Mueller preparing end game for Russia investigation  —  WASHINGTON — Special counsel Robert Mueller's prosecutors have told defense lawyers in recent weeks that they are “tying up loose ends” in their investigation, providing the clearest clues yet that the long-running probe into Russia's interference …

Republicans plan vote Tuesday on curbing powers of Gov.-elect Tony Evers, limiting early voting  —  MADISON - Wisconsin lawmakers are set to take up plans Tuesday to diminish the powers of the incoming Democratic governor and attorney general that brought opponents to the state Capitol this week …

Joe Biden believes he is the “most qualified person in the country to be president”  —  Biden: We must reset our nation's moral compass  —  (CNN)During a stop for his book tour in Missoula, Montana, Monday night, former Vice President Joe Biden discussed his 2020 prospects …

Channel 9 uncovers similarities between absentee ballots in U.S. House District 9 race  —  BLADEN COUNTY, N.C. - Channel 9 was back in Bladen County, North Carolina Monday, tracking down people involved in the controversy surrounding mail-in-absentee ballots in the U.S. House District 9 election.

Don't Spend Your Emotional Energy on Sully H.W. Bush  —  In January 2009, a pilot named Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger steered his struggling aircraft to a safe landing in the Hudson River and became a national hero.  Almost 10 years later, a dog named for the pilot has become a beloved “hero” …

Manafort Tried to Broker Deal With Ecuador to Hand Assange Over to U.S. … GLOBAL ECONOMY  —  Despite Trade Truce, Trump Chooses Hard-Liner for Talks With China … Wynn Resorts was one of the biggest beneficiaries from the trade truce between the U.S. and China.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's $21 trillion mistake  —  “$21 TRILLION of Pentagon financial transactions ‘could not be traced, documented, or explained.’ $21T in Pentagon accounting errors.  Medicare for All costs ~$32T.  That means 66% of Medicare for All could have been funded already by the Pentagon.”

Britain can legally cancel Brexit.  That's EU advice - but will parliament agree?  —  A senior adviser to the EU court of justice has said the UK can revoke article 50.  The path to remain is hard - but now clearer  —  We can cancel Brexit.  That's what the advocate general to the court …

Trump handles Bush's death with abnormal normality  —  A taboo-busting president who has often trashed the Bush clan observes traditional norms of etiquette after its patriarch's passing.  —  For President Donald Trump, there was once no worse insult than being “a Bushie.”

George H.W. Bush was the last of his kind — a Republican who didn't believe in ‘voodoo economics’  —  Many have mourned former president George H.W. Bush as the last of his kind.  Mostly they eulogize his decency (racist Willie Horton ad notwithstanding), his physical courage, his commitment to public service.

Majority of Americans believe House Dems should release Trump's tax returns: poll  —  A majority of people polled believe the incoming Democratic House majority should be allowed to obtain and release President Trump's tax returns, according to a Harvard CAPS/Harris poll released exclusively to The Hill on Monday.

Trump Jr. Invested in a Hydroponic Lettuce Company Whose Chair Was Seeking Trump Administration Funds — “Trump, Inc.” Podcast Extra  —  Donald Trump Jr., the president's eldest son, took a stake last year in a startup whose co-chairman is a major Trump campaign fundraiser who has sought financial support …

‘A kind of dark realism’: Why the climate change problem is starting to look too big to solve  —  In the daunting math of climate action, individual choices and government policies aren't adding up.  —  Solar panels are being nailed to rooftops, colossal wind turbines bestride the plains and oceans …

Russia Won't ‘Beg’ for Talks With Trump, Kremlin Aide Says  — Russia ready to meet, it's unclear when U.S. is, Ushakov says  — Planned Putin-Trump talks canceled twice in less than a month  —  Russian President Vladimir Putin still wants to have talks with U.S. counterpart Donald Trump …

The Trump-Xi Trade Truce Stock Rally Lasted 24 Hours.  Here's Why  —  The 90-day cease-fire in the U.S.-China trade war added about $520 billion of market value back to Asia's equity markets on Monday.  Now, it looks like the party is over.  —  Here is where we are: Asian shares took a breather Tuesday …

Bob Brady aide Smukler found guilty on 9 of 11 counts in campaign finance case  —  A federal jury Monday found U.S. Rep. Bob Brady's top political strategist, Ken Smukler, guilty of nine of 11 counts of repeatedly flouting campaign finance laws in a case that once threatened to ensnare the congressman himself.

Trump's Aides Struggle to Detail Deal He Says He Cut With Xi  — President hails ‘extraordinary’ dinner with Chinese leader  — Kudlow says China made ‘commitments’ to ‘presumably implement’  —  President Donald Trump's advisers are scrambling to explain a trade deal he claimed …

France Suspends Fuel Tax Increase That Spurred Violent Protests  —  PARIS — In a major concession by President Emmanuel Macron, France will suspend for six months a tax increase on gasoline and diesel fuel that had been slated for January, in an attempt to quell weeks of protests and rioting by the so-called Yellow Vests movement.

Dems' 2020 problem: Too many candidates, too few minority staffers  —  Potential 2020 Democratic presidential candidates in the early stages of assembling campaign staffs are running into an uncomfortable truth: Among the already small pool of capable operatives, there's an even smaller pool …