Trump Gives Clemency to More Allies, Including Manafort, Stone and Charles Kushner  —  It was the second wave of pardons and commutations by the president in two days, showing his willingness to use his power aggressively on behalf of loyalists.  —  President Trump doled out clemency …

Giuliani told to preserve all records as lawyers for Dominion warn legal action is ‘imminent’  —  (CNN)A defamation law firm representing Dominion Voting Systems has sent letters to White House counsel Pat Cipollone and President Donald Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani instructing …

Trump vetoes defense bill, teeing up holiday override votes in Congress  —  President Trump made good Wednesday on his repeated threats to veto a $741 billion defense spending bill, setting up what is expected to be the first successful veto override of his presidency during his last weeks in office.

‘Complete clusterf—’: Trump leaves Washington in limbo  —  President Donald Trump has once again thrown Washington into chaos, making uneven demands that have left lawmakers baffled and Americans coping with a global pandemic uncertain when they'll be getting long-promised financial help.

What happened to Maria Bartiromo?  The Trump election fraud story has the TV news biz asking  —  When a public company makes news, a chief executive can expect a text or call from Maria Bartiromo.  —  The veteran business journalist, now an anchor at Fox News, made her bones by getting sit-downs …

POLITICO Playbook PM: No one knows how this ends  —  SO HOW DOES THIS END?  That's a damn good question.  —  NO ONE KNOWS.  Some say President DONALD TRUMP is in burn-it-down mode and is more than willing to veto the Covid relief/funding package, ending his presidency in a lengthy shutdown, with bluster and crisis.

EXCLUSIVE: A deputy to Eric Trump helped build a campaign shell company to protect the president from grift.  But the secretive operation morphed into a mystery — even for top Trump campaign staffers. … - One of Eric Trump's top deputies played an important role overseeing …

Inside Trump and Barr's Last-Minute Killing Spree  —  Private executioners paid in cash.  Middle-of-the-night killings.  False or incomplete justifications.  ProPublica obtained court records showing how the outgoing administration is using its final days to execute the most federal prisoners since World War II.

Andrew Yang Files Paperwork to Run for New York City Mayor  —  Businessman and former presidential candidate Andrew Yang has filed paperwork to run for mayor of New York City, the city's Campaign Finance Board confirmed on Wednesday.  —  Yang's filing has the potential to immediately upend …

Tensions intensify between Biden and Pentagon over stalled transition briefings  —  (CNN)President-elect Joe Biden's transition team on Wednesday disputed suggestions from Pentagon officials who questioned the accuracy of Biden's assertion a day earlier that the Department of Defense has refused …

Rocket Attack on U.S. Embassy in Baghdad Largest in a Decade, General Says  —  U.S. Central Command chief says he doesn't know if Iran directed the attack, adding, ‘We do not seek a war’  —  WASHINGTON—The barrage of rockets launched at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad Sunday was the largest attack …

The U.S. has vaccinated just 1 million people out of a goal of 20 million for December  — The CDC said just 1,008,025 shots had been administered as of Wednesday at 9 a.m. ET.  — That's roughly 19 million doses shy of earlier projections for December.

Why I'm Losing Trust in the Institutions  —  The CDC came scarily close to adopting a plan that would, according to its own models, have killed thousands of Americans.  —  1 hr ago  —  Who should be first in line to get the vaccine against Covid-19?  —  These kinds of decisions are never easy …

Octopuses are ocean thugs that punch fish  —  Despite its extraordinary intelligence, the life of an octopus is a solitary one.  So perhaps it is no wonder that the mighty brained cephalopod engages in a little thuggery to relieve the boredom.  —  Scientists have discovered that, on occasions …

Fort Worth pastor who urged ‘faith over fear’ in the pandemic mourns parents who died of COVID complications  —  The pastor of 2nd Mile Church in north Fort Worth, where his parents were members, said he was surprised by the sudden surge in COVID cases in recent weeks in Tarrant County.

White House coronavirus task force no longer proactively sending reports to states  —  (CNN)The White House coronavirus task force has informed states that it will no longer proactively send its weekly state reports with tailored data and recommendations, according to multiple state officials.

Where in the World Is Kamala Harris?  —  Vice president-elect Kamala Harris made headlines earlier this year pushing $2,000 checks for all American.  But suddenly, despite being desperately needed right now, she's nowhere to be found on the issue.  —  Our new issue, “Failure Is an Option,” is out now.

NY Attorney General subpoenas pro-Trump troll Jacob Wohl for voter suppression scheme  —  Wohl and Jack Burkman have been criminally indicted in Ohio and Michigan in connection with the robocall scheme  —  The New York Attorney General's office has issued subpoenas to right-wing trolls Jacob Wohl …

The secret Biden power broker  —  Welcome to POLITICO's 2020 Transition Playbook, your guide to one of the most consequential transfers of power in American history.  —  When President-elect JOE BIDEN tapped TED KAUFMAN to lead his transition last spring, Kaufman's first call was to MARK GITENSTEIN to enlist his help.

The Long March Back  —  A prudent, controlled burn of the GOP's dead weight would be wiser than an unmitigated act of arson.  —  Remember the whole “burn it down” debate?  —  Last summer it divided the anti-Trump right.  (I'm not going to use “NeverTrump” because it's become a useless and often stupid label.)