The New Year's Eve ball that will be lit and sent up a 130-foot pole atop One Times Square to mark the start of the 2019 new year in Times Square, New York. Julie Walker/AP hide caption
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National
Monday
President Trump and Defense Secretary James Mattis at the White House in October. Mattis will be replaced by Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan on Tuesday. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images hide caption
Capitol Hill is quiet on New Year's Eve as a partial government shutdown continues. The stalemate is unlikely to be resolved before a new Congress convenes on Thursday. Win McNamee/Getty Images hide caption
Two senior officials at the U.S. Government Publishing Office, based in Washington, D.C., betrayed "public trust" and eroded employee morale by hiring unqualified workers, including an official's son, the agency's Office of Inspector General said in an internal report. Eslah Attar/NPR hide caption
Cronyism, 'Wasteful' Spending Accusations Roil Government Publishing Office
Russia's Federal Security Service announced Monday that it detained a U.S. citizen in Moscow last week. Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP hide caption
A menorah is installed outside the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh on the first night of Hanukkah.The synagogue was the site of a mass shooting in October. It was one of a number of tragedies and revelations that made 2018 a difficult year for the city of Pittsburgh. Gene J. Puskar/AP hide caption
Allen Druffel, 34, of Colton, Wash., stands in front of the co-op silos that hold his unsold chickpeas. Last year he was getting 50 cents a pound for his pulse crop. Now, the going price is 18 cents a pound — well below his cost of production. Anna King/Northwest News Network hide caption
Opioid-Makers Face Wave of Lawsuits in 2019
North Country Public Radio
Though his politics are right of center and he lobbied hard against the Affordable Care Act, Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch also has been key to passing several landmark health laws with bipartisan support. Bloomberg/Getty Images hide caption
How Sen. Orrin Hatch Shaped America's Health Care In Controversial Ways
Coconut oil's potential health benefits are outweighed by its heavy dose of saturated fat, most nutrition experts say. Saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. Russ Rohde/Getty Images/Cultura RF hide caption
Is Coconut Oil All It's Cracked Up To Be? Get The Facts On This Faddish Fat
The federal website where consumers can sign up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act is shown on a computer screen in Washington, D.C., last month. The federal judge in Texas, who earlier this month ruled the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional, said that the law can remain in effect while under appeal. AP hide caption
Sunday
People gather around the Ben & Jerry's "Yes on 4" truck as they learn about Amendment 4 in Miami, which passed election day. Now, Gov.-Elect Ron DeSantis says he and state lawmakers will need to weigh-in before the amendment goes into effect, giving voting rights back to most felons in the state. Wilfredo Lee/AP hide caption
More Than A Million Florida Felons Aren't Sure Yet Whether They Can Register To Vote
Colin O'Brady, First To Trek Unassisted Across Antarctica: 'I'm A Little Bit Tired'
Astronomer Nancy Grace Roman, known as the "Mother" of Hubble, died at 93. Courtesy of NASA hide caption