- Congress must approve a spending measure by Friday to avoid a government shutdown [New York Times].
- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says he’s confident Congress will meet the Friday deadline to avoid a shutdown [CNN].
- Following the passage of the GOP tax plan last week, the House and Senate must now meet to hash out the differences between the two versions [Wall Street Journal].
- Even though polling shows the GOP tax proposals is unpopular with Americans, Sen. Mitch McConnell says the issue will be a political winner for Republicans in 2018 [Washington Post].
- President Trump’s lawyer, John Dowd, says he authored a tweet sent out by President Donald Trump on Saturday that said he fired former national security adviser Michael Flynn for lying to the FBI [ABC News].
- North Korea warns that U.S. war games in South Korea could trigger a nuclear war [NBC News].
- Former Access Hollywood correspondent Billy Bush says there is no doubt that it’s President Trump’s voice on the infamous tape that surfaced in the last months of the 2016 campaign. Trump has recently suggested the tape may have been altered [New York Times].
- Taxpayers footed the bill for an $84,000 sexual harassment settlement involving Texas Republican Rep. Blake Farenthold [New York Times].
On this day in history:
- 1783 – At Fraunces Tavern in New York City, General George Washington bids farewell to his officers.
- 1861 – The 109 Electors of the Confederate States of America unanimously elect Jefferson Davis as President and Alexander H. Stephens as Vice President.
- 1881 – The first edition of the Los Angeles Times is published.
- 1978 – Following the murder of Mayor George Moscone, Dianne Feinstein becomes San Francisco’s first female mayor.
- 1991 – American Terry Anderson is released after seven years in captivity as a hostage in Beirut.
