General election 2019: Tories on course to win majority - exit poll  —  The Conservatives are set to win an overall majority of 86 in the general election, according to an exit poll for the BBC, ITV and Sky News.  —  The survey taken at UK polling stations suggests the Tories will get 368 MPs …

Elizabeth Warren Draws Sharp Contrasts With Rivals in New Hampshire Speech  —  Ms. Warren, who has ramped up her criticism of her presidential opponents after months of avoiding conflict, issued another rebuke Thursday in a speech about the economy and corruption.

Democrats face post-impeachment dilemma: What if Trump offends again?  —  The threat of impeachment may be less of a deterrent than the Constitution's framers imagined.  —  “Should we stop stopping speeders if they still speed?” wondered Rep. Val Demings.  Andrew Harrer-Pool/Getty Images

Report: Trump's Ukraine Extortion Scheme Was Financed by Russia  —  President Trump is facing impeachment primarily for abusing his power for political gain, extorting a foreign country to discredit his political rivals.  The secondary aspect of the plot is that the target of his extortion is hardly random.

White House seeks to stymie GOP rebellion on trade deal  —  Trade official Robert Lighthizer is expected to try to calm concerns from Senate Republicans at their lunch Thursday.  —  U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer.  After Sen. Pat Toomey came out against President Donald Trump's …

Gaetz brings up Hunter Biden's past substance issues — and it immediately backfired  —  Debate surrounding the next amendment to be introduced quickly divulged into a tit-for-tat involving allegations of cocaine usage and driving under the influence charges.

Fox host lambasts Trump over ‘most sustained assault on press freedom in US history’  —  Chris Wallace, admired for breaking ranks with some in the conservative network, drew applause with most stinging critique yet  —  A leading host on Fox News, a conservative network notorious for its loyalty …

William Barr is unfit to be attorney general  —  Eric H. Holder Jr., a Democrat, was U.S. attorney general from 2009 to 2015.  —  As a former U.S. attorney general, I am reluctant to publicly criticize my successors.  I respect the office and understand just how tough the job can be.

For the third time this year, GOP rejects election-security bill  —  Over the summer, a pair of senators - one Democrat and one Republican - partnered on a new election-security proposal called the Defending Elections from Threats by Establishing Redlines (DETER Act).

Biden's SC firewall in danger?  2020 front-runner's lead shrinks to new low.  —  Joe Biden might need to check his firewall.  —  The former vice president's lead in South Carolina keeps shrinking in Post and Courier-Change Research polls as the 2020 Democratic presidential primary gets closer …

Senate confirms State Dept official as ambassador to Russia  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States has a new ambassador to Russia after the Senate voted Thursday to confirm the No. 2 official at the State Department to the post.  —  Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan was confirmed by a 70-22 vote.

Paul Watson Throws Alex Jones Under The Bus In Sandy Hook Case  —  “This Sandy Hook stuff is killing us,” the far-right Infowars editor said in a 2015 email.  —  Far-right personality and longtime Infowars editor Paul Joseph Watson warned Alex Jones to stop pushing the lie …

The most depressing thing about Trump's attack on Greta Thunberg  —  Is there nothing too petty for this president?  —  Early Thursday morning, President Trump took to Twitter (where his current follower count is 67.5 million) to attack a 16-year-old girl with Asperger's syndrome and tell her to “work on her Anger Management problem.”

Giuliani's Partnership With Fraud Guarantee Revealed in Letter  —  A 2018 investor letter offers new clues about the work Rudy Giuliani was hired to do for Fraud Guarantee, a company founded by his now-indicted associates Lev Parnas and David Correia.  The letter has been handed over to the U.S. attorney's office in Manhattan.

A plurality of Americans—but not of states—want Donald Trump impeached  —  The president continues to benefit from the constitution's pro-rural bias  —  Donald trump owes his presidency to America's quaint system of electing leaders.  Despite losing the popular vote …

Fact check: Was Devin Nunes ‘vindicated’ by report on FBI's Trump investigation?  —  Rep. Devin Nunes this week said he was vindicated by a new inspector general report that detailed the origins of the FBI's surveillance of President Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign …

‘This lit up our base’: Trump campaign says impeachment will help him win reelection  —  As President Trump faced a critical vote on his impeachment Thursday, his top political advisers said the process had already begun to reap benefits for his reelection campaign.

Pentagon tests long-banned ballistic missile over Pacific  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon on Thursday flight-tested a missile that had been banned under a treaty that the United States and Russia abandoned last summer.  Some U.S. arms control advocates said the test risks an unnecessary arms race with Moscow.

South Carolina Punishes Poor Parents for Christmas  —  Days after the Trump administration finalized a proposal that will kick hundreds of thousands of people off food stamps, the state of South Carolina delivered its own special holiday present to the poor.