2017 was a year of chaos, division and disruption in national politics

President Donald Trump delivers his inaugural address after being sworn in as the 45th president of the United States in front of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20. So did chaos, division and disruption, and a sense that the guardrails that usually had kept the capital and American politics on a normal path had collapsed under the weight of it all.

2017: The year in review

WHAT A SIGHT! Piper Truza watches a phase of a partial solar eclipse visible in Detroit on Aug. 21. Millions of Americans gazed in wonder through telescopes, cameras and disposable protective glasses as the moon blotted out the sun in the first full-blown solar eclipse to sweep the U.S. from coast to coast in nearly a century. President Barack Obama wipes away tears as he speaks at McCormick Place in Chicago on Jan. 10, 2017, giving his presidential farewell address.

Democrats are deluded about tax cuts’ effect on 2018 elections

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer hold a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on Dec. 20. If Democrats do well in the 2018 midterm elections, it won't be because of the Trump tax cuts. Democrats' hyperbole notwithstanding, voters are not going to vote against Republicans for putting more money in their pockets.

Has Trump’s approval rating caught up to Obama’s?

President Donald Trump claimed Friday that his approval ratings at this point in his presidency rival those of Barack Obama, citing a report from "Fox & Friends." "While the Fake News loves to talk about my so-called low approval rating, @foxandfriends just showed that my rating on Dec. 28, 2017, was approximately the same as President Obama on Dec. 28, 2009, which was 47 percent...and this despite massive negative Trump coverage & Russia hoax!" he tweeted.

17 in ’17: The most controversial staff departures from Trump’s White House

Almost from the first day, President Donald Trump's top aides began to depart - many of them not by choice. Trump announced on Twitter that he had ousted Reince Priebus while the two men were sitting aboard Air Force One on the tarmac, leaving the chief of staff to step off the plane alone.

Trump says Russia inquiry makes U.S. a look very bada

President Donald Trump said Thursday that he believes Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel in the Russia investigation, will treat him fairly, contradicting some members of his party who have waged a weekslong campaign to try to discredit Mueller and the continuing inquiry. During an impromptu 30-minute interview with The New York Times at his golf club in West Palm Beach, the president did not demand an end to the Russia investigations swirling around his administration, but insisted 16 times that there has been “no collusion” discovered by the inquiry.

.com | Russia probe makes US ‘look very bad’ – Trump

US President Donald Trump on Thursday said he believes the probe into Russian meddling in the US election "makes the country look very bad," according to The New York Times. Speaking to the newspaper, Trump said he believes special counsel Robert Mueller will treat him fairly - a view in contrast with recent attacks on Mueller's credibility from Republicans, who have pressed for a new independent prosecutor to investigate anti-Trump bias.

While in Washington, Trump stays close to home

After living in Washington for about a year, President Donald Trump has yet to enjoy a single nonworking meal at a restaurant that doesn't pay him rent. He hasn't taken in a performance at the Kennedy Center; hasn't been to a sporting event; hasn't toured most of the sights.

What happens if Trump fires special counsel Mueller: it starts with 500 protests

If President Donald Trump fired special counsel Robert Mueller the first visible response would appear within hours, in the streets. More than 500 demonstrations are already planned - outside the White House and the Capitol, in blue states and red states, in big cities, and in smaller places with names like Ketchum, Kankakee, and the pertinently monikered Truth or Consequences.

Sharon Stone, 59, wears gown with SHEER skirt at gala

At least 12 dead - including a one-year-old baby - after huge fire rips through Bronx apartment block and is battled by 170 New York City firefighters Waitress claims co-worker STOLE her share of $300k lotto winnings after their boss gave them a ticket to split as a Christmas bonus President Trump says 'there was no Russia collusion' but he believes Robert Mueller 'is going to be fair' in his investigation EXCLUSIVE - White power at the White House: Trump intern flashed 'alt-right' symbol used by notorious extremists during group photo with the President Roy Moore loses again: Democrat Doug Jones is officially declared the winner of the Alabama Senate election after judge turned down voter fraud claims I'm NOT a pedophile and I've got the polygraph to prove it says failed Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore in sworn affidavit 'Caught RED HANDED': Trump attacks China over claim it's ... (more)

Trump’s 2017, in 17 tweets

Through a little less than a year in office, President Donald Trump has tweeted more than 2,300 times, using Twitter to attack political opponents, announce policy shifts, rant about the media, spread propaganda and, in frequent pitched outbursts, seek to undermine public confidence in the Russia investigation. When it's been suggested he set his phone aside and more meticulously manage his message, Trump reacts angrily.

Trump slams China after report of oil transfer to North Korea

By MATTHEW PENNINGTON and CATHERINE LUCEY Associated Press WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump criticized China on Thursday following reports that Chinese ships transferred oil to North Korean vessels at sea in violation of U.N. sanctions over the North's nuclear weapons program.

Top 10 stories: Women emboldened in year of #metoo

By DAVID CRARY AP National Writer NEW YORK - The wave of sexual misconduct allegations that toppled Hollywood power brokers, politicians, media icons and many others was the top news story of 2017, according to the Associated Press' annual poll of U.S. editors and news directors.

Russian President Vladimir Putin didn’t care about a victory by…

Debate rages in Washington over the true scale and impact of Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, but intelligence sources say Moscow 's hacking, fake news and social media manipulation ignited a global trend that now threatens some of the world's most fragile democracies. "It's as if David slung a rock into Goliath's eye and Goliath actually stumbled," said one source, who added that "if America could be shaken by such a campaign, imagine what would happen if it were repeated in a place like Kenya."