Iraqi supporters of Iran-backed militia attack US Embassy  —  BAGHDAD (AP) — Dozens of angry Iraqi Shiite militia supporters broke into the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad on Tuesday after smashing a main door and setting fire to a reception area, prompting tear gas and sounds of gunfire.

Biden is only Democrat currently outpolling Trump in Virginia  —  Former Vice President Joe Biden is the only Democratic presidential hopeful currently outpacing President Donald Trump in Virginia, according to a new year-end survey.  —  Trump edges three other top-tier Democrats …

Team Trump's Furious Hunt to Find Out Who ‘Liked’ a Chelsea Clinton Tweet  —  At least 10 Trump administration staffers were interviewed about whether they had dared to to hit the “like” button.  —  On the evening of July 10, 2017 staffers at the U.S. embassy in Brussels …

Chief: Local officer resigns after making up coffee cup incident  —  JUNCTION CITY, Kan. (KSNT) - In a joint press conference with McDonald's Monday night, the Herington Police Chief said the coffee cup incident was a hoax.  —  Chief Brian Hornaday said McDonald's didn't have anything …

Ghislaine Maxwell Scoffing at Law Thanks to ‘Serious Dirt’ on Powerful People, Former Friend Says  —  A former friend says the Epstein confidante was relieved at her former boyfriend's death—because it meant he could not turn on her.  —  Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend …

GOP Sen. Susan Collins criticizes McConnell, Democrats for pre-Trump trial comments  —  The Maine Republican is the second member of the Senate GOP to attack the Senate majority leader for saying he is coordinating with the White House.  —  Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine …

Bret Stephens and the Perils of the Tapped-Out Column  —  New York Times columnist Bret Stephens ambushed and gravely wounded his own career on the evening of Dec. 27 when his piece about—bear with me here—the alleged superior intelligence of Ashkenazi Jews went live on the Times website.

Parnas Pushes to Share His Info With House Intel  —  The ex-Giuliani associate asked for permission to send the contents of an iPhone to Hill investigators.  —  Lev Parnas, a former Rudy Giuliani associate charged with financial crimes, is still sharing material with congressional investigators …

Anti-Semitic attacks show a society at risk of falling apart  —  Frida Ghitis, a former CNN producer and correspondent, is a world affairs columnist.  She is a frequent opinion contributor to CNN, a contributing columnist to the Washington Post and a columnist for World Politics Review.

Alex Jones and InfoWars Ordered to Pay $100K in Court Costs for Sandy Hook Case  —  A Texas judge ordered Alex Jones and the InfoWars website to pay more than $100,000 in a single day.  —  A Texas judge has ordered Alex Jones and his InfoWars hoax website to pay more than $100,000 in court costs …

Illinois loses population for 6th straight year — and it lost more residents than any state this decade  —  Illinois' population decreased in 2019 by an estimated 51,250 people, or 0.4%, marking the sixth consecutive year the state has lost residents, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Texas shooting isn't as simple as it seems  —  James C. Moore is a communications consultant, political analyst, and author.  He has been writing and reporting on Texas politics for the past 40 years.  The views expressed here are the author's.  Read more opinion on CNN.

Trump says he'll sign “phase one” trade deal with China on Jan. 15  —  President Trump tweeted Tuesday that he will sign the “phase one” trade deal with China in a ceremony at the White House on Jan. 15.  —  The intrigue: Trump did not indicate that Chinese President Xi Jinping …

From Scott Brown to Donald Trump, can Democrats recover from the traumas of the 2010s?  —  Brown's win was a warning, but Democrats were shockingly unprepared for the 2010 debacle and its clues to the Republican Party's Trump transformation.  —  President Donald Trump.

2019's political winners and losers — on both sides of the aisle  —  New Year's Eve is all about reflection.  What do we want for ourselves in the next year?  For our family and friends?  For our country?  —  It's also a time for political junkies to reflect on the events of the past year and declare some “winners and losers.”

Trump's threat to democracy  —  Polite society warns against the drawing of certain historical parallels.  But as another tumultuous year of Donald Trump's presidency draws to a close, it seems like a good time to ask: Where does one look for a political equivalent in a year …

Top DOE official arrested for trying to set up sex with underage boy  —  A top deputy to city schools Chancellor Richard Carranza was busted in Wisconsin for allegedly trying to arrange sex with an underage boy online, police and sources told The Post.  —  Department of Education Deputy Chief …

Stocks fall slightly, but S&P 500 still on track for 2019 gain of nearly 30%  —  Geopolitical issues may limit gains in 2020, says JP Morgan's David Lebovitz  —  Stocks opened slightly lower on Tuesday as Wall Street wrapped up a banner year that saw equities surge to record highs …

Trump's plans to strip clean water protections leave New Mexico fearing pollution and health risks  —  Twice a day, every day, Vicente Fernandez walks along the banks of the Rio Fernando, inspecting the river that has shaped his valley's fortunes for generations.

Picasso painting attacked at Tate Modern  —  A man has been charged with criminal damage after a £20m Picasso painting was attacked at the Tate Modern art gallery in London on Saturday.  —  The venue has taken the artist's 1944 painting Bust of a Woman off display while the damage is assessed.

Judge Dismisses Lawsuit by Ex-Trump Aide Subpoenaed in Impeachment Inquiry  —  Judge Richard J. Leon acted after the House dropped its subpoena to Charles Kupperman and mooted the case, which had been closely watched for its implications about whether John Bolton would testify about President Trump's pressuring Ukraine.

New book smashes taboo over French author's sex with teens  —  Paris (AFP) - A prominent French author who has never made any secret of his preference for sex with adolescent girls and boys is at the centre of a firestorm as a former partner publishes a book describing the lasting trauma of underage intercourse over three decades ago.

Revelers around the world usher in the new decade  —  Revelers around the globe are bidding farewell to a decade that will be remembered for the rise of social media, the Arab Spring, the #MeToo movement and, of course, President Donald Trump.  —  A look at how the world is ushering in 2020:

‘Your Body Being Used’: Where Prisoners Who Can't Vote Fill Voting Districts  —  Robert Alexander has been away from home for more than a decade.  His days and nights are spent locked up behind walls topped with barbed wire.  —  “Prison kind of gives you that feeling that you're like on an island …