Only six immigrants in terrorism database stopped by CBP at southern border in first half of 2018  —  The low number contradicts statements by Trump administration officials.  —  U.S. Customs and Border Protection encountered only six immigrants on the U.S-Mexico border in the first half …

Another Black Man Has Died in the Home of Democratic Donor Ed Buck  —  Community leaders were outraged when the L.A. County District Attorney refused to prosecute Buck last year.  Now another young man is dead.  —  The body of another young black man has been found at the West Hollywood apartment …

House GOP leaders fear support eroding for Trump's shutdown fight  —  Several dozen House Republicans might cross the aisle this week to vote for Democratic bills to reopen shuttered parts of the federal government, spurring the White House into a dramatic effort to stem potential GOP defections.

IRS Will Pay Tax Refunds During Government Shutdown, Official Says  —  The Internal Revenue Service will issue refunds to taxpayers even if the U.S. government shutdown extends into the filing season, a decision that may reduce political pressure on Congress and President Donald Trump to reach a deal to re-open the federal government.

A Fake Nude of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Was Debunked By Foot Fetishists  —  Wikifeet foiled an attempt to shame the congresswoman with a fake Instagram post.  —  An image that's being passed off as a nude of congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was debunked as being fake by a foot fetishist on Reddit …

'It's Just Too Much': A Florida Town Grapples With a Shutdown After a Hurricane  —  MARIANNA, Fla. — A federal prison here in Florida's rural Panhandle lost much of its roof and fence during Hurricane Michael in October, forcing hundreds of inmates to relocate to a facility in Yazoo City, Miss., more than 400 miles away.

Eminent Domain, Emergency Powers, and Trump's Wall  —  Can Trump really exploit emergency powers to use eminent domain to build his wall without additional congressional authorization?  If he succeeds, conservatives are likely to regret the precedent he sets.

Arizona GOP committeeman: Kyrsten Sinema elected because of ‘dumb ass people’  —  A prominent Arizona Republican official wrote a Facebook post Saturday that said “dumb ass people” helped U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema get elected.  —  Bruce Ash, a Tucson resident and national GOP committeeman …

Mick Mulvaney Has Two Jobs.  He Has Been Discussing Another.  —  Mick Mulvaney, the acting White House chief of staff, as recently as late last year explored the possibility of becoming president of the University of South Carolina, four people familiar with the discussions said.

Beto O'Rourke Plans Solo Road Trip to Meet Democratic Voters Outside Texas  —  Former Rep. Beto O'Rourke is asking aides to create an itinerary for a solo road trip outside Texas where he would ‘pop into places’ such as community colleges, as he considers whether to enter the 2020 Democratic presidential primary.

Judge blasts lawyers for Russian firm charged by Mueller  —  A judge publicly slammed the defense lawyers for a Russian company criminally charged by special counsel Robert Mueller, accusing the firm's attorneys of submitting unprofessional and inappropriate court filings attacking Mueller's office …

The “skills gap” was a lie  —  New research shows it was the consequence of high unemployment rather than its cause.  —  Five or six years ago, everyone from the US Chamber of Commerce to the Obama White House was talking about a “skills gap.”  —  The theory here was that high unemployment reflected …

Graham defends shutdown strategy, suggests Dems hurt GOP's feelings  —  Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) didn't raise any objections three weeks ago when the Senate approved - by way of a voice vote - a spending package that would've prevented a government shutdown, without funding for a medieval border wall.

Kevin Spacey Pulled Over for Speeding On Way Home from Court Hearing  —  Kevin Spacey — Pulled Over for Speeding On Way Home from Court  —  EXCLUSIVE  —  Kevin Spacey couldn't make it home from his court hearing Monday without catching more heat from the law — he got pulled over in Washington, D.C.

Opus Dei paid $977,000 to settle sexual misconduct claim against prominent Catholic priest  —  The Catholic order Opus Dei in 2005 paid $977,000 to settle a sexual misconduct suit against the Rev. C. John McCloskey, a priest well-known for preparing for conversion big-name conservatives …

Campaign journalism needs an overhaul.  Here's one radical idea.  —  As the new year dawned, the top editor at the Associated Press — one of the most influential journalists in the country, though hers is not a household name — was making a resolution.  —  “We should all resolve to spend less time …

Iran Has Held U.S. Navy Veteran Since July, Family Says  —  Iran has been holding an American Navy veteran in prison on unspecified charges since late July, when he was seized while visiting an Iranian girlfriend, his mother said Monday.  —  The imprisonment of the veteran, Michael R. White …

A New Hampshire city council is miffed by ‘Pho Keene Great’ restaurant name  —  It's a Pho Keene Great name, first of all.  But that name — posted on the front of a new Vietnamese restaurant in Keene, N.H. — has put the restaurant at odds with the city council, which deemed the restaurant's sign offensive.

APA issues first-ever guidelines for practice with men and boys  —  For the first time ever, APA is releasing guidelines to help psychologists work with men and boys.  —  At first blush, this may seem unnecessary.  For decades, psychology focused on men (particularly white men), to the exclusion of all others.

Military leaders tried to use Fox News to make Trump care about troops  —  Morale among U.S. troops in Afghanistan is at an all-time low, forcing military leaders to resort to a desperate measure to get Trump to care about them.  —  Trump loves to talk about the military …

Newly Released FOIA Documents Shed Light on Border Patrol's Seemingly Limitless Authority  —  When a Border Patrol agent is contemplating pulling someone over, they have a checklist of possible behaviors to look out for.  They can determine “whether the vehicle or its load looks unusual in some way …

Top Trump Backer Financed Supreme Court Confirmation Fights Through Shadowy Network  —  Leonard Leo is the top judicial lobbyist in the country and a well-known booster of the president.  But the reach of his influence is just starting to come into focus.  —  A top conservative judicial activist used …

Trump struggles to replace Mattis as Pentagon chief  —  President Donald Trump is having a tough time hiring a Pentagon chief after the abrupt departure of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis late last month.  —  Jon Kyl, the retired Arizona Republican senator, became the second person …

Democrats pledge to paralyze Senate as shutdown negotiation tactic  —  Senate Democrats are coalescing behind a strategy to block any legislation on the floor that doesn't re-open the federal government — planning to paralyze the Senate as the partial government shutdown enters its third week with no end in sight.

Trump Is Grinding the System to a Halt  —  The nation's roughly 15,000 air-traffic controllers don't do exactly what some people might imagine—namely, keep airplanes from completely losing their way or falling out of the sky.  As William Langewiesche memorably described in The Atlantic back in 1997 in …

California Governor Newsom Vows ‘Sanctuary To All Who Seek It’ In Inauguration Speech  —  SACRAMENTO (CBSLA/AP) - California's new governor is promising the most populous state will be a “sanctuary to all who seek it” in a direct affront to President Donald Trump's immigration policies.

Kamala Harris readies her 2020 rollout  —  A book tour and a flurry of TV appearances enable the California senator to launch a campaign on her own terms.  —  The Kamala Harris soft launch is here.  —  One week after her Senate colleague Elizabeth Warren began formally exploring a run for the White House …