Outgoing White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly defends his rocky tenure … In August 2017, shortly after John F. Kelly became White House chief of staff, he convened crucial meetings on Afghanistan at President Trump's golf club in Bedminster, N.J.  —  Top officials from the Pentagon and the CIA …

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 …

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 …

Sen. Graham Floats Temporary DACA Permits Deal For Wall Funding  —  Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) floated the idea of a compromise deal to end the government shutdown on Sunday, proposing an extension of work permits for “Dreamers” who entered the country illegally as children in exchange …

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.

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.

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

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 …

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.

Facebook apologizes for banning evangelist Franklin Graham for 24 hours  —  Facebook is apologizing to evangelist Franklin Graham for banning him from posting on the site for 24 hours last week, a Facebook spokesperson told The Charlotte Observer on Saturday.

These two Democratic senators are waging a bigoted campaign against Catholics … Funny who is an “extremist” these days.  —  Senators Kamala Harris and Mazie Hirono (Democrats of California and Hawaii, respectively) are challenging the nomination of Brian Buescher to the US District Court …

As a grocery chain is dismantled, investors recover their money.  Worker pensions are short millions.  —  MUNCIE, Ind. — Once the Marsh Supermarkets chain began to falter a few years ago, its owner, a private-equity firm, began selling off the vast retail empire, piece by piece.

A year of unprecedented deception: Trump averaged 15 false claims a day in 2018  —  President Trump's year of lies, false statements and misleading claims started with a series of morning tweets.  —  Over a couple of hours Jan. 2, Trump made false claims about three of his favorite targets …

Alice Walker's Terrible Anti-Semitic Poem Felt Personal — to Her and to Me  —  When I first read Alice Walker's The Color Purple, I leaned into every word, inhaling Celie's tragic and triumphant story.  In Celie, I felt the presence and pain of my female family members brought up in rural Alabama.

Journalist group counts 94 slayings of media staff in 2018  —  BRUSSELS (AP) — An international trade association says on-the-job slayings of journalists and news media staff rose again in 2018 following an overall decline during the past half-dozen years.  —  The International Federation …