Biden says he would not comply with a Senate subpoena in the impeachment trial of President Trump  —  Former Vice President Joe Biden confirmed Friday he would not comply with a subpoena to testify in a Senate trial of President Donald Trump.  —  The Democrat-controlled U.S. House …

Don Imus, Legendary ‘Imus in the Morning’ Host, Dies at 79  —  The controversial radio personality passed away on Friday morning at Baylor Scott and White Medical Center in College Station, Texas.  —  Radio personality Don Imus, whose insult humor and savage comedy catapulted him to a long-lasting …

McGrath files to challenge McConnell in Senate race  —  FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Calling her party's victory in the Kentucky governor's race a jolt of momentum for her own bid to unseat a Republican incumbent, Democrat Amy McGrath on Friday officially filed to challenge Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell …

Federal judge to halt latest North Carolina voter ID law  —  Raleigh, North Carolina — Republican attempts to require photo identification to vote in North Carolina are being thwarted again by judges hearing arguments that the mandate is tainted by bias that would deter black and Latino residents.

Hunter Biden and pregnant wife spotted in LA amid paternity battle with former stripper  —  Here are the two people Joe Biden doesn't want you to see.  —  A bloated Hunter Biden — who along with his pregnant newlywed wife was left off dad Joe's family Christmas card this year …

Mile high ugh: What you should know before you eat airplane food  —  Airline food caterers face limited oversight with infrequent inspections, numerous violations and few consequences.  —  Jason Alderman was hungry.  It was the beginning of his regular Sunday night commute from San Francisco to Boston …

Pelosi “has the right” to submit Trump to an “involuntary evaluation”: Yale psychiatrist Bandy Lee  —  “I am beginning to believe that a mental health hold . . . will become inevitable,” Lee tells Salon in an interview  —  A Yale psychiatrist who has repeatedly sounded the alarm …

India's Muslims and activists face mass arrests, beatings amid unrest over citizenship law  —  LUCKNOW, India — When Sadaf Jafar headed out with hundreds of others on Dec. 19 to join a demonstration against India's contentious new citizenship law, she told her children she would be home that evening.

On land, Australia's rising heat is ‘apocalyptic.’ In the ocean, it's worse.  —  BRUNY ISLAND, Tasmania — Even before the ocean caught fever and reached temperatures no one had ever seen, Australia's ancient giant kelp was cooked.  —  Rodney Dillon noticed the day he squeezed …

Confidential Videos Show Why Navy SEALs Reported Edward Gallagher  —  “This chair good?”  “Yeah.”  “Which team are you assigned to right now?”  “Team 7.”  “You're SEAL Team 7.”  “I'm at SEAL Team 7—” The Navy SEALs are probably the most elite commandos in the military.

U.S. judge denies bid to restore 98,000 purged Georgia voters  —  A federal judge on Friday denied an effort to restore 98,000 Georgia voters who were removed from the state's voter rolls this month because they haven't participated in elections for more than eight years.

Rank-and-File Workers Get Bigger Raises  —  Short supply of labor, minimum-wage rises and increased poaching have helped lift wages for lower-income workers  —  Rank-and-file workers are getting bigger raises this year—at least in percentage terms—than bosses.

Bizarre Fortunes Flourish as World's Richest Gain $1.2 Trillion  — The wealth of the 500 richest people surged 25% in 2019  — Wrecked cars, catchy tunes are among the sources of new riches  —  The leveraging of a giant social-media presence, a catchy tune about a family of sharks …

Ivanka Trump Confirmed as CES 2020 Keynote Speaker  —  It's official: Ivanka Trump, President Donald Trump's daughter and adviser, will be on the CES 2020 keynote stage next month in Las Vegas.  —  Ivanka Trump will join a keynote discussion on jobs and the future of work with Gary Shapiro …

Women attacked, man threatens shooting in rash of anti-Semitic incidents in NYC  —  GRAVESEND, Brooklyn (WABC) — There have been a rash of anti-Semitic incidents in New York City this week, most in parts of Brooklyn.  —  A man wearing a hoodie apparently walked into Lubavitch World Headquarters …

Schumer said in 1999 Senate wasn't like a jury box and was ‘susceptible to the whims of politics’  —  (CNN)Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer has blasted his Republican counterpart Mitch McConnell in recent days after he described himself as “not an impartial juror” ahead …

The Secrets of Jewish Genius  —  It's not about having higher I.Q.s.  —  An eminent Lithuanian rabbi is annoyed that his yeshiva students devote their lunch breaks to playing soccer instead of discussing Torah.  The students, intent on convincing their rav of the game's beauty, invite him to watch a professional match.

Activist who raised awareness about transphobia murdered in Toronto  —  When Julie Berman came up to the open mic at the trans day of remembrance event on Nov. 20, 2017, she delivered a speech about transphobia in Toronto.  She talked about a trans friend of hers that was murdered.

Even as the U.S. and China agree to trade truce, they are edging toward partial economic divorce  —  If President Trump's trade deal with Beijing works as planned, Chinese purchases from American manufacturers and farmers will more than double over the next two years and American investors …

The 2010s Were the End of Normal  —  TWO OF THE MOST WIDELY QUOTED and shared poems in the closing years of this decade were William Butler Yeats's “The Second Coming” ("Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold"), and W.H. Auden's “September 1, 1939” ("Waves of anger and fear / Circulate …

Families of Americans killed in Afghanistan sue contractors over alleged Taliban payments  —  Families of more than 140 U.S. service members and contractors killed or wounded in Afghanistan are suing U.S. and international contractors, alleging that those companies paid the Taliban for security services …

In the U.S., an Angioplasty Costs $32,000.  Elsewhere?  Maybe $6,400.  —  A study of international prices finds American patients pay much more across a wide array of common services.  —  Why does health care cost so much more in the United States than in other countries?

Michael Moore Predicts 2020 Trump Victory: Trump's Level Of Support “Has Not Gone Down One Inch”  —  In an interview with Amy Goodman of Democracy Now!, Michael Moore said if the election were held today that President Trump would win a second term.  However, Moore predicted the Democratic candidate …