Christianity Today and the problem with ‘Christian Elitism’  —  Christianity Today editor Mark Galli's “lofty” op-ed last week calling for President Trump's removal from office touched off a firestorm of criticism and dissent from scores of evangelical leaders, and the backlash and debate have reached …

Mike Bloomberg Exploited Prison Labor to Make 2020 Presidential Campaign Phone Calls  —  Former New York City mayor and multibillionaire Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg used prison labor to make campaign calls.  Through a third-party vendor, the Mike Bloomberg 2020 campaign contracted …

Trump says Pelosi ‘desperate’ and ‘hates all of the people that voted for me’  —  The president spoke to reporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort in southern Florida where he's spending the holidays.  —  President Donald Trump on Tuesday railed against the impeachment case against him, complaining that he'd been treated “very unfairly.”

The FBI is asking questions about former Gov. Matt Bevin's pardons  —  The FBI is asking questions about the pardons Matt Bevin issued during his last weeks as Kentucky governor, The Courier Journal has learned.  —  State Rep. Chris Harris, D-Forest Hills, told reporters …

Chinese Restaurants Are Closing.  That's a Good Thing, the Owners Say.  —  The share of Chinese restaurants has fallen in metro areas across the country in the last five years.  Many owners are glad their children won't be taking over.  —  KINGSTON, N.Y. — More than 40 years after buying Eng's …

North Korea never halted efforts to build powerful new weapons, experts say  —  Just before North Korea launched its first intercontinental ballistic missile in 2017, scientists strapped their newest rocket engine to a test stand to see how it would perform.

Hunter Biden owns massive home in swanky Hollywood Hills, court docs reveal  —  Recovering crack addict Hunter Biden owns a home in one of the swankiest neighborhoods in America, it was revealed Monday.  —  The son of former Vice President Joe Biden shares a ZIP code in the Hollywood Hills …

How to understand Trump now: Wounded child, drug addict or delusional gaslighter?  —  Psychiatrist Justin Frank says Trump is terrified, angry and extremely dangerous — “conflict ... gives him life”  —  Donald Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives last week.

Buttigieg Blames Private Equity Firms for Surprise Billing.  One of His Bundlers, a Blackstone Exec, Is Linked to the Problem.  —  South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg's health care plan takes on the predatory practice of surprise medical billing, which occurs when patients receive astronomical medical bills …

‘The surge is real’: Klobuchar makes late push in Iowa  —  SHELDON, Iowa — Amy Klobuchar keeps telling Iowans about the text she got from a friend cheering her “insurgency” after last week's debate.  The friend meant to say “surge,” but Klobuchar found the auto-correct error funny …

Melania Trump silently forges path through impeachment  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Hillary Clinton spent the morning of her husband's impeachment visiting Capitol Hill to rally Democrats to his side.  Pat Nixon kept assuring reporters her husband wouldn't quit — right up until he did.

Former Hawaii governor calls on Tulsi Gabbard to resign  —  Running for president she is “not able to do the job for the 2nd District,” says Neil Abercrombie.  —  Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard said she will not resign.  Drew Angerer/Getty Images

G.O.P. Lawmaker Had Visions of a Christian Alternative Government  —  A Washington State legislator was accused of participating in the occupation of a federal wildlife refuge.  Behind the scenes, he and right-wing activists were preparing for civil strife.

Arizona DHS Agents Paid to Have Sex With Alleged Sex Trafficking Victims They ‘Rescued’  —  Law enforcement said they saved women from a transnational sex trafficking operation.  They didn't disclose that they'd also had sex with them.  —  At a press conference in September 2018 …

The invisible man: Text messages reveal former golfer's role in Ukraine scandal  —  New York (CNN)When Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman traveled to Ukraine last winter to help Rudy Giuliani dig up dirt on President Donald Trump's political opponents, they were accompanied by a 44 year-old American named David Correia.

A Trump Policy ‘Clarification’ All but Ends Punishment for Bird Deaths  —  WASHINGTON — As the state of Virginia prepared for a major bridge and tunnel expansion in the tidewaters of the Chesapeake Bay last year, engineers understood that the nesting grounds of 25,000 gulls, black skimmers …

Ex-Trump staffer suing over pregnancy discrimination  —  A.J. Delgado is claiming she “inexplicably stopped receiving emails and other communications” after disclosing her pregnancy.  —  Former Trump aides Reince Priebus (left) and Sean Spicer, seen here during the transition in January 2017, were among those named in the lawsuit.

Comey or ‘Corney’?  Stalking a Half-Popped Kernel of a Deep-State Kerning Conspiracy  —  We know a few things for sure, beginning with the fact that quiet changes have been made in the blockbuster report on FBI spying abuse released two weeks ago by the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General.

Warren embraced the high-dollar fundraiser circuit for years — until just before her presidential campaign  —  Chase Williams grinned broadly as he stood for a photo next to Sen. Elizabeth Warren, chatting briefly with the senator from Massachusetts before moving on so someone else could have their turn.

Saturday Shopping Sets U.S. One-Day Sales Record, Analyst Says  —  Holiday shopping set records over the weekend, with Super Saturday sales reaching $34.4 billion, the biggest single day in U.S. retail history, according to Customer Growth Partners.  —  “Paced by the ‘Big Four’ mega-retailers …