Brittney Griner released by Russia in 1-for-1 prisoner swap for arms dealer Viktor Bout  —  Brittney Griner, the WNBA star who was held for months in Russian prisons on drug charges, was released Thursday in a one-for-one prisoner swap for international arms dealer Viktor Bout, CBS News learned early Thursday from a U.S. official.

Donald Trump and His Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad 3 Weeks  —  For the former president, who raced to announce his third run for the White House in hopes of clearing the Republican field, the losses, legal setbacks and embarrassments are rapidly piling up.

Turnout by Republicans Was Great.  It's Just That Many of Them Didn't Vote for Republicans.  —  No, the main G.O.P. problem wasn't prioritizing Election Day voting over early voting.  —  After yet another disappointing showing for Republicans in Georgia's Senate runoff on Tuesday …

Hello!  You've Been Referred Here Because You're Wrong About Twitter And Hunter Biden's Laptop  —  Hello!  Someone has referred you to this post because you've said something quite wrong about Twitter and how it handled something to do with Hunter Biden's laptop.

China Scraps Most Covid Testing, Quarantine Requirements in Policy Pivot  —  Latest measures target intrusive aspects of unpopular pandemic regime  —  China Announces Nationwide Loosening of Covid-19 Rules  —  Created with sketchtool.  —  1x  —  HONG KONG—China dropped many of its quarantine …

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Is Under Investigation By House Ethics Committee  —  The House Committee on Ethics is investigating Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), according to a statement the panel issued on Wednesday.   —  The statement, which did not provide many details about the inquiry …

Florida Republican who sponsored 'Don't Say Gay' indicted on Covid relief fraud charges  —  TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A federal grand jury indicted Republican Florida state Rep. Joe Harding on six counts after authorities said he illegally obtained $150,000 in pandemic-related small business loans …

Putin: Nuclear risk is rising, but we are not mad  —  Vladimir Putin has said the threat of a nuclear war was rising, but insisted Russia had not “gone mad” and would not use its nuclear weapons first.  —  The Russian president insisted that his country would only use weapons of mass destruction in response to an attack.

New York Times journalists, other workers on 24-hour strike  —  Hundreds of journalists and other employees at The New York Times began a 24-hour walkout Thursday, the first strike of its kind at the newspaper in more than 40 years.  Newsroom employees and other members of The NewsGuild …

‘These F*cking People’: Barstool Star and Fox News Regular Caught on Hot Mic Destroying Network, Its Audience, and Tucker  —  Barstool Sports star Francis Ellis has appeared multiple times on Fox News, particularly on the 7 p.m. show hosted by Jesse Watters.

Off-duty FBI agent fatally shoots person at Metro Center, police say  —  The shooting on a Red Line platform during the typically busy commute prompted delays and brief panic  —  An off-duty FBI agent fatally shot a man Wednesday evening during an altercation on a Red Line train platform at the Metro Center station, D.C. police said.

Apple Plans New Encryption System to Ward Off Hackers and Protect iCloud Data  —  ‘Advanced Data Protection’ will offer end-to-end encryption on iCloud backups, Notes, Photos and other services—a step that may draw ire from law enforcement  —  How Apple's New iCloud Encryption Protects You From Attacks (Exclusive)

How Trump and MAGA Allies Are Defending Violent Jan. 6th Rioters  —  He says he's sticking with them—and he hopes they'll stick with him.  —  (THE BULWARK / MIDJOURNEY)  —  Two days after a pair of Oath Keepers were found guilty of seditious conspiracy and three others were convicted …

COVID could be DeSantis' secret weapon in 2024  —  Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — should he run for the GOP's 2024 presidential nomination — has an opening to attack former President Trump's COVID response from the right. … - DeSantis has even said he wishes he'd been more vocal in speaking …

The secret lives of MI6's top female spies … My journey to the school for spies starts in the half-light of a waking city.  I do not know where I am going and have only been instructed to meet my contact at a central London landmark.  We travel by car, boat and train to a place where officers …

Peru's President impeached and arrested after he attempts to dissolve Congress  —  Dina Boluarte became Peru's first female president on Wednesday, capping off a dramatic day which saw her predecessor detained by police and impeached by lawmakers.  —  Boluarte, the country's former Vice President …

Biden approval, views of economy steady, sour: AP-NORC poll  —  Fresh off his party's better-than-anticipated performance in the midterm elections, President Joe Biden is facing consistent but critical assessments of his leadership and the national economy.  A new poll from The Associated …

Transgender New Hampshire Dem in Jail on Stalking Charges  —  Stacie Laughton has falsely reported bomb threats, committed identity fraud as state rep  —  A transgender criminal who serves in the New Hampshire House of Representatives is in jail for stalking a woman, a third arrest for the Democrat lawmaker.

It's official: Kari Lake, Kelli Ward and the Arizona GOP have lost their minds  —  Opinion: The increasingly delusional Arizona Republican Party wants Gov.-elect Katie Hobbs to be investigated for ‘suppressing free speech.’ But its ‘bombshell’ doesn't even rate as a small fizzle.

12/8/22 ☀️ Punchbowl News AM … HE HAS FOUR REPUBLICANS WHO ARE PUBLICLY VOWING TO VOTE AGAINST HIM.  UNDER MOST SCENARIOS, HE COULD ONLY AFFORD TO LOSE FOUR REPUBLICANS AND STILL BECOME SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE ON JAN. 3. … MCCARTHY HAS FAVORS TO DOLE OUT …