Justice Dept. Intervenes to Help Trump in E. Jean Carroll Rape Lawsuit  —  Government lawyers made the unusual move of seeking to take over President Trump's defense in a defamation suit brought by Ms. Carroll, who has claimed Mr. Trump raped her in the 1990s.

New Oscars standards require best picture contenders must be inclusive to compete  —  And the Oscar goes to ... inclusion.  —  In the latest step in its ongoing effort to boost diversity both within its own ranks and across the film industry, on Tuesday the film academy announced …

AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine study put on hold due to suspected adverse reaction in participant in the U.K.  —  A large, Phase 3 study testing a Covid-19 vaccine being developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford at dozens of sites across the U.S. has been put on hold due …

Republicans have insufficient evidence to call elections ‘rigged’ and ‘fraudulent’  —  Benjamin L. Ginsberg practiced election law for 38 years.  He co-chaired the bipartisan 2013 Presidential Commission on Election Administration.  —  Legions of Republican lawyers have searched in vain over four decades for fraudulent double voting.

Make the Senate Great Again  —  To restore the world's greatest deliberative body, we need to think big.  —  What would the Founding Fathers think of America if they came back to life?  Their eyes would surely bug out first at our technology and wealth.  But I suspect they'd also be stunned …

Trump just said the corrupt part out loud — with a bullhorn  —  For weeks now, scientists inside and outside the government have been warning that President Trump will corrupt the vaccine vetting process and make some sort of coronavirus vaccine-related announcement before Election Day …

White House lawn, Rose Garden being re-sodded after damage from GOP convention  —  President Trump's reelection campaign is paying to replace sod on the White House South Lawn and in the Rose Garden after damage to the greenery late last month from large crowds and heavy equipment used …

Biden to Unveil Offshoring Plan as Trump's Edge on Economy Dims  — Biden now tied with Trump in polls of voter trust on economy  — In Michigan, Democrat to unveil plan to stop offshoring  —  Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is launching a new push on economic issues …

'I'll have to say it's total bull***t': How political sources play the anonymity game  —  George W. Bush dished on his father's campaign, with the understanding that he'd later have to deny it.  Such arrangements have long been part and parcel not just of journalism, but of politics.  —  ADD TO BRIEFCASE

Church Leader Who Blamed Coronavirus on Gay Marriage Contracts COVID-19  —  A leading church figure in Ukraine who previously described the coronavirus outbreak as “God's punishment” against gay marriage has contracted COVID-19.  —  Patriarch Filaret, leader of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church …

‘What do we do?’:  Trump gains rattle Miami Dems  —  MIAMI — The basic electoral math in Florida looks something like this: Democrats roll up their votes in South Florida and Miami-Dade County, Republicans pad their numbers in the north and statewide races are decided in the Interstate 4 Corridor in between.

Poll: Biden leads by 9 in Pennsylvania  —  WASHINGTON — Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden leads President Donald Trump by a 9-point margin among likely voters in Pennsylvania, a key swing state where Biden was born, according to a new NBC News/Marist poll.

Cancer survivor pleading for help with health insurance ‘angry and hurt’ over Tillis staffer's response  —  CAROLINA BEACH, N.C. — A three-time cancer survivor who reached out to U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis for help with her health insurance dilemma said that she got an insensitive response from a staffer instead.

CNN airs photo of Biden and son with Washington Redskins logo removed from son's hat  —  The NFL team retired the polarizing name and logo in July

Ex-fixer for Trump links Falwell's endorsement in 2016 to suppression of racy photos  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In his book released today, Michael Cohen, the former fixer for U.S. President Donald Trump, ties for the first time the 2016 presidential endorsement of Trump by American evangelical …

POLITICO Election Forecast: Trump running out of time to turn around 2020 campaign  —  The presidential race is still leaning toward Joe Biden, while the battle for control of the Senate is a toss up.  —  President Donald Trump, who didn't get the election-changing convention bounce he hoped for …

Rochester police chief, entire command staff retire suddenly following protests over death of Daniel Prude  —  The department's entire command staff announced they will leave the force.  —  After days of protests against the Rochester Police Department in light of the death of Daniel Prude …

Trump Jr. On Alleged Shooter Roaming Kenosha With Gun: ‘We All Do Stupid Things At 17’  —  When asked in an interview with the TV show Extra about the deadly shootings in Kenosha in which 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse has been accused of killing two protesters and wounding a third …

N.Y. Will Move Homeless Men From Liberal Neighborhood After Backlash  —  The move of 300 men to the upscale Upper West Side neighborhood led to complaints and the threat of a lawsuit.  —  Nearly 300 homeless men who had been temporarily living in a hotel on the Upper West Side of Manhattan …

Trump nominated for Nobel Peace Prize by Norwegian official, citing Israel-UAE peace deal  —  Nomination was submitted by Christian Tybring-Gjedde, a member of the Norwegian Parliament  —  EXCLUSIVE: Just weeks after helping to broker peace between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) …

Attorney Hired To Probe VOA's Coverage Has Active Protective Order Against Him  —  The CEO appointed by President Trump to lead the federal agency that oversees the Voice of America and other U.S.-funded international broadcasters has made strict protocols for scrutinizing job candidates a hallmark of his brief tenure there.

GOP congressman spent $70K in campaign cash on meals  —  Dinners at international sushi bars, steakhouses and a wine boutique.  A $220 meal in London.  A $300 meal in a posh hotel in Belgium on Boxing Day.  —  Rep. Mike Turner has used campaign funds for hundreds of trips to restaurants …

Peter Strzok Has a Warning About Russia—and Trump  —  In an interview with WIRED and in his new book, the former FBI agent details the threats the US faces as the 2020 election looms.  —  In his new book out today, former FBI agent Peter Strzok eschewed the traditional complimentary blurbs from famous friends for a different tack.

A Conversation Divided: A Covid-19 Vaccine is Still in the Making, but Remarkable Polarization Between Traditional Media and Anti-Science Sources has Already Emerged  —  Conversations about a Covid-19 vaccine have been ongoing since the disease came into our lives.

‘Decoupling’ the U.S. from China would backfire  —  When John F. Kennedy ran for president in 1960, he claimed there was a dangerous “missile gap” between Russia's arsenal and that of the United States.  But once he took office in 1961, Kennedy learned that the imbalance was the opposite of what he had argued.