- Republican leaders are confident they can find the votes to pass a temporary spending bill to avoid a government shutdown at the end of the week [Politico].
- Republicans could settle for a smaller corporate tax rate cut as they try to secure votes for their tax reform plan [Politico].
- Senate Democrats call on Sen. Al Franken to resign after more women have come forward to accuse him of sexual misconduct [Washington Post].
- The Middle East is bracing for violent protests after President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel [NBC News].
- The State Department issued a “worldwide caution” for U.S. citizens traveling abroad following President Trump’s announcement about Israel. The last time the State Department made this move was following the Iraq war [State Department].
- Donald Trump Jr. cited attorney-client privilege to avoid telling Congressional investigators about a conversation he had with his father about a meeting he had with Russians in Trump tower during the 2016 campaign [Politico].
- A whistleblower says former national security adviser Michael Flynn told a business associate that U.S. sanctions on Russia would be “ripped up” once President Trump was in the White House [NBC News].
- Republicans are ramping up their attacks on special counsel Robert Mueller and the FBI to try and discredit the Russia investigation [Washington Post].
- Lawmakers in the House overwhelmingly defeated a proposal to impeach President Donald Trump. Just 58 Democrats voted for the measure [Politico].
- The House passed a bill to dramatically expand gun rights [New York Times].
- A producer for ABC news has been reprimanded for giving President Donald Trump‘s campaign exit polling data on election day [Politico].
- Massive wildfires in Southern California race through parts of Los Angeles [New York Times].
On this day in history:
- 1776 – Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, arranges to enter the American military as a major general.
- 1787 – Delaware becomes the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.
- 1869 – Jesse James commits his first confirmed bank robbery in Gallatin, Missouri.
- 1917 – The United States declares war on Austria-Hungary in World War I.
- 1941 – Attack on Pearl Harbor: The Japanese Navy carries out a surprise attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Hawaii.
- 1972 – Apollo 17, the last Apollo moon mission, is launched.
- 1982 – In Texas, Charles Brooks, Jr., becomes the first person to be executed by lethal injection in the United States.
