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 …

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 calls on Congress to approve $2,000 stimulus checks, hinting that he might not sign economic relief bill into law without changes  —  The president has still not signed the measure even though it passed Monday night.  He called the measure “a disgrace.”

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.

Republicans plunge into open battle over attempts to overturn Trump's loss to Biden  —  The GOP is plunging into open warfare over President-elect Joe Biden's election victory — with President Trump taunting Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in a passive-aggressive email blast …

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.

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 …

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

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.

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 …

FBI links Iran to online hit list targeting top officials who've refuted Trump's election fraud claims  —  The FBI has concluded that Iran was behind online efforts earlier this month to incite violence against the bureau's director, a former top U.S. cyber expert and multiple state elections …

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.

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

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 …