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 …

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 …

Old Post Office Tower at Trump hotel to open during shutdown  —  Want access to the top energy and environment news?  —  Sign up for a free trial!  —  Enter your email to register or log in.  —  By signing up, you agree to receive E&E News email updates and offers.

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 …

Trump's bizarre history lesson on the Soviet Union, Russia and Afghanistan … President Trump said a lot of strange, untrue things after Wednesday's Cabinet meeting.  But the most bizarre snippet might have been his “history” lesson on the Soviet Union.  —  Trump, who has assured us …

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:

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 …

Home alone no more: Trump's chatty recovery from cabin fever  —  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 …

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.

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 …

Democrats to ask for 10 years of presidential tax returns in new bill  —  Fact Check: Trump's false tax return claims  —  (CNN)Democrats are making presidential tax returns a focal point in one of their first pieces of legislation, an effort to build the case to the American people …

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.

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 …

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.

CNN Asks Brother Of Detained American About His Anti-CNN Posts On Social Media  —  A CNN anchor asked the brother of a detained American about his anti-CNN social media posts in an interview Wednesday morning.  —  Forty-eight-year-old Michigan businessman and ex-Marine, Paul Whelan …

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 …

Blackburn, Ernst become first GOP women to serve on Senate Judiciary  —  Freshman Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa will become the first Republican women to serve on the Judiciary Committee when the new Congress is seated this week, according to a roster obtained …

Pelosi has a message for Trump: ‘Nothing for the wall’  —  “We can go through the back and forth,” the incoming House speaker told NBC News in an exclusive interview.  “No. How many more times can we say no?”  —  Speaker-designate Nancy Pelosi told NBC's “Today” show in an interview set …

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 …

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 …