Trump tested positive for Covid few days before Biden debate, chief of staff says in new book  —  Mark Meadows makes stunning admission in new memoir obtained by Guardian, saying a second test returned negative  —  Donald Trump tested positive for Covid-19 three days before his first debate …

Live Updates: Mississippi Abortion Law Arguments Conclude at Supreme Court  —  The arguments are over.  Here's what happens next.  —  The justices will cast tentative votes at a private conference in the coming days.  The senior justice in the majority will then assign the majority opinion to a colleague or, just as likely, keep it.

1. A majority (52%) of young Americans believe that our democracy is either “in trouble,” or “failing”  — Only 7% of young Americans view the United States as a “healthy democracy”; 27% described the nation as a “somewhat functioning democracy,” 39% a “democracy in trouble,” …

Marcus Lamb, head of Daystar, a large Christian network that discouraged vaccines, dies after getting covid-19  —  Marcus Lamb, founder of the large Christian network Daystar, died Tuesday after contracting the coronavirus.  Lamb's network during the pandemic has made the virus a huge focus …

Governor Charlie Baker telling allies he isn't running for reelection  —  Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, the Republican who maintained the enduring support of his blue state constituents through boom times, the Trump presidency, and in the face of mass death during the COVID-19 pandemic …

POLITICO Playbook: Scoop: Conservatives plot government shutdown over vaccine mandate  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  FRIDAY'S SHUTDOWN SHOWDOWN GETS REAL — Conservatives on both sides of the Capitol are privately plotting to force a government shutdown Friday in an effort to defund …

Why the Discredited Dossier Does Not Undercut the Russia Investigation  —  Donald J. Trump and his backers say revelations about the Steele dossier show the Russia investigation was a “hoax.”  That is not what the facts indicate.  —  WASHINGTON — Former President Donald J. Trump and his allies …

QAnon Followers Rush to Defend Donald Trump After Pilot Testifies He Was on Jeffrey Epstein's Jet  —  QAnon followers and commentators have rushed to defend Donald Trump after Jeffrey Epstein's former pilot testified in Ghislaine Maxwell's trial that the former president had traveled on one of the pedophile's private planes.

L.A. voters angry, frustrated over homeless crisis, demand faster action, poll finds  —  Amid deep frustration over widespread, visible homelessness, Los Angeles voters want the government to act faster and focus on shelter for people living in the streets, even if those efforts are short-term …

Mace and Greene keep feuding, despite McCarthy's effort to intervene  —  House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy tried — without success — Tuesday night to end an ugly battle between two of his GOP freshmen.  —  The California Republican implored Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) …

Trump supporter arrested after allegedly casting multiple ballots in Florida  —  A registered Republican and apparent supporter of former president Donald Trump has been arrested and charged with casting more than one ballot in an election.  —  Joan Halstead, a 72-year-old resident of the Villages …

Dr. Oz Quacks the Code of Republican Politics  —  Having peddled snake oil for years, he's found his true calling in the GOP.  —  Sean Parnell, the Trump-anointed candidate for Senate in Pennsylvania, dropped out of the race a week ago after a custody hearing that featured lurid details of his relationship with his ex-wife.

Why the CIA is so worried about Russia and Ukraine  —  The CIA discovered something scary in October: Russia was moving troops toward the Ukrainian border — and, unlike in previous border thrusts, was making secret plans about how to use them.  —  The agency also worried that the potential conflict zone …

Clinton Foundation donations plummet 75%  —  Donations to the Clinton Foundation plummeted to $16 million last year, down nearly 75% from the organization's peak when former secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was running for president, records reviewed by Axios show.

How Trump's ‘America First’ edict delayed the global Covid fight  —  Decisions by top officials responding to President Donald Trump's edict to protect “America first” contributed to a global delay in Covid-19 vaccine donations and a lack of effort to assist low- and middle-income countries …