Only six immigrants in terrorism database stopped by CBP at southern border in first half of 2018  —  The low number contradicts statements by Trump administration officials.  —  U.S. Customs and Border Protection encountered only six immigrants on the U.S-Mexico border in the first half …

Second body found in West Hollywood home of Democratic donor Ed Buck  —  A man's body was found early Monday in the West Hollywood home of prominent Democratic donor Ed Buck, authorities said.  —  Deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's West Hollywood station responded …

A Fake Nude of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Was Debunked By Foot Fetishists  —  Wikifeet foiled an attempt to shame the congresswoman with a fake Instagram post.  —  An image that's being passed off as a nude of congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was debunked as being fake by a foot fetishist on Reddit …

Eminent Domain, Emergency Powers, and Trump's Wall  —  President Donald Trump claims he can use an “emergency” declaration to secure funding to use eminent domain to acquire land for his border wall, even without any additional congressional authorization.  The validity of this claim is dubious at best.

House GOP leaders fear support eroding for Trump's shutdown fight  —  Several dozen House Republicans might cross the aisle this week to vote for Democratic bills to reopen shuttered parts of the federal government, spurring the White House into a dramatic effort to stem potential GOP defections.

Bolton Walked Back Syria Statement.  His Disdain for Debate Helped Produce It.  —  WASHINGTON — John R. Bolton found himself last weekend in a familiar but dangerous spot for any White House aide: cleaning up after his boss, President Trump, announced the withdrawal of 2,000 troops from Syria …

'It's Just Too Much': A Florida Town Grapples With a Shutdown After a Hurricane  —  MARIANNA, Fla. — A federal prison here in Florida's rural Panhandle lost much of its roof and fence during Hurricane Michael in October, forcing hundreds of inmates to relocate to a facility in Yazoo City, Miss., more than 400 miles away.

Arizona GOP committeeman: Kyrsten Sinema elected because of ‘dumb ass people’  —  A prominent Arizona Republican official wrote a Facebook post Saturday that said “dumb ass people” helped U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema get elected.  —  Bruce Ash, a Tucson resident and national GOP committeeman …

Trump administration downgrades EU mission to US  —  The Trump administration has downgraded the diplomatic status of the European Union's delegation to the United States, an EU official has confirmed to DW.  The demotion happened at the end of last year without notice.

Beto O'Rourke Plans Solo Road Trip to Meet Democratic Voters Outside Texas  —  Former Rep. Beto O'Rourke is asking aides to create an itinerary for a solo road trip outside Texas where he would ‘pop into places’ such as community colleges, as he considers whether to enter the 2020 Democratic presidential primary.

IRS Will Pay Tax Refunds During Government Shutdown, Official Says  —  The Internal Revenue Service will issue refunds to taxpayers even if the U.S. government shutdown extends into the filing season, a decision that may reduce political pressure on Congress and President Donald Trump to reach a deal to re-open the federal government.

Mick Mulvaney Has Two Jobs.  He Has Been Discussing Another.  —  Mick Mulvaney, the acting White House chief of staff, as recently as late last year explored the possibility of becoming president of the University of South Carolina, four people familiar with the discussions said.

What's behind the confidence of the incompetent?  This suddenly popular psychological phenomenon.  —  The Dunning-Kruger effect explains why unskilled people think they know it all and tend to be overconfident.  —  You may have witnessed this scene at work, while socializing with friends …

Judge blasts lawyers for Russian firm charged by Mueller  —  A judge publicly slammed the defense lawyers for a Russian company criminally charged by special counsel Robert Mueller, accusing the firm's attorneys of submitting unprofessional and inappropriate court filings attacking Mueller's office …

The “skills gap” was a lie  —  New research shows it was the consequence of high unemployment rather than its cause.  —  Five or six years ago, everyone from the US Chamber of Commerce to the Obama White House was talking about a “skills gap.”  —  The theory here was that high unemployment reflected …

Kevin Spacey Pulled Over for Speeding On Way Home from Court Hearing  —  Kevin Spacey — Pulled Over for Speeding On Way Home from Court  —  EXCLUSIVE  —  Kevin Spacey couldn't make it home from his court hearing Monday without catching more heat from the law — he got pulled over in Washington, D.C.

North Korea confirms Kim's departure to China for summit  —  SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is making a four-day trip to China, the North's state media reported Tuesday, in what's likely an effort by Kim to coordinate with his only major ally ahead of a summit …

Opus Dei paid $977,000 to settle sexual misconduct claim against prominent Catholic priest  —  The Catholic order Opus Dei in 2005 paid $977,000 to settle a sexual misconduct suit against the Rev. C. John McCloskey, a priest well-known for preparing for conversion big-name conservatives …

Trump wages intense but lonely campaign for his border wall  —  Fighting a virtual one-man messaging battle for his border wall, President Donald Trump is growing frustrated that he doesn't have more public defenders in his shutdown fight with Congressional Democrats.

APA issues first-ever guidelines for practice with men and boys  —  For the first time ever, APA is releasing guidelines to help psychologists work with men and boys.  —  At first blush, this may seem unnecessary.  For decades, psychology focused on men (particularly white men), to the exclusion of all others.

Trump Is Grinding the System to a Halt  —  The nation's roughly 15,000 air-traffic controllers don't do exactly what some people might imagine—namely, keep airplanes from completely losing their way or falling out of the sky.  As William Langewiesche memorably described in The Atlantic back in 1997 in …