‘We want them infected’: Trump appointee demanded ‘herd immunity’ strategy, emails reveal  —  A top Trump appointee repeatedly urged top health officials to adopt a “herd immunity” approach to Covid-19 and allow millions of Americans to be infected by the virus, according to internal emails obtained …

MAGA turns on Mitch: Trump allies including Michael Flynn slam the GOP Senate majority leader for ‘caving to the mob and China’ for recognizing Biden as president-elect  — Trump loyalists were furious after McConnell congratulated Biden on Tuesday  — Top allies accused Senate majority leader of selling out the party's leader

Texas Wedding Photographers Have Seen Some $#!  +  —  They know what you did this summer.  —  NOTES  —  The wedding photographer had already spent an hour or two inside with the unmasked wedding party when one of the bridesmaids approached her.  The woman thanked her for still showing up …

AOC: Nancy Pelosi Needs to Go, but There's Nobody to Replace Her Yet … Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez believes the Democratic Party needs new leadership, telling The Intercept in an interview that it's time for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to go.

Hundreds of invitees skip Mike Pompeo's indoor holiday party at State Department  —  Only a tiny fraction of the more than 900 guests invited to an indoor holiday party hosted by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his wife Susan showed up on Tuesday following an outcry from public health officials …

White House counsel's office warned Trump not to fire Chris Wray  —  WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has come so close to firing FBI Director Christopher Wray in recent months that the White House counsel's office has warned him not to do so because it could put him in potential legal jeopardy …

Alleged crusade to stop voter fraud lands former HPD captain in handcuffs  —  HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A former Houston Police Department Captain was arrested and charged for running a man off the road and pointing a gun at his head in an attempt to prove claims of a massive voter fraud scheme …

A mysterious gap in COVID-19 deaths appeared in Florida before the presidential election  —  An astonishing pattern has emerged in Florida's COVID death tally — one that suggests the state manipulated a backlog of unrecorded fatalities, presenting more favorable death counts in the days leading up to the 2020 presidential election.

North Carolina GOP lawmaker urges Trump to suspend civil liberties to keep power: ‘Invoke the Insurrection Act’  —  On Facebook, North Carolina state Sen. Bob Steinburg (R) paraphrased a conservative commentator to make a radical suggestion: President Trump should declare a national emergency …

Transition Live Updates: Biden Introduces Buttigieg as Pick to Lead Transportation  —  If he is confirmed, Pete Buttigieg would be the first openly gay cabinet secretary.  Some Democrats are pushing to hear more of President-elect Joe Biden's plans sooner than later.  —  Here's what you need to know:

Value of Loeffler's Mansion Dropped $6M Overnight—and Nobody Can Explain Why  —  The estate went from a $10.5 million appraisal to $4.1 million, resulting in a much lower tax bill for the senator and her husband.  —  When Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) and her husband, Jeffrey Sprecher …

John O. Brennan on UFOs  —  I thought I would give this segment its own post, again here is the audio, video, and transcript of my Conversation with John O. Brennan, head of the CIA for four years under President Obama:  —  BRENNAN: I've seen some of those videos from Navy pilots …

We're Never Going Back to the 1950s  —  Twenty years ago, the sociologist Robert Putnam in Bowling Alone used the decline of bowling leagues since the middle of the 20th century to symbolize America's declining social engagement.  This year, he published a sequel of sorts, The Upswing …

Traditional marriage roles make for much better sex  —  In 2014, author and psychologist Lori Gottlieb wrote an article for the New York Times about a study that found egalitarian, or “50-50,” marriages (in which both parents work full time outside the home and split household and childcare right …

Fifty Years of Tax Cuts for Rich Didn't Trickle Down, Study Says  — Paper looks at fiscal policies in 18 countries over 50 years  — Governments shouldn't worry about taxes on rich, author says  —  Tax cuts for rich people breed inequality without providing much of a boon to anyone else …

UM Fires History Professor Who Criticizes ‘Powerful, Racist Donors’ and ‘Carceral State’  —  During a period of what University of Mississippi faculty are calling a time of increasing paranoia, the university is set to terminate a celebrated professor of history.

Biden: Identity politics and no apologies  —  Important election results seemed to refute the notion that Americans vote their ethnic or racial identity.  Hispanic voters trended significantly toward the supposedly anti-Hispanic Donald Trump.  Californians, while voting 63 percent for Joe Biden …

MLB Is Finally Recognizing the Negro Leagues as the Major Leagues They Always Were  —  Negro League statistics from 1920 to 1948 will now be officially classified as “major league,” marking a long-overdue acknowledgment of the accomplishments of players who didn't have the opportunity to play in the American or National Leagues

Senator Jon Tester on Democrats and Rural Voters: ‘Our Message Is Really, Really Flawed’  —  Mr. Tester, a Montana farmer, said in an interview that Democrats had failed to connect with much of the country: “You cannot have Chuck Schumer talking rural issues to rural people.”

Sen. Angus King proposes Netflix, Disney, HBOMax stream free over holidays to stop COVID-19 spread  —  Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) called on video streaming platforms to make their content available for free during the holiday season to encourage people to stay home during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Most American Religion  —  Image above: The Oquirrh Mountain Temple sits about 20 miles south of Temple Square in Salt Lake City, where the Church is based.  —  This article was published online on December 16, 2020.  —  To meet with the prophet during a plague, certain protocols must be followed.

‘I do not feel safe’: Kansas GOP mayor resigns after threats over backing mask mandate  —  A Republican mayor in western Kansas announced in a letter to city officials and on social media Tuesday that she is resigning, effective immediately, because of threats she has received after she publicly supported a mask mandate.

Nearly 8 million Americans have fallen into poverty since the summer  —  Nation's poverty rate has risen at the fastest pace ever this year after aid for the unemployed declined.  —  The U.S. poverty rate has surged over the past five months, with 7.8 million Americans falling into poverty …

Trump Spy Chief Stirs Dispute Over China Election-Meddling Views  — Disagreement is over the extent of interference by China  — Ratcliffe may withhold certification of a report to Congress  —  President Donald Trump's spy chief is considering holding up a report to Congress …

U.S. Expected to Unseal Charges Against New Suspect in 1988 Lockerbie Bombing  —  Charges aimed at top bomb-maker for late Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi  —  WASHINGTON—U.S. prosecutors are expected to unseal charges against a suspect they allege was a top bomb-maker for the late Libyan …

Hunter Biden in 2017 sent ‘best wishes’ from ‘entire Biden family’ to China firm chairman, requested $10M wire  —  2017 letter asked chairman to ‘properly fund and operate’ Biden joint venture with Chinese energy company  —  Hunter Biden failed to report $400G in income from Burisma, new email shows