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 …

Liberal revolt threatens to derail House Democrats on their first day in charge  —  House Democratic leaders faced the prospect of a liberal rebellion on their first day in charge after prominent Democrats said they would oppose a package of rules changes endorsed by incoming speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi.

Jay Inslee Is Betting He Can 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 …

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 …

Trump falsely claims Mexico is paying for wall, demands taxpayer money for wall ahead of meeting with Democrats  —  President Trump made two false claims about his demands for a new border wall just hours before he is set to meet with congressional leaders Wednesday, illustrating …

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.”

Sen. Amy Klobuchar to decide soon on presidential bid  —  The Minnesota senator says she hasn't made a final decision, but already has thoughts on message, political path.  —  TEXT SIZE  —  WASHINGTON — Sen. Amy Klobuchar said Wednesday that she is “getting close to a decision” about running for president in 2020.

‘They destroyed me.’ Wells Fargo's mistake forced her to sell her home … Michaela Christian lost a long battle with Wells Fargo in 2013 to save her Las Vegas home, a defeat she says changed the course of her life.  When the bank refused to modify her mortgage, Christian moved in with a friend and scrambled to rebuild her life.

In shutdown, national parks transform into Wild West — heavily populated and barely supervised  —  JOSHUA TREE, Calif. — The government shutdown has left America's national parks largely unsupervised.  No one is at the gate.  No one is collecting a fee.  The visitor centers are closed.

Trump Fears His Jilted Ex-Advisers Will Come Back to Haunt Him  —  A number of top Trump officials have become critics in exile.  That could pose a major problem in the re-election campaign.  —  It was mid-November, and Donald Trump was once again enveloped in political scandals and legal woes.

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.

Pompeo to Netanyahu: Syria pullout doesn't alter commitment to Israel's safety  —  US secretary of state meets prime minister in Brazil, vows efforts to counter Iranian aggression will continue regardless of Trump's announced troop withdrawal  —  US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo …

Bernie Sanders Isn't Just Another White Male Candidate.  His Nomination Would Be Historic.  —  The 2020 Democratic primary will likely offer the most diverse field of candidates either party has ever put forward for the presidency.  At least four serious African-American contenders …

The Path to Give California 12 Senators, and Vermont Just One  —  In 1995, Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan declared, “Sometime in the next century the United States is going to have to address the question of apportionment in the Senate.”  Perhaps that time has come.

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 …

The walls around Trump are crumbling.  Evangelicals may be his last resort.  —  Why does President Trump continue to keep the government shut down over his demand for a border wall, when large majorities oppose it?  The most obvious answer is that he senses his long-term political survival depends …

Wages Will Keep Growing in 2019  —  In a recent column, Rich argues that President Trump should talk more about wage growth and less about the stock market.  The good news for workers is that this advice will likely be as correct in 2019 as it has been in 2018. … Wages are growing.

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 …

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 …

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.