Why fewer states than ever could pick the next president  —  The results of this month's election point toward a 2024 presidential contest that will likely be decided by a tiny sliver of voters in a rapidly shrinking list of swing states realistically within reach for either party.

Supreme Court denies Trump request to withhold tax returns from Congress  —  The Supreme Court on Tuesday denied former president Donald Trump's efforts to block the release of his tax records to a congressional committee that has sought the information for years.

Trump's Jan. 6 supporters feted at his Mar-a-Lago campaign launch  —  When Donald Trump plunged into the 2024 presidential race last week at his Mar-a-Lago club, he was surrounded by sidekicks, superfans and self-described sycophants.  —  Among them was another subset of Trump world figures …

Ukraine Launches Assault to Oust Russia From Key Black Sea Peninsula  —  Kinburn Spit, occupied by Russia for months, lies at maritime choke point and is coveted prize for Kyiv  —  Ukraine's military said it launched an operation to push Russian forces from a strategic peninsula …

Sam Bankman-Fried, Elon Musk, and a secret text  —  Elon Musk used Twitter, the platform he now owns, to gleefully mock the meltdown of the crypto exchange FTX.  His “bullshit meter was redlining” when he met the crypto exchange's founder, Sam Bankman-Fried, Musk has said.

Musk's ‘free speech’ agenda dismantles safety work at Twitter, insiders say  —  Amid the wider turmoil since his takeover last month, Musk has moved rapidly to undermine Twitter's deliberative content-moderation system.  —  Hours after Elon Musk took control of Twitter in late October …

A Georgia Senate runoff poll points to challenges for Walker, Warnock  —  A new poll focusing on the Dec. 6 runoff between U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker shows a close race with challenges for both rivals as they rush to rebuild their coalitions.

Exclusive: Naomi Biden On Her White House Wedding  —  On the Tuesday evening before her wedding, under the watchful eye of a Secret Service agent, Naomi Biden, 28, and her soon-to-be husband, Peter Neal, 25, came downstairs from their living quarters on the third floor of the White House residence to practice their first dance.

Effectiveness of Bivalent mRNA Vaccines in Preventing Symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infection — Increasing Community Access to Testing Program, United States, September-November 2022  —  Ruth Link-Gelles, PhD1; Allison Avrich Ciesla, PhD1,2; Katherine E. Fleming-Dutra, MD1; Zachary R. Smith, MA3 …

'I'm Done With You!'  Karine Jean-Pierre Blows Up at Reporter for Interrupting Colleague in Explosive Briefing Room Clash  —  White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre admonished Today News Africa correspondent Simon Ateba for speaking out of turn in his attempt to ask a question of Dr. Anthony Fauci.

Fauci says he ‘will cooperate fully’ with GOP oversight hearings even though he's leaving the government  — Dr. Anthony Fauci said he's ready to testify before US lawmakers under the new Congress.  — Republicans, who will control the House, have pledged COVID-19 oversight.

Ralph Norman announced he will oppose Kevin McCarthy for speaker, the fifth GOP lawmaker to threaten his bid.  —  News and analysis from Capitol Hill for when you only have a few minutes, from POLITICO.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer makes historic pick for Michigan Supreme Court vacancy  —  Lansing — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has chosen state Rep. Kyra Harris Bolden to fill a seat on the Michigan Supreme Court, making her the first Black woman to serve on the state's high court.

Elon Musk's 2022 Wealth Loss Exceeds $100 Billion for First Time  —  Elon Musk's losses for 2022 topped $100 billion as shares of Tesla Inc. dropped to the lowest level in two years.  —  The Tesla co-founder is still the world's richest person with a fortune of $169.8 billion …

Inside Sam Bankman-Fried's Quest to Win Friends and Influence People  —  In just three years, the FTX co-founder built a massive operation to woo politicians, regulators and nonprofits to support his crypto goals.  —  In May, the founder of a Chicago nonprofit that works …

Ian was one of the most lethal hurricanes in decades.  Many of the deaths were preventable.  —  Hurricane Ian killed at least 148 people in Florida, most of them in coastal communities where the danger of storm surge is well documented but not widely understood.

Iran Arrests 2 Actresses for Participating in Protests  —  World Cup soccer players, movie personalities and other prominent Iranians have shown support for the protests that have engulfed the country.  —  At the World Cup in Qatar, Iran's soccer players on Monday declined to sing their country's national anthem.

A broken soul: Adam Kinzinger  —  Neither Adam Kinzinger nor Liz Cheney interests me that much.  —  They seem to be driven by a monomania: hatred of Donald Trump.  It takes about 2 minutes to get their point, and there is nothing left to consider.  So I don't.