Battleground states issue blistering rebukes to Texas' lawsuit to invalidate millions of votes  —  Washington (CNN)Each of the four battleground states targeted by a Texas lawsuit seeking to overturn President Donald Trump's election defeat issued blistering briefs at the Supreme Court on Thursday …

Republicans Are Going Down a Dangerous Road  —  Republicans' tolerance, if not active support, for President Donald Trump's ongoing bid to overturn the 2020 election has crystallized a stark question: Does the GOP still qualify as a small-d democratic party—or is it morphing into something very different?

Biden taps Susan Rice for top White House domestic policy job  —  President-elect Joe Biden has tapped Barack Obama's former national security adviser Susan Rice to run the White House Domestic Policy Council, according to people familiar with the decision.  —  Rice, who also served …

In leaked recording, Biden says GOP used defund the police to ‘beat the living hell’ out of Democrats  —  WILMINGTON, Del. — President-elect Joe Biden appeared to blame the “Defund the Police” movement for contributing to surprising Democratic downballot losses in the November election …

N.H. House Speaker Dick Hinch died from COVID-19, medical examiner finds  —  New Hampshire House Speaker Dick Hinch died from COVID-19, a medical examiner ruled Thursday following his unexpected death.  —  Hinch, who was only sworn in as leader of the state's newly Republican-led Legislature a week ago, died Wednesday.

Dianne Feinstein's Missteps Raise a Painful Age Question Among Senate Democrats  —  In a hearing on November 17th, Dianne Feinstein, the senior Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, who, at eighty-seven, is the oldest member of the Senate, grilled a witness.

Economic relief talks descend into disarray as congressional bickering intensifies  —  Hopes for a $908 billion deal are fading as Senate GOP leadership distances itself from the talks  —  Congressional bickering over a new economic relief package escalated on Thursday …

CDC's Redfield told staff to delete email, official tells House watchdog  —  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield instructed staff to delete an email from a Trump political appointee seeking control over the agency's scientific reports on the pandemic …

Billionaire behind pardon effort pledged massive donation to Trump: Sources  —  Despite $6 million in donations to the president, no pardon was ever issued.  —  Justice Department investigates possible bribery for pardons  —  Speculation has swirled that President Trump may pardon …

Morocco to normalize ties with Israel in deal with Trump over Western Sahara  —  Morocco has agreed to establish full diplomatic relations with Israel, President Trump announced on Thursday.  The Moroccan decision comes as part of a deal that includes U.S. recognition of the disputed territory of Western Sahara as part of Morocco.

Relax, A Trump Comeback In 2024 Is Not Going To Happen  —  Donald Trump lost the presidency, but his opponents so far have not achieved the victory they want most: A fatal puncturing of the Trump movement, a repudiation so complete that it severs his astonishing grip on supporters and leaves …

The pandemic and shuttered schools have led to a crisis for childhood  —  WASHINGTON — As parents remain bitterly divided over the return of in-person classroom instruction, children faced a greater risk of abuse or neglect because their contact with the outside world has been significantly curtailed …

Rudy Giuliani says he got ‘celebrity’ coronavirus treatment, advice from president's doctor  —  Trump's personal lawyer received access not afforded to most Americans.  —  Catch up on the developing stories making headlines.  —  Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images, FILE

Sen. David Perdue Sold His Home to a Finance Industry Official Whose Organization Was Lobbying the Senate  —  The same year FINRA was lobbying the Senate on a bill, one of its board governors paid Perdue $1.8 million for his D.C. townhouse.  Perdue sits on the Senate Banking Committee, which oversaw the bill.

Trump virus coordinator Birx seeks role in Biden government  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — When Dr. Deborah Birx was brought into President Donald Trump's orbit to help fight the coronavirus pandemic, she had a sterling reputation as a former U.S. Army physician, a globally recognized AIDS researcher and a rare Obama administration holdover.

What Really Saved the Republic From Trump?  —  It wasn't our constitutional system of checks and balances.  —  Mr. Wu is a law professor at Columbia University.  —  Americans are taught that the main function of the U.S. Constitution is the control of executive power: curtailing presidents who might seek to become tyrants.

Rep. Dan Crenshaw Linked to Smear Campaign of Female Vet Led by VA Secretary, Watchdog Says  —  An investigation from the government watchdog that oversees the Department of Veterans Affairs concluded Thursday that a Republican member of Congress was involved in an orchestrated campaign by V …

Shutdown a possibility as Rand holds up defense bill  —  Rand Paul is at it again.  And his moves could force another brief government shutdown.  —  The Kentucky Republican is objecting to swift passage of the annual defense policy bill, effectively forcing senators to remain in Washington …

Fiery crash of SpaceX's Starship rocket ignites dreams of future spaceflight  —  Elon Musk is reshaping a remote South Texas shoreline to build and test the largest space launch system the world has ever seen.  Spaceflight—and the once quiet beach—will never be the same.

CBS White House reporter Weijia Jiang is writing a memoir  —  NEW YORK (AP) — CBS News White House correspondent Weijia Jiang is working on a memoir about her experiences as a Chinese American.  —  One Signal Publishers, a Simon & Schuster imprint, announced Thursday that Jiang's “Other” would come out in Spring 2022.

RE: Why Democrats Should Run on $1,200 Checks in Georgia  —  Republicans may be about to hand Democrats a winning issue on a silver platter — one that could help them reclaim a populist economic message and win back control of the Senate.  —  If another round of direct relief payments …