AP sources: Human remains found near Nashville explosion  —  NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Two law enforcement officials tell The Associated Press that authorities have found human remains in the vicinity of the explosion that rocked downtown Nashville early Christmas morning.

Washington's Secret to the Perfect Zoom Bookshelf?  Buy It Wholesale.  —  In a place like Washington—small, interconnected, erudite, gossipy—being well-read can create certain advantages.  So, too, can seeming well-read.  The “Washington bookshelf” is almost a phenomenon in itself …

A ‘Great Cultural Depression’ Looms for Legions of Unemployed Performers  —  With theaters and concert halls shuttered, unemployment in the arts has cut deeper than in restaurants and other hard-hit industries.  —  In the top echelons of classical music, the violinist Jennifer Koh is by any measure a star.

Families are turning obituaries into final pleas to avoid COVID-19  —  When Pamela Caddell died of COVID-19 last month, there was no funeral — her family knew that, as a former nurse, she wouldn't want anyone else to be exposed to the disease.  —  But there was still something her husband …

Did we defund the police?  No, but “big changes are happening” even after protests die down  —  Despite intense criticism coming from across the political spectrum, new city budgets show the protests worked  —  After weeks of nationwide protests over the police killings of unarmed Black people this summer …

Trump again calls for $2,000 checks as Covid aid bill remains in flux  —  President Donald Trump on Friday continued to push raising the amount of direct payments the massive Covid stimulus package should provide to Americans, but gave no indication on whether he would sign or veto the existing bill.

U.S.-Trained Afghan Fighter Pilot Is in Hiding After Being Denied Safe Passage  —  The case of a top Afghanistan pilot facing death threats from the Taliban has drawn ire from inside U.S. military ranks  —  Maj. Naiem Asadi, an Afghan pilot trained by the U.S. military …

A Stinging Setback in California Is a Warning for Democrats in 2022  —  Democrats lost four swing House districts in the state, suggesting that their hold on a number of formerly Republican seats is tenuous at best.  —  LOS ANGELES — Two years ago, Democrats celebrated a sweep …

As Virus Resurges in Africa, Doctors Fear the Worst Is Yet to Come  —  The coronavirus killed far fewer people in Africa than in Europe and the Americas, leading to a widespread perception that it was a disease of the West.  Now, a tide of new cases on the continent is raising alarms.

One Vaccine Side Effect: Global Economic Inequality  —  As Covid inoculations begin, the economic downturn stands to be reversed, but developing countries are at risk of being left behind.  —  LONDON — The end of the pandemic is finally in view.  So is rescue from the most traumatic global …

A Merry Brexit Christmas  —  No doubt it will go down in history as something like the “Christmas Treaty.”  It seems that Britain has finally struck a deal that will enable the country to savor the sovereignty it regained with Brexit.  It will begin its return to independence with a free-trade agreement with Europe.

Unemployment Aid Set to Lapse Saturday as Trump's Plans for Relief Bill Remain Unclear  —  At least a temporary lapse in expanded unemployment benefits for millions of Americans is now inevitable because of President Trump's delay in signing a $900 billion pandemic relief bill.

The “Dr.” will see you now  —  On Joseph Epstein and the “big gun” of identity politics.  —  Trelawney was always changing his style—even his name, too, I believe, which is, of course, no more Trelawney than my own is.  Nor does anyone know why he should be addressed as Doctor.

How real is the threat of prosecution for Donald Trump post-presidency?  —  Legal threats range from investigations into his business dealings in New York to possible obstruction of justice charges - but all come with a political cost  —  At noon on 20 January, presuming he doesn't have to be dragged …