‘Nothing about this is normal’: RNC payments to Trump attorneys irk GOP officials  —  (CNN)A pair of payments the Republican National Committee made to a law firm representing former President Donald Trump is raising questions among former and current GOP officials about the party's priorities …

Weekly jobless claims post stunning decline to 199,000, the lowest level since 1969  —  The ranks of those submitting jobless claims tumbled to their lowest level in more than 52 years last week, the Labor Department reported Wednesday.  —  New filings totaled 199,000, a number not seen since Nov. 15 …

Jan. 6 Organizers Used Anonymous ‘Burner Phones’ to Communicate with White House and Trump Family, Sources Say  —  A key planner of the Jan. 6 rally near the White House insisted the burner phones be purchased with cash, a source says  —  Some of the organizers who planned the rally …

Biden hits a new low in the NPR/Marist poll as inflation concerns rise  —  Americans' most pressing economic concern is inflation, and it's contributing to a decline in how they view President Biden, according to a new NPR/Marist poll.  —  Biden's approval is down to 42%, the lowest recorded in the survey since Biden took office.

Darrell Brooks shared pro-Hitler memes, called for violence against white people  —  The ex-con charged over the deaths of six people at a Wisconsin Christmas parade shared social media posts calling for violence against white people — and suggesting “Hitler was right” for killing Jews.

Update on Implementation of COVID-⁠19 Vaccination Requirement for Federal Employees … In order to ensure the health and safety of the Federal workforce and the efficiency of the civil service, President Biden issued an Executive Order on September 9, 2021, requiring COVID-19 vaccination for Federal employees.

Five Trump-Russia ‘Collusion’ Corrections We Need From the Media Now — Just for Starters  —  Five years after the Hillary Clinton campaign-funded collection of Trump-Russia conspiracy theories known as the Steele dossier was published by BuzzFeed, news outlets that amplified its false allegations …

President Biden Announces OMB Director and Deputy Director Nominees  —  to lead the Office of Management and Budget — Shalanda Young as Director and Nani Coloretti as Deputy Director.

Republicans Hit Biden on Coronavirus  —  Republicans have fought mask requirements and vaccine mandates for months, but as coronavirus infections again rise, they are blaming the president for failing to end the health crisis.  —  WASHINGTON — Over eight hours last Thursday night and into Friday morning …

Supreme Court will hear dispute over GOP legislators' defense of North Carolina voter ID law  —  Justice Breyer: 'It's important not to have transparency'  —  (CNN)The Supreme Court said Wednesday that it will hear a case brought by Republican legislators in North Carolina who are seeking …

Chinese Official Accused of Sexual Assault Played Key Role in Setting Up Beijing 2022 Olympics  —  Zhang Gaoli, accused of assault in a post on tennis star Peng Shuai's social-media account, headed a steering committee to land the Games  —  A video call between the head …

CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, NBC ignore NYT bombshell report on Hunter Biden's business deal with Chinese company  —  Hunter Biden struck the deal while his father was vice president  —  Hunter Biden will be a top priority for Republicans: Comer  —  It wasn't long ago that a New York Times bombshell …

Maria Butina's National Prayer Breakfast Host Was a Chick-fil-A Executive  —  Despite Focus on NRA's Russian Ties, Butina's Handler Had Family Connections Long Before  —  Maria Butina and Alexander Torshin at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, Feb. 2, 2017.

White House creates new energy division to coordinate climate change policies  —  The White House has launched a new energy division of its Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and appointed Sally Benson, a well-known energy expert at Stanford University, to a high-level position to coordinate climate change policy.

Trumpist Election-Deniers Descend Into High School Drama  —  Lin Wood, Sebastian Gorka, Sidney Powell, and Michael Flynn are hurling accusations of money woes, betrayals, “fraud,” and ghosting.  —  In the aftermath of the contested 2020 vote, Trump's biggest election-fraud cheerleaders …

Rittenhouse Photo Reveals Where Trump Keeps Bizarre Rushmore Sculpture  —  South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem gave the strange homage to the then-president in 2020.  —  SIOUX FALLS—The “Mount Trumpmore” statue that South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem gave to then-President Donald Trump—grafting him onto the iconic monument—was not mothballed.

Deprogram your relatives this Thanksgiving  —  Some people (like my friend Tom Nichols) think that you should spend your Thanksgiving playing nice, pretending that your cousin doesn't follow QAnon and that your uncle doesn't believe the election was stolen and also that the Cyber Ninjas …

FBI acknowledges some agents may have Havana Syndrome symptoms  —  The FBI is promising to make sure employees who have symptoms consistent with Havana Syndrome get access to medical care after a former agent suffering almost daily headaches was rebuffed when he sought testing and treatment, according to documents obtained by NBC News.

Are the Courts Getting Ready to Crack Down on Reporters?  —  A ruling blocking The New York Times from covering a far-right activist group has ominous implications for the First Amendment.  —  In 1994, the CBS program 48 Hours prepared to air explosive video about unsanitary conditions …

Pentagon creates new organization to investigate UFOs  —  The Pentagon has created a new organization that will lead the department's investigations into mysterious objects in the sky.  —  The Defense Department announced the formation of the Airborne Object Identification …

Dimon Regrets Quip JPMorgan to Outlast China Communist Party  — Says he was trying to emphasize strength, longevity of bank  — JPMorgan has almost $20 billion of exposure in Chinese economy  —  JPMorgan Chase & Co. Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon said he regrets making a quip …

Do Not Fall for Joe Biden's Slick New Oil Trick  —  Joe Biden felt a need to escape the luxury of the White House for the holiday.  —  So just before burning a few tons of jet fuel and emitting fresh carbon emissions on the four-hour flight to Nantucket, President Climate Change ordered …

Sweden's first female prime minister quits hours later  —  COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Hours after being tapped as Sweden's prime minister, Magdalena Andersson resigned Wednesday after suffering a budget defeat in parliament and coalition partner the Greens left the two-party minority government.

The evolution of the City Council Speaker's Race  —  How the race to become New York City's second most powerful executive has progressed over time, and what that means for this year's contenders  —  The race to be New York City's next City Council Speaker is in the home stretch.