Mass confusion over Trump's endgame as Washington barrels toward shutdown, economic crisis  —  White House officials have been mum on Trump's demands, leaving Democrats and Republicans to try and parse his tweets as Monday deadline looms  —  As President Trump rapidly approached a Monday deadline …

The Post says: Give it up, Mr. President — for your sake and the nation's  —  Mr. President, it's time to end this dark charade.  —  We're one week away from an enormously important moment for the next four years of our country.  —  On Jan. 5, two runoff races in Georgia will determine …

Authorities identify Anthony Warner as Nashville bomber, say his remains were found in the wreckage  —  Neighbors describe Warner as a “recluse” with an interest in home security.  —  Anthony Quinn Warner was responsible for the Christmas morning explosion that rocked downtown Nashville …

Heather Cox Richardson Offers a Break From the Media Maelstrom.  It's Working.  —  She is the breakout star of the newsletter platform Substack, doing the opposite of most media as she calmly situates the news of the day in the long sweep of American history.

Even Homer Gets Mobbed  —  A Massachusetts school has banned ‘The Odyssey.’  —  A sustained effort is under way to deny children access to literature.  Under the slogan #DisruptTexts, critical-theory ideologues, schoolteachers and Twitter agitators are purging and propagandizing against classic texts …

Reginald Foster, Vatican Latinist Who Tweeted in the Language, Dies at 81  —  One of the world's foremost experts on Latin, Father Foster was a monk who looked like a stevedore, dressed like a janitor and swore like a sailor.  —  Reginald Foster, a former plumber's apprentice from Wisconsin who …

1 of every 17 people in the U.S. has been infected, and 1 in 1,000 has died.  Yet the worst may lie ahead.  —  With bubble-enclosed Santas and Zoom-enhanced family gatherings, much of the United States played it safe over Christmas while the coronavirus rampaged across the country.

Household Cash Balances during COVID-19: A Distributional Perspective  —  JPMorgan Chase Institute Take  —  Months after the declaration of national emergency on March 13, 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact the economy and household finances in dramatic and unprecedented ways.

How the American system failed in 2020: Pandemic politics  —  Is there any solution to the deep and bitter polarization in American politics?  There is.  But it's not working.  —  The solution is supposed to come in the form of a crisis.  In a crisis, Americans pull together and rally behind a common cause.

Trump's legacy: An enduring contempt for truth?  —  PolitiFact, the fact checking site, was in a quandary over its annual “lie of the year” award; there were so many choices.  —  Instead of the usual one example, the award was given to the package of lies about the novel Coronavirus …

Waiting for Joe Biden: How to make it through the final, awful days of Donald Trump  —  Marie Antoinette had nothing on Trump, who flew to Florida and hit the links after pardoning cronies and upending a desperately needed COVID relief deal.  —  Most of America likely is not surprised …

Israel said planning to advance settlement building before Biden enters office  —  Defense Ministry panel reportedly set to convene in coming two weeks on building approvals in West Bank, East Jerusalem, in last gasp of Trump administration  —  Israel is expected to greenlight settlement construction ahead …

Why these Fox News loyalists have changed the channel to Newsmax  —  On the morning after Election Day, Greg and Jenny Brethen, loyal viewers of Fox News who watched the channel religiously for almost 20 years, turned on their go-to morning show, “Fox & Friends,” and thought they saw something fishy.

Turning the Corner on Covid  —  January will be tough but with sensible precautions the virus can be a manageable risk by spring.  —  The novel coronavirus is about to make its last major stand, so prepare for the most difficult six weeks yet.  But things will look up as spring approaches.