White House secures ‘three martini lunch’ tax deduction in draft of coronavirus relief package  —  President Trump has long seized on the tax break as a way to revive the restaurant industry.  But economists have panned it as ineffective and largely benefitting the wealthy.

The Journalist and the Pharma Bro  —  Why did Christie Smythe upend her life and stability for Martin Shkreli, one of the least-liked men in the world?  —  Almost every weekday for six years, Christie Smythe took the F train from Park Slope downtown to her desk at Brooklyn's federal court …

The ‘Red Slime’ Lawsuit That Could Sink Right-Wing Media  —  Voting machine companies threaten “highly dangerous” cases against Fox, Newsmax and OAN, says Floyd Abrams.  —  Antonio Mugica was in Boca Raton when an American presidential election really melted down in 2000 …

'I'm Haunted by What I Did' as a Lawyer in the Trump Justice Department  —  No matter our intentions, lawyers like me were complicit.  We owe the country our honesty about what we saw — and should do in the future.  —  Ms. Newland worked in the Office of Legal Counsel at the Justice Department from 2016-18.

Trump campaign takes fight over Penn. election, ballot laws to Supreme Court  —  President Trump still refuses to concede the outcome and continues to promote allegations that there was massive voter fraud.  —  Trump still rips ‘stolen’ election  —  President Trump's campaign team …

Trump Incentives for Signing Peace Accords With Israel Could Be at Risk  —  Diplomatic sweeteners for joining the Abraham Accords that were offered to Morocco, Sudan and the United Arab Emirates could be rejected by Congress or reversed by the incoming Biden administration.

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.”

Canada halts passenger flights from UK for 72 hours due to new virus strain  —  TORONTO (Reuters) -Canada is halting passenger flights from the United Kingdom for 72 hours, the health ministry said on Sunday, joining a growing list of countries barring British travelers to prevent the spread of a new coronavirus strain from the country.

Ex-cop hits truck thinking it held 750,000 fraudulent ballots, police say.  It held air conditioning parts.  —  David Lopez-Zuniga, an air-conditioner installer, had just left his mobile home for his typical predawn commute when he noticed an SUV's headlights closely trailing his small cargo truck.

‘An emergency’ like 'we've never seen': Inside Biden's Cabinet confirmation drive  —  The president-elect's transition team has already launched an all-hands-on-deck push to assure smooth confirmation of its picks.  —  Biden has tapped a vast network of current and former elected officials …

Pollsters disappear in Georgia with Senate on the line  —  The public polls that drove so much news about the November election are mostly sidelined in Georgia after some high-profile misses.  —  Early voters stand in line at the State Farm Arena on Dec. 14 in Atlanta.  Megan Varner/Getty Images

A frustrated Trump redoubles efforts to challenge election result  —  President Trump has intensified efforts to overturn the election, raising a series of radical measures in recent days, including military intervention, seizing voting machines and a 13th-hour appeal to the Supreme Court.

Pelosi, Schumer Joint Statement on Coronavirus Relief & Omnibus Agreement  —  Washington, D.C. — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) issued the following statement after reaching agreement on coronavirus relief and omnibus package:

US cyber-attack: Around 50 firms ‘genuinely impacted’ by massive breach  —  The cyber-security firm that identified the large-scale hacking of US government agencies says it “genuinely impacted” around 50 organisations.  —  Kevin Mandia, CEO of FireEye, said that while some 18,000 organisations …

Frontline Workers and People Over 74 Should Get Shots Next, C.D.C. 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 …

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 …

Trump Is Losing His Mind  —  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 the conspiracy theorist Sidney Powell, who for a time worked on his legal team, to be special counsel …