McConnell blocks Democrats' attempt to quickly approve $2,000 stimulus checks amid pressure on GOP to act  —  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Tuesday blocked consideration of a House bill that would deliver $2,000 stimulus payments to most Americans — spurning a request …

N.Y. prosecutor hires forensic accounting experts as Trump criminal probe escalates  —  NEW YORK — The Manhattan District Attorney's Office has retained forensic accounting specialists to aid its criminal investigation of President Trump and his business operations, as prosecutors ramp …

First case of highly infectious coronavirus variant detected in Colorado  —  The Washington Post is providing this important information about the coronavirus for free.  For more free coverage of the coronavirus pandemic, sign up for our Coronavirus Updates newsletter where all stories are free to read.

Trump angered by Mar-a-Lago renovations, sources say  —  (CNN)His mood darkened as soon as he walked into his members-only club Mar-a-Lago, three days before Christmas, according to multiple sources.  The changes to his private quarters, many of which were overseen by his wife …

L.A. County hospitals turn away ambulances, put patients in gift shop: 'I've never seen anything like this'  —  At Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, the breaking point came Sunday night.  —  There was not one available bed for at least 30 patients who needed intensive or intermediate levels of care …

Feds decline charges against officers in Tamir Rice case  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department announced Tuesday that it would not bring federal criminal charges against two Cleveland police officers in the 2014 killing of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, saying video of the shooting was of too poor …

Nikki Haley's mind-numbing inanity  —  Republicans have made clear for years that they lack constructive ideas to respond to Americans' real-world concerns.  In lieu of rational responses to rising health-care costs or falling K-12 test scores or income inequality, they rant about Confederate flags …

‘Things will get worse before they get better’: Biden's grim COVID-19 speech offers contrast with Trump  —  President-elect Joe Biden painted a grim picture of the coronavirus pandemic, saying the worst was yet to come.  —  Biden also chided his predecessor for the pace of COVID-19 vaccinations …

The Resistance's Breakup With the Media Is at Hand  —  The day after the 2016 election, I got a phone call from an old friend.  Neither of us had slept much, and we spent most of the conversation exchanging shell-shocked comments of the Can you believe this? variety.  Before we hung up, his voice took on a trace of irony.

Federal Judge Calls Trump a ‘Criminal’ During a Phone Call with the Associated Press  —  A senior U.S. District judge called Donald Trump a “criminal” during a phone call with the Associated Press as he discussed the 45th president's recent pardons of political allies who were convicted …

Donald Trump, Michelle Obama Most Admired in 2020  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Americans are most likely to name President Donald Trump and Michelle Obama as most admired man and woman in 2020.  Trump tied former President Barack Obama for the honor last year but edged out his predecessor this year.

Operation Warp Speed at a crawl: Adequately vaccinating Americans will take 10 years at current pace  —  The Trump administration's Covid-19 vaccine distribution program needs a major shot in the arm because at the current rate, it would take almost 10 years to inoculate enough Americans …

Kelly Loeffler's Conflict of Interest Is Even Worse Than Reported  —  Let our journalists help you make sense of the noise: Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily newsletter and get a recap of news that matters.  —  As she campaigns for reelection in the January 5 run-off, Kelly Loeffler …

Massachusetts GOP leader says he likely got covid-19 at a White House Hanukkah party: 'I'm paying the price'  —  Earlier this month, Tom Mountain, a Massachusetts Republican Party leader, posed for a maskless photo in front of a silver menorah as dozens of other guests without face coverings mingled nearby …

Kushner Cos.  Plans to Raise $100 Million by Selling Bonds in Israel  —  Company plan is likely to rekindle criticism of potential conflicts of interest between Jared Kushner's role in White House and his family's business  —  Kushner Cos., the family business of White House senior aide Jared Kushner …

The Life in The Simpsons Is No Longer Attainable  —  The most famous dysfunctional family of 1990s television enjoyed, by today's standards, an almost dreamily secure existence that now seems out of reach for all too many Americans.  I refer, of course, to the Simpsons.

Biden's Incoming National Security Adviser Faults Pentagon's ‘Obstruction’  —  The outgoing Trump administration still isn't providing information in the way President-elect Joe Biden's lieutenants feel is appropriate for a team poised to take the reins of power, incoming national security adviser Jake Sullivan told NPR Tuesday.

Thousands of Colorado residents without heat after attack on gas service  —  The temperature in Aspen, Colorado, will fall to 2 degrees Tuesday night.  —  Residents without heat after attack on gas lines  —  Thousands of Aspen residents are without heat after an “intentional attack” on gas service lines in the area.

Record shows US sold ambassador's home in Israel for $67M  —  An official record shows that the United States sold the ambassador's residence in Israel for more than $67 million in July  —  Catch up on the developing stories making headlines.  —  JERUSALEM — The United States sold …

GBI finishes signature audit in Cobb County, finds only two mismatches  —  COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Channel 2 Action News has learned that the Georgia Bureau of Investigation has finished the signature audit in Cobb County over the November election.  —  Earlier in the month …

Apple's longtime supplier accused of using forced labor in China  —  New documents show Lens Technology, which makes iPhone glass and is owned by China's richest woman, received Uighur Muslim laborers transferred from Xinjiang.  —  One of the oldest and most well-known iPhone suppliers …

The Inaugural Luncheon is the latest pandemic casualty  —  The century-old tradition of the post-inauguration lunch is the latest pandemic casualty as COVID-19 continues to upend the ceremonies around the Jan. 20 swearing-in of President-elect Joe Biden.  —  The Inaugural Luncheon tradition …

The Army is planning a major overhaul of its hair and grooming regulations … Senior Army leaders are discussing making long-awaited changes to hair and grooming regulations and they plan to announce the finalized changes in January 2021, Task & Purpose has learned.

Appeals court backs subpoena-like power for minority in House  —  A divided federal appeals court has upheld the power of legislators in the House minority to demand records from the executive branch.  —  Acting in a dispute over records related to President Donald Trump's luxury Trump International Hotel …

‘Dark period’: Killings spike in NYC amid pandemic, unrest  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Heralded as the safest big city in America in recent years, New York City is closing out its bloodiest year in nearly a decade, grappling with a surge in homicides and a pandemic authorities say has helped fuel violence.

Brexit deal mentions Netscape browser and Mozilla Mail  —  References to decades-old computer software are included in the new Brexit agreement, including a description of Netscape Communicator and Mozilla Mail as being “modern” services.  —  Experts believe officials must have copied …

Report: Phoenix police officer said, 'If the mayor defunds the police, I'm going to shoot her'  —  Uriel J. Garcia Jen FifieldArizona Republic  —  On the afternoon of October 21, seven Phoenix police officers gathered for a briefing in a Cave Creek station when the meeting diverged …

Where Year Two of the Pandemic Will Take Us  —  Editor's Note: The Atlantic is making vital coverage of the coronavirus available to all readers.  Find the collection here.  —  The influenza pandemic that began in 1918 killed as many as 100 million people over two years.