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 …

A Powerful Reporter Got Away With Sexual Misconduct for Decades.  His Paper, and His Union, Looked the Other Way.  —  Michael Fuoco was a bigfoot reporter with a fiery personality and a reputation for harassing young women.  No one seemed to want to rein him in.

Anti-Vaccine Doctor Has Been Invited to Testify Before Senate Committee  —  The selection of Dr. Jane M. Orient as federal health officials are trying to promote a vaccine to end the coronavirus pandemic prompted harsh criticism from Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York.

At Georgia Senate debate, Warnock and Loeffler argue over coronavirus relief, police funding  —  ATLANTA — Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler repeatedly declined to say who won the 2020 election during Sunday's debate in one of the U.S. Senate races in Georgia that will determine the balance of power in Washington.

To rebuild CDC, Biden picks Rochelle Walensky  —  President-elect Joe Biden has selected Rochelle Walensky, the chief of infectious diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital, to run the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to two people with knowledge of the decision.

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.

The Death of Zappos's Tony Hsieh: A Spiral of Alcohol, Drugs and Extreme Behavior  —  The inspirational executive seemed to lose his way after giving up his corporate role, including a starvation diet and fascination with fire  —  About two weeks before Zappos.com Inc. co-founder Tony Hsieh died …

Protesters descend on Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson's home after dark  —  A couple of dozen protesters gathered in front of Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson's home Saturday night shouting through megaphones against the certification of the election and demanding a forensic audit.

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.”

Biden's already more popular than Trump's ever been  —  (CNN)Poll of the week: A new Gallup poll finds that President-elect Joe Biden has a 55% favorable rating and a 41% unfavorable rating.  —  The same poll gives President Donald Trump a 42% favorable rating and a 57% unfavorable rating.

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 …

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.

He Designed A Smartwatch App To Help Stop His Dad's Nightmares  —  Tyler Skluzacek remembers his dad as a fun, outgoing man before he left to serve in Iraq.  When Patrick Skluzacek came home in 2007, says his son, he had changed.  —  Patrick was being consumed by nightmares.

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 …

Exclusive: U.S. preparing new sanctions on Chinese officials over Hong Kong crackdown - sources  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is preparing to impose sanctions on at least a dozen Chinese officials over their alleged role in Beijing's disqualification of elected opposition legislators …

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?

Tipped Service Workers Are More Vulnerable Amid Pandemic Harassment Spike: Study  —  Toggle more options  —  In the best of times, service industry workers are typically paid below the minimum wage and rely on tips to make up the difference.  Now, those still working in an industry battered …

Pompeo to Head Home to Kansas With Plenty of Alternatives  —  After championing Trump's worldview, secretary of state is described by supporters as being well positioned for domestic political pursuits  —  WASHINGTON—Mike Pompeo, who spent four years overseeing the Trump administration's …

Students have already lost too much time.  They need to be back in classrooms.  —  SINCE THE outbreak of the covid-19 pandemic, teachers, principals, administrators and parents across the United States have worked mightily to help students keep learning.  Schools developed new curriculums …