Trump's Defenders Have No Defense  —  Witnesses were uneven, but even his closest allies don't try to deny he did what he's accused of doing.  —  Look, the case has been made.  Almost everything in the impeachment hearings this week fleshed out and backed up the charge that President Trump muscled Ukraine for political gain.

Charges of Ukrainian Meddling?  A Russian Operation, U.S. Intelligence Says  — Moscow has run a yearslong operation to blame Ukraine for its own 2016 election interference, American intelligence officials said.  — Republicans have used similar talking points to defend President Trump in impeachment proceedings.

Jake Tapper: Trump is trying to ‘gaslight the country’  —  CNN's Jake Tapper thinks fact-checking Donald Trump is no longer enough — and he's created an hourlong special exploring the effects on foreign policy, business and the national culture of the president's compulsive lying.

Trump's GOP defenders cannot be shamed.  It's time to try this instead.  —  If there is one widely shared conclusion about the impeachment hearings that have just concluded, it's that President Trump's GOP defenders were never “gettable.”  —  This idea has been repeated countless times in recent days …

Justice Dept. watchdog is said to have found evidence an FBI employee altered document in Russia probe  —  The Justice Department inspector general has found evidence that an FBI employee may have altered a document connected to court-approved surveillance of a former Trump campaign adviser, according to people familiar with the matter.

Trump Pushes Debunked Ukraine Theory In Long, Rambling Call To ‘Fox & Friends’  —  The nearly hourlong phone call on the president's favorite morning show devolved into a soliloquy.  —  President Donald Trump on Friday pushed a false right-wing conspiracy theory roundly debunked by U.S. officials …

Read This  —  I read through this a number of times before deciding to publish it.  But I strongly, strongly recommend it to you.  The author of the email is a former federal prosecutor.  When I first read it I confess I found it all a bit loopy or improbable.

Impeachment is about to get a Robert Mueller reprise  —  Right now, impeachment is all about Ukraine.  But after Thanksgiving, prepare for a Robert Mueller reprise.  —  Now that House Democrats have wrapped up public hearings on President Donald Trump's pressure campaign to get Ukraine …

AG Barr: Epstein's death was a ‘perfect storm of screw-ups’  —  1 of 6  —  ABOARD A US GOVERNMENT AIRCRAFT (AP) — Attorney General William Barr says Jeffrey Epstein's death was the result of a “perfect storm of screw-ups.”  —  Barr's comments in an interview Thursday with The Associated Press come days …

Trump says he might veto legislation that aims to protect human rights in Hong Kong because bill would impact China trade talks  —  The legislation easily passed Congress with a veto-proof majority  —  President Trump suggested on Friday that he might veto legislation designed …

Black South Bend leader endorses Biden, rebukes Buttigieg  —  The longest-serving African American man on the South Bend, Ind., Common Council is endorsing Joe Biden for president, a rejection of Pete Buttigieg that highlights the South Bend mayor's struggle with black voters.

Bloomberg makes ‘massive’ ad buy  —  In the latest sign Michael Bloomberg is prepared spend freely on a prospective presidential bid, the billionaire has begun booking a huge quantity of TV ad time in media markets across the country — including the one that's home to President Donald Trump's winter White House, Mar-a-Lago.

Shepard Smith Uses a Post-Fox Spotlight to Defend Freedom of the Press  —  The former anchor made his first public appearance since his abrupt departure from Fox News, where he faced taunts from colleagues and President Trump.  —  In his first public remarks since abruptly resigning …

How impeachment should change how you vote  —  Watching the very best House members in this week's impeachment hearings, such as Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.), and the worst, such as Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), along with other best figures …

The Jungle Prince of Delhi  —  For 40 years, journalists chronicled the eccentric royal family of Oudh, deposed aristocrats who lived in a ruined palace in the Indian capital.  It was a tragic, astonishing story.  But was it true?  —  NEW DELHI — On a spring afternoon in 2016 …

Sacha Baron Cohen Uses ADL Speech to Tear Apart Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook  —  Accepting an award from the Anti-Defamation League, the comedian called Facebook “the greatest propaganda machine in history.”  —  Sacha Baron Cohen accepted the International Leadership Award …

Jim Jordan was imposed on us for egregiously partisan reasons.  Now he's afflicting the nation.  —  CLEVELAND — Of all the regions in all the states in all the country, Jim Jordan got dragged into ours.  There was no good reason to punish Greater Cleveland by making the person who's …

Trump and His Corrupt Old Party  —  For Republicans, there is no bottom.  —  Formally, the House of Representatives is holding an inquiry into the question of whether Donald J. Trump should be impeached.  In reality, we've known the answer to that question for a long time.

Parnas Attended Giuliani's Madrid Meeting With Zelensky Aide  —  Parnas was at the table for a meeting where Giuliani pressured a senior Ukrainian official to investigate a company linked to the Bidens, the official told The Daily Beast.  —  When Rudy Giuliani met with a senior Ukrainian official …

Responding to Lt. Col. Vindman about my Ukraine columns ... with the facts  —  I honor and applaud Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman's service to his country.  He's a hero.  I also respect his decision to testify at the impeachment proceedings.  I suspect neither his service nor his testimony was easy.