Republican hopes fade as Warnock momentum picks up in Georgia  —  ATHENS, Ga — Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker barnstormed Georgia in a final plea for votes amid signs of growing momentum for the Democratic incumbent — and fading GOP hopes — ahead of Tuesday's runoff.

Hackers linked to Chinese government stole millions in Covid benefits, Secret Service says  —  Hackers linked to the Chinese government stole at least $20 million in U.S. Covid relief benefits, including Small Business Administration loans and unemployment insurance funds in over a dozen states, according to the Secret Service.

Blasts Hit Russian Air Bases as Moscow Launches Missile Barrage on Ukraine  —  Intense fighting continues in eastern Ukraine as Russia presses its offensive on Bakhmut  —  Explosions hit two Russian air bases on Monday, while Ukrainian officials hinted at a capability to strike deeper within …

Elon Musk and Matt Taibbi Set Off Debate Over Release of Twitter Files  —  A release of internal documents from Twitter set off intense debates in the intersecting worlds of media, politics and tech.  —  It was, on the surface, a typical example of reporting the news: a journalist obtains internal documents …

Manhattan DA Hires Ex-DOJ Official to Help Lead Trump Investigation  —  The official, Matthew Colangelo, also worked on the New York attorney general's investigation of the former president.  —  The Manhattan district attorney is hiring a former senior justice department official with a history …

The Global Zeitenwende … The world is facing a Zeitenwende: an epochal tectonic shift.  Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine has put an end to an era.  New powers have emerged or reemerged, including an economically strong and politically assertive China.

FBI joins investigation into North Carolina power outage caused by ‘intentional’ attacks on substations  —  With no suspects or motive announced, the FBI is joining the investigation into power outages in a North Carolina county believed to have been caused by “intentional” and “targeted” …

Congress working to strike last-minute immigration deals  —  As time runs out on the year, lawmakers are negotiating protections for Dreamers and other immigration reforms.  —  A handful of bipartisan senators are working to strike separate 11th-hour immigration deals before Republicans …

Social Security offices critical to disability benefits hit breaking point  —  State operations that review claims face massive backlogs, leaving disabled Americans waiting months and even years for judgments  —  The Disability Determination Division in Austin was at a breaking point.

Exclusive: China operating over 100 police stations across the world with the help of some host nations, report claims  —  Beijing has set up more than 100 so-called overseas police stations across the globe to monitor, harass and in some cases repatriate Chinese citizens living in exile …

The Supreme Court Is About to Ask the Wrong Question About the First Amendment  —  Can an artist be compelled to create a website for an event she does not condone?  That's the question the Supreme Court has said it will take up on Monday, when it hears oral arguments in 303 Creative v. Elenis.

Secretary of State John Scott, Texas' top election official, resigns  —  Scott led Texas' elections through the tumultuous implementation of new election laws.  —  AUSTIN - Texas Secretary of State John Scott, who is the state's top election official, will resign at the end of the year.

Giuliani pressed on role in Trump 2020 election reversal legal gambits during attorney discipline hearing  —  Facing possible professional sanctions, Rudy Giuliani described on Monday the Trump campaign's legal strategy for challenging the 2020 election results and how the former New York mayor …

Arizona certifies 2022 election results amid threat of more GOP challenges  —  Arizona officials certified the state's vote canvass on Monday, officially declaring winners in the high-profile gubernatorial and Senate races, among other contests, as GOP figures vow to fight the election results in court.

Did uncontested races cost the Democrats the House popular vote?  —  In last month's midterms, Republican House candidates have won about 54 million votes and Democrats have taken about 51 million — translating into a three percentage point advantage for the GOP.

Fearing scandal, Air Force blocked generals' foreign consulting deals … During the height of the war in Afghanistan, U.S. military leaders flocked to the Caspian Sea nation of Azerbaijan to embrace its president, Ilham Aliyev, despite a report from the U.S. Embassy comparing the mustachioed strongman …

Billions in Covid Aid Went to Hospitals That Didn't Need It  —  The federal funds benefited some well-off medical systems but weren't enough for many that were struggling to provide pandemic care  —  When Covid-19 struck, the U.S. government gave hospitals tens of billions of dollars to help them cope with the strains of the pandemic.