Explosive new revelations just weakened Trump's impeachment defenses  —  If Mitch McConnell is going to pull off his scheme to turn President Trump's impeachment trial into a quick and painless sham with no witnesses, the Senate majority leader needs the story to be covered …

Obama, Trump Tie as Most Admired Man in 2019  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Barack Obama and Donald Trump are tied this year as the most admired man.  It is Obama's 12th time in the top spot versus the first for Trump.  Michelle Obama is the most admired woman for the second year in a row.

I ignored warnings from friends and family not to marry my husband.  Was I making a big mistake?  —  When I was 20, a man I barely knew proposed without a ring  —  I said yes.  —  Our friends were alarmed about our fast decisions to marry and move from Tennessee to New York City.

Suspect in Monsey Stabbings Searched Online for ‘Hitler,’ Charges Say  —  Officials said the suspect, who is charged with hate crimes, also expressed anti-Semitic views in his journal.  —  In his journal, prosecutors said, he wrote about Hitler and “Nazi culture.”

Joe Biden says he would consider a Republican for his running mate  —  Exeter, New Hampshire (CNN)Joe Biden told voters in New Hampshire on Monday that he would consider choosing a Republican as a running mate, but added, “I can't think of one right now.”  —  Biden discussed the possibility …

Biden Rebounds, Warren Slows, Sanders Rolls: The Latest on the 2020 Money Race  —  An early look at fourth-quarter fund-raising shows Joseph R. Biden Jr. bouncing back, Elizabeth Warren lagging her previous benchmark and Bernie Sanders continuing to haul in cash.

Ivanka Trump's interview on Face the Nation could have aired on Fox News  —  Ivanka Trump talks with her father during a White House reception on December 11, 2019.  Mark Wilson/Getty Images  —  Margaret Brennan claimed Ivanka was a “vocal” opponent of family separation.  The opposite is true.

How Big Companies Won New Tax Breaks From the Trump Administration  —  As the Treasury Department prepared to enact the 2017 Republican tax overhaul, corporate lobbyists swarmed — and won big.  —  The overhaul of the federal tax law in 2017 was the signature legislative achievement of Donald J. Trump's presidency.

Our Year of Trumpschmerz  —  So much for the holidays.  In the quiet of Christmas and New Year's, the President of the United States has repeatedly attacked “Crazy Nancy” Pelosi and her family, inveighed against the “bogus Impeachment Scam” and circulated the alleged name of the C …

This is what it is like to be attacked by the president  —  James Comey is a former FBI director and deputy attorney general.  —  What's it like to be personally and publicly attacked by the president of the United States?  Like many others in and out of government, I have some experience.

Pelosi's half right constitutional claim leaves the House all wrong  —  Harvard law professor Laurence Tribe penned an editorial column over the weekend in support of the refusal of Speaker Nancy Pelosi to submit House articles of impeachment to the Senate for trial.

This Firearms Instructor Is Reportedly The Hero Who Killed Texas Church Gunman With Single Head Shot  —  On Sunday, during what would otherwise likely be a quiet worship service at the West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement, Texas, an armed gunman entered the church and after talking …

DNC rejects Yang's request for new polls ahead of next debate  —  The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is rejecting a recent request from tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang to commission new early-state polling ahead of the January presidential primary debate to make up for the lack of surveys during the holiday season.

Republican Telemarketer Stiffed the Feds Out of $411K.  The Trump White House Gave Him a Job.  —  Shannon Burns spent years dodging creditors and fighting off lawsuits.  He found an angel at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.  —  BEAST INSIDE  —  In the final two months of 2016 …

The frantic effort to save lives after a deadly attack on the CIA  —  Joshua Alley and two medical colleagues were getting ready to watch “The Hangover” at their military hospital in eastern Afghanistan when the loudspeaker blared with the worst possible code: Shamrock Black!  Shamrock Black!

‘Shattered’: Inside the secret battle to save America's undercover spies in the digital age  —  When hackers began slipping into computer systems at the Office of Personnel Management in the spring of 2014, no one inside that federal agency could have predicted the potential scale and magnitude of the damage.

Sunbelt Set to Gain Congressional Seats, Data Show  —  Americans are moving to states with warm weather, strong job growth and cheaper housing  —  WASHINGTON—New state population totals released Monday offer fresh signs of how the Sunbelt will gain political power after the 2020 census.

Seattle public school students barred from returning until they get vaccinations  —  Thousands of students in Seattle have 10 days to get vaccinated or they will not be allowed to go to school.  This comes after Washington state had two measles outbreaks this year, one forcing a state of emergency.

Virginia Beach to hold special session to consider “Second Amendment Constitutional City” resolution  —  The Virginia Beach City Council will hold a pair of special sessions next week to discuss — and vote — on becoming a “Second Amendment Constitutional City.”

CIA devised way to restrict missiles given to allies, researcher says  —  LEIPZIG, Germany (Reuters) - The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency has devised technology to restrict the use of anti-aircraft missiles after they leave American hands, a researcher said, a move that experts say could persuade …

Google's holiday gift to Devin Nunes  —  In November, Congressman Devin Nunes (R-CA) was in the spotlight — the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, which was leading the impeachment inquiry into President Trump.  He used his star turn to push “fantastical conspiracy theories” about Democrats.

Trump's use of homelessness as a political cudgel exposes his cynical disregard for blue states  —  It's not coincidental that he's making a big issue out of homelessness in California and New York but not in Florida.  —  Since Christmas, President Donald Trump has been cynically using homelessness …

AP Exclusive: Trump ally may have broken Venezuela sanctions  —  MIAMI (AP) — Erik Prince, a major Republican donor and founder of controversial security firm Blackwater, has been referred to the U.S. Treasury Department for possible sanctions violations tied to his recent trip to Venezuela …

Mark Meadows accused of timing retirement to help elect wife's friend  —  Rep. Mark Meadows' shock retirement — revealed just 30 hours before the filing deadline in North Carolina — has roiled some Republicans in the state who suspect he timed his announcement to benefit a friend of his wife.

2019 U.S. Population Estimates Continue to Show the Nation's Growth Is Slowing  —  Natural Increase Drops Below 1 Million for the First Time in Decades Due to Fewer Births and More Deaths  —  DEC. 30, 2019 — According to the U.S. Census Bureau's national and state population estimates released today …

Axios AM  —  Subscribe  —  Happy Monday!  — Situational awareness: A Chinese scientist who set off an ethical debate with claims that he had made the world's first genetically edited babies was sentenced to three years in prison because of his research.  (AP)

Wisconsin Elections Commission deadlocks, keeps voters on the rolls for now  —  MADISON - The Wisconsin Elections Commission deadlocked Monday over whether to remove the voter registrations of more than 200,000 people in response to a judge's order.  —  The commission's inability to reach …

Pete Buttigieg Shows No Signs Of Slowing Down In Iowa  —  Pete Buttigieg is barreling toward an Iowa Caucus victory, and there's not a damn thing anyone's tweets can do about it.  —  The month of December has given the South Bend Mayor his biggest challenges yet, including intense media questions …

3 years in, no sign of Trump's replacement for Obamacare  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — As a candidate for the White House, Donald Trump repeatedly promised that he would “immediately” replace President Barack Obama's health care law with a plan of his own that would provide “insurance for everybody.”

Bill Barr Thinks America Is Going to Hell  —  And he's on a mission to use the “authority” of the executive branch to stop it.  —  Ms. Stewart is the author of “The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism.”  Ms. Fredrickson is president emerita of the American Constitution Society.