The Democratic Agenda Dies of Delusions  —  Joe Biden's agenda is on life support.  —  For weeks, the White House and West Virginia senator Joe Manchin had been conducting cordial negotiations over the Build Back Better Act, the president's climate and social spending program.

‘The guy should be fired on the spot’: Fauci rebukes Fox News host over violent rhetoric  —  Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, on Tuesday called on Fox News to fire host Jesse Watters for targeting him with violent rhetoric at a conservative conference earlier this week.

Census: New York's population dropped by more than 300,000 people in one year  —  Census data released Monday found New York state had the steepest annual population decline in the country between from July 2020 to July 2021, losing more than 1.5% of its people during that 12-month period.

The Five Deadly Sins of the Left  —  About a year ago I published an American Compass essay on “The Five Deadly Sins of the Left.”  In that essay, I addressed the surprising fact that the left has not performed as well as one might expect, given the poor performance of free-market capitalism in the 21st century.

Biden praises Trump to sell vaccines and boosters in face of omicron wave  —  President Joe Biden urged people to receive their coronavirus vaccines and boosters on Tuesday — and uncharacteristically praised his predecessor in the process.  —  Biden, outlining the specifics of his plan …

Special Report: Trump aide set up meeting where election worker was pressured  —  A member of Donald Trump's 2020 presidential campaign arranged and participated in a meeting at which a Georgia election worker says she was pressed by a Chicago publicist to falsely admit voting fraud.

Biden to announce plan to mail 500 million free rapid tests to Americans next month  —  The president also aims to deploy 1,000 military doctors and nurses.  —  President Joe Biden will announce a plan on Tuesday to distribute 500 million free at-home rapid tests to Americans beginning …

Lincoln County looks to eliminate all polling places but one  —  Lincoln County is trying to close all but one polling place for next year's elections, a move opposed by voting and civil rights groups.  —  Relocating voters from the county's seven precincts to a single location will make voting …

Gina.  Rosanne.  Guy. … They can't arrest us all," a future defendant had posted days before, and this was the vibe in the moment, the ecstatic invulnerability that leads someone to smear feces on the floor of the building in which the most powerful country on earth writes its rules.

California's new congressional map boosts Democrats  —  California has a new congressional map, and the lines bolster Democrats' uphill quest to maintain their minuscule House majority.  —  Final maps approved late Monday by the state's independent redistricting commission create …

KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor: Early Omicron Update  —  Key Findings  — The latest analysis from the KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor, fielded after the omicron COVID-19 variant was first detected in the U.S., indicates that vaccinated and unvaccinated adults are having dissimilar reactions to news of the omicron variant.

Crisis of Command: The Pentagon, The President, and January 6  —  One of the most vexing questions about Jan. 6 is why the National Guard took more than three hours to arrive at the Capitol after D.C. authorities and Capitol Police called for immediate assistance.

Ex-FBI agent in Whitmer kidnap plot enters plea in case tied to wife's assault  —  Former FBI Special Agent Richard Trask, the lead investigator in the Gov. Gretchen Whitmer kidnapping conspiracy case, pleaded no contest Monday to aggravated assault charges stemming from allegations he beat …

Thomas Friedman's columns prompt a different kind of ethical question for the New York Times  —  In two dozen opinion columns published by the New York Times over the past 15 years, Thomas Friedman has favorably cited the environmental organization Conservation International.

Democrats riled by Spanish-language radio attacks on Kamala Harris  —  Florida Democrats are sounding alarms over what they believe is a sustained and coordinated campaign rapidly unfolding across Spanish-language media to tarnish the image of Vice President Kamala Harris.

A UAE agency put Pegasus spyware on phone of Jamal Khashoggi's wife months before his murder, new forensics show … Emirates flight attendant Hanan Elatr surrendered her two Android cellphones, laptop and passwords when security agents surrounded her at the Dubai airport.

Why my child wanted me to share their nonbinary identity in our holiday card  —  It was a November morning, and as I was about to share on social media, I paused and re-read my words for the 10th time: “I'd like you all to meet Clark (formerly known as Claire).

Gabriel Boric: From Shaggy-Haired Activist to Chilean President  —  Mr. Boric, 35, is now the most prominent face of a generation of Chileans who are calling for a break with the past.  —  Gabriel Boric rose to prominence in Chile ten years ago as a shaggy-haired student leading massive demonstrations …

Biden's economic ratings are worse than Carter's  —  (CNN)President Joe Biden is struggling in the minds of the American public.  While his approval rating is down on a slew of issues, his difficulties are perhaps most noticeable on the economy.  —  Biden now sports the lowest net economic rating …

Female Ex-Pilot in Afghan Military Surfaces in US, Defying Rumors that She Had Been Killed  —  An Afghan woman who was one of the few female pilots in her country's air force quashed an online assertion that she had been stoned to death by the Taliban, saying she is alive and well on the West Coast.

The $1 Pizza Slice Becomes Inflation's Latest Victim  —  Dollar-slice businesses, a staple of New York City's dining scene, face an existential crisis as food prices rise at their fastest pace in decades.  —  To hear more audio stories from publications like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android.

State legislators gear up to pass a ‘tidal wave’ of voting restrictions ahead of crucial 2022 midterms  —  (CNN)The push to impose voting restrictions at the state level is poised to continue next year as Republicans drive forward with an array of new proposals — ranging from legislation …

Jason Miller's ‘Free Speech’ Social Media Platform Gettr Boots White Nationalist  —  BANNED  —  Jason Miller's right-wing “free speech” social media alternative Gettr “suspended” the account of white nationalist Nicholas Fuentes on Monday.  “My official Gettr account has been permanently suspended …

SpaceX aces 100th rocket landing after Dragon cargo ship launch to space station  —  The Dragon launch will deliver NASA supplies and Christmas gifts to the station this week.  —  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX launched its 31st rocket of the year early Tuesday (Dec. 21) …