Trump Considering Full Withdrawal of U.S. Troops From Syria  —  WASHINGTON — President Trump is considering pulling 2,000 United States ground troops out of Syria in a move that would seek to describe the four-year American-led war against the Islamic State as largely won, officials said Wednesday.

Trump signed letter of intent for Trump Tower Moscow project despite Giuliani insisting he didn't  —  (CNN)A newly obtained document shows President Donald Trump signed a letter of intent to move forward with negotiations to build a Trump Tower in Russia, despite his attorney Rudy Giuliani claiming …

The Former National Security Advisor's Sentencing Hearing: Flynncompetent Judging  —  A number of years ago, a group of singing lawyers put together an excellent parody song about the egomania of federal district judges.  Set to the tune of the old Turtles song, “Happy Together,” it opens: “Imagine me as God—I do.

As Facebook Raised a Privacy Wall, It Carved an Opening for Tech Giants  —  Internal documents show that the social network gave Microsoft, Amazon, Spotify and others far greater access to people's data than it has disclosed.  —  For years, Facebook gave some of the world's largest technology companies …

South Carolina GOP could scrap 2020 primary to protect Trump  —  The South Carolina Republican Party could cancel its marquee presidential nominating contest in 2020 in a move to protect President Trump from any primary challengers.  —  Drew McKissick, chairman of the South Carolina GOP …

New secret filing in case of former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen placed in NY federal court vault  — A document that is sealed from public view was placed in a New York federal court vault in a criminal case against President Donald Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen.

In Party Switch, 3 Kansas Lawmakers Will Start The New Session As Democrats  —  When the Kansas state government reconvenes in January, three of its formerly Republican members will report as freshly minted Democrats.  —  The two state senators and one state representative, all women …

Federal judge strikes down Trump asylum rules for domestic and gang violence victims  —  In a ruling Wednesday, Judge Emmet Sullivan struck down large portions of Justice Department policies that made it harder for immigrants to claim asylum.  —  A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed Justice …

Cummings puts Trump on notice for wave of investigations  —  Democrats still have two weeks until they take control of the House, but a top Democratic investigator is already putting President Donald Trump on notice.  —  Incoming House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings …

Senate to pass bill that would keep government open, deny Trump wall funding  —  The Senate prepared Wednesday to pass a short-term spending bill that would keep the government open through the New Year but deny President Trump the money he wanted for his border wall — a stark retreat …

Hacked European Cables Reveal a World of Anxiety About Trump, Russia and Iran  —  WASHINGTON — Hackers infiltrated the European Union's diplomatic communications network for years, downloading thousands of cables that reveal concerns about an unpredictable Trump administration and struggles …

Revealed: Antifa Leader Relied On Anonymity To Push Radical, Violent Communist Agenda  —  Editor's note: The subject of this story is being identified because he's pushed radical rhetoric and has advocated for politically-motivated violence from behind a mask.

Ousted NPR news chief, ex-Fox News execs team up on new site  —  One was ousted from NPR amid allegations of sexual harassment.  The other left Fox News shortly after writing a column widely panned as racist and anti-gay.  Now they've been recruited to help launch a digital news startup …

Warning To Democrats: Most Americans Against U.S. Getting More Politically Correct  —  Heading into the 2020 Democratic primaries, a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll has a warning for Democrats: Americans are largely against the country becoming more politically correct.

Temporary Newsperson, Politics … The Associated Press is the essential global news network, delivering fast, unbiased news from every corner of the world to all media platforms and formats.  Founded in 1846, AP today is the largest and most trusted source of independent news and information.

United States added to list of most dangerous countries for journalists for first time  —  At least 63 professional journalists were killed doing their jobs in 2018, a 15 percent increase over last year, Reporters Without Borders said.  —  PARIS — The murder of the Saudi columnist Jamal Khashoggi …

U.S. Treasury Levies Fresh Sanctions Against Russian Agents for 2016 U.S. Election Interference And Nerve-Agent Attack  —  *U.S. Treasury Also Cites Russian Government Interference in Elections Worldwide In New Sanctions  —  *U.S. Treasury Blacklists Two Russian Companies For Alleged Role in Election Interference

Bump Stock Rule Bumps Up Against the Constitution  —  This morning, Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker signed the Trump Administration's new regulation banning bump stocks.  The final rule is largely unchanged from the one put up for notice and comment several months ago …

Why did Donald Trump's national security adviser want to meet with a Ukrainian billionaire?  —  An aide to National Security Adviser John Bolton sought to schedule a meeting for him with a Ukrainian billionaire Victor Pinchuk during Bolton's official trip to Ukraine last August …

FT Person of the Year: George Soros  —  For a man facing daily attacks for his activism and liberal vision of the world, George Soros was in a curiously buoyant mood on a sunswept afternoon in Marrakesh.  He had just visited South Africa, home to his first philanthropic foray in the late 1970s …