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 …

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 …

We came much closer to an election catastrophe than many realize  —  As President Trump refuses to concede that he lost the election, and his dead-enders trot out increasingly bizarre conspiracy theories and legal tantrums, we are witnessing an attack on democracy that is at turns sickening and comical.

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 …

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 …

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

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

Time to call out the GOP's new Jim Crow tactics  —  The Wayne County Board of Canvassers, which oversees elections in Detroit, provoked outrage Tuesday night after its members deadlocked over whether to certify its county's results for the presidential election.

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 …

McConaughey says he'd consider running for Texas governor  —  Matthew McConaughey says he'd consider trading acting for politics by running for governor of Texas.  —  “I don't know.  I mean, that wouldn't be up to me.  It would be up to the people more than it would me,” the “True Detective” …

As defeats pile up, Trump tries to delay vote count in last-ditch effort 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.

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.

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.

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 …

If Congress doesn't act, 12 million Americans could lose unemployment aid by the end of the year  —  Deadlines set by Congress early in the pandemic will result in about 12 million Americans losing unemployment insurance by the year's end, according to a report released Wednesday …

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.

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 …

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. …

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 …

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 …

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!

‘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.

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.

‘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.

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.

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 …

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 …

These Four Groups Will Likely Be First to Get COVID-19 Vaccine  —  A pharmacist gives Jennifer Haller, left, the first shot in the first-stage safety study clinical trial of a potential vaccine for COVID-19.  —  Vaccine supplies will be limited at first, yet getting the shots to the right people …

‘Tired to the bone’: Hospitals overwhelmed with virus cases  —  Overwhelmed hospitals are converting chapels, cafeterias, waiting rooms, hallways, even a parking garage into patient treatment areas.  Staff members are desperately calling around to other medical centers in search of open beds.

‘Confusion and chaos’: Republicans denounce Trump's latest purge  —  Sen. Shelley Moore Capito was scheduled to speak with the government's top cybersecurity official on Wednesday.  But the night before, Christopher Krebs was cast out of a job.  —  “I was going to tell him thank you for a good job” …

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 …