The president shapes the public character of the nation.  Trump's character falls short.  —  Mitt Romney, a Republican from Utah and the party's 2012 nominee for president, will be sworn into the U.S. Senate on Thursday.  —  The Trump presidency made a deep descent in December.

Harry Reid Has a Few Words for Washington  —  The former Senate majority leader on President Trump and Senator Chuck Schumer, and on why he doesn't regret ending the filibuster for judicial appointments.  —  Early on the afternoon of Dec. 11, about an hour after an Oval Office meeting between President Trump …

US fires tear gas across Mexico border to stop migrants  —  TIJUANA, Mexico (AP) — U.S. authorities fired tear gas into Mexico during the first hours of the new year to repel about 150 migrants who tried to breach the border fence in Tijuana.  —  U.S. Customs and Border Protection …

The Trump Tax Cut: Even Worse Than You've Heard  —  Skeptical reporting has still been too favorable.  —  The 2017 tax cut has received pretty bad press, and rightly so.  Its proponents made big promises about soaring investment and wages, and also assured everyone that it would pay for itself; none of that has happened.

Ohio hospital condemns ex-resident who said she would give Jews ‘the wrong meds’  —  Lara Kollab, 27, stopped working at Cleveland Clinic in September; website publishes dozens of her anti-Semitic, Holocaust-minimizing tweets  —  A hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, said it has fired a doctor …

Trump illegally asked Russia to help him win in 2016.  He shouldn't get away with it.  —  Trump's public request for Russian help in finding Hillary Clinton's emails was a violation of US law.  There are ways to hold him accountable.  —  CONNECT  —  Prosecutors triggered a national firestorm …

POLITICO Playbook: Welcome back ... Shutdown, Day 12  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  SHUTDOWN ... DAY 12 ... WELCOME BACK.  The new Congress begins tomorrow, and leaders are going to the White House this afternoon for a border security briefing with PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP and DHS officials.

Jay Inslee Is Running for President  —  OLYMPIA, Wash.—What if a meteor were hurtling toward the Earth, about to kill millions and reshape life on the planet as we know it?  —  And what if the president, instead of doing anything to help, made it worse in just about every way …

Former NY Times editor rips Trump coverage as biased  —  President Trump appears content to ride out partial government shutdown stalemate over border security funding  —  A former executive editor of the New York Times says the paper's news pages, the home of its straight-news coverage, have become “unmistakably anti-Trump.”

The shutdown proves how redundant a lot of the government is … The DC media complex is not happy with the partial shutdown of the federal government.  The government shutdown drags into the New Year, they tell us!  It could go on for the rest of January, they cry!

Trump invites congressional leaders to White House for border security briefing  —  President Trump invited congressional leaders to the White House for a briefing on border security, the first face-to-face session involving Republicans and Democrats as the partial government shutdown entered its second week.

Gifting Daniel Snyder any money or land for a new Redskins stadium would be absolute madness  —  You've got to be either a drunk, a gambler or Daniel Snyder to tank your business in the NFL.  The Washington Redskins owner has firmly established just what a bad investment risk he is.

How Biden Has Paved the Way for a Possible Presidential Run  — A series of careful financial decisions and the creation of nonprofits and academic centers staffed by close advisers would help a campaign-in-waiting for Joseph R. Biden Jr.  — He is expected to reveal his plans early this year.

Democrats' 2020 race is about to speed up  —  After two months of behind-the-scenes jockeying since the midterms, Democrats' race for president is about to burst into the open with a series of candidacy announcements and staff hires, 2020 operatives tell me.  —  What's happening: “This has been a slow dance,” one top strategist said.

As China Talks Begin, Trump's Trade Negotiator Tries to Keep President From Wavering  —  WASHINGTON — In the middle of his crowded dinner in Buenos Aires with President Xi Jinping of China, President Trump leaned across the table, pointed to Robert Lighthizer, the United States trade …

Iran drought turns political as lawmakers fight over water share  —  A general view shows the Si-o-Se Pol Bridge (33 Arches Bridge) over the Zayandeh Rud River in Esfahan, which now runs dry due to water extraction before it reaches the city, Esfahan, Iran, April 11, 2018.

Jerry Falwell Jr. can't imagine Trump 'doing anything that's not good for the country'  —  He lives with his wife, Becki, in Bedford County, Va.  —  You said recently that conservatives and Christians should stop electing nice guys.  Aren't Christians supposed to be nice guys?  —  Of course, of course.

Warren says she will donate her congressional salary during shutdown  —  Trump slams Warren as she explores 2020 bid  —  Washington (CNN)Sen. Elizabeth Warren said Tuesday that she will donate her congressional salary to a nonprofit until the partial government shutdown ends.

Time to Get Out of Afghanistan  —  The United States is spending beyond its means on a mission that might only be helping its strategic rivals.  —  Mr. Kaplan is an author.  —  The decision by President Trump to withdraw 7,000 of the roughly 14,000 American troops left in Afghanistan …

'I'm embarrassed for America': Puzzled viewers slam NBC for its ‘train-wreck’ New Year's Eve coverage after it failed to show the ball drop and aired Chrissy Teigen talking about ‘vaginal steaming’  — Angry viewers described it as a ‘train-wreck’ after the network failed to show …