A President Unhappy, Unleashed and Unpredictable  —  President Trump remains the most powerful man in the world, but powerless to achieve what he most wants: to avoid leaving office as a loser.  —  With four weeks left in President Trump's term, he is at perhaps his most unleashed — and …

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 …

Trump White House staffers receive conflicting messages about their departure  —  Conflicting internal memos created confusion inside the White House on Wednesday about when staffers in the Executive Office of the President should begin preparing to leave work ahead of the transition next month.

Sources: Secret Service Has No Plan if Trump Refuses to Go  —  But they do have procedures for handling trespassers.  —  If there are any checklists or plans, procedures or guidelines for the Secret Service to follow in the event of an autogolpe—a Latin American-style crisis …

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 …

Florida's Keyontae Johnson diagnosed with heart inflammation that has been associated with COVID-19  —  GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida forward Keyontae Johnson, who collapsed on the court during a game Dec. 12 at Florida State, has been diagnosed with a heart inflammation that may be related to an earlier infection for COVID-19.

Scoop: Pistol-packing freshmen prompt Congress gun review  —  Several incoming House freshmen have inquired about carrying guns into the Capitol, leading a board overseeing congressional security to rethink a regulation banning members from packing heat under the dome, a House aide with direct knowledge of the board review told Axios.

Warnock's wife told officer that her husband is ‘a great actor’ after domestic dispute  —  Medical officials did not find visible signs of injury on his wife's foot and Warnock was never charged with a crime.  —  Ossoff, Warnock would embrace ‘far-left liberal policies’ in Senate: Alyssa Farah

Brindisi-Tenney race narrows even more: 3 to 5 votes separate candidates  —  OSWEGO, N.Y. — The incredibly close race for the 22nd Congressional District got even closer Tuesday, as about 90 new votes from a bundle of about 2,500 affidavit ballots from Oneida County were counted.

Biden's coronavirus health adviser is a prop  —  If President-elect Joe Biden is paying his coronavirus adviser anything, he should try getting a refund.  Michael Osterholm doesn't seem to know much more about the pandemic than the average cable news anchor, and that kind of knowledge is basically free of charge.

Despite Trump's intense hunt for voter fraud, officials in key states have so far identified just a small number of possible cases  —  In Pittsburgh, the local police department this year received 10 complaints of possible fraudulent voting in the November election.

Another 803,000 Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week  —  New York (CNN Business)Claims for unemployment benefits fell across most categories in Wednesday's Labor Department report.  Still the job market recovery has stalled while more than 20 million Americans need aid to make ends meet.

Pfizer Nears Deal With Trump Administration to Provide More Vaccine Doses  —  The company could provide at least tens of millions of additional doses of a coronavirus vaccine under an agreement that would give it better access to the supplies it needs to expand manufacturing.

Sanctions sought against lawyers who pushed to overturn Michigan's election  —  Lansing — Attorney General Dana Nessel said she plans to seek sanctions against lawyers who filed lawsuits against the state's election results with claims that featured “intentional misrepresentations.”

The case for a Chris Christie comeback  —  The former New Jersey governor has the perfect political résumé to bridge the party's divides in a post-Trump world.  —  Talk to enough mainstream Republican operatives , who are already brainstorming for the type of presidential nominee …

U.S. reports more Covid deaths than ever before  —  The United States on Tuesday saw the highest number of Covid-19 deaths in a single day, according to a count of reports by NBC News.  —  The 3,350 reported deaths break a previous single-day high that was set just last week, on Dec. 16.

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 …

Jared Kushner signed off on secret payments to top campaign officials, source says  —  Source tells Salon that dubious shell-company arrangements to pay top officials were approved by Kushner and Trump  —  Top White House adviser Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law …

Column: The bittersweet victory of Alex Padilla, California's first Latino U.S. senator  —  Well, Gavin Newsom took two-thirds of my advice.  —  In November, I wrote that he should pick a Latino from the San Fernando Valley to replace Kamala Harris as a California U.S. senator.