The GOP Abandons Democracy  —  When Donald Trump was granted a coat of arms for his Scottish golf courses in 2012 (after a lengthy court battle, of course), he chose as its motto “Numquam concedere”: Never concede.  He has not, even as it has become clear that he lost the presidential election by a wide margin.

Barr Worked to Keep Hunter Biden Probes from Public View During Election  —  The attorney general knew for months about investigations into Biden's business and financial dealings  —  Attorney General William Barr has known about a disparate set of investigations involving Hunter Biden's business …

FBI agents seek Texas attorney general records in Paxton probe  —  Federal agents served at least one subpoena Wednesday on the office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in an ongoing investigation into allegations that Paxton abused his authority by helping a friend and campaign donor.

Pentagon pick may need GOP rescue  —  Lloyd Austin will begin courtesy calls with Congress next week, but his nomination to be Defense secretary may not even make it out of committee unless Republicans help grant the waiver he needs to hold the job, people familiar with the matter say.

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.

‘Get off our damn asses’: Stimulus debacle exposes broken Washington  —  Congressional leaders are barely talking.  Renegade centrists are trying to cut a deal that Republicans don't like.  And the president is predominantly focused on overturning an election that he lost.

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 …

Biden is picking a Cabinet built for comfort.  What he needs is vision.  —  The “comfort-level” Cabinet that President-elect Joe Biden is assembling has some obvious benefits, especially after four years of the petulance and backbiting that turned the White House into what one Trump chief of staff reportedly called “Crazytown.”

F.D.A. Advisory Panel Gives Green Light to Pfizer Vaccine  —  The blessing of these experts means that the agency will OK the vaccine's use, paving the way for health care workers to begin getting shots next week.  —  Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine passed a critical milestone on Thursday …

Mike Lee blocks legislation to create Smithsonian museums for Latinos and women  —  Sen. Mike Lee blocked bipartisan legislation Thursday that would establish national museums dedicated to the histories of Latino Americans and American women, arguing the museums would create further division.

Secession?  Rush Limbaugh floats a startling notion — then quickly backs off.  —  Rush Limbaugh isn't saying he wants the country to split into red and blue factions as a result of conservative fury over the election results.  As he attempted to make clear Thursday, he's just saying that other people are saying it.

Inside Biden's Meeting With Civil Rights Leaders … Democrats in the House, Senate, and around the country have been urging President-elect Joe Biden to use the maximum amount of executive authority available to him in order to grow the economy, expand civil rights, protect the climate …

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 …

Coronavirus updates: US death toll surpasses World War II combat fatalities; Pfizer vaccine clears final review before FDA authorization  —  John Bacon Elinor Aspegren Joel Shannon Steve KigginsUSA TODAY  —  The U.S. death toll from COVID-19 surpassed the number of World War II combat fatalities …

Trump Administration Executes Brandon Bernard After Jurors Plead For His Life  —  Bernard was an accomplice to a crime at age 18.  He is the ninth person to be executed as part of the Trump administration's end-of-office killing spree.  —  The Trump administration executed 40-year-old Brandon Bernard …

Chuck Schumer ‘forced to have serious and painful talks’ with Dianne Feinstein over apparent cognitive decline  —  ‘Her staff have to defend her and make her seem normal’  —  Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer has reportedly been forced to have several “serious and painful talks” …

The Conservative Idea That Would Let Biden Seize Control of Washington  —  Despite President Donald Trump's landslide defeat at the ballot box in November, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his GOP caucus have embarked on a course to stack the federal administrative state with eleventh-hour appointees.

Website targeting U.S. election officials draws attention of intelligence agencies  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The harassment campaign against U.S. election officials following President Donald Trump's defeat took an ominous turn on Thursday after a website surfaced that accused them of …