Trump administration demanded Democrats strip Ukraine aid language from spending package  —  The language would have required the White House to release Ukraine defense aid quickly.  —  Senior Trump administration officials in recent days threatened a presidential veto that could have led …

The president is on trial.  So are my Senate Republican colleagues.  —  Jeff Flake, a Republican, represented Arizona in the U.S. Senate from 2013 to 2019.  He is a resident fellow at Harvard University and a contributor to CBS News.  —  To my former Senate Republican colleagues,  —  I don't envy you.

Trump adviser: Expect more aggressive poll watching in 2020  —  MADISON, Wis. (AP) — One of President Donald Trump's top re-election advisers told influential Republicans in swing state Wisconsin that the party has “traditionally” relied on voter suppression to compete in battleground states …

Under secret Stephen Miller plan, ICE to use data on migrant children to expand deportation efforts  —  The White House sought this month to embed immigration enforcement agents within the U.S. refugee agency that cares for unaccompanied migrant children, part of a long-standing effort …

Trump Quest to Expose Whistle-Blower Hard to Pull Off in Senate  — Impeachment trial should hear from person behind ‘hoax’: Trump  — Federal laws promise anonymity for workers who come forward  —  President Donald Trump says his impeachment trial should deliver on a goal he's nurtured for months …

Pete Buttigieg's Campaign Says This Wikipedia User Is Not Pete.  So Who Is It?  —  Pete Buttigieg, the young, telegenic mayor of South Bend, Indiana, prides himself on being the only millennial currently vying for the presidency, and his path up to this point has been a fairly deliberate one.

Democratic Debate Ratings Hit Lowest Point of 2020 Presidential Campaign  —  The final Democratic primary had one of the smallest stages yet and the fewest viewers for it, drawing just over 6 million viewers across multiple viewing platforms.  —  According to Nielsen figures provided to Variety …

Evangelical Leaders Close Ranks With Trump After Scathing Editorial  —  Christianity Today's call for President Trump's removal gave voice to his evangelical critics.  But they remain a minority in a political movement that Mr. Trump has reshaped in his own mold.

Trump Has a Habit of Quoting His Allies on Twitter Saying Things They Never Said  —  The president frequently injects his own words into statements he claims his supporters said on Fox News or elsewhere.  They rarely publicly correct him.  —  WASHINGTON — Watching Fox News ahead …

These Reporters Lost Their Jobs.  Here Are the Stories They Couldn't Tell.  —  Amid a crisis in local news, eight journalists who left newsrooms in 2019 reflect on the stories left in their notebooks.  Photographers who also lost their jobs captured them on their former beats.

Columbia Inquiry Found Plagiarism in Monica Crowley's Dissertation  —  An investigation concluded that the Treasury Department's top spokeswoman did not commit research misconduct, but required extensive revisions.  —  WASHINGTON — Monica Crowley, the Treasury Department's assistant secretary …

Facebook says a pro-Trump media outlet used artificial intelligence to create fake people and push conspiracies  —  Facebook took down more than 600 accounts tied to The Epoch Times, a media outlet that has spent heavily on digital ads to push pro-Trump conspiracy theories.

‘Pattern of harassing lawsuits’: McClatchy asks judge to dismiss Devin Nunes' complaint  —  Sacramento-based newspaper publisher McClatchy fought a defamation lawsuit filed by California congressman Devin Nunes in a Virginia court on Friday, arguing the Republican's case does not belong in the state.

Robert Mueller's Dossier Dodge  —  Why did the special counsel not tell America that Christopher Steele's information was false?  —  By The Editorial Board  —  In her public order Tuesday, Presiding Judge Rosemary Collyer of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court didn't mention Robert Mueller.

Most Voters Want Senate to Call More Witnesses for Trump's Impeachment Trial  —  Post-impeachment poll finds attitudes toward Trump's impeachment, removal unchanged  —  Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) watches the House vote to impeach President Donald Trump on Dec. 18 in his office.

The Trump administration just overturned a ban on old-fashioned lightbulbs  —  The move, which could raise U.S. energy costs by $14 billion and boost carbon emissions, keeps incandescent bulbs from being phased out Jan. 1.  —  The Trump administration gave old-fashioned …

Space Force becomes the newest US military service after Trump signs defense bill  —  The Space Force is now the nation's newest military service.  —  The U.S. Space Force has become the nation's newest branch of the military as President Donald Trump signed the National Defense Authorization Act …

Russia vows to push ahead with natural gas pipeline to Europe despite Trump sanctions  —  The U.S. has long opposed the 750-mile Nord Stream 2 pipeline, arguing it will leave Europe overly dependent on Russia for energy supply.  —  Russia vowed Saturday to press ahead with building …

Letter to the Editor: Historians Critique The 1619 Project, and We Respond  —  Five historians wrote to us with their reservations.  Our editor in chief replies.  —  The letter below will be published in the Dec. 29 issue of The New York Times Magazine.  —  RE: The 1619 Project

Even People Who Like NY Times Columnist Paul Krugman Are Telling Him to Cool It With the Extreme TDS  —  New York Times columnist Paul Krugman is so easy to dunk on, well, because he's Paul Krugman and all.  But just because it's easy doesn't mean writers shouldn't do it when the opportunity presents itself.

Democrats Sparred Over a Wine Cave Fund-Raiser.  Its Billionaire Owner Isn't Pleased.  —  “It's just not fair,” said the owner of the wine cave, who with his wife has donated millions to Democrats since the 1980s.  —  RUTHERFORD, Calif. — To reach the wine cave that set off a firestorm …

Teacher accused of saying she wants to ‘bring back slavery’ placed on leave, again  —  A Palmdale history teacher has been placed on administrative leave for the second time in two months after students accused her of repeatedly making inappropriate and racist comments targeting Latino and black children in class.