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Developing now, Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2018

  • President Trump is scheduled to meet with House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer at the White House as both sides look to avert a possible partial government shutdown
  • Google CEO Sundar Pichai is expected to tell a House committee that the tech giant does not hold political biases and is a platform for diverse views, according prepared remarks before his scheduled testimony on Tuesday
  • A status hearing in the case of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort on whether he violated his plea agreement with Special Counsel Robert Mueller is scheduled to take place on Tuesday
  • The status of Brexit remains uncertain after British Prime Minister postponed a Parliament vote on Monday
  • In an exclusive, wide-ranging interview with FOX News' Sean Hannity, Trump son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner insisted the White House is operating effectively, despite administration changes
  • Five missing U.S. Marines that were on aircraft that crashed off the coast of Japan last week have been declared dead as the search for their remains has ended

THE LEAD STORY – TRUMP, DEMS LOOK TO PLAY LET'S MAKE A DEAL: President Trump will meet with Democratic congressional leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday as both sides look to avoid a partial government shutdown before a Dec. 21 deadline ... There are several items on the to-do list for Democrats and Republicans: A major farm bill; a formal rebuke of Saudi Arabia for the killing of activist Jamal Khashoggi; emergency funding for the deadly wildfires in California; a Republican-sponsored bill to extend expiring tax breaks and delay some health-care taxes; a bipartisan criminal justice reform bill;  a bill to protect special counsel Robert Mueller; a plan to overhaul the system for handling sexual harassment complaints on Capitol Hill. However, Trump's long-promised border wall will be the biggest obstacle. The president wants the next funding package to include at least $5 billion for the wall with Mexico, a proposal Democrats have rejected.

GOOGLE CEO SET TO BE GRILLED: Embattled Google CEO Sundar Pichai, amid allegations of anti-conservative bias and privacy violations on the platform, plans to tell the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday that his company is no haven for political bias ... "I lead this company without political bias and work to ensure that our products continue to operate that way," Pichai will tell the committee, according to a copy of his prepared remarks. "To do otherwise would go against our core principles and our business interests. We are a company that provides platforms for diverse perspectives and opinions—and we have no shortage of them among our own employees."

Pichai met privately with GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill in September to discuss allegations of anti-conservative bias and concerns about the firm’s re-entry into China and privacy issues. - Reported by Matt Richardson (@MRichardson713 on Twitter)and Christopher Carbone (@christocarbone on Twitter) 

MANAFORT HEARING: Special Counsel Robert Mueller's prosecutors and attorneys representing former Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort will appear at a status hearing Tuesday in a step toward deciding whether Manafort violated his plea agreement with Mueller ... Mueller’s team wrote in a heavily-redacted Friday court filing that Manafort violated his plea agreement by making false statements to federal investigators, including about his contact with Trump administration officials as well as information pertinent to an undisclosed Justice Department investigation.

BREXIT CHAOS: The status of Brexit appears to be unclear after British Prime Minister Theresa May on Monday delayed a vote in Parliament to approve her controversial deal ... The move that presents an uncertain path ahead in Britain's lengthy divorce from the European Union. European Union official Donald Tusk says the bloc won't renegotiate the Brexit deal with the U.K. government as he called a summit Thursday to examine ways to help Britain ratify the deal. EU leaders were already scheduled to meet in Brussels on Thursday and Friday to discuss migration and the bloc's future long-term budget, among other issues.

May's Conservative government does not have a majority in the House of Commons, and opposition parties — as well as dozens of Conservative lawmakers — say they will not back the Brexit deal May and EU leaders agreed upon last month. The vote had been set for Tuesday. It is not clear when it will be rescheduled. Pro-Brexit lawmakers say the deal keeps Britain bound too closely to the EU, while pro-EU politicians say it erects barriers between the U.K. and its biggest trading partner and leaves many details of the future relationship undecided. - Reported by Greg Norman and the Associated Press

EXCLUSIVE: JARED KUSHNER SPEAKS OUT - In an exclusive, rare interview, President Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner told FOX News' Sean Hannity that, despite increasingly critical media reports on the Trump administration and his role in it, the White House is humming along effectively as new officials prepare to take over top roles ... Kushner insisted that day-to-day White House operations aren't affected by what he called media "noise," and pointed to the news that the U.S. this week became a net oil exporter for the first time in 75 years.

