Supreme Court denies Trump bid to withhold tax returns from Congress  —  The Supreme Court on Tuesday cleared the way for a congressional committee to examine Donald Trump's tax returns, denying without comment the former president's last-ditch effort to extend a legal battle that has consumed Congress and the courts for years.

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.

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.

AP fired a reporter after a dangerous blunder.  Slack messages reveal a chaotic process.  —  Your Email addressSign Up  —  A 10-minute miscommunication on Slack between journalists at the Associated Press resulted in an erroneous report last week that appeared momentarily to bring tensions between NATO …

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 …

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.

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.

Biden administration to extend payment pause on student loans until after June or when legal challenges resolve  — The Biden administration announced that it will extend the payment pause on federal student loans while its forgiveness plan remains blocked in the courts.

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 …

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.

'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.

Elon Musk is unilaterally reinstating banned Twitter accounts, despite assuring civil rights groups and advertisers that he wouldn't  —  Musk has reinstated at least 11 previously banned right-wing accounts, including Donald Trump, Project Veritas, and Marjorie Taylor-Greene

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.

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 …

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.