Hello, everyone. It's good to be back... as we near the end of this wretched year. A nasty cold kept me out the past two days, but I'm ready to go… so let's get right to the links.

Booman Tribune: A refocus of the Russia investigation (from Clapper).

Balloon Juice: The question of who America is as a country (from Yates).

Hullabaloo: An unworkable tax bill to sabotage the federal government.

The Brad Blog: A tax scam giving Dems an opportunity to run against the rich.

Outside the Beltway: More bad signs for the GOP heading into 2018.

Round-up by Michael J.W. Stickings of The Reaction. (Twitter: @mjwstickings.) I'll be here all week.

Send requests and suggestions to mbru@crooksandliars.com (with "For MBRU" in the subject line).