AT WAR WITH THE TRUTH … A confidential trove of government documents obtained by The Washington Post reveals that senior U.S. officials failed to tell the truth about the war in Afghanistan throughout the 18-year campaign, making rosy pronouncements they knew to be false and hiding unmistakable evidence the war had become unwinnable.

The Indispensable Man: How Giuliani Led Trump to the Brink of Impeachment  —  Not so long ago, it seemed to Rudolph W. Giuliani that he would be presiding over a hefty part of the world.  —  Holding court a few nights after the 2016 election in a private cigar bar on Fifth Avenue …

Barr Allows for Release of Additional Details About Ex-Spy Behind Steele Dossier  —  The British former spy was told on the eve of its release that a highly anticipated inspector general's report would contain further information about him than he had expected.

Seven Outright Falsehoods in GOP Staff Report on Impeachment  —  On December 2, 2019, Republican staff of the three committees overseeing the impeachment inquiry published a report prepared for the GOP Chairs: Representatives Devin Nunes, Jim Jordan, and Michael McCaul.

BREAKING: As Impeachment Moves Ahead Trump Surges in Battleground States  —  Firehouse/Optimus December Battleground State Poll: As Impeachment Moves Ahead, President Trump Well-Positioned Against Leading Democratic Contenders  —  This week we continued our quarterly battleground polling series in Michigan …

Paul A. Volcker, Fed Chairman Who Waged War on Inflation, Is Dead at 92  —  Mr. Volcker helped shape American economic policy for decades, notably by leading the Federal Reserve's brute-force campaign to subdue inflation in the 1970s and '80s.  —  Paul A. Volcker, who helped shape American economic policy …

Kamala Harris Leads Senators In Demanding ‘Immediate Removal’ Of Stephen Miller  —  More than half of Senate Democrats say Miller's “demonstrable white nationalist ideology has been directly translated” into Trump administration policy.  —  Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) …

White House, congressional Democrats on cusp of revised North American trade deal, Trumka says  —  The White House and House Democrats are on the cusp of finalizing a new trade deal for North America, a major achievement for President Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that comes even as Democrats prepare to impeach the president.

Pensacola Attack Probed for Terrorism Link.  Saudi Suspect Clashed With Instructor.  —  The F.B.I. said it was conducting a terrorism investigation into the shooting at Naval Air Station Pensacola, as new information emerged about the gunman's training at the facility.

India Prepares to Block Naturalization for Muslims  —  A bill establishing a religious test for immigration to India is expected to pass Parliament, a major step for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu-nationalist agenda.  —  HYDERABAD, India — India took a major step toward …

Mob Looted Tax-Break Towers Rising Along The High Line: Feds  —  They'll stand as shining symbols of affluence next to The High Line: two towers known as The XI, housing a hotel and 234 condos going for up to $25 million, rising to take their place in the city skyline.

2019 Sportsperson of the Year: Megan Rapinoe  —  Playing the world's game, on the world's stage, under attack by a world leader, she dominated.  And in doing so without fear, Megan Rapinoe became a voice for so many across the world.  —  Before the final whistle, before the chants of …

Sanna Marin of Finland to Become World's Youngest Prime Minister  —  At 34, Ms. Marin will head a coalition made up of five parties, in a government led by women.  —  HELSINKI, Finland — Sanna Marin, 34, is set to become the world's youngest sitting prime minister when she is sworn in this week in Finland …

Possible pardons loom for former Trump aides  —  Roger Stone's supporters are making a pardon pitch everywhere President Donald Trump looks: Fox News, InfoWars, Twitter, even the White House driveway.  —  Michael Flynn abruptly hired a bombastic lawyer who spouts Trump-friendly theories …

The massive triumph of the rich, illustrated by stunning new data  —  The triumph of the rich, which is one of the defining stories of our time, is generally described as largely the reflection of two factors.  The first, of course, is the explosion of income among top earners …

Don't Look Now, But Things Are Getting Brighter for Trump  —  For a guy who's about to be impeached, President Trump is looking like he's in better and better shape to be reelected.  —  A year ago, the Federal Reserve was about to make its fourth interest rate hike.  Stock markets were plummeting.

NATO Conference Is Canceled After U.S. Ambassador Barred a Trump Critic  —  An expert was scheduled to speak at the Copenhagen event but was told the ambassador, Carla Sands, had vetoed his participation.  —  The United States ambassador to Denmark barred an American NATO expert critical …

Claremont Nativity scene depicts Jesus, Mary and Joseph as refugees separated in cages  —  A Methodist church in Claremont unveiled a Nativity scene Saturday night depicting Jesus, Mary and Joseph as refugees in cages, likening one of the most well-known images of the Christmas season to photos …

What Happened When I Tried to Find Someone Who Bought a Bloomberg T-Shirt  —  Who is buying and wearing T-shirts for the late-entering moderate billionaire candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination?  —  omething curious happens when you visit the official campaign website of Mike Bloomberg …

North Korea calls Trump ‘erratic’ old man over tweets  —  SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea insulted U.S. President Donald Trump again on Monday, calling him a “heedless and erratic old man” after he tweeted that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un wouldn't want to abandon a special relationship between …

Trump to meet with Russian foreign minister Tuesday  —  WaPo: Prosecutor finds no evidence Russia probe was a setup  —  Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump is planning to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday in Washington, an encounter that is sure …

Facebook ads push misinformation about HIV prevention drugs, LGBT activists say, ‘harming public health’  —  Fifty-two top LGBT advocates say the company has ignored their calls to action, creating a major public-health concern that puts patients at risk.  —  Facebook users have been bombarded …

Trump's private diplomacy is helping Russia  —  The president and his amateur advisers are giving the Kremlin ammunition to use against the U.S.  —  Collecting and analyzing intelligence in countries like Russia is hard.  Unfortunately, President Trump and his political allies are making …