Until Biden's win is certified, the U.S. remains vulnerable  —  Not to be alarmist, but we should recognize that the United States will be in the danger zone until the formal certification of Joe Biden's election victory on Jan. 6, because potential domestic and foreign turmoil could give President Trump an excuse to cling to power.

Mnuchin's loyalty to Trump could end with painful setback as president shreds stimulus deal  —  Democrats and Republicans had thought Mnuchin was speaking for the president in negotiating the $908 billion pact, but Trump quickly called it a “disgrace.”  —  President Trump on Saturday continued …

Person of interest identified in connection to Nashville bombing  —  A law enforcement source told CBS News a person of interest has been identified in connection to the Christmas morning explosion in Nashville.  The person is connected to the RV that exploded.

Jobless Benefits Run Out as Trump Resists Signing Relief Bill  —  Millions of Americans lost crucial unemployment coverage, as the president continued to criticize the bill that would keep the aid from lapsing.  —  WASHINGTON — Millions of Americans lost their unemployment coverage on Saturday …

Archaeologists uncover ancient street food shop in Pompeii  —  ROME (Reuters) - Archaeologists in Pompeii, the city buried in a volcanic eruption in 79 AD, have made the extraordinary find of a frescoed hot food and drinks shop that served up the ancient equivalent of street food to Roman passersby.

William Barr: ‘One Standard of Justice’  —  The departing attorney general talks about John Durham, Robert Mueller, Hunter Biden, Mike Flynn and the flak he's taken from both parties.  —  The U.S. attorney general is meditating on one of his frustrations with the modern Justice Department …

A Short Tribute to My Mother  —  My mother died in Moscow on December 25, at the age of 83.  She meant everything to me, of course, but she was a remarkable woman in her own right, and I wanted to share a little about her and her life.  —  Klara Shagenovna Kasparova was born in Baku …

Amazon hires lobbyist brother of Biden White House counselor  — Jeff Ricchetti, the brother of Biden's White House counselor Steve Ricchetti, recently secured a lobbying contract with Amazon Web Services.  — The report shows Ricchetti registered to lobby for Amazon Web Services on Nov. 13 …

John Cornyn's Christmas Eve brisket confuses the internet  —  Well, it definitely appears to be meat of some sort.  —  U.S. Sen. John Cornyn of Texas on Thursday tweeted a photo of his family's holiday meal with the caption, “Brisket family tradition.”  —  As Cornyn is the senior senator from Texas …

Early Vaccine Doubters Now Show a Willingness to Roll Up Their Sleeves  —  Polls show that pervasive skepticism is melting, partly because of the high efficacy rates in trials and the images of real people getting the shot.  —  Ever since the race to develop a coronavirus vaccine began last spring …

Fintan O'Toole: Trump has unfinished business.  A republic he wants to destroy still stands  —  2020 in review: Donald Trump will continue to unleash racism, nativism and a fear of government  —  “In my beginning”, wrote TS Eliot in Four Quartets, “is my end.”

Barr says no reason for special counsels to investigate election, Hunter Biden, no basis for seize voting machines  —  The attorney general contradicted ideas entertained by President Trump.  —  Catch up on the developing stories making headlines.  —  Michael Reynolds/Pool via AP

NYT Wonders: Do Dem Setbacks In California Portend Disaster In 2022?  —  Short answer: yes, although disaster might already be the default whether Democrats learn any lessons or not.  The New York Times warns Democrats today that their losses in several House races in California last month …