Trump boasts that he's ‘like, really smart’ and a ‘very stable genius’ amid questions over his mental fitness  —  President Trump continued to defend himself in the wake of a new book that suggests top White House aides feared he was unfit for the job.  —  In a tweetstorm Saturday morning …

What the Trump dossier criminal referral means  —  There's been a lot of confusion about the decision by Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Chuck Grassley and crime subcommittee chairman Lindsey Graham to refer Christopher Steele, author of the Trump dossier, to the Justice Department for possible criminal investigation.

Roy Moore accuser's Gadsden home burns; arson investigation underway  —  Roy Moore accuser Tina Johnson lost her home Wednesday in a fire that is now under investigation by the Etowah County Arson Task Force.  —  Tina Johnson, who first came to public notice for accusing Senate candidate Roy Moore …

Mueller calls back at least one participant in key meeting with Russians at Trump Tower  —  Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya and lobbyist Rinat Akhmetshin.  (Yury Martyanov/AFP/Getty Images, Alex Wong/Getty Images)  —  Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III has recalled for questioning …

The U.S. Wanted to Discuss Iran.  Russia Brought Up Black Lives Matter.  —  UNITED NATIONS — Efforts by the Trump administration to marshal a muscular international response to Iran's crackdown on anti-government protesters appeared to backfire on Friday, as members of the United Nations …

First phase of Trump border wall gets $18 billion price tag, in new request to lawmakers  —  The Trump administration has told lawmakers that it wants $18 billion over the next decade for the initial phase of a Mexico border wall, laying out for the first time a detailed financial blueprint …

The Increasing Unfitness of Donald Trump  —  The West Wing has come to resemble the dankest realms of Twitter, in which everyone is racked with paranoia and everyone despises everyone else.  —  What made the Emperor Nero tick, Suetonius writes in “Lives of the Caesars,” was …

Mandalay Bay staff interacted with Las Vegas shooter more than 10 times in days before Oct. 1  —  Mandalay Bay resort and casino.  Joel Angel Juarez Las Vegas Review-Journal @jajuarezphoto  —  Two windows are blown out from Mandalay Bay the morning after a mass shooting in Las Vegas, Monday, Oct. 2, 2017.

‘Romantic encounter’ set off Australia's role in triggering Donald Trump investigation  —  It was a chance romantic encounter by George Papadopoulos that set in train the events that led to the Australian government tipping off Washington about what it knew of Russian hacking efforts to swing the US presidential election.

CDC to hold briefing on how public can prepare for nuclear war  —  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has scheduled a briefing for later this month to outline how the public can prepare for nuclear war.  —  “While a nuclear detonation is unlikely, it would have devastating results …

NPR Host Robert Siegel Signs Off  —  The Bureau of Labor Statistics says the median number of years that American workers have been working for their current employer is a little over four.  —  I say that to acknowledge how unusual it is that I have been working at National Public Radio for a little over 40 years — 41, to be precise.

In Calling for Politicians' Arrest, an ICE Official Embraces His New Extremist Image  —  Last summer, Thomas Homan, the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the federal agency responsible for arresting and deporting undocumented immigrants, received high praise from the President.

McConnell dances on Bannon's grave  —  But with nasty Republican primaries on the horizon, the Senate majority leader is hardly in the clear.  —  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his allies rang in the new year with a week-long celebration of Steve Bannon's self-immolation.

Letterman Netflix series gets Obama as first guest: See trailer  —  Ready for your first look at David Letterman's new talk show?  —  Above is the first teaser trailer for the series, titled My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman.  —  That title suggests a show that's setting …

Trump campaign digital director: ‘Not one person made a decision’ without Kushner and Eric Trump's ‘approval’  — The digital director of the Trump campaign on Friday painted Jared Kushner and Eric Trump as “joint deputy campaign managers.”  — Brad Parscale's statement came amid …

FBI documents: Andrew McCabe had no conflict in Hillary Clinton email probe  —  WASHINGTON — FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, whom President Trump has blamed for influencing the decision not to criminally charge Hillary Clinton for her use of private email server, did not oversee that inquiry …

If the poor must work to earn every dollar, shouldn't the rich?  —  The argument over which poor people deserve aid has begun anew thanks to incipient Republican efforts to harshen work requirements attached to welfare programs.  For conservatives and thus-inclined Democrats …

Krasner fires 31 from Philly DA's Office in dramatic first-week shakeup  —  Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner asked 31 members of the office to resign Friday, a dramatic shake-up and the first major staffing decision announced by the city's new top prosecutor, just three days after he was sworn in.

World Leaders on Twitter  —  There's been a lot of discussion about political figures and world leaders on Twitter, and we want to share our stance.  —  Twitter is here to serve and help advance the global, public conversation.  Elected world leaders play a critical role in that conversation …

Bannon Goes Belly-Up and the Stock Market Soars  —  There's an important connection here.  —  There were two big money-and-politics stories in the first week of the new year: The Dow Jones soared 577 points and Steve Bannon ended his political career.  —  Are these two events related?

Restoring the Rule of Law to the Protection of Classified Information  —  In the Clinton-email case, her intent, regardless of her motive, was clearly criminal.  —  The Justice Department is reviving investigations involving Hillary Clinton's emails and the degree to which the State Department during …