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 …

Why Trump has spared Pelosi from his personal vitriol — so far  —  When President Donald Trump took to Twitter last weekend to blame Democrats for the government shutdown, he notably bypassed his party's favorite foil: Nancy Pelosi.  —  And when Fox News teed up a chance for the president …

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 …

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.”

Can a Democrat Win the Presidency on Climate Change?  —  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 …

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 …

Yes, 2019 Is the Year You Were Worrying About  —  Once again, I bring you good tidings of great joy!  —  Unemployment in the United States is at its lowest level since 1969, consumer confidence is near its highest level since 2000, and crime in the nation's largest cities is at its lowest level since 1990.

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.

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 …

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.

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.

Shutdown Leaves Food, Medicine and Pay in Doubt in Indian Country  —  SAULT STE.  MARIE, Mich. — For one tribe of Chippewa Indians in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, the government shutdown comes with a price tag: about $100,000, every day, of federal money that does not arrive to keep health clinics staffed …

Axelrod: Why Warren will be such a major player in 2020  —  Warren to face obstacles as she eyes 2020 bid  —  David Axelrod, CNN senior political commentator, is host of the podcast “The Axe Files,” now a regularly featured show on CNN.  He was senior adviser to President Barack Obama …

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.

The New Face of Terrorism in 2019  —  Forget the Middle East—it's time to prepare for attacks from the former Soviet Union.  —  The way Westerners think about Islamist terrorism has grown dangerously outdated.  For decades, officials have focused on attacks launched by Middle Easterners.

Dow kicks off 2019 with a drop of more than 350 points  —  U.S. stocks fell sharply on Wednesday to start off 2019 as disappointing economic data from China and Europe and lingering concerns over global trade hampered risk appetite.  —  The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped about 360 points …

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!

Afghanistan, the Longest War in American History  —  The issue is not how much we invested and wasted in 17 years, but whether spending more in the future can be justified.  —  When President Donald Trump announced that he was withdrawing troops from Syria, shock and hysteria filled Washington.

'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 …