‘Fireside chat on live television’: Trump says he wants to read Ukraine call transcript to American people  —  A defiant President Trump signaled he will not cooperate with the Democratic Party's impeachment proceedings, insisting his telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was …

Elizabeth Warren releases plan to fund Medicare for All, pledges no middle class tax hike  —  (CNN)Sen. Elizabeth Warren released a plan Friday detailing how she would seek to pay for “Medicare for All” without raising taxes on the middle class “by one penny.”

Warren Leads Tight Iowa Race as Biden Fades, Poll Finds  —  Ms. Warren garnered 22 percent in a New York Times/Siena College poll, to 19 percent for Bernie Sanders.  Pete Buttigieg has surged, while Mr. Biden's travails have put the race in flux.  —  Which of these Democrats would be your first choice in the Iowa caucuses?

Trump, Lifelong New Yorker, Declares Himself a Resident of Florida  —  The president filed a “declaration of domicile” last month saying that his property in Palm Beach will be his permanent residence.  —  He came of age in Queens, built Trump Tower, starred in “The Apprentice,” …

Exclusive: U.S. withholding $105 million in security aid for Lebanon - sources  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is withholding $105 million in security aid for Lebanon, two U.S. officials said on Thursday, two days after the resignation of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri.

Americans divided 49% to 47% on impeachment, with criticism for both sides: POLL  —  Americans are split essentially even on impeaching Donald Trump and removing him from office, with criticism on both sides of the issue — toward Trump, for his response to the inquiry, and toward congressional Democrats …

Paula White, Trump's Personal Pastor, Joins the White House  —  Ms. White, a controversial figure even among evangelical Christians, will be overseeing a White House division that conducts outreach to key parts of the president's base.  —  Paula White, a televangelist based in Florida …

The Mavening of Sportswriting  —  Deadspin staffers resigned this week after a dispute with management.  Like so many other publications, the future will bring an undead version of the site.  —  You've been waiting for it, haven't you?  Wondering whether it'll turn up next to an old Drew Magary Funbag.

White House is on verge of naming Chad Wolf acting DHS secretary  —  The White House has imminent plans to name Homeland Security official Chad Wolf acting secretary, according to three people familiar with the situation.  —  Wolf will replace acting DHS Secretary Kevin McAleenan, whose last day in the job was Thursday.

Why the Impeachment Fight Is Even Scarier Than You Think  —  For decades, Republicans and Democrats fought over the same things: Whose values and policies work best for American democracy.  But now, those age-old fights are changing.  What was once run-of-the-mill partisan competition …

Texas voters evenly split on impeachment of Donald Trump, UT/TT Poll finds  —  Texas voters are divided on whether the president should be removed from office, but nearly half think impeachment investigations should proceed, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll.

If Republicans think Tim Morrison's testimony is good news for Trump, they're grasping at straws  —  After weeks of bad news in the impeachment inquiry — including a procession of witnesses describing a quid pro quo between the Trump team and Ukraine — Republicans claimed a game-changer Thursday.

Keystone pipeline spills more than 350,000 gallons of oil in North Dakota  —  The Keystone pipeline has spilled hundreds of thousands of gallons of crude oil into North Dakota this week, The New York Times reports.  —  The pipeline has leaked roughly 383,000 gallons of crude oil …

Trump Is Committing ‘Felony Bribery’ by Giving Fundraising Cash to GOP Senators Ahead of Impeachment Trial: Ex-Bush Ethics Lawyer  —  Attorney Richard Painter, who served as the chief White House ethics lawyer in the George W. Bush administration, warned on Thursday that President Donald Trump appeared …

The GOP's defense of Trump has me sinking into cynicism  —  Unless you were paying close attention, you might have missed one of the most illuminating moments so far in President Trump's impeachment saga.  —  During Army Lt. Col. Alexander S. Vindman's testimony Tuesday …

Activists sail four weeks across Atlantic for climate change summit — then learn it is canceled  —  (CNN)A group of climate activists crossing the Atlantic by sailboat to a UN summit in Chile were shocked to learn the event was canceled — four weeks into their grueling voyage.

In Ukraine, the quid pro quo may have started long before the phone call  —  A standard theme in detective thrillers is that the perpetrator feels compelled to return to the scene of the crime.  It's an irrational urge, and readers of such potboilers are often left wondering whether the protagonist secretly wants to get caught.

U.S. Hiring Resilient With 128,000 Gain Amid Strike, Census  — Automakers, census subtracted more than 60,000 jobs in October  — Fed can ‘take a victory lap’ as report validates pause  —  Explore what's moving the global economy in the new season of the Stephanomics podcast.

Johnson accused of withholding key report on Russia from voters  —  Fears that report into security threat posed by Russia may not be published before election  —  Downing Street has been accused of sitting on an explosive parliamentary report on the security threat posed by Russia to the UK …

Farage to Tories: Join election ‘Leave alliance’ or Brexit Party will contest every seat  —  LONDON — The Brexit Party will contest “every single seat in England, Scotland and Wales” in the U.K. general election unless the Tories agree to an electoral pact, party leader Nigel Farage said Friday.

Trump abandons proposing ideas to curb gun violence after saying he would following mass shootings  —  President Trump has abandoned the idea of releasing proposals to combat gun violence that his White House debated for months following mass shootings in August, according to White House officials …

Professors, Beware.  A ‘Student Information Officer’ Might Be Watching.  —  CHENGDU, China — With a neon-red backpack and white Adidas shoes, he looks like any other undergraduate on the campus of Sichuan University in southwestern China.  —  But Peng Wei, a 21-year-old chemistry major …