China Lands Spacecraft on Far Side of Moon  —  BEIJING — China reached a milestone in space exploration on Thursday, landing a vehicle on the far side of the moon for the first time in history, state media announced.  —  The landing of the probe, called Chang'e-4 after the moon goddess …

Mitt Romney's op-ed crystallizes all the reasons the old GOP establishment has been pushed aside  —  Henry Olsen is a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and author of “The Working Class Republican: Ronald Reagan and the Return of Blue-Collar Conservatism.”

Source: Trump tells Schumer he can't accept Dems' offer because he'd ‘look foolish’  —  Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump told a group of lawmakers he can't accept Democrats' offer to re-open the government as the two sides negotiate border wall funding because he “would look foolish if I did that …

Trump Defends Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan for Some Reason  —  In 1979, the Soviet Union invaded neighboring Afghanistan.  The American interpretation of this invasion, shared by both parties, is that the Soviets were propping up a faltering communist client state, following the …

GOP congressman will support Democratic rules, says he may face ‘consequences’ for it  —  A Republican lawmaker said Wednesday he will vote for a set of House rule changes drafted by the incoming Democratic leadership — a rare move for what is typically a strict party-line vote and one …

Trump reclaims spotlight with long, rambling Cabinet meeting  —  Home alone no more, President Donald Trump had a lot to share when he convened a rambling Cabinet meeting on Day 12 of the government shutdown.  —  The president, eager for company after a lonely stretch in a near-empty White House …

Old Post Office Tower on Trump property to reopen during shutdown with federal funding  —  The Old Post Office Tower, which shares facilities with the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., will reopen by the end of the week after being closed due to the partial government shutdown.

For Bernie Sanders, Claims of Sexism in 2016 Campaign Hang Over 2020 Bid  —  In February 2016, Giulianna Di Lauro, a Latino outreach strategist for Senator Bernie Sanders's presidential operation, complained to her supervisor that she had been harassed by a campaign surrogate whom she drove …

EXCLUSIVE: PHOTOS of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez or “Sandy” as She Was Known at Her Elite High School in Yorktown — NOT in the Bronx  —  Congresswoman elect Democrat-Socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez grew up and attended school in affluent Westchester, New York but likes to pretend like she grew up in the Bronx.

Mark Harris says he'll go to court as officials delay hearing on election fraud  —  Republican Mark Harris said Wednesday he'll ask a Wake County Superior Court judge to certify his election in the 9th Congressional District immediately, even as a probe into alleged election fraud continues.

Justice Department won't take Arpaio fight to SCOTUS  —  The Justice Department has decided not to ask the Supreme Court to block the appointment of a special prosecutor to fight former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio's effort to erase the guilty verdict a judge returned against him on contempt of court charges last year.

Letter from Tim Cook to Apple Investors  —  CUPERTINO, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Apple® today issued the following public letter to investors:  —  To Apple investors:  —  Today we are revising our guidance for Apple's fiscal 2019 first quarter, which ended on December 29.  We now expect the following:

I Don't Hate Women Candidates — I Just Hated Hillary and Coincidentally I'm Starting to Hate Elizabeth Warren  —  “How does Warren avoid a Clinton redux — written off as too unlikable before her campaign gets off the ground?”  — Politico, 12/31/18  —  I have no problem with women.

Senate Judiciary Committee sets confirmation hearing for Trump attorney general pick William Barr  —  The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold hearings later this month on the confirmation of President Trump's attorney general nominee, William P. Barr, the panel's incoming and outgoing chairmen announced Wednesday.

North Korea's Envoy to Italy Disappears, Raising Suspicions of a Defection  —  TOKYO — North Korea's acting ambassador to Italy disappeared from the embassy in Rome in November, apparently in a defection attempt, according to a South Korean lawmaker briefed by intelligence officials.

He lures alleged child predators and shames them on Facebook.  Now one of his targets is dead.  —  Shane Erdmann started the online vigilante operation POPSquad, one of many similar groups tapping into a hunger for vengeance.  —  On a cool evening in October, Alain Malcolm, 20 …

Brazil's Bolsonaro targets LGBT people, Indigenous groups on 1st day in office  —  SAO PAULO — Newly installed President Jair Bolsonaro targeted Brazil's indigenous groups, descendants of slaves and the LGBT community with executive orders in the first hours of his administration …

Exculpatory Russia evidence about Mike Flynn that US intel kept secret  —  Sometimes public silence can be deafening or, for that matter, misleading.  —  For nearly two years now, the intelligence community has kept secret evidence in the Russia collusion case that directly undercuts …

‘Not too good’: Trump rips Mattis's performance as the Pentagon seeks stability  —  President Trump criticized former defense secretary Jim Mattis on Wednesday, as acting Pentagon chief Patrick Shanahan stepped into his new job and the military tried to make sense of the president's plans for the wars in Syria and Afghanistan.

Italy invented coffee culture.  Now it's a coffee time capsule.  —  TREVISO, Italy — The coffee shop would have been at home in so many other countries.  —  But it certainly didn't seem Italian.  —  The first oddity was the menu, which included cold brews and pour-overs that are commonplace …

Ex-Bush and Whitman adviser: Trump won't be impeached, but he will leave the presidency in 2019  —  The major issue for political pundits regarding 2019 is whether Donald Trump's presidency will survive the year leading into the 2020 elections.  Their focus is on the likelihood as to whether Trump …