Scoop: Gina Haspel threatened to resign over plan to install Kash Patel as CIA deputy  —  CIA Director Gina Haspel threatened to resign in early December after President Trump cooked up a hasty plan to install loyalist Kash Patel, a former aide to Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), as her deputy …

Atlanta Prosecutor Appears to Move Closer to Trump Inquiry  —  The Fulton County district attorney is weighing an inquiry into possible election interference and is said to be considering hiring an outside counsel.  —  ATLANTA — Prosecutors in Georgia appear increasingly likely to open …

Covid-19 Vaccine Leaders Waited Months to Approve Distribution Plans  —  Holdup left states with little time to develop mass-vaccination plan; U.S. says it needed time for interagency clearance  —  Operation Warp Speed leaders waited more than two months to approve a plan to distribute …

Capitol Police intelligence report warned three days before attack that ‘Congress itself’ could be targeted  —  Three days before thousands of rioters converged on the U.S. Capitol, an internal Capitol Police intelligence report warned of a violent scenario in which “Congress itself” …

Kudlow Criticizes Trump for Handling of Riot, Treatment of Pence  —  President's top economic adviser faulted his boss for recent actions, praised administration policy legacy on taxes and trade  —  WASHINGTON—President Trump's top economic adviser criticized his boss's handling of the riot …

John Weaver, former McCain aide, acknowledges “inappropriate” messages  —  John Weaver, a veteran Republican operative who co-founded the Lincoln Project, declared in a statement to Axios on Friday that he sent “inappropriate,” sexually charged messages to multiple men.

A former president Trump won't ‘need to know.’ Cut off his intelligence.  —  Susan M. Gordon was the principal deputy director of national intelligence from 2017 to 2019.  —  Every former president in the modern era has benefited from a unique national security perk after leaving the White House …

James Murdoch blasts US media for unleashing ‘insidious forces’  —  Comments from Rupert's son are his strongest rebuke of industry practices since leaving the family business  —  James Murdoch has castigated the US media for the “toxic politics” threatening American democracy …

Pence, occupying a leadership void, calls Harris to offer assistance — as Trump plans his Inauguration Day getaway.  —  Vice President Mike Pence telephoned Vice President-elect Kamala Harris Thursday to congratulate her and offer his belated assistance — filling a leadership role …

Statement  —  We received a lengthy letter from Dominion's defamation lawyers explaining why they believe that their client has been the victim of defamatory statements.  Having considered the full import of the letter, we have agreed to their request that we publish the following statement:

“After Me, Baby, You're Gonna Be Ruined for Anyone Else”: Donald Trump Refused to Take ‘No’ From Women—And Then From America Itself  —  Donald Trump is leaving office with a reputation marred by two impeachments, multiple scandals, and a violent assault on the U.S. Capitol.

Trump weighing a pardon for Steve Bannon  —  President Donald Trump is considering granting a pardon to Steve Bannon, his former White House chief strategist and top campaign aide, who was charged with swindling donors to a private crowdsourcing effort to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border …

Manhattan DA expands criminal investigation into Trump Organization finances to include family compound in Westchester County  —  (CNN)The Manhattan district attorney's office has expanded its criminal investigation into the Trump Organization's finances to include the family's compound in Westchester County …

Biden Begins Presidency With Positive Ratings; Trump Departs With Lowest-Ever Job Mark  —  68% of public does not want Trump to remain a major political figure in the future  —  Pew Research Center conducted this study to examine the public's reactions to the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election …

Online far-right movements fracture in wake of Capitol riot  —  Online far-right movements are splintering in the wake of last week's Capitol riot, as some radical anti-government movements show signs of disillusionment with the relatively hands-off approach of some QAnon conspiracy theorists amid warnings of future violence.

‘Destroy Trump’: Breitbart Staffers Seethe After Capitol Riot  —  “This is banana republic shit,” wrote one editor at the staunchly pro-Trump outlet, in response to colleagues downplaying or excusing the violence during last week's MAGA mob. … Editors and reporters at the staunchly pro …

Trump Is on the Verge of Losing Everything  —  President Trump's second impeachment, like the other repudiations he has suffered, feels provisional.  He is never quite banished.  He is impeached, but Senate Republicans refuse to convict or even allow evidence into his trial.

North Texan Jenna Ryan Tells CBS 11 She Deserves Pardon After Arrest For Alleged Role In Capitol Riot  —  CARROLLTON, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - North Texas realtor Jenna Ryan, who was seen in photos and video at the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot, arrived home Friday, Jan. 15 after turning herself in to authorities earlier in the day.

Biden to deploy FEMA, National Guard to set up Covid vaccine clinics across the U.S.  —  President-elect Joe Biden plans to use FEMA and the National Guard to build coronavirus vaccine clinics across the United States, according to new details of his Covid-19 vaccination plan released by his transition team on Friday.

‘I cannot wait to leave this job’ — Acting Defense Secretary Miller has zero f-ks left … Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller has apparently dropped his proverbial pack after expending the last f-k he has left.  —  “I mean, I cannot wait to leave this job, believe me,” …

Leaked Parler Data Points to Users at Police Stations, U.S. Military Bases  —  Location data gleaned from thousands of videos posted on the social network Parler and extracted in the days before Amazon restricted access to app this week, reveal its users included police officers around the U.S …

In Tampa Bay area, 2,000 Republicans switch parties in days after Capitol riot  —  More than half the Republican switchers changed to no party affiliation, while about 300 became Democrats.  The rest went to minor parties.  —  Since the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol …

Mexico clears general, publishes US evidence against him  —  MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has accused the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration of fabricating drug trafficking charges against the country's former defense secretary …

Worst Secretary of State Ever  —  It's an open question whether Donald Trump will go down as the worst president in American history (James Buchanan and Andrew Johnson remain formidable contenders), but there's no question that Mike Pompeo, his most fervid lapdog, is the worst secretary of state.

Fact Sheet: Activity at the Wuhan Institute of Virology  —  For more than a year, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has systematically prevented a transparent and thorough investigation of the COVID-19 pandemic's origin, choosing instead to devote enormous resources to deceit and disinformation.

A hidden reason that Joe Biden is trying to go big  —  The sheer scale of the economic rescue package that Joe Biden has unveiled has surprised a lot of observers who were expecting the president-elect to offer something more in line with his centrist, incrementalist past.

Liz Cheney suffers impeachment vote blowback at home: 'Couldn't win a primary today for dog catcher'  —  Rep. Liz Cheney's vote to impeach President Trump put her political future in jeopardy back home in Wyoming, revealed a state GOP official.  —  Doubts quickly surfaced about her viability …

B.C. billionaire given the green light to sue Twitter over ‘Pizzagate’ tweets  —  Judge says Frank Giustra's connections to province and Twitter's reach give B.C. court jurisdiction  —  West Vancouver billionaire Frank Giustra has been given the go-ahead to sue Twitter in a B.C. courtroom …

Trump Is Putting the Machinery of Death Into Overdrive  —  After 17 years without a federal execution in the United States, the Trump administration has gone on what can only be called a killing spree.  —  Staff writer at The Atlantic  —  The first time I stood in an execution chamber …

Covid-19 Strain Found in U.K. Likely to Become Dominant in U.S. in March, CDC Says  —  Public-health agency calls for increased masking, social distancing to help limit more-contagious variant  —  A highly transmissible coronavirus variant that was first identified in the U.K. is spreading rapidly …

Outgoing CDC Director Warns Of Pandemic's Peak: 'We're About To Be In The Worst Of It'  —  Toggle more options  —  Next week marks one year since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the first coronavirus case in the United States.  —  Dr. Robert Redfield …