U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon carjacked and robbed in South Philly after touring FDR Park  —  U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon was carjacked and robbed at gunpoint in broad daylight on Wednesday afternoon shortly after finishing a meeting at FDR Park, her office and police officials confirmed.

People Got Sick at a Conspiracy Conference.  They're Sure It's Anthrax.  —  The fact that the conference was likely a COVID outbreak and superspreader event has been almost entirely ignored.  —  DG  —  A group of unvaccinated people who attended a huge conspiracy conference in Dallas earlier …

Real-world data from U.K. suggests omicron is less likely than delta to send people to the hospital  —  LONDON — Researchers looking at real-world coronavirus cases in Britain reported Wednesday that the omicron variant of the coronavirus appears to be less severe than the once-dominant delta strain.

Biden Won Big With a Bad Hand  —  Relative to its strength in Congress, the Biden administration has proved outstandingly successful.  —  About the author: David Frum is a staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of Trumpocalypse: Restoring American Democracy (2020).

America is now in fascism's legal phase  —  The history of racism in the US is fertile ground for fascism.  Attacks on the courts, education, the right to vote and women's rights are further steps on the path to toppling democracy  —  et us be reminded that before there is a final solution …

Michael Flynn loses his legal challenge to the House January 6 probe, one day after filing it  —  (CNN)Michael Flynn has swiftly lost his bid in court to block a possible House select committee subpoena for his phone records and to hold off demands he speak to the panel investigating January 6.

‘Have I Hit Bottom?’:  Michael Avenatti and the Fall of a Trump-Era Antihero  —  VENICE, Calif. — Inside a two-bedroom apartment, 11 blocks from the ocean, there is a man in free fall, though he has nowhere to go.  He wears a monitor on his right ankle, government-issued, blinking green beneath his tapered track pants.

Why Christmas Gifts Are Arriving on Time This Year  —  Fears that a disrupted supply chain could wreak havoc on the logistics industry over the holiday turned out to be wrong as many Americans ordered early and shopped in stores.  —  The warnings started to stream in early this fall: Shop early or you may not get your gifts on time.

Covid Live Updates: Omicron Cases Appear Less Severe, 2 U.K. Studies Say  —  Experts warned that hospitals could still be flooded, because the variant is so transmissible.  The F.D.A. authorized Pfizer's Covid pills for high-risk patients 12 and older, a treatment that could be available within days.

Trump Just Crossed a Red Line for His Evangelical and Jewish Fans  —  Trump's obscenities and antisemitic tropes don't bother his Jewish fans.  But a recent quote has stunned his pro-Israel base, evangelicals and Jews, to the core - and could complicate his chances for a second term  —  Zen Read

Inside the nonstop pressure campaign by Trump allies to get election officials to revisit the 2020 vote  —  More than a year after Donald Trump lost the presidency, election officials across the country are facing a growing barrage of claims that the vote was not secure and demands to investigate …

The Biden Youth Bomb  —  Joe Biden was elected to be competent, compromising, and stoic.  But his staggering—no, seriously, staggering—unpopularity among younger voters suggests that the Democratic establishment really doesn't have an earthly idea about what matters to their kids.

House Jan. 6 probe seeks information from Rep. Jim Jordan about his contact with Trump  — The House select committee investigating the deadly Capitol riot has asked for a meeting with Republican Rep. Jim Jordan to discuss his communications with then-President Donald Trump on Jan. 6.

Supreme Court sets special hearing for Biden's vaccine rules for health-care workers, private businesses  —  The Supreme Court Wednesday night announced it will hold a special hearing next month to consider challenges to the Biden administration's pandemic efforts to impose a nationwide vaccine …

Democrats Score a Big Win in California Redistricting Map  —  On Monday, California's citizens' redistricting commission voted 14-0 to approve a map that's a dream for Democrats.  Technically, the commission (five Democrats, five Republicans and four others) was prohibited from taking partisan or incumbent data into consideration.

Proud Boy pleads guilty to felony charge in Capitol riot  —  A New York man who was a member of the Proud Boys pleaded guilty Wednesday to obstructing Congress and conspiring to obstruct law enforcement during the pro-Trump riot on Jan. 6, a felony.  —  The plea is significant because Matthew Greene …

U.S. opens investigation into 580,000 Tesla vehicles over game feature  —  U.S auto safety regulators said Wednesday they have opened a formal safety investigation into 580,000 Tesla vehicles sold since 2017 over the automaker's decision to allow games to be played on the front center touchscreen.

Trump's Handling of COVID Was Worse Than You Thought.  —  1. Early COVID  —  Last week the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis issued a report, along with a release of some emails and interviews.  —  First things first: This report is not what America needs.

Statement by President Joe Biden Extending the Pause on Student Loan Repayment an Additional 90 Days  —  When I came into office, we were facing a number of unprecedented crises.  Our economy was creating only 50,000 new jobs per month, less than 1 percent of Americans were fully vaccinated …

Vice President Kamala Harris potentially exposed to COVID-19, tests negative  —  WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris tested negative for COVID-19 on Wednesday after she was possibly exposed to COVID-19 on Tuesday, according to a statement released Wednesday.

End the Covid-Zero Mentality  —  As the Omicron variant rips through areas of the United States with among the highest vaccination rates in the world, it should be abundantly clear that we will not be able to “end” Covid.  But we still have the power to end the “Covid zero” mentality.

How bad will 2022 be for Democrats?  A new party analysis sounds the alarm.  —  Get ready to hear this phrase in discussions among Democrats about the 2022 midterms: “The Biden-Youngkin voter.”  —  This category — which refers to voters who picked President Biden in 2020 …

India's Christians Attacked Under Anti-Conversion Laws  —  “They want to remove us from society,” a Christian farmer said of Hindu extremists.  Rising attacks on Christians are part of a broader shift in India, in which minorities feel less safe.  —  INDORE, India — The Christians were mid-hymn when the mob kicked in the door.