Trump invites Michigan Republican leaders to meet him at White House as he escalates attempts to overturn election results  —  DETROIT — President Trump has invited the leaders of Michigan's Republican-controlled state legislature to meet him in Washington on Friday, according to a person familiar …

Disturbing new details in alleged plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer  —  CHICAGO (WLS) — There is new and disturbing information in the alleged militia plot against the governor of Michigan.  —  The 14 men charged had far more violent plans than just a kidnapping, according to federal and state authorities.

All the president's ‘Guys’  —  Remember Rob Goldstone?  He was the portly British publicist who took selfies wearing wacky hats, and who sent Donald Trump Jr. an email offering documents from the Russians that would “incriminate” Hillary Clinton.  —  “If it's what you say I love it,” …

Biden mounts lobbying blitz to crack GOP resistance to his transition  —  Joe Biden's transition team has tried to project calm as President Donald Trump refuses to concede and many Republicans — and even one key part of the federal government — continue to have his back.

Trump attorneys charge ‘massive’ electoral fraud in presidential race  —  Lawyers for President Trump's campaign alleged a plot by his opponents to “rig” voting machines in the presidential election, delivering the race for Joe Biden.  —  A news conference held at the Republican National …

Will Lara Trump Be the Next Trump on a Ballot?  —  The president's daughter-in-law is said to be considering a Senate run in her native state of North Carolina.  —  WASHINGTON — Lara Trump, the president's daughter-in-law who emerged during the 2020 presidential campaign as a defender …

Census Officials Say They Can't Meet Trump's Deadline for Population Count  —  Officials have concluded the Census Bureau won't have data on time to carry out the administration's goal of stripping unauthorized immigrants from population totals for apportionment.

‘Reach Out to Trump Supporters,’ They Said.  I Tried.  —  I give up.  —  73 million Americans voted for Donald Trump.  He doubled down on all his worst vices, and he was rewarded for it with 10 million more votes than he received in 2016.  —  The majority of people of color rejected his cruelty and vulgarity.

‘The Dumbest Coup’  —  Noah Rothman's excellent piece in Commentary, “The Dumbest of Coups,” deserves to be widely read.  —  I've been writing about conspiracy theories for a while now — QAnon, the Flat-Earth gang, etc. — and one of the things you quickly learn about conspiracy theories …

Dear Joe Biden: are you kidding me? … For years, I've been trying to impart a simple concept that Superman is not coming.  —  Dare I say, I had hopes that this new administration would usher in the dawning of a new day.  As picks for President-elect Joe Biden's Environmental Protection Agency …

Cincinnati City Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld arrested on federal corruption charges  —  Sharon Coolidge Dan HornCincinnati Enquirer  —  FBI agents arrested Cincinnati City Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld Thursday morning on federal charges accusing him of accepting bribes in exchange for favorable votes …

BuzzFeed to Acquire HuffPost in Stock Deal With Verizon Media  —  New-media companies have been exploring mergers as they try to jump-start growth  —  BuzzFeed Inc. has agreed to acquire Verizon Media's HuffPost in a stock deal, the companies said Thursday, uniting two of the larger players …

Trump's election challenges are revealing how obvious and unassailable his loss was  —  President Trump's frantic post-election challenges are having the opposite effect of what he intended: He's documenting his demise through a series of court fights and recounts showing Joe Biden's victory to be all the more obvious and unassailable.

Kenosha: How two men's paths crossed in an encounter that has divided the nation  —  Kyle Rittenhouse, in a jailhouse interview, said he used stimulus money to get a gun.  The first man he shot had just left a psychiatric hospital.  —  In a summer roiled by protests for racial justice …

The Future of the GOP Madison Cawthorn is 25, far-right, and already faces accusations of racism and sexual misconduct.  And he's headed to Congress.  —  When Madison Cawthorn was elected to represent North Carolina in the House of Representatives last week, he made history.

Are Covid Patients Gasping 'It Isn't Real' As They Die?  —  An ER nurse's anecdote of deranged denialism went viral.  But when the media caught wind of the story, reporters didn't do their jobs.  —  A DESPERATE, OUTRAGED Twitter thread from a South Dakota emergency room nurse went viral last weekend …

61% Think Trump Should Concede to Biden  —  Most voters now believe President Trump should admit that he lost the election, although they're less certain their friends and neighbors would agree.  They're more closely divided, however, over whether the Democrats stole the election as Trump contends.

Senate 2022: An Early Look  —  Dear Readers: Our 22nd annual American Democracy Conference is now available on our YouTube channel, UVACFP, and at this direct link.  It features New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie, CNN commentator Tara Setmayer, and Democratic strategist John Lapp discussing …

Democrats' bloodletting is just getting started  —  Democrats won the presidency and held the House by margins so slim they'd make Weight Watchers proud.  And the betting is they'll fail to capture the Senate from Republicans.  —  Why did they fall so far short of the landslide they expected?

In the waning days of Trump's presidency, White House press pool reports are getting snarkier  —  The pool reports shared by White House correspondents can be as mundane as a grocery list and about as informative — the who, what and when of the president's daily comings and goings …

Tom Donohue — CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and longtime confidant of Republican presidents — tells Axios that Joe Biden is president-elect, and President Trump “should not delay the transition a moment longer.”  —  What he's saying: “President-elect Biden and the team around …

The GOP's Big Self-Own  —  Congressional Republicans may be engaged in the political equivalent of a murder-suicide by abetting Donald Trump's claims that the election was stolen from him.  —  By reinforcing Trump's baseless narrative that he actually won the vote, Republicans …

Mitt Romney says consequences of lame duck period are ‘potentially more severe’ than delayed transition  —  What's at risk when the President doesn't concede  —  Washington (CNN)Republican Sen. Mitt Romney is warning that the consequences of actions taken by President Donald Trump during …

How Many Americans Are About to Die?  —  A new analysis shows that the country is on track to pass spring's grimmest record. … The United States has made huge advances in fighting the coronavirus.  The astonishingly high death rates the country saw during the spring have fallen …

What if Instead of Calling People Out, We Called Them In?  —  Prof. Loretta J. Ross is combating cancel culture with a popular class at Smith College.  —  Nyla Conaway, 19, remembers being “called out” for changing her profile picture on Instagram in solidarity for ... something.

What's wrong with the media  —  The young/urban/educated bubble in an era of growing polarization  —  Welcome to Thursday!  —  I've been reading some interesting policy reports about everything from maternal mortality to how to target student loan forgiveness but at the moment there is a lot …

Will Biden Name a Deficit Hawk to Head OMB?  —  There is a big risk that he will—at a time when we need massive public investment.  —  Bruce Reed, chief of staff to Vice President Joe Biden, in 2011  —  Yesterday, I reported that Bruce Reed, one of Biden's top campaign advisers and his most conservative …

The Problem With Coronavirus School Closures  —  Children have suffered because many mayors and governors were too willing to close public schools.  —  Some things are true even though President Trump says them.  —  Trump has been demanding for months that schools reopen, and on that he seems to have been largely right.