He also touted his work spearheading the president's major criminal justice reform bill, which some Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, have resisted. The proposed legislation, which Kushner said was "very close" to becoming law, would reduce mandatory prison terms for certain drug crimes and give judges in some cases more discretion on punishments. - Reported by Gregg Re (@gregg_re on Twitter)

TRAGIC END TO SEARCH AND RESCUE: The five missing crew members of warplanes that crashed off the coast of Japan last week have been declared dead and the search for them has ended ... The U.S. Marines made the announcement late Monday. One Marine was rescued last Wednesday, and the body of another was found. The planes — a F/A-18 jet and a refueling plane that had taken off from a base on Okinawa for a regularly scheduled training mission — crashed last week off Japan’s coast. - Reported by Edmund DeMarche (@EDeMarche on Twitter) and Lucas Tomlinson


THE SOUNDBITE

WHEN YOUR PAST HAUNTS YOU - "To take a kid who just won the peak trophy in college football and then search back to when he was 14 for something bad he said and then shame him over it? It's just despicable stuff." - Ben Shapiro, editor-in-chief of the Daily Wire, on "The Story with Martha MacCallum, slamming a writer who reported on past homophobic tweets from Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray hours after he won college football's top honor. Murray, now 21 years, apologized for the past tweets, saying they don't reflect who he is or what he believes in. WATCH


TODAY'S MUST-READS 
FOX NEWS SPECIAL REPORT:
As doctors taper or end opioid prescriptions, many patients driven to despair, suicide - By Elizabeth Llorente (@Liz_Llorente on Twitter) 
Academy Awards considers going without host after Kevin Hart controversy: report.

MINDING YOUR BUSINESS
Stock futures point to giving back some of Monday's gains | Vicious cycle
Wall Street Journal: CBS directors fear legal risks from leaks in Moonves probe.
Hundreds of generic drugs at center of probe into 'largest cartel' in U.S. history.
Verizon buyouts: 10,400 employees accept severance offer.

STAY TUNED

On FOX News:

FOX & Friends, 6 a.m. ET: Kenneth Matlack, an Oregon sheriff, talks about the state governor’s budget to sue Trump and defend illegal immigrants; Tom Kersting, a family therapist, talks about the effects that TV time has on your children; Judge Andrew Napolitano, FOX News’ senior judicial analyst, on the Mueller investigation; Michael Anton, a former deputy national security adviser; Tom Shillue, a comedian and FOX News contributor, tests the hosts’ Christmas song knowledge. Rev. Franklin Graham, the president of Samaritan’s Purse.

The Story with Martha MacCallum, 7 p.m. ET: Robert Zimmerman, a longtime Democratic consultant.

Tucker Carlson Tonight, 8 p.m. ET: Guests include: Tammy Bruce, columnist and syndicated radio host, and Business Insider’s Daniella Greenbaum.

Hannity, 9 p.m. ET: Gregg Jarrett, FOX News legal analyst; Jesse Watters, co-host of "The Five"; and Jessica Tarlov, a FOX News contributor.

On FOX Business:

Mornings with Maria, 6 a.m. ET: Special guests include: U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio; Ben Phillips, EventShares chief information officer; U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich.; John Browne, former member of Britain's Parliament.

Varney & Co., 9 a.m. ET: Special guests include: U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz.; Harmeet Dhillon, board member of the National Republican Lawyers Association;  
Joel Shulman, ERShares CEO.

Cavuto: Coast to Coast, Noon ET: Ed Tilly, chairman and CEO of  Cboe Global Markets, Inc.; U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La.

Countdown to the Closing Bell with Liz Claman, 3 p.m. ET: Terry Duffy, chairman and CEO of CME Group.

On FOX News Radio:

The FOX News Rundown podcast: On Monday, the Supreme Court declined to hear a case brought to the court by states seeking to stop Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood services and other private health organizations. Bill Mears, FOX News' Supreme Court producer, breaks down the story. Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry and a representative from Planned Parenthood will also weigh in. Plus, Democrats officially take control of the House in 2019, ending one party rule of Congress for the first time in eight years. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., joins the podcast to explain what he expects and why he's hopeful. Plus, commentary by author and former executive assistant to president Ronald Reagan, Peggy Grande.

Want the FOX News Rundown sent straight to your mobile device? Subscribe through Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Stitcher.

The Brian Kilmeade Show, 9 a.m. ET: The latest on the changes in the Trump administration and Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation will be discussed with Marc Lotter, former special assistant to President Trump; Allen West, former Florida congressman; Jason Chaffetz, FOX News contributor and Chris Stirewalt, politics editor at FOX News.


#TheFlashback
 
2008: Former Nasdaq chairman Bernie Madoff is arrested, accused of running a multibillion-dollar Ponzi scheme that destroyed thousands of people's life savings and wrecked charities. (Madoff is serving a 150-year federal prison sentence.) Plus, the remains of missing Florida toddler Caylee Anthony are found six months after she disappeared. (Her mother, Casey Anthony, would be acquitted of murder in her daughter's death.)

1991: A jury in West Palm Beach, Fla., acquits William Kennedy Smith of sexual assault and battery, rejecting the allegations of Patricia Bowman..

1980: The TV series "Magnum P.I.," starring Tom Selleck, premieres on CBS.

FOX News First is compiled by FOX News' Bryan Robinson. Thank you for joining us! Enjoy your day! We'll see you in your inbox first thing Wednesday morning.