Trump Digs In, Darkening Hopes for a Deal to End the Shutdown  —  WASHINGTON — The television is on.  The phone is never far away.  And President Trump is repeatedly calling allies such as members of Congress and conservative radio hosts, telling them privately that he will not give in on his demand for funding for a border wall.

Bernie alumni seek meeting to address ‘sexual violence’ on '16 campaign  —  More than two dozen women and men who worked on Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign are seeking a meeting with the senator and his top political advisers to “discuss the issue of sexual violence and harassment …

Donald Trump is completely transforming the Democrats  —  Washington has long been a stranger to principle other than the principle of self advancement.  Yet, something new seems to be emerging across the country.  Politicians have long felt the need to disguise raw political agendas in the pretense of principle.

I Was A Cable Guy.  I Saw The Worst Of America.  —  A glimpse of the suburban grotesque, featuring Russian mobsters, Fox News rage addicts, a caged man in a sex dungeon, and Dick Cheney.  —  I can't tell you about a specific day as a cable tech.  I can't tell you my first customer was a cat hoarder.

Trump's tweets: Judges in government secrecy cases say they are ‘speculation’ and not ‘pure fact’  —  “Speculation.”  “Unofficial information.”  “Political statements rather than assertions of pure fact.”  —  Those are words federal judges have used to describe President Donald Trump's tweets …

A Holiday Mystery: Why Did John Roberts Intervene in the Mueller Probe?  —  A mysterious grand jury subpoena case has been working itself through the D.C. courts since August.  Doughty reporting by Politico linked the grand jury case to special counsel Robert Mueller.

French Resistance hero who saved hundreds of Jewish children dies aged 108  —  Georges Loinger escaped from German camp and spent rest of the war helping children cross Swiss border  —  Georges Loinger used all his skill and cunning - and a large dash of chutzpah - to rescue Jewish children …

Stephen Miller steps into spotlight amid chaos in ‘zombie’ White House press shop  —  WASHINGTON — In recent weeks, the White House has been shaken by an ongoing government shutdown, tumbling markets and the abrupt departure of Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis.  With

Meet the Press - December 30, 2018  —  CHUCK TODD:  —  This Sunday, the climate crisis.  —  LESTER HOLT:  —  Brace yourselves for dangerous heat.  —  FELICIA MARCUS:  —  The drought we're in is disastrous.  Everyone ought to be worried about it.  —  GABE GUTTIEREZ:

Glorified and Vilified, Representative-Elect Ilhan Omar Tells Critics: ‘Just Deal’  —  WASHINGTON — As a 12-year-old refugee from Somalia adjusting to life in the Virginia suburbs, Ilhan Omar fended off bullies who stuck gum on her scarf, knocked her down stairs and jumped her when she changed clothes for gym class.

Here's how Paradise ignored warnings and became a deathtrap … The fate of Paradise was cast long before a windstorm last month fueled the deadliest fire in California history.  —  The ridge settlement was doomed by its proximity to a crack in the mighty wall of the Sierra Nevada, a deep canyon that bellowed gale-force winds.

Kellyanne Conway Busted In Florida After She Criticized Pelosi For Hawaii Visit During Shutdown  —  Kellyanne Conway criticized incoming Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi for being in Hawaii during the government shutdown, while Conway was in Florida apparently for Trump's New Year's Eve party.

2018's Biggest Loser Was the Liberal International Order  —  The runners-up are China, the U.K., France's Macron and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed.  —  It's been a year of tumult and chaos in world politics.  In Japan, a national poll selected the kanji character sai, meaning disaster, as best reflecting the national mood.

Retired Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal: President Donald Trump immoral, doesn't tell the truth  —  The former top commander of U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan, retired four-star Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal, criticized President Donald Trump's behavior and handling of the presidency …