Donald Trump Jr. went to UCLA to decry ‘triggered’ liberals.  He was heckled offstage by the far right.  —  Donald Trump Jr. and Trump campaign senior adviser Kimberly Guilfoyle came prepared with snappy rejoinders for liberal protesters who might taunt them on Sunday at the University …

With public hearings set to begin, Giuliani considers launching an impeachment podcast  —  Giuliani's name mentioned several times in transcripts  —  Washington (CNN)Rudy Giuliani is considering re-entering the impeachment fray by launching a podcast to provide impeachment analysis …

Trump can't sue New York State in DC federal court to stop release of tax returns, judge says  —  (CNN)A federal judge has decided that President Donald Trump can't sue New York state officials in a Washington, DC, court, at this time to stop the release of his tax returns.

Google's Secret ‘Project Nightingale’ Gathers Personal Health Data on Millions of Americans  —  Search giant is amassing health records from Ascension facilities in 21 states; patients not yet informed  —  Google is teaming with one of the country's largest health-care systems on a secret project …

Why Biden is crushing it nationally — but slipping in Iowa and N.H.  —  Joe Biden is the clear frontrunner in the 2020 Democratic race for president.  —  Or he's faltering, slipping into fourth place as he loses ground to Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and an ascendant Pete Buttigieg.

James Le Mesurier: White Helmets backer found dead near his home in Istanbul  —  Former army officer helped start the White Helmets, credited with saving thousands of lives in Syria  —  A former British army officer, who helped start the “White Helmets”, an emergency response group in Syria …

Facebook's top news executive has her own media outlet — and it's been savaging Elizabeth Warren  —  Former NBC News anchor Campbell Brown is a top Facebook executive who was hired in January 2017 to lead the company's “news partnerships team.”  That means Brown is in charge of “Facebook News …

An epic ‘Meet the Press’ rant unmasks the real goal of Trump's lies  —  The public phase of the impeachment inquiry is set to begin this week, and it will shock you to learn that House Republicans are pushing for it to include testimony from numerous people who are not in a position to shed …

Bolton Rejects Legal Alliance With Mulvaney  —  A lawyer representing the president's former national security adviser filed a motion opposing an effort by Mick Mulvaney to join a suit on impeachment testimony.  —  WASHINGTON — A long-simmering feud within the White House broke into the open …

Another potential challenger for Mitch McConnell?  Lawmaker launches exploratory committee … Jan. 8, 2019 (Photo: Sam Upshaw Jr./Courier Journal)  —  Democratic state Rep. Charles Booker of Louisville has launched an exploratory committee for a potential run for U.S. Senate next year …

Republican: You Can't Impeach Trump for a Crime He Does ‘All the Time’  —  Yesterday, Representative Mac Thornberry appeared on ABC's This Week to elucidate the Republican case against impeaching President Trump.  To say that his appearance did not go well would understate the case considerably.

Broadcast, cable news networks to preempt regular programming for Trump impeachment coverage  —  ABC, CBS, NBC and PBS on Wednesday will preempt their regularly scheduled programming for live coverage of the House Intelligence Committee's open impeachment hearings of President Trump.

After push from Perry, backers got huge gas deal in Ukraine  —  KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Two political supporters of U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry secured a potentially lucrative oil and gas exploration deal from the Ukrainian government soon after Perry proposed one of the men as an adviser to the country's new president.

Hong Kong police shoot protester, man set on fire  —  HONG KONG (AP) — A Hong Kong anti-government protester was shot by police Monday in a dramatic scene caught on video as demonstrators blocked train lines and roads in a day of spiraling violence fueled by demands for democratic reforms.

I have decided not to be a candidate for re-election to Congress in 2020.  I made this decision after much discussion with my wife Rosemary; my son Sean; and my daughter Erin.  The prime reason for my decision was that after 28 years of spending 4 days a week in Washington, D.C. …

From Pariah to Powerhouse: Ralph Northam's Unlikely Rebirth in Virginia  —  Nine months after a racist picture in his medical school yearbook sparked widespread demands he resign, Mr. Northam will govern with Democrats controlling both houses of the legislature.

A Surprising Finding on Paid Leave: ‘This Is Not the Way We Teach This’  —  One of the biggest arguments for paid leave for new parents has been an economic one: Research has repeatedly shown that women with paid time off after childbirth are more likely to keep working.

No more fire in the kitchen: Cities are banning natural gas in homes to save the planet  —  SAN FRANCISCO - Fix global warming or cook dinner on a gas stove?  —  That's the choice for people in 13 cities and one county in California that have enacted new zoning codes encouraging or requiring all-electric new construction.

Hoyt Hutchinson, Alabama Baby Trump balloon stabber, calls radio show, says it was ‘good vs. evil’  —  Hoyt Deau Hutchinson, the Alabama man accused of slashing a Baby Trump balloon in Tuscaloosa last weekend, defended his actions during a Monday morning call to the “Rick & Bubba Show.”

A Californian economist loves neoliberalism.  When Chileans started protesting it, he opened fire on them.  —  John Cobin, a U.S.-born economist and former member of a neo-Confederate group, is so passionate about a free market — and about Chile — that he has devoted the past two decades to marrying the two.

Nikki Haley's real disclosure: Concerns about Trump's dangerousness went right to the top  —  Ever since September 2018, we've been trying to figure out who the “senior administration official” was who wrote that anonymous New York Times op-ed. This official described a “resistance” …

Bloomberg's Company Weighs Implications of Possible Presidential Run  —  Financial-data and media company would cover co-founder's campaign, as it did during his 12-year tenure as New York City mayor  —  As Michael Bloomberg weighs another bid for political office, the financial-data …