Birx travels, family visits highlight pandemic safety perils  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — As COVID-19 cases skyrocketed before the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, Dr. Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House coronavirus response, warned Americans to “be vigilant” and limit celebrations to “your immediate household.”

Trump Is Losing His Mind  —  The president is discussing martial law in the Oval Office, as his grip on reality falters.  —  Donald Trump's descent into madness continues.  —  The latest manifestation of this is a report in The New York Times that the president is weighing appointing …

A President Who Can't Put Aside Grudges, Even for Good News  —  The past week served as a preview of Mr. Trump's post-presidency: no leadership on debates within his party, but keen attention to waging personal vendettas and cultivating his supporters.  —  It was among the most consequential weeks …

The Coronavirus Is Mutating.  What Does That Mean for Us?  —  Officials in Britain and South Africa claim new variants are more easily transmitted.  There's a lot more to the story, scientists say.  —  Just as vaccines begin to offer hope for a path out of the pandemic …

Frontline Workers and People Over 74 Should Get Shots Next, CDC Panel Says  —  The recommendation was a compromise aimed at getting the coronavirus vaccine to the most vulnerable of two high-risk groups.  —  Striking a compromise between two high-risk population groups …

Journalists Hacked with Suspected NSO Group iMessage ‘Zero-Click’ Exploit  —  Summary & Key Findings  — In July and August 2020, government operatives used NSO Group's Pegasus spyware to hack 36 personal phones belonging to journalists, producers, anchors, and executives at Al Jazeera.

How voters rank Trump a historically bad president  —  (CNN)Poll of the week: A new Fox News poll finds that 42% of voters say history will remember President Donald Trump as one of the worst presidents ever.  —  An additional 8% say he will be remembered as below average …

What happened to the Colorado Republican Party?  —  Out of power in a changing state, the GOP is in soul-searching mode  —  The Jefferson County GOP began its annual assemblies in the 1990s by asking all elected Republicans in attendance to say a few words.

Why Do They Hate Us?  —  Race, Christian Nationalism, and White Evangelical Alienation from America  —  If there is any good to come from last weekend's Christian-nationalist “Jericho March,” and other bizarre, angry, and sometimes-violent right-wing attacks on the 2020 presidential election …

Details emerge on $600 stimulus checks, jobless benefits as Congress rushes to finalize deal  —  House leadership tells lawmakers to prepare to be ready to vote as early as Sunday, but there are still details that need to be worked out, according to people familiar with the conversations.

Biden chief of staff says hack response will go beyond ‘just sanctions’  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The incoming White House chief of staff said on Sunday that President-elect Joe Biden's response to the massive hacking campaign uncovered last week would go beyond sanctions.

McConnell expects coronavirus relief package to be finalized ‘in a matter of hours’  —  Government funding runs out Sunday night  —  Fox News Flash top headlines for December 20  —  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he expects lawmakers to have a final agreement …

Trump says he spoke with Sen.-elect Tuberville, who has hinted at backing electoral college challenge next month  —  President Trump said Sunday that he has spoken with Sen.-elect Tommy Tuberville, the Alabama Republican who suggested last week that he supports a potential challenge …

Scoop: Trump likely won't announce 2024 run before Jan. 20  —  President Trump's closest confidants no longer expect him to imminently announce he's running in 2024, three sources who've recently discussed the matter with the president tell Axios.  —  Driving the news: Trump doesn't want to announce …

As end approaches, Trump gets doses of flattery, finality  —  NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump's administration is ending how it began, with over-the-top declarations of praise for the chief executive.  —  But now the flattery is mixed with a sense of finality as key people …

Jack Ma Makes Ant Offer to Placate Chinese Regulators  —  Trying to salvage his relationship with regulators in a Nov. 2 meeting, the Chinese billionaire said he was ready to do what the country needed  —  As Jack Ma was trying to salvage his relationship with Beijing in early November …

The Antitrust Case Against Big Tech, Shaped by Tech Industry Exiles  —  Regulators are relying on insiders like Dina Srinivasan, who left her digital ad job after concluding that “Facebook and Google were going to win and everybody else is going to lose.”  —  OAKLAND, Calif. — Three years ago …