GOP fears conceding Trump loss would spark base revolt and loss of seats  —  Top Republicans in Washington are reluctant to call Joe Biden the president-elect publicly, fearing a rebellion by grassroots conservatives loyal to President Trump that would sink the party's Senate majority.

Trump fires Secretary of Defense Mark Esper  —  Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump announced on Twitter Monday that he has fired Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, and that Christopher Miller, who serves as director of the National Counterterrorism Center, will become acting secretary “effective immediately.”

Barr OKs election probes despite little evidence of fraud  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General William Barr has authorized federal prosecutors across the U.S. to pursue “substantial allegations” of voting irregularities before the 2020 presidential election is certified, despite little evidence of fraud.

Scoop: Trump privately discussing 2024 run  —  President Trump has already told advisers he's thinking about running for president again in 2024, two sources familiar with the conversations tell Axios.  —  Why it matters: This is the clearest indication yet that Trump understands he has lost …

Growing Discomfort at Law Firms Representing Trump in Election Lawsuits  —  Some lawyers at Jones Day and Porter Wright, which have filed suits about the 2020 vote, said they were worried about undermining the electoral system.  —  Like many big law firms, Jones Day, whose roots …

GOP-led states back Trump's legal drive to challenge election  —  Republican-controlled state governments on Monday began throwing their weight behind President Donald Trump's legal drive to challenge the results of last week's presidential election.  —  A coalition of Republican attorneys general filed …

Trump campaign sues to halt Pennsylvania from certifying Biden win  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's campaign on Monday filed a lawsuit in a Pennsylvania federal court, seeking an emergency injunction to stop state officials from certifying Joe Biden's victory in the state.

Pfizer's Early Data Shows Vaccine Is More Than 90% Effective  —  Pfizer announced positive early results from its coronavirus vaccine trial, cementing the lead in a frenzied global race that has unfolded at record-breaking speed.  —  The drug maker Pfizer announced on Monday that an early analysis …

Trump Adviser Leading Post-Election Legal Fight Has Coronavirus  — Aide David Bossie was diagnosed Sunday in White House test  — Bossie helping with strategy after Meadows tested positive  —  David Bossie, an outside adviser to Donald Trump who is leading his post-election fight over vote counts …

Meadows doesn't expect GSA standoff to end before Friday  —  Welcome to POLITICO's 2020 Transition Playbook, your guide to one of the most consequential transfers of power in American history.  —  BIDEN STAND-OFF WITH GSA CONTINUES  —  The General Services Administration is not expected …

Facebook takes down a large network of pages tied to Stephen Bannon for pushing misinformation  —  The pages, which pushed the ‘Stop the Steal’ effort and other misleading messages, were removed over the weekend, while the former top Trump strategist's account was frozen

The former CEO of Google has applied to become a citizen of Cyprus  —  Eric Schmidt is effectively buying a passport that he can use to enter the European Union.  —  The former CEO of Google, Eric Schmidt, is finalizing a plan to become a citizen of the island of Cyprus, Recode has learned …

Bishop Harry Jackson Jr., Trump evangelical adviser, has died  —  Bishop Harry Jackson of Maryland speaks at the unveiling of the “Justice Declaration,” a statement by Christian leaders on criminal justice, in Washington, D.C., on June 20, 2017.  RNS photo by Adelle M. Banks  —  Flip

Man featured at Giuliani press conference is a convicted sex offender  —  The first person Rudy Giuliani, the attorney for President Donald Trump, called up as a witness to baseless allegations of vote counting shenanigans in Philadelphia during a press conference last week is a sex offender …

Trump's election challenge is continuing, but the campaign is already shedding staff  —  WASHINGTON — Two days after Joe Biden was declared the winner in the presidential election, President Trump and his allies have vowed to keep on fighting, but his campaign team has already let go of some staff …

Too many men of color got conned by Trump  —  I am a Black man.  I was born in a Latin country.  I grew up in a Spanish-speaking family.  —  So it stuns me to see that President Trump set a record last week by attracting the highest percentage of the non-white vote of any Republican presidential candidate in the last 60 years.

Cheri Bustos won't run for DCCC chief after House Dem losses  —  House Democratic campaign chief Cheri Bustos announced Monday that she would not seek reelection, days after an unexpected string of losses that could end up costing the caucus nearly a dozen seats.

The Latest: Ousted vaccine expert on Biden virus task force  —  President-elect Joe Biden has announced the members of his coronavirus task force, which will put together a blueprint for fighting the pandemic.  —  The co-chairs are former Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy …