‘Patience is crucial’: Why we won't know for weeks how dangerous Omicron is  —  Lab tests and patterns of spread will show whether the new SARS-CoV-2 variant's many mutations are a serious threat  —  At 7.30 a.m. on Wednesday, Kristian Andersen, an infectious disease researcher at Scripps Research …

Taliban Covert Operatives Seized Kabul, Other Afghan Cities From Within  —  Success of Kabul's undercover network, loyal to the Haqqanis, changed balance of power within Taliban after U.S. withdrawal  —  KABUL—Undercover Taliban agents—often clean-shaven, dressed in jeans and sporting sunglasses …

Esper Claims Defense Dept. Is Improperly Blocking Parts of His Memoir  —  The former defense secretary sued the agency, saying that portions of the book were being concealed “under the guise of classification.”  —  Former Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper on Sunday sued the agency he once led …

Transcript: Dr. Anthony Fauci on “Face the Nation,” November 28, 2021  —  The following is a transcript of an interview with Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to President Biden, that aired on Sunday, November 28, 2021, on “Face the Nation.”  —  MARGARET BRENNAN: Dr. Fauci, thank you very much for making time.

Michael Cohen: prosecutors could ‘indict Trump tomorrow’ if they wanted  —  New York investigation of Trump Organization is one of a number of sources of legal jeopardy for the former president  —  Prosecutors in New York could “indict Donald Trump tomorrow if they really wanted and be successful” …

Chinese energy firm chairman gifted Hunter Biden an $80,000 diamond after he agreed to help expand the business by making ‘introductions’ for $10MILLION a year  — A new book, Laptop from Hell, claims that Hunter Biden helped expand Chinese influence in America for $10 million a year and an $80,000 diamond

Mike Lindell Throws a Fit and Pulls His Ads From Right-Wing Christian Salem Radio Network  —  STATIC  —  Election dead-ender Mike Lindell announced Saturday evening during his 96-hour “thanks-a-thon” event that he had pulled the plug on airing MyPillow advertisements with the right-wing …

Jew vs. Jew  —  On the real lessons of the Hanukkah story. … On Friday July 16, I moved across the country and into a Moishe House, one of a network of communal Jewish houses in cities including Boston, New York, Kansas City, and Pittsburgh.  On Thursday, July 22, my two roommates asked me to move out.

The Secretive Prisons That Keep Migrants Out of Europe  —  Acollection of makeshift warehouses sits along the highway in Ghout al-Shaal, a worn neighborhood of auto-repair shops and scrap yards in Tripoli, the capital of Libya.  Formerly a storage depot for cement, the site was reopened in January …

In French Pantheon, Josephine Baker makes history yet again  —  France is inducting Missouri-born cabaret dancer Josephine Baker who was also a French World War II spy and civil rights activist into its Pantheon  —  PARIS — France is inducting Josephine Baker — Missouri-born cabaret dancer …

Republicans are quietly rigging election maps to ensure permanent rule  —  The past decade in Ohio shows how bad it can get - and how quickly.  Despite the state's voters often swinging Democratic, 75% of its congressional delegates are Republican  —  The long-term health of American democracy …

The dangerous extremism that's killing the Democrats is extreme centrism  —  Long ago, in a United States that now seems far, far away, the coming-to-America story of Saule Omarova would be hailed as a stirring endorsement of our nation as a beacon for democracy seekers.

The hypocrisy argument on the filibuster is itself phony  —  With the Senate facing a do-or-die moment on whether it will protect the right to vote and honest counts in elections, opponents of much-needed reforms want to shift the topic to whether liberals are hypocrites about filibuster rules.

QAnon Hero Michael Flynn Secretly Said QAnon Is ‘Total Nonsense’  —  Lin Wood released a recording of a call in which Flynn says QAnon is a CIA-created disinformation campaign.  —  Former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn has embraced his position as a hero to QAnon conspiracy theorists.

The Rule of Six: A newly radicalized Supreme Court is poised to reshape the nation  —  Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan Jr., the Eisenhower appointee who became the liberal lion of the Warren Court, had a tradition for introducing every new batch of law clerks to the realities of the institution.

No one seems to like the Lincoln Project anymore  —  It was the darling of the resistance for savagely attacking Donald Trump.  But now, everyone keeps rolling their eyes at the Lincoln Project and fears they may be clearing a path for the former president's reemergence.

Build Back Better plan will be completed by Christmas, Klobuchar says  —  The senator appeared on ABC's “This Week” to discuss the economy.  —  Sen. Amy Klobuchar said she's confident the Build Back Better plan will be completed by Christmas, though Republicans are still pushing back on the bill.

Local News Outlets Could Reap $1.7 Billion in Build Back Better Aid  —  A small paper like The Storm Lake Times in Iowa would receive a big tax credit.  So would Gannett, the nation's largest news publisher.  —  For The Storm Lake Times, a family-run paper in northwestern Iowa …

A Capitol Hill romance: ‘Found love in a hopeless place’  —  Andy Eichar had just entered the wood-paneled elevator on the fourth floor of the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill when Gloria Nlewedim breezed in behind him with a friend.  The ride to the lobby on that June …

Years of Delays, Billions in Overruns: The Dismal History of Big Infrastructure  —  The nation's most ambitious engineering projects are mired in postponements and skyrocketing costs.  Delivering $1.2 trillion in new infrastructure will be tough.  —  As Honolulu sprawled into new suburbs west …

U.S. Navy Ship Rescues Iranian Mariners in Gulf of Oman  —  From NAVCENT Public Affairs  —  GULF OF OMAN - A U.S. Navy vessel rescued two Iranian mariners Nov. 27 from a fishing vessel after it was adrift for eight days in the Gulf of Oman.  —  Dry cargo ship USNS Charles Drew (T-AKE 10) …