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.  Republicans have used similar talking points to defend President Trump in impeachment proceedings.

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 …

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.

Biden: Lindsey Graham will ‘regret his whole life’ doing Trump's bidding on Ukraine  —  Watch “CNN Tonight” at 10 p.m. ET to see Don Lemon's full interview with former Vice President Joe Biden.  —  Abbeville, South Carolina (CNN)Joe Biden said he is “embarrassed” for South Carolina …

‘1984’ arrives 35 years late: Republicans like Devin Nunes are intent on making 2 plus 2 equal whatever the hell they want it to  —  “It was a bright cold day,” begins George Orwell's “1984,” “and the clocks were striking 13.”  —  That came to mind as the impeachment drama reached its 11th hour …

Trump Said U.S. Is ‘Getting Raped’ by NATO, Has Pushed to Exit Alliance According to White House Insider  —  President Donald Trump's criticisms of NATO have been one of the most concerning elements of his presidency to date for career diplomats and Pentagon 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.

Defecting Chinese spy offers information trove to Australian government  —  A Chinese spy has risked his life to defect to Australia and is now offering a trove of unprecedented inside intelligence on how China conducts its interference operations abroad.  —  Wang “William” Liqiang …

Keep in mind these points about a historic week  —  An exhausting and historic week of impeachment hearings came to an end Thursday when House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) gaveled the proceedings to a close.  Take time to watch the whole thing:

Bloomberg makes ‘massive’ ad buy  —  In the latest sign Michael Bloomberg is prepared to 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.

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 …

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.

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 …

Nation's Biggest Charity Is Funding Influential White Nationalist Group  —  A charitable nonprofit linked to Fidelity Investments has donated at least $100,000 to the New Century Foundation, the organization behind white nationalist publication American Renaissance, since mid-2015.  —  EDITED BY

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 …

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 …

The Impeachment Witnesses Not Heard  —  With its public hearings over, the House Intelligence Committee plans to move forward without testimony by some of the key players in the Ukraine drama.  —  WASHINGTON — In recent days, lawmakers were told that when President Trump ramped up his campaign …

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 …

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.