Bloomberg reports: As Nikki Haley finishes her tenure this month, the woman who has spent the last two years representing the U.S. at the United Nations has a question for the American public: Should the U.S. remain a member? “The American people need to decide if it’s worth it,” she said in an interview with a small group of journalists …

The Associated Press reports: President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw American troops from Syria was made hastily, without consulting his national security team or allies, and over strong objections from virtually everyone involved in the fight against the Islamic State, according to U.S. and Turkish officials. Trump stunned his Cabinet, lawmakers and much of the world with the move by …

The Hill reports: “Fox & Friends” co-host Brian Kilmeade on Friday said President Trump had “re-founded ISIS” and was giving Russia “a big win” with his decision to pull U.S. troops from Syria. Kilmeade made the remarks during an interview with White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. “He also is doing exactly what he criticized President Obama for doing. …

Via press release from hate group leader Tony Perkins: In recent years, efforts by LGBT activists to insert “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” (“SOGI”) as specially protected categories in the law have continued at the state and local levels, but they have not made much progress in Congress. With Democrats taking over the House in 2019, that may change. We …

Axios reports: Another reason this is a historic week — and what President Trump should really worry about — is that lots of different Republicans have been turning on him over different topics. A former Trump aide who asked to be described as “a Trump ally” told Axios that the sudden wave of criticism from the Hill over Syria and …

CBS Los Angeles reports: A portion of the 134 Freeway between Glendale and Pasadena is now officially named the President Barack H. Obama Highway. Caltrans crews have installed signs renaming the busy stretch of the 134 Freeway. Obama attended Occidental College from 1979 to 1981 and lived in Pasadena during his sophomore year. State Senator Anthony J. Portantino, who co-authored …

The Associated Press reports: Pope Francis vowed Friday that the Catholic Church will “never again” cover up clergy sex abuse and demanded that priests who have raped and molested children turn themselves in. Francis dedicated his annual Christmas speech to the Vatican bureaucracy to abuse, evidence that a year of devastating revelations of sexual misconduct and cover-up has shaken his …

There will be no “kids table” debates for Democrats like we saw with Republicans in 2016. Politico reports: With the prospect of upward of 20 Democrats running for president in 2020, Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez announced on Thursday that the party would split up candidates by random selection and host debates on consecutive nights if there were too …

The Washington Post reports: The numbers are astonishing. In the first eight months of his presidency, President Trump made 1,137 false or misleading claims, an average of five a day. In October, as he barnstormed the country holding rallies in advance of the midterm elections, the president made 1,205 claims — an average of 39 a day. Combined with the …

NBC News reports: An internet fundraiser for Donald Trump’s border wall took in more than $7 million from over 131,000 donors by early Thursday evening. The Florida man behind the GoFundMe page, a triple-amputee Iraq War veteran named Brian Kolfage, spent a large portion of the fundraising campaign’s description outlining his past, including a bolded section titled “How do you …

The Independent reports: Donald Trump has defended construction of a wall along the US-Mexico border in a bizarre series of tweets in which he compared it to “the wheel” and boasted of understanding technology “better than anyone”. Mr Trump wrote: “The fact is there is nothing else’s that will work, and that has been true for thousands of years. It’s …

CNN reports: “One core belief I have always held is that our strength as a nation is inextricably linked to the strength of our unique and comprehensive system of alliances and partnerships. While the US remains the indispensable nation in the free world, we cannot protect our interests or serve that role effectively without maintaining strong alliances and showing respect …

Orlando’s ABC affiliate reports: A Florida man is accused of stealing a Christmas wreath off the front door of a house and hanging it outside his home. Angel Hugo Soles Romaguera, 55, is facing burglary and petit theft charges in the Dec. 7 incident that was captured on a Ring front-door camera, reports said. Investigators had spotted the wreath hanging …

The Associated Press reports: A rural Alabama police department that used social media to scold community members for rejecting God is coming under fire from a group that opposes mixing government and religious faith. A statement posted on Facebook by the Opp Police Department on Tuesday blames a spike in area homicides on the idea that young people have turned …

NBC News reports: The House voted Thursday to advance a spending bill with money for President Donald Trump’s proposed border wall, further muddying the scramble to dodge a partial government shutdown by Friday. The chamber approved the measure in a 221-179 vote. It suggests the House can pass the short-term spending legislation in an expected vote later Thursday night. But …

Bloomberg reports: Senators are preparing for a possible vote on Friday if the House is able to send it an amended government funding bill. Senators and aides say they’ve been told to tentatively plan for a vote around noon on Friday, even as scores of senators have already left Washington after passing a seven-week stopgap funding measure on Wednesday night. …

As the Syria withdrawal decision continues to draw furor from conservatives, Trump just announced that Defense Sec. James Mattis will “retire” at the end of February. Update to follow shortly…. UPDATE via NPR: Defense Secretary James Mattis, a living Marine Corps legend who made history by securing special permission from Congress to lead the Pentagon, is stepping down after a …

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports: State Sen. Michael Williams, who waged a controversial campaign for governor this year, was charged this week with making a false report that computer servers were stolen from his campaign office shortly before his last-place finish in the May primary. The indictment, obtained by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, accuses the Forysth County Republican of insurance fraud, making …

The Street reports: Stocks tumbled on Thursday, Dec. 20, with the Dow diving almost 500 points as concerns grew that the U.S. government would partially shut down over the Christmas holiday season because President Donald Trump won’t sign a stopgap spending bill. Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), said Thursday that Trump wouldn’t be signing the spending bill after …

Back in July, former Republican US House Rep. Aaron Schock petitioned the US Supreme Court to intervene in his corruption case, which has included controversial questions about his sexuality posed by prosecutors, who apparently want to know who Schock’s traveling companions really were on publicly-funded trips. Today eagle-eyed JMG reader Chris tips us that Schock has commented on the Instagram …