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 …

Griner for Bout: WNBA star freed in US-Russia prisoner swap  —  Russia freed WNBA star Brittney Griner on Thursday in a dramatic high-level prisoner exchange, with the U.S. releasing notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, American and Russian officials said.

New York Times journalists stage historic 24-hour strike after management and union fail to reach deal  —  New York CNN Business —  A 24-hour strike at The New York Times, a historic demonstration in which more than 1,100 employees are expected to participate, began Thursday at midnight …

Democratic report details Trump administration's COVID failings: Suffering was ‘not inevitable’  —  “We could have handled this ... a whole lot differently,” Sen. Gary Peters said.  —  President Donald Trump, right, reacts as Dr. Deborah Birx speaks about her granddaughter's fever as she speaks …

After Georgia Loss, G.O.P. Stares Down Its Trump Dilemma  —  Republicans from Georgia to Washington traded blame for their bruising defeats in the Senate races.  Much of it landed on Donald Trump.  —  ATLANTA — The Democrats' capstone re-election victory of Senator Raphael Warnock forced Republicans …

Poll: DeSantis surges to 5-point lead over weakened Trump in 2024 primary matchup … A new Yahoo News/YouGov poll finds that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis now leads former President Donald Trump by 5 percentage points in the race for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.

Iranian forces shooting at faces and genitals of female protesters, medics say  —  Exclusive: Men and women coming in with shotgun wounds to different parts of bodies, doctors say  —  Iranian security forces are targeting women at anti-regime protests with shotgun fire to their faces …

U.S. Gas Prices Are Now Lower Than a Year Ago  —  A visible symbol of inflation for much of the year, prices at the pump have been driven down by reduced global demand and tumbling oil prices.  —  After months in which gasoline prices in the United States have been one of the most visible symbols …

How Trump and MAGA Allies Are Defending Violent Jan. 6th Rioters  —  Two days after a pair of Oath Keepers were found guilty of seditious conspiracy and three others were convicted of related felony charges, former President Donald Trump celebrated a group that gives aid to January 6th defendants …

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 …

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 …

The Dangerous Illusion of a Presidential Third Party in 2024  —  It isn't the first time and it certainly won't be the last, but American voters are frustrated with the state of our politics, and approval ratings for both the Democratic and Republican parties are low.

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 …

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 …

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)

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 …

PSE substations among five attacked in Pacific Northwest in November  —  At least five attacks at electricity substations in Washington and Oregon, including two at Puget Sound Energy substations, have been reported to the FBI in recent weeks.  —  Spokespeople for Puget Sound Energy …

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.