Trump's large union crowd at Shell was given the option of not showing up — and not getting paid  —  The choice for thousands of union workers at Royal Dutch Shell's petrochemical plant in Beaver County was to either spend Tuesday standing in a giant hall waiting for President Donald Trump to speak, or to take the day off with no pay.

House Democrats weigh action against U.S. and Israel ambassadors over banned visit  —  Senior Democratic members of Congress are considering action against top emissaries of the Israeli government and the Trump administration for their roles in Israel's decision to bar two House members from entering the country.

Inmate 76318-054: The Last Days of Jeffrey Epstein  —  The notorious jail in Manhattan was a sharp departure from his formerly gilded life.  Here's what happened inside.  —  Jeffrey Epstein, inmate 76318-054, hated his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center.

Warren Chips Away at Biden's Strength as The One Who Beats Trump  — Democratic voters are eager to find a nominee who can win  — Warren's electability score has risen by 14 points since June  —  Joe Biden's strongest selling point — that he's the most likely to beat Donald Trump …

Anthony Scaramucci Predicts Exact Month Donald Trump Will Abandon 2020 Race  —  The former White House communications director also turned to “Game of Thrones” to explain why Trump should be primaried.  —  Anthony Scaramucci thinks he knows when Donald Trump will decide not to run for president again.

Joseph Kennedy III Said to Be Eying Edward Markey's Massachusetts Senate Seat  —  WASHINGTON — Representative Joseph P. Kennedy III of Massachusetts is considering a primary challenge next year against Senator Edward J. Markey, according to a senior Democratic official.

Trump admin argues transgender workers aren't protected by civil rights law in new Supreme Court filing  —  The Trump administration on Friday filed a brief with the Supreme Court arguing that federal civil rights laws do not protect transgender workers.  —  The filing relates to the case …

America's Exclusionary Past and Present and the Judgment of History  —  On February 28, 1882, Senator John Franklin Miller, a Republican from California, introduced a bill to bar Chinese laborers from entering the United States.  Miller had been a brigadier general in the Union Army.

Activist emerges as new leader of Moscow election protests  —  MOSCOW (AP) — After a monthlong hunger strike, it's a struggle for Lyubov Sobol to even raise her hands.  Every gesture is difficult for the frail 31-year-old political activist.  —  This summer's wave of anti-government protests …

Aides got Trump to delay tariffs by telling President it could ‘ruin Christmas’  —  Burnett: Why blame China when you can blame someone else?  —  (CNN)As President Donald Trump's trade advisers were searching last week for a strategy to forestall his threatened tariffs on China …

Trump wants to buy Greenland.  But hey, it's not his $1.7 trillion.  —  Trump wants to buy Greenland.  But Denmark says he just can't af-fjord it.  —  President Trump has repeatedly mentioned buying Greenland in recent weeks even though it's not clear why he wants the giant Arctic island …

Trump official has talked about undocumented immigrants as ‘invaders’ since at least 2007  —  Burnett challenges Cuccinelli on new immigration rule  —  (CNN)Ken Cuccinelli, the acting director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services, was a founding member of a group more than a decade ago …

The case of the missing tattoos: Altered photo lineup by Portland police draws objection  —  There's no mistaking the elaborate tattoos that cover Tyrone Lamont Allen's forehead and right cheek.  —  But when Portland police suspected Allen was involved in four bank and credit union heists …

Deadspin Editor Quits, Rails Against Bosses: 'I've Been Repeatedly Lied To and Gaslit'  —  The new bosses in charge of what used to be the Gawker network of websites have drastically upended the culture, Greenwell said, leaving her no choice but to resign.  —  Deadspin's editor in chief …

Recession signs worry Trump ahead of 2020  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is warning of an economic crash if he loses reelection, arguing that even voters who personally dislike him should base their ballots on the nation's strong growth and low unemployment rate.

Don't waste your breath trying to convince Trump supporters he's repugnant  —  Life is short.  So, don't waste it trying to prove President Trump is a racist, a bigot or a white supremacist.  —  “If You Don't Know Me by Now,” the rhythm-and-blues song by Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, is instructive.

Top Secret Chernobyl: The Nuclear Disaster through the Eyes of the Soviet Politburo, KGB, and U.S. Intelligence  —  Memorial to Those who Saved the World, Chernobyl, Ukraine (Wikipedia)  —  Edited by Svetlana Savranskaya, Sarah Dunn, Brooke Lennox with Alla Yaroshinskaya

CNN's Ward says intimidation effort made on Russia story  —  NEW YORK (AP) — CNN's Clarissa Ward says her story this week about Russian involvement in the Central African Republic came with a price: she was trailed during her reporting and made the subject of a 15-minute propaganda video denigrating her work.

White House Mulled Ways to Block Migrant Children From Schools  — Idea was ultimately abandoned amid questions over legality  — 1982 case says can't deny education on immigration status  —  Some top aides to President Donald Trump sought for months for a way to give states the power …

Peace Road Map for Afghanistan Will Let Taliban Negotiate Women's Rights  —  Afghanistan must “be free of fear and abuse” under a final peace deal, says the country's ambassador to Washington.  An agreement between the U.S. and the Taliban, for new talks with Kabul, raises concerns that women …