Senate tide begins to shift toward $2,000 checks after Trump's push  —  A couple of days ago, it looked impossible that $2,000 COVID relief checks — up from the $600 checks for individuals in the package President Trump signed Sunday — could pass the Senate.

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.

Ex-Pence aide turned Trump critic ‘very concerned’ about Jan. 6 violence  —  A former aide to Vice President Pence who has since become a vocal critic of the Trump administration warned Monday that she feared violence could erupt in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, when Congress …

The Worst Predictions of 2020  —  On the last day of 2019, President Donald Trump joined in on New Year's Eve celebrations at Mar-a-Lago, ringing in 2020 with what was, in retrospect, a terrible prediction about the year ahead.  —  “We're going to have a great year, I predict,” the president told assembled guests.

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.

Judge blocks voter purge in 2 Georgia counties  —  A federal judge in Georgia on Monday ordered two counties to reverse a decision removing more than 4,000 voters from the rolls ahead of the Jan. 5 runoff elections that will decide control of the U.S. Senate.

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 …

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.

A Far-Right Terrorism Suspect With a Refugee Disguise: The Tale of Franco A.  —  A German officer is facing trial on terrorism charges.  At a volatile time for Western democracy, his story mirrors the story of Germany itself.  —  OFFENBACH, Germany — At the height of Europe's migrant crisis …

Georgia Is a Quiet Place for Republicans  —  They don't dare speak the truth because they're afraid of their voters.  —  David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler didn't plan on orienting their Georgia run-off campaigns around a lame-duck president's crackpot election conspiracies and cuckoo coup attempts.

Child labor in palm oil industry tied to Girl Scout cookies  —  They are two young girls from two very different worlds, linked by a global industry that exploits an army of children.  —  Olivia Chaffin, a Girl Scout in rural Tennessee, was a top cookie seller in her troop …

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 …

Alec Baldwin's wife hit with allegations that she has lied for years about her Spanish heritage  —  Let's be very clear that Europe has a lot of white people in there and my family is white.'  —  Hilaria Baldwin, the wife of actor Alec Baldwin, has been hit with a barrage of accusations claiming …

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.  —  The most famous dysfunctional family of 1990s television enjoyed, by today's standards …

Labor: Unemployment won't lapse despite Trump signing delay  —  Unemployment benefits included in a new COVID-19 relief package will not lapse this week, as anticipated, despite President Trump's delay in signing the bill, the Labor Department confirmed Tuesday.

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 …

Inside the Google-Facebook Ad Deal at the Heart of a Price-Fixing Lawsuit  —  Lawmakers have called for an investigation into the tech giants' contract, dubbed ‘Jedi Blue,’ which allegedly allowed for auction rigging  —  State attorneys general said in a lawsuit earlier this month …

Ron DeSantis Is TNR's 2020 Scoundrel of the Year  —  For so many of us, the person of the year is Nothing.  The thing that killed mom or laid out the elementary school teacher was Nothing.  Nobody saw it.  Either dad tracked nothing home from the grocery store or there was a fatal amount of Nothing smeared all over the produce.

Small Number of Covid Patients Develop Severe Psychotic Symptoms  —  Most had no history of mental illness and became psychotic weeks after contracting the virus.  Cases are expected to remain rare but are being reported worldwide.  —  Almost immediately, Dr. Hisam Goueli could tell …

Is it any wonder liberal states are shrinking?  —  For an entire human lifetime, the state of Illinois has been a laggard in population growth.  It has lost eight congressional districts since the 1950s.  But new census estimates released last week show that this decade, something very special has happened.

Kelly Loeffler's Sacrilegious Campaign  —  “She's lied, not only on me, but on Jesus,” says the Rev. Raphael Warnock, as religious leaders decry the Republican's vile attacks on the Black pastor.  —  Kelly Loeffler's relentless assault on the religious faith of the Rev. Raphael Warnock …

Politico to Acquire Energy Trade Publication E&E News  —  Purchase comes as Politico looks to expand its overall professional news business  —  Politico is adding some energy to its game.  —  The nearly 14-year-old political news outlet is acquiring E&E News, a high-price subscription …

PA Republican lawmakers: Analysis finds presidential election numbers don't add up  —  A group of Republican lawmakers say they've performed an extensive analysis of election day data and they've found “troubling” discrepancies.  According to State Rep. Frank Ryan (R-Lebanon), 17 lawmakers sponsored and participated in the analysis.