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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

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.

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 …

In a Fox News interview, Parscale blames Trump's lack of coronavirus empathy for his election loss.  —  Brad Parscale, the former Trump campaign manager who was demoted in July, claimed in a Fox News interview on Tuesday night that President Trump would have handily won the election …

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.

Roger Stone, Who Had His Ass Saved by Barr, Turns on ‘Deep State’ Attorney General  —  SNAKE PIT  —  Remember in February when Attorney General Bill Barr trashed his department's reputation to override the recommended prison term for Roger Stone and push for a much shorter sentence?

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 …

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.

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.

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.

Barr appoints special counsel in Russia probe investigation  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General William Barr has given extra protection to the prosecutor he appointed to investigate the origins of the Trump-Russia probe, giving him the authority of a special counsel to complete his work without being easily fired.

WHISTLEBLOWER: I Drove ‘Thousands of Ballots’ From New York to Pennsylvania  —  On Tuesday, a truck driver testified that he had driven thousands of ballots from Bethpage, N.Y., to Lancaster, Pa., two weeks before Election Day.  Phill Kline, a former attorney general of Kansas and director …

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.

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 …

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 …

The “racial wealth gap” is a class gap  —  Rich people are very white, but most white people aren't rich  —  Good morning it's Wednesday!  —  And what a fine day to discuss an unfashionable leftist view of mine.  The discussion “racial wealth gap” is a somewhat perverse way to think about the real issue …

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 …

Homeland Security Watchdog to Probe Department's Use of Phone Location Data  —  Inspector general to investigate legality of tracking Americans without a warrant  —  WASHINGTON—The Department of Homeland Security's internal watchdog said it would open an investigation into the use …

Obama chides Democrats for giving AOC short convention speaking slot  —  Former President Barack Obama advised Democrats to be more welcoming of new leadership if the party wants to appeal to young people.  —  “One thing I will say about the Democratic Party, promoting young people is really important.