Trump's legal adviser Jenna Ellis in 2016 called him an ‘idiot’ and said his supporters didn't care about ‘facts or logic’  —  (CNN)Jenna Ellis has been one of President Donald Trump's most ardent defenders since joining his campaign as a legal adviser and surrogate a year ago …

Lawsuit: Tyson managers bet money on how many workers would contract COVID-19  —  A wrongful death lawsuit tied to COVID-19 infections in a Waterloo pork processing plant alleges that during the initial stages the pandemic, Tyson Foods ordered employees to report for work …

GOP state leaders brush off idea to hand Trump election by replacing electors  —  “That's not going to happen,” Michigan's Republican Senate leader said.  —  Why don't the Electoral College and popular vote always match up?  —  Four times the winner of the national popular vote lost the presidency …

Current and former Trump officials quietly reach out to Biden team  —  Washington (CNN)A handful of current Trump administration officials, as well as some political appointees who left in recent months, have quietly started to reach out to members of President-elect Joe Biden's transition team …

Sen. Perdue Helped Defense Contractor—and Sold Off Its Stock  —  SUB-OPTIMAL … Sen. David Perdue had never invested in the Navy supplier BWX Technologies until right before he assumed control of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower.  —  Right before he was put in charge …

Biden approaches 80 million votes in historic victory  —  President-elect Joe Biden's winning tally is approaching a record 80 million votes as Democratic bastions continue to count ballots and the 2020 election cracks turnout records.  —  Biden has already set a record for the highest number …

California doctors' top brass attended French Laundry dinner with Newsom  —  OAKLAND — California Medical Association officials were among the guests seated next to Gov. Gavin Newsom at a top California political operative's opulent birthday dinner at the French Laundry restaurant this month.

Trump Campaign Attorneys Admit ‘There Is No Evidence’ of ‘Any Fraud’ in Connection with Challenged Ballots in Bucks County, Pa.  —  Attorneys representing President Donald Trump's re-election campaign in challenging thousands of ballots in Bucks County on Wednesday agreed to sign court documents informing …

Trump appoints speechwriter fired for attending conference with white nationalists to commission that preserves Holocaust memorials  —  WASHINGTON — A former speechwriter fired from the White House in 2018 for attending a conference at which white supremacists were also present has been appointed …

As defeats pile up, Trump tries to delay vote count in last-ditch attempt to cast doubt on Biden victory  —  Please note: The Washington Post is providing this important election information free to all readers.  Get election results and other major news delivered to your inbox by signing up for breaking news email alerts.

Sources say outgoing Democratic Rep. Max Rose is mulling run for NYC mayor  —  Rep. Max Rose, D-N.Y., is considering a quick return to politics after losing his House seat this month.  Rose has begun laying the groundwork for a potential mayoral campaign in New York City, according to three different sources.

Dolly Parton helped fund Moderna's vaccine.  It began with a car crash and an unlikely friendship.  —  As Dolly Parton tells it, her first-ever car accident in October 2013 was minor, but left her bruised and sore enough to seek medical advice at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Sound and fury  —  While Trump's attempts to cling to the White House collapse into farce, malevolent efforts to aid him set the stage for troubles to come  —  Good evening.  Voting in the 2020 presidential election ended 15 days ago.  The inauguration happens in 63 days.  —  The Latest

White House Sought Suit Against Omarosa Manigault Newman After News of Her Memoir  —  A day after the 2018 announcement that she had written a negative book about President Trump, the White House escalated an unrelated dispute by referring it to the Justice Department.

Election Night with Biden's Data Guru  —  The last time chief analytics officer Becca Siegel had been inside Joe Biden's sprawling campaign headquarters in Center City Philadelphia, her department had about 15 staffers on its payroll.  That was in March.  In late October, her team had ballooned …

‘Traitors to the president’: Conservatives fear public preparation for Biden term  —  Because Trump won't concede, many conservatives have found they can't be open about their plans to counter Biden's agenda.  Some have already faced blowback.  —  Supporters participate in a rally for President Donald Trump in Austin, Texas.

