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 …

Trump doesn't understand his leverage is gone  —  The Post reports: … One wondrous result of the 2018 election, we will discover, is the near-total irrelevance of Trump's tweets.  He can say whatever wacky thing he wants, throw out whatever insults he pleases, but Pelosi (D-Calif.) …

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.”

House Democrats are set to go for the jugular on health care  —  With their very first vote when the new Congress opens tomorrow, House Democrats plan to pounce on one of Republicans' biggest political vulnerabilities, the lawsuit to wipe out the Affordable Care Act.

How Elizabeth Warren Could Win The 2020 Democratic Primary  —  It's as if we skipped right from 2018 to 2020.  On Monday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren became the first major Democratic candidate to formally dip a toe in the water of the 2020 presidential campaign, announcing the creation of an exploratory committee.

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 …

Trump could reopen the government and build a lasting legacy all at once  —  Lamar Alexander, a Republican, represents Tennessee in the U.S. Senate.  He is chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.  —  In the summer of 2015, President Barack Obama invited Sen. Patty Murray …

Nancy Pelosi Rams Austerity Provision Into House Rules Package Over Objections of Progressives  —  Despite pressure from progressive Democrats, the House rules package for the 116th Congress will include a pay-as-you-go provision, requiring all new spending to be offset with either budget cuts …

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 …

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.

The World Is Getting Quietly, Relentlessly Better  —  If we can solve global poverty, we can solve other problems like climate change  —  If you spent 2018 mainlining misery about global warming, inequality, toxic politics or other anxieties, I'm here to break your addiction with some good news …

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 …

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 …

Tesla shares tumble 9% as company misses Wall Street vehicle delivery estimates, cuts prices  — Tesla boosted production during the quarter, churning out 86,555 vehicles, up 8 percent from 80,142 during the third quarter.  —  Tesla disappointed investors Wednesday, announcing …

Nadler: Trump administration ‘apparently willing’ to have migrant kids die  —  Incoming House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler blasted the Trump administration Wednesday for the recent deaths of two migrant children in government custody, placing the blame squarely on the White House and its policies.

Predictions: Trump goes, unexpected candidate emerges in 2019  —  As a new chapter in American history unfolds with the start of another year, here are some predictions for the political scene in 2019:  — Donald J. Trump's presidency will not survive 2019;

Virginia state Sen. Dick Black won't seek re-election, sources say  —  State Sen. Dick Black (R) will not seek re-election in this year's 13th Senate District contest, according to multiple Republican sources with knowledge of his plans.  —  Black, known as one of the most conservative lawmakers …

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.

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.

RBG's Hubris Is a Gift for Donald Trump  —  The 85-year old Ruth Bader Ginsburg, appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court by President Bill Clinton in 1993, is approaching her 25th anniversary as a justice.  She is historic in many respects: the second female to serve on the high court …