White House reporters ask for virtual press briefings during the latest covid surge  —  With a fierce new variant of the coronavirus on the loose, White House reporters are urging press secretary Jen Psaki to move her daily briefings online — but it's an idea Psaki has been cool to so far.

Report shows the extent of Republican efforts to sabotage democracy  —  Research identifies at least 262 bills were introduced in 41 states this year with the intent to hijack the election process  —  The Republican assault on free and fair elections instigated by Donald Trump is gathering pace …

The Third, and Last, Covid Winter Begins  —  We'll be living for a long time with the virus's ramifications for health, the economy and politics.  —  In New York we feel back where we started.  It's like 2020, with everyone in a mask and canceling gatherings and scrambling to find a test.

‘We took the Capitol’: Proud Boy pleads guilty to Jan. 6 conspiracy charges  —  On Wednesday, one of the members of the Proud Boys became the first to admit he was at the Capitol to stop the transfer of power, as part of a cooperation agreement with the government.

Judge Upholds His Block on New York Times Coverage of Project Veritas  —  The New York State judge also ordered The Times to turn over physical copies and destroy any electronic versions of documents a lawyer prepared for the conservative group.  —  A New York trial court judge has upheld …

Biden calls NORAD and updates children on Santa's progress across the globe  —  Washington (CNN)President Joe Biden made a Christmas Eve call to North American Aerospace Defense Command on Friday at the White House, updating children on Santa's progress across the globe as part of what NORAD Commander …

New January 6 video shows three hours of violent and chaotic assault on police  —  Capitol Police officer: Trump supporters are being lied to  —  (CNN)The Justice Department this week released a three-hour video of a battle between rioters and the police at the US Capitol Building on January 6 …

Manchin told White House he would support version of tax on billionaires  —  His offer comes as fellow a Democrat, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, raises new concerns, illustrating that the party has work to do  —  Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) told the White House last week that he would support …

Fringe factions of MAGA world are imploding after Trump publicly advocated for the COVID-19 jab  — The fringe factions of the right wing erupted in anger after Trump lauded the COVID-19 vaccines.  — Figures from Alex Jones to Ali Alexander swiftly rebuked Trump for his pro-vaccine stance.

The Worst Political Predictions of 2021  —  What did you get totally wrong about 2021?  Here's my answer: I was sure — sure — that as soon as the Covid vaccines were widely available, all but an infinitesimally small percentage of American adults would line up to take the shot, crush the pandemic and get back to life as normal-ish.

Jason Miller's ‘Free Speech’ Site Gettr Site Bans Users From Posting Racist Term ‘Groyper’  —  The free speech right-wing alternative battles fury from white nationalists.  —  The free speech-centered, MAGA-inspired Twitter alternative Gettr, led by former Trump advisor Jason Miller …

As Hindu Extremists Call for Killing of Muslims, India's Leaders Keep Silent  —  Right-wing Hindu activists at a conference took an oath to harm Muslims if necessary to make “a Hindu-only nation,” the most blatant example of rising anti-Muslim sentiment across India.

Hochul takes on COVID critics, cuts health worker quarantine  —  NEW YORK (AP) — New York is shortening the amount of time essential workers must stay home after testing positive for COVID-19, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Friday, seeking to strike a balance between staunching the virus' rapid spread …

Joe Manchin's ‘Scaled-Back’ Framework May Be Better Than It Sounds  —  Prioritizing certain initiatives over others is hard, but that could be what it takes to save Build Back Better.  —  It looks like negotiations over President Joe Biden's Build Back Better legislation are only mostly dead …

Say it ain't Joe: Manchin's not the only big hurdle left for Biden's megabill  —  Democrats are still courting the one person powerful enough to make or break President Joe Biden's $1.7 trillion social spending bill — and she doesn't hail from West Virginia.