of the fleeting nature of life.  The Psalmist begged God, “O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am!”

Your Cash Is No Good Here.  Literally.  —  As more retailers—including Drybar and Sweetgreen—ban paper money, it's making things awkward for customers without plastic.  —  Sam Schreiber was mid-shampoo at a Drybar blow-dry salon in Los Angeles when someone from the front desk approached …

Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren and Other Democrats Shift Into High Gear for 2020  —  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.

Turkey, Russia resolved to clear terrorists from Syria  —  Both countries have joint will to clear Syria of all terrorist groups, says Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu  —  ANKARA  —  Turkey and Russia have a joint will to clear all terrorist groups from Syria, Turkey's foreign minister said in Moscow on Saturday.