Justice Department investigating potential presidential pardon bribery scheme, court records reveal  —  (CNN)The Justice Department is investigating a potential crime related to funneling money to the White House or related political committee in exchange for a presidential pardon …

The GOP's electoral mischief  —  MO PROBLEMS — Scooplet: Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) has been telling colleagues and allies that he plans to challenge the Electoral College votes when Congress officially certifies Joe Biden's victory on Jan. 6, as long as a Senate Republican joins him in the long-shot effort, sources tell your Huddle host.

My Call With Ron Johnson: He Knows Biden Won But Won't Admit It  —  The Wisconsin senator says it would be “political suicide.”  —  November 14, 8:37 a.m. my phone rings.  I do a double take on my caller ID and realize who is calling.  I take a deep breath and answer the phone.

Release of PPP loan recipients data reveals troubling patterns  —  Following months of litigation between the Small Business Administration and news organizations seeking data about who benefited from pandemic relief programs, the agency on Tuesday night released a sweeping dataset …

Trump likely to announce 2024 bid, but GOP rivals say power will fade post-White House  —  President Trump is likely to announce he'll run again in 2024, perhaps before this term even ends, sources tell Axios.  —  Why it matters: Trump has already set in motion two important strategies …

Biden: 'We're Going to Fight Like Hell by Investing in America First'  —  My talk with Joe Biden on his first few months, and his next four years.  —  President-elect Joe Biden was in a good mood as we talked on the phone Tuesday evening for an hour — he in Delaware and me in Bethesda, Md. He apologized, though, for being late.

Covid-19: Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine judged safe for use in UK from next week  —  The UK has become the first country in the world to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, paving the way for mass vaccination.  —  Britain's medicines regulator, the MHRA, says the jab …

The Kelly Loeffler, Raphael Warnock runoff crosses a line  —  One of Kelly Loeffler's first public appearances as a U.S. senator came last January at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.  —  “I am so humbled to be here with you today in this sacred place …

MAGA-ite in Manhattan?:  Ivanka Trump's political ambitions seek new home after the White House  —  Friends and former associates say they expect the first daughter to think about running for office, or at least get involved in some way in Republican politics.

GOP leader McDaniel to run for 3rd term with Trump's backing  —  Ronna McDaniel, the Republican National Committee chairwoman, is launching her bid for a third two-year term heading the GOP's governing organization after the party's stronger-than-anticipated showing in November's election, even though President Donald Trump lost.

S.F. Mayor London Breed had her own French Laundry party — the night after Gavin Newsom's  —  Gov. Gavin Newsom is in good company when it comes to politicians attending fancy birthday parties while encouraging others to avoid gathering.  —  It turns out San Francisco Mayor London Breed dined …

There Wasn't That Much Split-Ticket Voting In 2020  —  The narrative of the 2020 election is that Joe Biden did pretty well ... but down-ballot Democrats, not so much.  And while this is true if you look simply at the results — Republicans defended most of their vulnerable Senate seats …

United Nations commission votes to remove marijuana from list of most dangerous drugs  —  A United Nations panel has voted to remove medical cannabis from a list of dangerous drugs.  —  In the Wednesday vote, the Commission for Narcotic Drugs voted on several World Health Organization recommendations related to cannabis.

Confessions of a Clintonworld Exile  —  Doug Band worked alongside Bill Clinton every day for nearly two decades, first as a body man and then as one of the primary architects of his lucrative and often-fraught post-presidency.  Then came a seismic falling out with accusations of self-dealing and soap-opera-level psychodrama.

Army Hits Back Against False Claim that Soldiers Died in CIA Op to Nab Election Servers  —  A retired Air Force three-star general reignited baseless conspiratorial claims about U.S. troops' involvement in clandestine missions in the wake of the presidential election — claims an Army official said are 100% false.

Anticipating Senate bottlenecks, Biden races to fill agency jobs  —  Now that he's chosen a big chunk of his Cabinet nominees, President-elect Joe Biden's transition team is focusing increasingly on selecting candidates for government positions that do not require Senate confirmation.

Trump threatens to veto major defense bill unless Congress repeals Section 230, a legal shield for tech giants  —  President Trump on Tuesday threatened to veto an annual defense bill authorizing nearly $1 trillion in military spending unless Congress opens the door for Facebook …

Pro-Trump Attorney Lin Wood and Pardoned Michael Flynn Call for Trump to Declare Martial Law  —  Lin Wood, an Atlanta-based lawyer who says President Donald Trump asked him to join the effort to challenge Joe Biden's election victory, is promoting a right-wing group's call for Trump …

Our Democracy's Near-Death Experience  —  Now is no time for complacency.  The next Congress must shore up our institutions.  —  Ms. Rice is a former national security adviser.  —  It appears that our democracy dodged a bullet — or, more precisely, multiple concerted efforts by the president …

Mark Kelly to be sworn in Wednesday, giving Arizona two Democratic senators for first time in more than six decades  —  Democrat Mark Kelly will be sworn into the Senate on Wednesday, marking the first time in more than 67 years that Arizona will have two Democratic senators.

Trump Lawyer's ‘Drawn and Quartered’ Threat Ripped From Neera Tanden Playbook  —  A Trump campaign lawyer's widely condemned remark that a former Department of Homeland Security official should be “drawn and quartered” appears to be lifted from the playbook of longtime Democratic operative Neera Tanden …

Why Did Palantir Technologies Move Its Headquarters From Silicon Valley to Denver?  —  The secretive and controversial data-mining firm moved its headquarters to LoDo earlier this year.  And while some city and state government officials lobbied for the relocation, others are furious.