Former WH chief of staff Mark Meadows will cease cooperation with Jan. 6 committee  —  The former Trump administration official had previously been working with the committee  —  Fox News Flash top headlines for December 7  —  Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows will no longer …

California Rep. Devin Nunes leaving Congress to head Trump social media group  —  Rep. Devin Nunes, a controversial San Joaquin Valley Republican, is leaving Congress to head a social media company created by former President Trump.  —  “I will deeply miss being your congressman,” Nunes said in a message to his constituents on Monday.

Biden administration considering options for possibly evacuating US citizens from Ukraine if Russia invades  —  (CNN)The Biden administration is exploring options for a potential evacuation of US citizens from Ukraine if Russia were to invade the country and create a dire security situation, half a dozen sources tell CNN.

Lawmakers drop proposal to add women to the draft as defense bill headaches mount  —  Compromise defense policy legislation set to be filed Monday will not require women to register for a military draft, according to two people with knowledge of the negotiations, a stunning turnaround …

Trump's Blood Oxygen Level in Covid Bout Was Dangerously Low, Former Aide Says  —  Mark Meadows, Mr. Trump's former chief of staff, said in his new book that the weakened president's blood oxygen level reached 86 during a harrowing fight against the coronavirus.

Abortion isn't going to save Democrats in 2022  —  Some Democrats would have you think that, if the Supreme Court were to overturn Roe v. Wade, abortion would become a major election issue.  But abortion doesn't put gas in your car or food on your table, and it seems that Democratic strategists recognize it won't save them in 2022.

Omicron Is Fast Moving, but Perhaps Less Severe, Early Reports Suggest  —  Researchers in South Africa, where the variant is spreading quickly, say it may cause less serious Covid cases than other forms of the virus, but it is unclear whether that will hold true.

Michael Steinhardt, Billionaire, Surrenders $70 Million in Stolen Relics  —  The hedge fund pioneer is barred for life from buying more antiquities.  He turned over 180 stolen objects that had decorated his homes and office.  —  Michael H. Steinhardt, the billionaire hedge fund pioneer …

Saudi Arabia Pleads for Missile-Defense Resupply as Its Arsenal Runs Low  —  Conflict pits $1 million Patriot interceptors against Houthi rebels' $10,000 ‘flying lawn mowers’  —  WASHINGTON—Saudi Arabia is running out of the ammunition it uses to defend against weekly drone and missile attacks …

Defendant in Case Brought by Durham Says New Evidence Undercuts Charge  —  Lawyers for Michael Sussmann, accused by the Trump-era special counsel of lying to the F.B.I., asked for a quick trial after receiving what they said was helpful material from prosecutors.

City Hall Withheld COVID Neighborhood Death Data During NYC's 2020 Pandemic Peak, Emails Show  —  The city Department of Health prepared a map breaking down COVID fatalities by ZIP code in early April 2020, just as New York was about to hit the height of deaths, THE CITY has learned.

Kamala Harris is Bluetooth-phobic  —  Welcome to POLITICO's West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration.  With Allie Bice.  —  KAMALA HARRIS is never missing her AirPods.  That's because she's wary of them.  —  While a growing number …

Fury as transgender UPenn swimmer who used to compete as a man smashes TWO US women's records and finishes one race 38 seconds ahead of her nearest rival  — Lia Thomas, 22, smashed two U.S. swimming records at an Akron, Ohio contest  — Thomas won the 1,650 freestyle in a record …

These Real Estate and Oil Tycoons Avoided Paying Taxes for Years  —  The Secret IRS Files … Here's a tale of two Stephen Rosses.  —  Real life Stephen Ross, who founded Related Companies, a global firm best known for developing the Time Warner Center and Hudson Yards in Manhattan, was a massive winner between 2008 and 2017.

Yamiche Alcindor Joins NBC News as Washington Correspondent (EXCLUSIVE) … Alcindor, who is expected to start with NBC in March, will cover the Biden administration as well as the impact of federal policies on communities across the country and issues at the intersection of race …

S.F. made parklets permanent — but added so many rules that many restaurants plan to tear them down  —  “It's the most uncoordinated, messed up, insulting display of government incompetence,” one supervisor said  —  Chelsea Hung spent $5,000 on the parklet to help save her family's 25-year-old restaurant …

Media isn't partisan.  Democrats need to stop claiming it is.  —  Too often, Democrats make the dangerous mistake of viewing the media as an ally.  It's got to stop.  —  Donald Trump “may not be good for America, but it's damn good for CBS,” Les Moonves, CBS president at the time, declared during Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.

On the Banks of the Furious Congo River, a 5-Star Emporium of Ambition  —  As the clean energy revolution upends the centuries-long lock of fossil fuels on the global economy, dealmakers and hustlers converge on the Fleuve Congo Hotel.  —  KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo …

Letter comparing parent protests to domestic terrorism triggers funding fallout  —  The nation's leading school board advocacy group is facing a critical loss of funding and membership after sending a letter comparing parent protests and threats to domestic terrorism.

Jussie Smollett Tries To Convince the Court ‘There Was No Hoax’  —  Taking a page out of the Kyle Rittenhouse playbook—though with a very different outcome likely in store—former Empire star Jussie Smollett testified at his own trial on Monday.  Authorities have accused the actor of hiring …

You'd better believe there's a war on Christmas, says ... Pope Francis?  —  As my friend Francis X. Rocca quipped today, don't say “Happy Holidays” to Pope Francis.  The oft-cited war on Christmas in the US often gets “debunked” by media focused on all of the secular celebrations of the holiday.