Trump turns on Pence, McConnell and White House counsel Cipollone in desperate final days  —  President Trump, in his final days, is turning bitterly on virtually every person around him, griping about anyone who refuses to indulge conspiracy theories or hopeless bids to overturn the election, several top officials tell Axios.

WH virus coordinator Deborah Birx says she will retire  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Dr. Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House coronavirus response, said Tuesday she plans to retire, but is willing to first help President-elect Joe Biden's team with its coronavirus response as needed.

As Trump meets with QAnon influencers, the conspiracy theory's adherents beg for dictatorship  —  On Friday, President Donald Trump met with current and former advisers in the Oval Office, including retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, and one person familiar with the meeting said Flynn advocated …

Alex Padilla Will Replace Kamala Harris in the Senate  —  Gov. Gavin Newsom of California selected Mr. Padilla to serve the final two years of Ms. Harris's term.  Mr. Padilla will be the first Latino senator to represent the state.  —  SACRAMENTO — Alex Padilla, California's secretary of state …

Trump's Longtime Banker at Deutsche Bank Resigns  —  Rosemary Vrablic, who oversaw hundreds of millions of dollars in loans to President Trump's company, will leave the bank next week.  —  President Trump's longtime banker at Deutsche Bank, who arranged for the German lender to make hundreds …

Trump Pardons Two Russia Inquiry Figures and Blackwater Guards  —  The pre-Christmas wave of 20 pardons and commutations are not likely to be the last before Mr. Trump leaves office on Jan. 20.  —  In an audacious pre-Christmas round of pardons, President Trump granted clemency on Tuesday …

Trump Tells Sidney Powell He Won't Name Her ‘Special Counsel’  —  The president has met with the conspiracy theorist lawyer recently.  But he is not yet buckling to one of her wishes. … Donald Trump informed the conspiracy-theory-driven MAGA attorney Sidney Powell on Monday that he does …

Texas AG Ken Paxton urged White House to revoke Harris County COVID relief  —  FILE- In this Sept. 10, 2020, file photo, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks at the Austin Police Association in Austin, Texas.  Paxton on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020, announced a multi-state lawsuit against Google …

Trump nominates Hope Hicks, Ric Grenell to government posts  —  President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced plans to appoint another slate of top allies to various government boards, yet another sign that his time in office is winding to a close.  —  The president named Hope Hicks to be a member …

Don't let Mitch McConnell get away with his vile rewriting of history  —  As Congress passed a new $900 billion economic rescue package on Monday night, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) offered a choice bit of spin on how we got to this moment: … Getting the story right here is highly consequential.

AOC is right  —  When Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is right, she's right.  —  She's also an embarrassing hypocrite, but that doesn't mean she's wrong.  —  The New York representative went on a righteous tear Monday after it became clear that Congress was going to pass a massive …

Former Rep. Katie Hill sues ex-husband, Daily Mail, Redstate.com over ‘nonconsensual porn’  —  LOS ANGELES — Former congresswoman Katie Hill filed suit in Los Angeles Tuesday against her ex-husband and the owners of Redstate.com and the Daily Mail, saying they had distributed what amounted to …

US deaths in 2020 top 3 million, by far most ever counted  —  NEW YORK (AP) — This is the deadliest year in U.S. history, with deaths expected to top 3 million for the first time — due mainly to the coronavirus pandemic.  —  Final mortality data for this year will not be available for months.

Judge Says Lin Wood's Post-Election Lawsuits May Have Violated Several Professional Rules, Orders Him to Respond  —  Attorney Lin Wood's lawsuits aimed to topple the 2020 election may have violated Delaware's rules of professional conduct, preventing him from representing President Donald …

Washington Football Team settled sexual misconduct claim against Daniel Snyder for $1.6 million  —  The Washington Football Team paid a female former employee $1.6 million as part of a confidential settlement in 2009, according to a copy of the agreement reviewed by The Washington Post.

36 Facts About the 2020 Elections  —  In keeping with our end-of-cycle tradition, we found 36 interesting things to tide you over during the holidays as we take a break.  —  PRESIDENTIAL:  —  1. A president's job approval rating is one of the most consistent (and accurate) predictors of electoral performance.

Who Did J.K. Rowling Become?  Deciphering the most beloved, most reviled children's-book author in history.  —  Edinburgh Castle, many centuries old, has been called the most besieged place in Britain.  In 2005, on the night Melissa Anelli arrived, it was besieged primarily by children.

Substack's view of content moderation  —  Building a system that puts readers and writers in charge  —  As Substack grows, there is increasing interest in the stance we take on content moderation.  It's a complicated issue, so we wanted to take a moment to lay out our position clearly and explain how we got there.

Top Trump aide Mark Meadows visits Georgia ballot signature audit  —  White House chief of staff Mark Meadows made a surprise visit Tuesday to observe Georgia's audit of absentee ballot envelope signatures and ask questions about the process.  —  Meadows, accompanied by Secret Service agents …

Department of Justice Files Nationwide Lawsuit Against Walmart Inc. for Controlled Substances Act Violations  —  Complaint Alleges Company Unlawfully Dispensed and Distributed Prescription Opioids  —  In a civil complaint filed today, the Department of Justice has alleged …

SC Gov. Henry McMaster tests positive for COVID-19, will undergo antibody treatment  —  COLUMBIA — Gov. Henry McMaster tested positive for COVID-19 and will undergo an antibody treatment, his office announced Tuesday.  —  The 73-year-old Republican governor is experiencing mild symptoms, including coughing and fatigue.

Israeli government collapses, sending country back to elections for fourth time in two years  —  JERUSALEM — Israel's fractious coalition government collapsed Tuesday night, forcing the country into its fourth round of national elections in less than two years.

Several Trump immigration restrictions will remain in place, Biden advisers say, urging patience  —  Top advisers to president-elect Joe Biden said Monday they will not immediately roll back asylum restrictions at the Mexico border and other restrictive Trump administration policies …