The survivor: Nancy Pelosi makes history — again  —  The past seven speakers of the House have lost their majority, been forced out by their own colleagues, or stepped down amid personal scandal.  One of them — Nancy Pelosi — now has a second chance to rewrite her legacy.

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 …

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.”

Sanders allies contrite, defiant amid harassment allegations  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and his chief lieutenants are offering contrition and defiance as they face allegations of sexual harassment that plagued his last presidential campaign and now threaten to derail a second White House bid before it begins.

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 …

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.

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.

Trump gives new Pentagon chief a taste of his world view  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — On his first working day in charge of the Pentagon, Pat Shanahan got a taste of President Donald Trump's scattershot way of looking at the world.  —  As Shanahan sat to Trump's left at a Cabinet meeting at the White House …

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.

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:

To beat Trump, Democrats must counter his lies with realistic solutions  —  Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat, is former governor of Virginia.  —  As I traveled around the country campaigning for Democrats this past year, one of my takeaways was that there is an overwhelming desire among voters for a return to reality.

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.

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.

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 …

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.

How to End Government Shutdowns, Forever  —  As the third government shutdown of the Donald J. Trump presidency drags on, the miserable effects are piling up.  Federal workers, hundreds of thousands of whom are furloughed, are struggling to pay their bills and picking up temporary gigs to make ends meet …

A Trump County Confronts the Administration Amid a Rash of Child Cancers  —  JOHNSON COUNTY, Ind. — The children fell ill, one by one, with cancers that few families in this suburban community had ever heard of.  An avid swimmer struck down by glioblastoma, which grew a tumor in her brain.

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.