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 …

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.

Broadcast networks deliberating whether to air Trump's prime time immigration address  —  (CNN)The broadcast networks are deliberating over President Donald Trump's request for airtime to deliver a prime time address on border security, network executives told CNN.

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 …

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 …

Trolls and Grifters: David Reaboi and Charlie Kirk Edition  —  “The crazies have started rolling into Kandahar like it's a f—king bathtub drain.”  —  It is axiomatic that while change creates opportunity, chaotic change creates the most dramatic opportunities for the most unsavory actors.

'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.

U.S. Carbon Emissions Surged in 2018 Even as Coal Plants Closed  —  WASHINGTON — America's carbon dioxide emissions rose by 3.4 percent in 2018, the biggest increase in eight years, according to a preliminary estimate published Tuesday.  —  Strikingly, the sharp uptick in emissions occurred …

Corey Stewart, the firebrand Virginia Republican, will leave politics in December  —  Corey A. Stewart, the Republican firebrand whose fights to crack down on illegal immigration and preserve Confederate monuments reflected the nation's increasingly polarized political landscape …

Robert Mueller's 2019 To-Do List  —  LAST FRIDAY, JUST like Punxsutawney Phil, DC District Court judge Beryl Howell emerged from her chambers, saw her shadow, and announced six more months of Bob Mueller.  Judge Howell's extension of Mueller's grand jury, which was set to expire over the weekend …

The next juicy White House memoir comes out in 3 weeks, and ABC scored the first interview with its author  —  President Trump is curious — and White House aides, alumni and reporters are anxious — ahead of the Jan. 29 publication of the tightly embargoed “Team of Vipers,” a delicious, unsparing memoir by former Trump aide Cliff Sims.

Exclusive: Sears to ask bankruptcy judge for approval to liquidate - sources  —  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Sears Holdings Corp will ask a bankruptcy judge on Tuesday if it can proceed with liquidation after it could not reach an agreement on Chairman Edward Lampert's $4.4 billion takeover bid …

US spends twice as much on health care as its peers  —  (CNN)Despite many efforts to rein in US health care costs in recent years, spending is still on the rise.  —  Americans spend more than twice as much on health care per person as their peers in developed nations, according to a new analysis …

A bulwark against Trump and Trumpism  —  In December, the Weekly Standard — regarded as among the premier conservative news outlets and certainly the one least under the spell of the current president — was closed by its owner, Clarity Media Group.  The loss of a punchy …

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.

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 …

Romney gets chilly reception from GOP senators after Trump attack  —  Sen. James Lankford will occasionally take issue with President Donald Trump's tactics and rhetoric.  But he's not sure what Mitt Romney was thinking with his biting condemnation of the president before he was even sworn into office.

Brexit secretary denies UK seeks Article 50 extension  —  Theresa May's government is not seeking to extend Article 50, according to U.K. Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay.  —  Asked three times if he denied a report in the Telegraph that U.K. officials are “putting out feelers” …

Japan earthquake: Large 6.4-magnitude tremor strikes off coast  —  The earthquake was 24 miles deep and centred 116km south southeast of Kagoshima in Japan  —  An earthquake at an estimated magnitude of 6.4 has struck off the coast of south east Japan.  —  The quake was 39km (24 miles) …

A Joe Biden 2020 Campaign Would Be the Most Divisive Thing for the Democratic Field  —  The vice president's track record in Congress puts him on the wrong side of every issue that currently energizes his political party.  —  I am tempted—  so very tempted—

Florida Law Restoring The Vote To Felons Takes Effect  —  Tuesday is a historic day in Florida.  Under an amendment passed by the voters in November, as many as 1.4 million felons are regaining the right to vote.  The referendum overturned a 150-year-old law that permanently disenfranchised people with felony convictions.

Trump's ‘authenticity’ is merely moral laziness and cruelty  —  In the carnage of American civic culture, some of the damage is obvious: the dehumanization of political opponents, the devaluation of truth, the rise of conspiracy thinking.  But other, less evident shifts are no less troubling.