Biden Picks Xavier Becerra to Lead Health and Human Services  —  The selection of Mr. Becerra, the California attorney general, is a surprise.  If confirmed, he will face a daunting challenge in leading the department at a critical moment in the pandemic.  —  WASHINGTON — President-elect …

Doctor: Giuliani potentially exposed hundreds to virus  —  Responding to President Donald Trump's tweet that Rudy Giuliani has tested positive for coronavirus, Dr. Megan Ranney says that Giuliani could have potentially exposed “hundreds and hundreds” of people to the virus during a recent trip to Atlanta.

Barr Is Said to Be Weighing Whether to Leave Before Trump's Term Ends  —  The attorney general's future came into doubt after he acknowledged that the Justice Department had not found evidence of widespread voter fraud in the president's election loss.  —  WASHINGTON — Attorney General William P. Barr …

Two cheers for the Never Trump conservatives  —  The shameful complicity of Republican leaders in President Trump's torrent of deceit about our election tells us there is little hope for a more reasonable post-Trump GOP.  But what about conservatism as a philosophy?  Is it equally discredited?

Trump mulls dramatic flight to Florida rally on Biden's Inauguration Day  —  President Trump is considering a made-for-TV grand finale: a White House departure on Marine One and final Air Force One flight to Florida for a political rally opposite Joe Biden's inauguration, sources familiar with the discussions tell Axios.

Long a Holdout From Covid-19 Restrictions, Sweden Ends Its Pandemic Experiment  —  Government imposes mandatory measures after failing to contain new surge in infections  —  Sweden's Covid-19 experiment is over.  —  After a late autumn surge in infections led to rising hospitalizations and deaths …

How Joe Biden's Digital Team Tamed the MAGA Internet  —  The campaign's empathetic digital strategy held up surprisingly well against President Trump's passionate digital following.  —  Last April, when Rob Flaherty, the digital director for Joe Biden's presidential campaign …

Trump burned to the ground by GOP advisor for throwing 'world's biggest hissy fit' at Georgia rally  —  A Republican Party consultant leveled Donald Trump on Sunday morning for his performance before a rally crowd in Georgia on Saturday night that she labeled the “world's biggest hissy fit.”

Black Michigan lawmaker posts voicemails saying she should be lynched  —  One caller told state Rep. Cynthia A. Johnson, D-Detroit, that she should be “swinging from a ... rope.”  —  That echoed another call received by Johnson, who is Black, that predicted the lawmaker would be lynched …

Georgia Senate debate live updates: Warnock and Loeffler argue over coronavirus relief, abortion  —  The latest: Warnock is asked about expanding the Supreme Court.  —  Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R) is facing off against the Rev. Raphael Warnock (D) in a debate a month before the runoff election …

Chris Wallace corrects HHS secretary for not calling Biden the president-elect  —  Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace made it clear to a top Trump administration official that Joe Biden is indeed the president-elect, following his declared victory in November.

The Burden of Proof  —  The faith in fairness has been shattered beyond recovery, and the assumption of anything like a shared consensus seems more and more like a naïve pretense when it isn't just a cynical hustings gambit.  —  Many people, including some good friends …

Saudi Prince Blasts Israel at Bahrain Summit, Says Normalization Must Help Palestinians  —  Prince Turki al-Faisal, who served as Saudi ambassador to the U.S. and U.K., says Israel is a ‘Western colonizing power’ incarcerating Palestinians in ‘concentration camps’

Biden weighs taking an inaugural Amtrak ride from Delaware to D.C.  —  There's talk within Bidenworld of the president-elect ditching the typical flourish of arriving in Washington on an Air Force plane, pulling in instead on the same Amtrak train he rode to and from Delaware for 30 years as a senator.

Chicago Teachers Union: ‘The Push To Reopen Schools Is Rooted in Sexism, Racism, and Misogyny’  —  The Chicago Teachers Union, which represents more than 28,000 educators in the nation's third largest city, tweeted on Sunday: “The push to reopen schools is rooted in sexism, racism and misogyny.”

Pete Davidson rips Staten Island's anti-COVID-19 lockdown ‘babies’ on ‘SNL’  —  Staten-Island born “SNL” star Pete Davidson said the anti-COVID lockdown protests there make the borough's residents look like “babies” — but quipped that he's glad that he's no longer the “worst thing about Staten Island.”

Trump legal team celebrates after Michigan judge allows probe of Dominion voting machines  —  Trump campaign attorney Jenna Ellis said results of the investigation could come in 48 hours  —  Rudy Giuliani testifies in Michigan over alleged election fraud  —  A Michigan judge is allowing …

Google Spars With Barry Diller's IAC on Marketing Practices  —  Alphabet unit considers penalties after its audit faulted IAC's treatment of Chrome browser extensions  —  Google is deciding whether to impose severe penalties on the online conglomerate IAC/InterActive Corp …

McCarthyism was never defeated.  Trumpism won't be either.  —  Censure brought down a crusading anti-communist senator but fired up his followers.  —  A month after the presidential election, most Republican lawmakers have refused to acknowledge the obvious: Despite President Trump's fondest hopes …