Trump says he ‘NEVER ABANDONED’ the idea of a concrete wall, disputing Kelly  —  President Trump on Monday disputed an assertion by his outgoing chief of staff, John F. Kelly, that the White House has abandoned plans for a solid concrete border wall, writing on Twitter that the idea was “NEVER ABANDONED.”

Sen. Elizabeth Warren says she will seek the presidency in 2020  —  CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Sen. Elizabeth Warren jumped into the 2020 presidential campaign Monday, offering a message of economic populism as she became the best-known Democratic candidate yet to enter what is expected to be a crowded race.

American Is Arrested in Moscow on Spying Charges  —  MOSCOW — A United States citizen has been detained in Moscow on espionage charges, Russia's domestic security agency announced in a brief statement on Monday.  —  The statement said that an American identified as Paul Whelan had been taken …

Louis C.K. — Goes After Parkland Victims ... In Leaked Audio of New Stand-Up  —  As if Louis C.K. hadn't already hit bottom, he just went even lower by attacking victims of the Parkland massacre in a stand-up set ... this according to leaked audio of his new material.

EXCLUSIVE: NYS Senate Dems say thanks, but no thanks to Simcha Felder's return to Democratic conference … ALBANY — Thanks, but no thanks.  —  As they prepare to take over the majority, state Senate Democrats say Brooklyn Sen. Simcha Felder will not be welcomed back into their conference.

C.I.A.'s Afghan Forces Leave a Trail of Abuse and Anger  —  The fighters hold the line in the war's toughest spots, but officials say their brutal tactics are terrorizing the public and undermining the U.S. mission.  —  NADER SHAH KOT, Afghanistan — Razo Khan woke up suddenly to the sight …

Our Exhausted American Mediocracy  —  The unlikely 2016 election of Donald Trump—the first president without either prior political or military office—was a repudiation of the American “aristocracy.”  By “rule of the best” I mean the ancien régime was no longer understood to suggest wealth and birth …

The Story of 2018 Was Climate Change  —  Future generations may ask why we were distracted by lesser matters.  —  Our best hope may be the weather.  —  For a long time, many people thought that it was a mistake to use the weather as evidence of climate change.  Weather patterns contain a lot of randomness.

Wielding Rocks and Knives, Arizonans Attack Self-Driving Cars  —  CHANDLER, Ariz. — The assailant slipped out of a park around noon one day in October, zeroing in on his target, which was idling at a nearby intersection — a self-driving van operated by Waymo, the driverless-car company spun out of Google.

GOP Rep. Walter Jones Suggests Trump Pay for Part of His Wall  —  Rep. Walter Jones is worried that President Donald Trump's proposed border wall will add to the federal debt — so worried, in fact, that he's proposing the president pony up some of his own money for the wall.

GOP candidate kept corporate donations despite requests to return them, filings show  —  Despite calls for refunds, new campaign filings show Mississippi Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith kept $50,000 in donations from major companies like Walmart and Facebook in the wake of her controversial special election victory in November.

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.

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 …

Trade deal unlikely under May's Brexit deal, US envoy warns UK  —  The U.K. will likely miss out on a HUGE Donald Trump-style trade deal if Prime Minister Theresa May wins parliamentary approval for her Brexit, the U.S. ambassador to Britain warned Monday.  —  Ambassador Woody Johnson …

Too Perfect: Journalists Dropping the Ball to End 2018  —  This is almost too good to be true: Several American journalists will be in Times Square on Monday night to drop the New Year's Eve ball and signal the end of 2018.  The “esteemed group comprises a broad spectrum of journalists …

The Media's Post-Advertising Future Is Also Its Past  —  It's my holiday tradition to bring tidings of discomfort and sorrow to my colleagues in the news business.  One year ago, I described the media apocalypse coming for both digital upstarts and legacy brands.

12,000 police on duty in Paris as ‘yellow vests’ call protests  —  Around 12,000 police will be mobilised in Paris for fresh anti-government “yellow vest” protests on New Year's Eve  —  Paris (AFP) - Nearly 150,000 police are set to be on duty around France on New Year's Eve when “yellow vest” …

Legislators spent big on lavish fundraisers — but gave no grants to students … A nonprofit run by state lawmakers to raise scholarship money for needy minority students spends most of the cash on its lavish annual soiree — including $6,000 on limos — and gave out no grants the last two years, The Post has learned.