Officials rejected Jared Kushner for top secret security clearance, but were overruled  —  Jared Kushner was rejected for a top secret clearance by 2 career security specialists, but their supervisor overruled them and approved him, say sources.  —  WASHINGTON — Jared Kushner's application …

Exclusive: White House preparing draft national emergency order, has identified $7 billion for wall  —  Washington (CNN)The White House is preparing a draft proclamation for President Donald Trump to declare a national emergency along the southern border and has identified more than $7 billion …

‘This is your fault’: GOP senators clash over shutdown inside private luncheon  —  Republican senators clashed with each other and confronted Vice President Pence inside a private luncheon on Thursday, as anger hit a boiling point over the longest government shutdown in history.

Wilbur Ross says furloughed workers should take out a loan.  His agency's own credit union is charging nearly 9 percent  —  The Department of Commerce federal credit union is charging furloughed employees almost 9 percent interest on emergency loans to cover their missing paychecks …

Florida Secretary of State Michael Ertel resigns after Halloween blackface photos emerge  —  Michael Ertel, the newly appointed Secretary of State of Gov. Ron DeSantis, has resigned after photos emerged of him posing as a Hurricane Katrina victim in blackface at a private Halloween party 14 years ago.

Black Children Don't Have Nick Sandmann's Rights  —  And they definitely don't get the chance to redeem themselves on national TV with the help of Savannah Guthrie.  —  On Wednesday morning, I watched Savannah Guthrie help Nick Sandmann gaslight America into disbelieving its own eyes.

Elizabeth Warren to propose new ‘wealth tax’ on very rich Americans, economist says  —  Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) will propose a new “wealth tax” on Americans with more than $50 million in assets, according to an economist advising her on the plan, as Democratic leaders vie …

Trump administration to start sending asylum seekers back to Mexico  —  U.S. officials at the southern border will begin sending some asylum applicants back to Mexico on Friday as the Trump administration implements new measures prohibiting migrants from waiting in the United States while their cases are processed.

Mark Warner's Enablers  —  The Virginia senator gets too much respect for his Trump-Russia conspiracy theories.  —  Hand it to Sen. Mark Warner.  Of the many Russia-collusion theorists, how many get to claim “bipartisan” credentials?  —  That's one question that accompanied Thursday's supposedly big news …

Davos is a microcosm of the world — and the outlook is grim  —  The atmosphere at the 2019 World Economic Forum reflects the global picture perhaps more genuinely than in years past, and the painting is not very pretty.  The mood here is subdued, cautious and apprehensive.

Koch network tells donors it plans to stay out of 2020 race, once again declining to back Trump  —  The conservative Koch political network has told donors that it plans to once again stay out of the presidential race and will not work to help reelect President Trump in 2020 …

Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort expected in court to confront special counsel's allegations of lying  —  Paul Manafort, the onetime campaign chairman for President Donald Trump, is expected to make a rare court appearance in Washington, D.C., Friday morning to address allegations lodged …

Why Trump Will Lose in 2020  —  The president is running hard on a strategy of riling up his base.  But by doing that, he riles up the Democratic base, too, and that one is bigger.  —  Dr. Bitecofer is a professor of political science at Christopher Newport University.

JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon and Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon recently had private meetings with top Democratic Wall Street critic Maxine Waters  — J.P. Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon and Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon recently met in private with leading Wall Street critic Rep. Maxine Waters …

Witness in special counsel probe, former Stone associate, collected payments from Infowars through job Stone arranged  —  Over the past several months, author and conspiracy theorist Jerome Corsi has emerged as one of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III's most vexing witnesses in his probe of Russian interference in the 2016 campaign.

Yesterday was a reassuring day for me.  I was on my way to Walter Reed Military Hospital for an exam.  As I drove along Interstate 495 my left front tire blew out.  I am a car guy and knew I could change it but it was cold outside and the lug bolts were very tight.