Trump to return to Washington early ahead of Republican plan to disrupt certification of Biden's win  —  (CNN)President Donald Trump is expected to return to Washington earlier than anticipated ahead of a planned disruption by Republicans when Congress meets next week to certify President-elect Joe Biden's win.

British PM Johnson's father applying for French citizenship  —  PARIS (Reuters) - The father of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Thursday he was in the process of applying for a French passport to maintain his ties with the European Union after Brexit.

Trump Georgia rally could backfire, electing Ossoff and Warnock  —  Today the battle rages in Washington and Georgia over the possibility of $2,000 COVID-19 relief checks that are strongly supported by President Trump, almost all Democrats in Congress, a minority of Republicans in Congress …

Biden inaugural activities to include memorial service for covid victims  —  President-elect Joe Biden's scaled-back inaugural activities will include a nationwide memorial service ahead of his swearing-in to honor the lives lost to the coronavirus, the committee planning the events announced Thursday.

Senate Democrats' Motion To Concede On $2,000 Checks  —  How Democrats and Beltway pundits just helped Mitch McConnell undermine Bernie Sanders' push for direct aid to millions of Americans facing eviction, starvation and bankruptcy.  —  David Sirota and Andrew Perez  —  8 hr ago

Iran accuses Trump of ‘plot to fabricate pretext for war’  —  Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif on Thursday accused President Trump of trying to create a “pretext for war” after the U.S. flew two B-52 bombers in the Middle East amid warnings of a possible attack in the region from Tehran.

Scoop: Trump administration declassifies unconfirmed intel on Chinese bounties  —  The Trump administration is declassifying as-yet uncorroborated intelligence, recently briefed to President Trump, that indicates China offered to pay non-state actors in Afghanistan to attack American soldiers …

Nashville's Big Bomb Was a Very Rare Device, Experts Think  —  Fire, flash and power signal a volatile fuel-air mix that even terrorists avoid  —  Find his test sites, top bomb experts say.  —  Anthony Quinn Warner's device, although probably made of common over-the-counter components …

A Republican in Joe Biden's Cabinet?  The president-elect should just say no.  —  Naming a Republican is bad messaging and not necessary.  And it wouldn't signal strength or produce an envoy with persuasive powers over the opposition.  —  The doors may be closing on the chances of a Republican …

Secret Service to make changes to presidential detail to bring on agents who worked with Biden  —  The Secret Service is making some staff changes in the presidential detail that will guard President-elect Joe Biden, amid concerns from Biden allies that some current members were politically aligned …

Biden's Team Tells Senate Democrats To Send Him Judicial Nominees ASAP  —  The president-elect wants recommendations for all existing district court vacancies by Jan. 19, says his incoming White House counsel.  —  President-elect Joe Biden is signaling that he's ready to move quickly with nominating judges once he's sworn into office.

2020 Shatters the Myth of American Exceptionalism  —  2020 will go down for me as the year I did not travel to Minnesota.  —  Strictly speaking, it is more accurate to say this was the year when I did not travel to my version of Minnesota.  —  My Minnesota is a crisp morning stroll in Northfield …

Timnit Gebru's Exit From Google Exposes a Crisis in AI  —  The situation has made clear that the field needs to change.  Here's where to start, according to a current and a former Googler.  —  WIRED OPINION  —  This year has held many things, among them bold claims of artificial intelligence breakthroughs.

Census Bureau to miss deadline, jeopardizing Trump plan  —  The Census Bureau plans to announce it will miss a year-end deadline for handing in numbers used for divvying up congressional seats, a census official said.  That delay could undermine President Donald Trump's efforts to exclude people …

Elizabeth Warren's next chapter  —  Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wants Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer replaced, lamenting that there's no one ready to step in.  Elizabeth Warren has a different approach.  —  The Massachusetts Democrat is a member of Schumer's leadership team and is working closely …

Ohio State study: 30% of student athletes have heart damage linked to COVID-19  —  New research suggests COVID-19 may leave lingering heart damage  —  LOS ANGELES - In a study published in September, researchers from Ohio State University found that out of more than two dozen athletes …

Alden Global Seeks to Buy Tribune Publishing  —  Hedge fund already owns 32% of the Chicago Tribune publisher  —  A hedge fund that owns a big stake in Tribune Publishing Co. is seeking to buy the newspaper chain behind titles including the Chicago Tribune and New York Daily News, according to people familiar with the matter.

Dr. Drew reveals COVID-19 diagnosis months after apologizing for downplaying coronavirus  —  Celebrity doctor Drew Pinsky has tested positive for COVID-19.  Pinsky, known as “Dr. Drew,” is “under surveillance” according to a message shared on his Instagram account.

On its 75th anniversary, the UN soils itself  —  As the United Nations concludes its 75th birthday year, it is hard to be optimistic about the international body.  Established for the cause of preserving peace and meaningful diplomacy, the U.N. was also supposed to be a guardian for human rights.

The Small Colorado Town Shrugged Off the Pandemic.  Then Came the Coronavirus Variant.  —  Simla, Colo., an isolated ranching community, is the site of the first known case in the United States of a new, more infectious variant of the coronavirus.  —  SIMLA, Colo. — An isolated ranching community …

Jobless Claims Seen Elevated During Week Clouded With Uncertainty  —  Impending changes to benefits and Christmas holiday may have affected application levels  —  The number of workers seeking unemployment benefits is projected to have edged higher during a holiday week …

Kentucky residents ‘luck’ into getting COVID vaccine Walgreens didn't want to expire  —  Offering those doses went “against protocol,” the governor said.  —  Vice President-elect Kamala Harris receives COVID-19 vaccine  —  Harris was vaccinated one week after President-elect Joe Biden received the first dose of the two-dose-vaccine.