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.

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

On the Front Line of the Saudi War in Yemen?  Child Soldiers From Darfur  — Led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudis say they are battling to rescue Yemen from a hostile faction backed by Iran.  — But to do it, they have used their vast wealth to outsource the war …

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 …

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.

Hoyer says House will not seat a North Carolina Republican amid questions about integrity of election  —  Incoming House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer said Friday that Democrats next week will not seat a North Carolina Republican amid allegations of election fraud in the state's 9th Congressional District.

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.

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.

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 …