What Jim Jordan knows about Trump's coup attempt — and what he may cover up  —  The House select committee examining Jan. 6 appears increasingly focused on a highly consequential question: What did Donald Trump say and do as he watched the violent assault on the Capitol unfold over the course of at least two hours?

Joan Didion, ‘New Journalist’ Who Explored Culture and Chaos, Dies at 87  —  She established a distinctive voice in American fiction before turning to political reporting and screenplay writing.  But it was California, her native state, that provided her with her richest material.

Trump Pushes Back on Candace Owens Undermining Vaccine: 'People Aren't Dying When They Take the Vaccine'  —  Former President Donald Trump pushed back on Candace Jones during a recent interview when the conservative commentator appeared to be undermining the efficacy of the Covid-19 vaccines to hurt President Joe Biden politically.

CNN Exclusive: US intel and satellite images show Saudi Arabia is now building its own ballistic missiles with help of China  —  Washington (CNN)US intelligence agencies have assessed that Saudi Arabia is now actively manufacturing its own ballistic missiles with the help of China …

The problem with performative centrism  —  In basically every major institution in America, there are powerful figures who I doubt voted for Donald Trump but nonetheless play down the radicalism of the Republican Party, belittle those who speak honestly about it or otherwise act in ways that make it harder to combat that radicalism.

Kamala Harris's Allies Express Concern: Is She an Afterthought?  —  The vice president's allies are increasingly concerned that President Biden relied on her to win but does not need her to govern.  —  WASHINGTON — The president needed the senator from West Virginia on his side …

Biden backs exception to filibuster for voting rights bills  —  President Biden says he supports creating an exception to the legislative filibuster in the Senate in order to pass voting rights legislation over Republican opposition.  —  Biden told ABC News' David Muir in a portion …

Axios-Ipsos poll: Lack of trust puts the unvaccinated at risk  —  Unvaccinated Americans' already low trust in the federal government plummeted over the course of 2021, exacerbating the challenges in getting the pandemic under control, according to a year's worth of data from the Axios-Ipsos Coronavirus Index.

Five arrested in connection with carjacking of House Democrat  —  Five suspects were arrested on Wednesday in connection with “an armed carjacking incident” earlier in the day involving Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.), authorities said.  —  Delaware State Police also announced that they had located …

Illinois State Senator Carjacked in Suburban Broadview  —  Illinois State Sen. Kimberly Lightford and her husband were the victims of a carjacking in a Chicago suburb Tuesday evening, authorities said.  —  The Broadview Police Department said three masked people driving a Durango SUV hijacked …

Trump's Defeat a Year Ago Was Dunkirk, Not D-Day  —  As 2021 ends, the forces of democracy remain beleaguered and the forces of sanity on the defensive.  —  Where do we stand, as year 2021 of the common era and year one of the Biden presidency comes to an end?  —  We're much better off than we might have been.

The Jolt: Walker's financial disclosure give us a peak into a sports icon's wealth  —  U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker's financial disclosures were posted late Wednesday, and it shows he has a number of lucrative businesses.The document shows his umbrella organization for his various business endeavors …

DOJ: Missouri let fugitive go because of Second Amendment law  —  After an Independence police officer was killed in a shootout in September, Missouri state law enforcement initially refused routine federal assistance in tracing the murder weapon.  The same month, a Missouri State Highway …

Trump Fraud Inquiry Won't Be Resolved When Vance's Term Ends Next Week  —  After leading a three-year investigation into the former president, the Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus R. Vance Jr., will hand it to his successor.  —  The Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus R. Vance Jr., has run out of time.

America's Christmas Present Is All the Democrats' Dreams Dying  —  I love the smell of Joe Manchin in the morning ... it smells like ... victory.  —  If you survey the charred ruins of the progressives' hopes and dreams, you will need to have a heart of stone not to burst into hysterical laughter at their pain.

Rep. Madison Cawthorn Announces Divorce From Wife 8 Months After Wedding  —  CONSCIOUS UNCOUPLING  —  Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) and his wife, Cristina Cawthorn, are divorcing after less than a year of marriage.  The North Carolina lawmaker cited his time in Congress …

The clear and present danger of Trump's enduring ‘Big Lie’  —  It's been nearly a year since the United States suffered an unprecedented attack on constitutional democracy.  —  When a violent mob stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, the goal was to overturn the results …

‘The Matrix Resurrections’ makes more room for trans identity in corporate Hollywood  —  The first and last phrases to appear on the screen of the original “Matrix” film includes “trans” — a detail that many everyday moviegoers probably missed when the smash film hit theaters in 1999.

Jen Psaki Mocked Free At-Home Tests Three Weeks Before Omicron Testing Crisis Hit America  —  The United States is facing a COVID-19 testing crisis heading into the holidays as the new Omicron variant has become dominant in new cases, and many drug stores have run out of rapid antigen tests.

The right targets  —  Introducing “Common-good conservatism: a debate.”  —  Conservatism may rarely announce itself in maxims, formulae or aims.  Its essence is inarticulate, and its expression, when compelled, sceptical.  —  A large part of this issue of The New Criterion is devoted …