Report Cites New Details of Trump Pressure on Justice Dept. Over Election  —  A Senate panel fleshed out how Donald Trump pursued his plan to install a loyalist as acting attorney general to pursue unfounded reports of fraud.  —  WASHINGTON — Even by the standards of President Donald J. Trump …

Scoop: Sanders' Sinema spat  —  Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) withheld support for a joint statement condemning last weekend's protests against Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) because it also wouldn't include a rebuke of her political views, Axios has learned.  —  Why it matters …

Dems take GOP's short-term debt fix offer, kicking deadline to December  —  Democrats are planning to accept an offer from Mitch McConnell to let them raise the debt ceiling into December without a GOP filibuster, multiple senators said after a closed-door caucus meeting on Wednesday.

U.S. Troops Have Been Deployed in Taiwan for at Least a Year  —  Small presence of Americans secretly training local forces marks concern over China's yearslong military buildup and recent moves  —  WASHINGTON—A U.S. special-operations unit and a contingent of Marines have been secretly operating …

The foul-mouthed farmer sticking his neck out for Democrats' agenda  —  When Jon Tester returned from a White House meeting last month, Amy Klobuchar congratulated him for his “nice quote” about the debt ceiling.  —  As Klobuchar read back Tester's expletive-infused words, he recalled protesting: “'Come on.

Federal Judge Pauses Strict Texas Law Banning Most Abortions  —  A sharply worded ruling sided with the Justice Department, which sued to block the measure last month after the Supreme Court declined to intervene.  —  WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Wednesday granted the Justice Department's request …

In U.S., Trust in Politicians, Voters Continues to Ebb  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Americans' lack of confidence in government may be related, in part, to a waning trust in the elected decision-makers who are ultimately responsible for how government functions, along with the voters who put them in office.

Patient, Donor Denied Kidney Transplant Surgery Over Being Unvaccinated  —  AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) - A Colorado woman with stage 5 renal failure was months away from getting a new kidney.  Now, she and her donor are looking for another hospital after learning UCHealth's new policy.

The inside scope: How ego led Trump to hide a colonoscopy  —  It was one of the great mysteries of his time in office.  Why, exactly, did President Donald Trump make an unscheduled trip to Walter Reed National Medical Center one sunny Saturday afternoon in November 2019?

Pfizer Asks F.D.A. to Authorize Its Covid-19 Vaccine for Children 5 to 11  —  The agency has promised to move quickly on the request and has tentatively scheduled a meeting at the end of the month to consider it.  —  WASHINGTON — Pfizer and BioNTech said on Thursday morning …

Joy Hofmeister to flip parties, challenge Kevin Stitt for governor in 2022 … State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister is running for governor — as a Democrat.  —  The 57-year-old lifelong Republican told the Tulsa World in an exclusive interview that she is changing her party registration …

The Liberal Activist Who Targets Republicans With a MAGA Masquerade  —  Pretending to be like-minded, Lauren Windsor has generated headlines by coaxing conservatives like Tommy Tuberville and Glenn Youngkin into making revealing statements about their views.  —  Mike Pence told her, “I love your heart.”

How AT&T fuels right-wing extremists  —  One America News (OAN), a right-wing propaganda network that promotes unhinged conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, COVID, and other topics, relies almost exclusively on funding from AT&T. Court records first obtained by Reuters reveal that AT&T is responsible for 90% of OAN's revenue.

De Blasio Misused Security Detail, NYPD Covered It Up, City Inspector General Says  —  What to Know  — A Department of Investigation report out Thursday found NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio misused his NYPD security details for personal and political purposes and at least one NYPD official helped cover it up

‘The intelligence was there’: Law enforcement warnings abounded in the runup to Jan. 6  —  On Dec. 24, a private intelligence company that works with law enforcement issued a grave warning: Users of a pro-Trump internet forum were talking about turning violent on Jan. 6.

C.I.A. Reorganization to Place New Focus on China  —  The agency will create two new mission centers, one focused on China, the other focused on emerging technology, climate change and global health.  —  WASHINGTON — The C.I.A. will embark on a reorganization intended to focus more on China …

Durham Probes Pentagon Computer Contractors in Anti-Trump Conspiracy  —  Above, ‘Tech Executive-1’ alludes to leaving his job last month amid John Durham's Russia probe.  —  Cybersecurity experts who held lucrative Pentagon and homeland security contracts and high-level security clearances …

Why I Left National Review  —  Victor Davis Hanson discusses his decision to leave National Review with Tucker Carlson, and his ideas about a conservatism that respects and seeks to preserve America's middle class.  —  The following is a transcript of Victor Davis Hanson, author of The Dying Citizen …

Lewandowski Demanded Cash After MAGA-Land Kicked Him to the Curb  —  “It doesn't matter if he'd asked for five dollars, it wasn't going to happen,” one individual familiar with the situation said.  —  Last week, Donald Trump announced the exile of his confidant and former top campaign aide Corey Lewandowski …

Maryland man allegedly fatally shot his pharmacist brother for ‘killing people’ with the COVID vaccine, court records show  —  A Cumberland man allegedly killed his brother and sister-in-law in their Ellicott City home last week because his brother, a pharmacist, administered COVID-19 vaccines …

Project Home Fire/Center for Politics Research Reveals Outsized Role Immigration Plays in Fueling our National Divide  —  Dear Readers: This is the second in a series of planned releases on a polling and data analytics project conducted by the University of Virginia Center for Politics and Project Home Fire …

2021 Chicago Council Survey  —  PUBLIC OPINION SURVEY BY DINA SMELTZ, IVO H. DAALDER, KARL FRIEDHOFF, CRAIG KAFURA, AND EMILY SULLIVAN  —  While the Biden administration seems to understand where Americans stand on China and domestic renewal to support global competitiveness …

Critical race theory was the hot topic on Fox News this summer.  Not so much anymore.  —  Concern about the intellectual framework triggered clashes at local school board meetings.  But it seems to be dropping off the public radar now.  —  Do you remember what the hottest topic on Fox News was this summer?