Mick Mulvaney says DHS can't ‘spend money from Mexico’ for wall: ‘We have to get it from the treasury’  —  The president's incoming chief of staff said Sunday that any money for the border wall would have to come from the Treasury Department, saying “the Department of Homeland Security can't actually spend money from Mexico.”

Trump forgets his base is populists and conservatives  —  When candidate Donald J. Trump steamrolled American politics in 2016, he seemed to understand the coalition available to him was an eclectic bunch that felt its issues had been ignored.  —  They were both populists and conservatives, and they placed him in office.

Trump can launch nuclear weapons whenever he wants, with or without Mattis  —  No defense secretary can stop an impulsive president.  —  The abrupt and pointed resignation of Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis on Thursday alarmed official Washington.  Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) called him an …

Indonesia tsunami kills at least 222 after striking without warning  —  JAKARTA — At least 222 deaths have been reported in Indonesia on Sunday after a tsunami struck the Sunda Strait without warning, the latest disaster to befall a Pacific nation repeatedly stricken this year.

Mystery company involved in Mueller investigation appeals to Supreme Court  —  Washington (CNN)An unnamed, foreign government-owned company in a mystery court case is asking the Supreme Court to pause a grand jury subpoena it received related to special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation.

GOP discord on wall prolongs shutdown fight  —  The government shutdown fight is increasingly shaping up as a battle among Republicans for the president's ear.  —  President Trump summoned a group of Republicans to lunch at the White House Saturday afternoon as negotiators struggled to reach an agreement to reopen the government.

John Huber, Justice Dept. Sheriff Who Never Quite Rode Into Town  —  John Huber has developed almost mythical status among pro-Trump tweeters since former Attorney General Jeff Sessions directed him to investigate why the FBI spied on Trump's aides and whether they protected Hillary Clinton and her foundation over alleged misdeeds.

‘Bushies’ creep into Trump's administration  —  President Donald Trump uses the term “Bushie” as shorthand for anyone he considers too establishment, thinks too conventionally, or is just, in the president's mind, a pain.  —  But a strange thing has been happening within his administration lately.

For Trump, ‘a War Every Day,’ Waged Increasingly Alone  —  At the midpoint of his term, the president has grown more sure of his own judgment and more isolated from anyone else's than at any point since he took office.  —  WASHINGTON — When President Trump grows frustrated with advisers during meetings …

Christmas Is the Loneliest Time for Qanon Fans  —  The Daily Beast spoke to four Q believers who claim to have been isolated from loved ones, as well as a former Q believer who thinks the isolation helps reinforce QAnon support.  —  Kimberly's boyfriend was tired of hearing the QAnon videos she watched around their small apartment.

Mulvaney: ‘Very possible’ shutdown goes into 2019  —  (CNN)President Donald Trump's incoming acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said the partial government shutdown could continue into next year.  —  “It is very possible that the shutdown will go beyond the 28th and into the new Congress …

Closed until further notice  —  The government of the greatest country the world has ever known, the wealthiest, most powerful nation on the planet: closed until further notice.  —  This shutdown - hundreds of thousands of our fellow Americans working without pay during the holidays …

Laura Ingraham taunted David Hogg over college rejections.  He just said he got into Harvard.  —  In mid-December, Harvard's early-entry candidates began logging on to the application status portal to learn whether they'd been accepted to one of the world's most prestigious universities.

Charter Schools and Race in New Orleans  —  Thursday night, New Orleans public schools as we knew them ended.  With a 5-2 vote by the Orleans Parish School Board, the last remaining public high school in New Orleans became its latest charter school.  —  In a room filled to capacity …

A Weak Attack on William Barr's Nomination to Be Attorney General  —  A response to Daniel Hemel and Eric Posner  —  University of Chicago law professors Daniel Hemel and Eric Posner have penned an op-ed for the New York Times in which they argue that William P. Barr is disqualified to serve as President Trump's attorney general.