Senate Republicans turn on Trump over suspend-the-Constitution talk  —  Senate Republicans are slowly but surely distancing themselves from Donald Trump after a call to terminate the Constitution and a meeting with antisemites — though there's no sign any will start actively opposing his 2024 campaign.

Michael Avenatti sentenced to 14 years in prison for stealing millions of dollars from clients  —  Disgraced attorney Michael Avenatti was sentenced Monday to 14 years in prison for embezzling millions of dollars from four of his clients and obstruction.  —  Avenatti pleaded guilty earlier …

I'm worried now  —  Subscriptions are falling.  —  During the pandemic, I put everything I wrote in front of the paywall.  Free public thinking seemed like the right thing to do.  Now that the pandemic is (not over but) easing, business realities have forced me to make a hard decision.

Exclusive: Musk's Neuralink faces federal probe, employee backlash over animal tests  —  Elon Musk's Neuralink, a medical device company, is under federal investigation for potential animal-welfare violations amid internal staff complaints that its animal testing is being rushed …

Rupert Murdoch to be deposed in $1.6 billion defamation case against Fox  —  The Fox Corp chairman is the highest-profile individual to be questioned in the case, which hinges on Fox's coverage of the 2020 presidential election.  —  Rupert Murdoch, the 91-year-old chairman …

Top evangelicals are backing away from Donald Trump  —  Call it a crisis of faith.  Despite appointing the conservative judges who ultimately overturned Roe v. Wade — and fervently courting the religious right during his presidency — prominent evangelicals are beginning to shy away …

Major Break Coming in the JFK Assassination Story  —  The CIA is concealing a secret operation that involved accused assassin Oswald.  —  Many Americans wonder why the CIA is still concealing records related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, which happened nearly 60 years ago.

Why Is Marjorie Taylor Greene Like This?  —  On the ground in the Georgia congresswoman's alternate universe  —  I.  —  she was very late.  A man named Barry was compelled to lead the room in a rendition of Lee Greenwood's “God Bless the U.S.A.” to stall for time.

Finally, a bipartisan deal to help the ‘dreamers’ is within reach  —  For three straight election cycles, running as the party of “border security” has largely failed for the GOP.  Though Republicans dumped enormous resources into painting migrants in the most lurid and threatening terms imaginable …

The Far-Right Attacked Drag Events in 4 States This Weekend  —  Protests against drag events have been an almost weekly occurrence this year.  This weekend was no different.  —  Neo-Nazis, Proud Boys, militiamen, Christian nationalists, and culture warriors in at least four states mobilized …

Germany backtracks on defense spending promises made after Ukraine invasion  —  BERLIN — Germany on Monday walked back its promise to swiftly raise defense spending to at least 2 percent of its economic output — breaching the key commitment made days after Russia's invasion of Ukraine to become a more serious military force.

Court Implodes Trump's Mar-a-Lago Defense (and the Errant Judge Who Bought It)  —  The timeline makes clear how careful and even deferential prosecutors were.  —  On Thursday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit finally put to rest the special master nonsense that Donald Trump set …

Ukraine Targets Bases Deep in Russia, Showing Expanded Reach  —  Launching drones at air bases 300 miles from its own territory, Ukraine changed the geography of the war.  It said it had developed drones with a range of over 600 miles.  —  KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine executed its most brazen attack …

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 political orientation of the ChatGPT AI system  —  Applying the Pew Research Political Typology Quiz to a state-of-the-art AI Language model  —  Update  —  I replicated the tests below using the more comprehensive Political Compass Test.  Results hold.

Trump's committee paying for lawyers of key Mar-a-Lago witnesses  —  Save America PAC has spent millions on Trump-related legal fees, filings show; some say paying for witness's lawyers poses a conflict  —  Former president Donald Trump's political action committee is paying legal bills …

SOURCES: McConnell Caves to Pelosi, Schumer, Allows JCPA Media Cartel Bailout Bill to Be Included in Defense Package  —  Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell has caved to outgoing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and will allow the National Defense Authorization Act …

Jeffrey Friedman, RIP  —  Friedman was a notable - and underrated - political theorist.  —  The distinguished political theorist Jeffrey Friedman passed away suddenly on December 2, at the far-too-early age of 63.  Jeff was best-known for his work on democracy, political knowledge …

Talk show host and Georgia House candidate accused of illegal voting  —  Brian K. Pritchard allegedly voted nine times while on felony probation  —  Conservative North Georgia talk show host Brian K. Pritchard, a candidate for the state House who rails against election fraud …

GOP Election Losers Are Getting Even Weirder on Twitter  —  Unburdened by the pressure of winning votes, they're tweeting about chemtrails and killings.  —  A month after losing his gubernatorial election, Pennsylvania State Senator Doug Mastriano was tweeting pictures of what he implied were suspicious clouds.

Supreme Court Seems Ready to Back Web Designer Opposed to Same-Sex Marriage  —  The justices are expected to settle a question left open in 2018: how to reconcile claims of religious liberty with laws barring discrimination based on sexual orientation.  —  WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court's …

Ex-Miami congressman Rivera arrested in Venezuela probe  —  A former Miami congressman who signed a $50 million consulting contract with Venezuela's socialist government has been arrested in connection to an ongoing federal criminal investigation, law enforcement officials said.