Republicans are quiet quitting on Trump  —  The White House chief of staff says the president has “an alcoholic's personality”  —  Donald Trump is worried that Republicans aren't as afraid of him as they used to be.  Despite his self-billing as a dealmaker, the president has only ever had one tool to control his party: fear.

House Republicans help Democrats defy Johnson on ACA in stunning revolt  —  Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) signed Democrats' discharge petition Wednesday to force a vote on extending Affordable Care Act subsidies — a pointed rebuke of Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).

Trump moves to dismantle major US climate research center in Colorado  —  WASHINGTON ‒ The Trump administration is moving to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado, according to a senior White House official, taking aim at one of the world's leading climate research labs.

Jack Smith makes his case against Trump in closed-door deposition … He maintained that this team found evidence to prove “beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and to prevent the lawful transfer of power.”

Senator Reaches Damning Conclusions After Classified Briefing With Hegseth, Rubio  —  Sen. Chris Murphy trashed a meeting with the Cabinet duo about the Trump administration's boat bombings.  —  Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said a classified meeting with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth …

They prosecuted the Capitol rioters.  Now the rioters and the DOJ are after them.  —  After Trump's mass pardons of the U.S. Capitol rioters, some have gained influence inside the Justice Department, meeting with officials to push for prosecutions of the federal lawyers who once helped convict them, Reuters found.

Inside the Trump Administration's Man-Made Hunger Crisis  —  On July 18, a mild, overcast night in Nairobi, Kenya, a team of President Donald Trump's top foreign aid advisers ducked into a meeting room at the Tribe Hotel, their luxury accommodations in the city's diplomatic quarter, for a private dinner.

2026 Economic Outlook, December 2025  —  More Than Six in Ten Say Economy is Not Working for Them Personally.... Economic Pessimism for 2026 Widespread  —  Americans have serious concerns about the economy and how these larger economic forces will influence their personal finances in 2026.

Rep. Dan Newhouse, one of the last remaining House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump, won't seek re-election  —  Newhouse was one of 10 Republicans in the House to impeach Trump over his role in the Jan.  —  Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., on Wednesday announced that he would not seek re-election to the House next year.

Republicans push mail-in voting for the midterms in defiance of Trump … The nonprofit Citizens Alliance, which aided efforts to get Republicans to return their mail ballots in Pennsylvania last year, is planning to knock 750,000 doors ahead of the midterms to encourage infrequent voters to embrace the practice.

An A+++++  Economy, My A++  —  Trump made big boasts but he isn't delivering  —  When Politico recently asked Donald Trump to grade the current U.S. economy, he replied “A-plus-plus-plus-plus-plus.”  He made this boast at a time when actual economic data were still scarce …

Appeals court clears way for Trump to keep National Guard on DC streets … In particular, the judges said it would be “constitutionally troubling” for the president to borrow National Guard troops from one state to conduct law enforcement missions in another “non-consenting” state.

Norman Podhoretz, 1930-2025  —  My father died tonight, December 16, a month shy of his 96th birthday.  Norman Podhoretz passed peacefully and without pain, with a new translation of The Odyssey on his desk that had been sent to him by his friend Roger Hertog.

Putin calls European leaders ‘little pigs’ and says Russia will achieve Ukraine goals by diplomacy or force - Europe live  —  Russian leader says aims of its ‘special military operation’ will be met ‘unconditionally’  —  UK's move to rejoin Erasmus+ ‘significant step’ for EU, UK universities, groups say

Trump: Cost of new ballroom may reach $400M  —  President Trump on Tuesday indicated the cost of his planned ballroom project at the White House could reach $400 million, double the originally announced cost of $200 million.  —  Trump spoke at length about the project during a Hanukkah reception …

Heating Costs Expected to Rise 9.2% This Winter  —  Colder weather and rising electricity and fuel costs will lead to a big jump in costs for individuals, according to estimates from a group representing state energy officials.  —  Consumers already tapped out from rising home energy costs …

The Man Who Rules the Country Presides Over Nothing  —  There is a presidency at work in Washington, but it is not clear that there is a president at work in the Oval Office.  —  Ask Donald Trump about the goings on of his administration, and there is a good chance he'll defer to a deputy rather than answer the question.

Democrats need a theory of power, but democracies need a theory of accountability  —  We are at a crucial, once-in-a-century moment for American governance.  Those on the right are, whether they admit it or not, aligning themselves with an increasingly authoritarian model of governance under Trump.

Trump administration admits to targeting blue states for energy grant cuts  —  Justice Department lawyers argue in a court filing that it is constitutional for the administration to withhold funding based on partisan politics. … Government reporters Meryl Kornfield and Hannah Natanson …

Second near midair collision reported near Venezuela involving US Air Force tanker  —  South America Federal agencies US military Airplane crashes  —  Radio transmissions reviewed by CNN show that the pilots of a private jet narrowly avoided a collision with a United States Air Force refueling …

A New Way to Understand America's Congressional Doom Loop  —  A simple 2x2 matrix can explain why the House of Representatives has found it harder and harder to get anything done.  —  The House of Representatives is divided closely, bitterly and precariously.

Justice Department investigating more than a dozen cases of sexual harassment by landlords against female tenants  —  In a crowded neighborhood of duplexes, small apartments and one-story bungalows near a liquor store and pizza shop, William Asper serves as a landlord for nearly two dozen properties.

What Is an American?  —  There are two competing visions now emerging on the American right, and they are incompatible.  One vision of American identity is based on lineage, blood and soil: Inherited attributes matter most.  The purest form of an American is a so-called heritage American …