Mexico, Outraged at Arrest of Ex-Official, Threatened to Toss U.S. Agents  —  Mexican officials made the threat after weeks of anger at the surprise arrest of a former defense minister.  Their gambit appears to have worked — the charges were dropped.  —  From the moment U.S. federal agents arrested …

New York City to Close Public Schools Again as Virus Cases Rise  —  In a big setback for the city's recovery, the nation's largest district will return to all-remote learning.  —  New York City's entire public school system will shut on Thursday, signaling that a second wave of the coronavirus …

Half of Republicans say Biden won because of a ‘rigged’ election: Reuters/Ipsos poll  —  (Reuters) - About half of all Republicans believe President Donald Trump “rightfully won” the U.S. election but that it was stolen from him by widespread voter fraud that favored Democratic President-elect Joe Biden …

States That Imposed Few Restrictions Now Have the Worst Outbreaks  —  Coronavirus cases are rising in almost every U.S. state.  But the surge is worst now in places where leaders neglected to keep up forceful virus containment efforts or failed to implement basic measures like mask mandates …

President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate and Appoint the Following Individuals to Key Administration Posts  —  Today, President Donald J. Trump announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key positions in his Administration:  —  Brian P. Brooks, of Colorado …

GOP increasingly accepts Trump's defeat — but not in public  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — When Kamala Harris returned to the Senate this week for the first time as vice president-elect, her Republican colleagues offered their congratulations and Sen. Lindsey Graham greeted her with a fist bump.

900 on Mayo Clinic staff have contracted coronavirus in last two weeks  —  All 32 beds in dedicated Covid ICU at Mayo are now full, clinic adding more beds  —  ROCHESTER, Minn. — Over 900 Mayo Clinic staff have contracted COVID-19 in the past two weeks, according to a Tuesday briefing by Dr. Amy Williams, dean of clinical practice.

Former Army Green Beret admits conspiring to spy for Russia  —  A former Green Beret conspired to spy for the Russian government while serving in the Army and as a defense contractor with a top-secret security clearance.  —  Peter Rafael Dzibinski Debbins, 45, of Gainesville, Va. …

‘If you make China the enemy, China will be the enemy’: Beijing's fresh threat to Australia  —  Beijing has issued an extraordinary attack on the Australian government, accusing it of “poisoning bilateral relations” in a deliberately leaked document that threatens to escalate tensions between the two countries.

Been injured in an election?  Call Rudy Giuliani now!  —  Hi!  I'm Rudy Giuliani!  Have you been injured in an election?  Do you think you should be president, but due to an unexpected setback, you've wound up short by thousands of votes in key states?  Hire me, and you will get the settlement you deserve!

Coronavirus cases in Texas are soaring again.  But this time Gov. Greg Abbott says no lockdown is coming.  —  The last time case numbers were this high, Abbott closed bars and urged Texans to avoid summer holiday gatherings.  This time, he's staying the course, relying on a 2-month-old blueprint …

House Republicans demand investigation into ‘integrity’ of 2020 election, call for hearings ‘immediately’  —  House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jim Jordan and Oversight Committee Ranking Member James Comer called for hearings amid “troubling reports of irregularities and improprieties” in the 2020 election.

Virus threat reaches into halls of Congress, clouding Senate agenda  —  The coronavirus is posing its most serious threat to Congress in months, sidelining the 87-year-old Senate president pro tempore, throwing a cloud over the end-of-year congressional agenda and raising sharp questions …

How Iowa's Governor Went From Dismissing Mask Mandates to Ordering One Herself  —  “I don't want to do this,” Gov. Kim Reynolds said, joining a wave of Republican governors issuing new mask orders as her state faces a spiraling hospital crisis.  —  For months, Gov. Kim Reynolds …

Justice Dept. Plans 3 Executions Before Biden's Inauguration  —  The Trump administration is continuing to carry out capital punishment for federal crimes even though President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. has signaled he will reverse the policy.  —  WASHINGTON — In the final weeks of President Trump's term …

How Twitter and Facebook plan to handle Trump's accounts when he leaves office.  —  Many world leaders generally have wider latitude on Twitter and Facebook because their comments and posts are regarded as political speech that is in the realm of public interest.

Georgia vote discrepancies reconciled on last day of recount  —  Election officials corrected vote counting mistakes and explained an allegation by the Republican Party about miscounted DeKalb County ballots on Wednesday, the final day of Georgia's manual recount.

Are Republicans Really Favored in Georgia?  —  ANALYSIS  —  Control of the Senate is going to come down to two Jan. 5 runoffs in Georgia.  Sen. David Perdue came a hair's breadth from winning his race against Jon Ossoff outright, but ultimately fell just short of 50% plus one.

Bill Belichick Calls For U.S. To Take Action Against Turkey, Azerbaijan For ‘Unprovoked And Deadly Attacks On Armenians’  —  BOSTON (CBS) — Bill Belichick's press conference took an unexpected turn into global politics on Wednesday morning.  —  It happened after the Patriots' head coach …

How Georgia Turned Blue  —  In 2008, Barack Obama won about 47 percent of the vote in Georgia, a huge improvement for the Democrats from four years earlier, when John Kerry received just 41 percent in the state.  And with the Atlanta metro area booming in population, it seemed like a state …