POLITICO Playbook: Inside the 28 minutes that saved Kevin McCarthy  —  Presented by With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  For the first time all week, House Republicans were jubilant and KEVIN McCARTHY's smile finally seemed genuine.

What we know about the XBB.1.5 COVID variant sweeping the Northeast  —  The XBB.1.5 omicron subvariant is raising concerns of a potential surge in COVID-19 cases as it sweeps across the Northeast.  —  Officials have warned in recent weeks that the strain is highly transmissible …

Grant Wahl's Death Isn't a Tool for Covid Vaccine Disinformation Spreaders  —  Dr. Gounder is an infectious disease physician and epidemiologist.  She is the widow of the sports journalist Grant Wahl.  —  It was the end of the workday on Friday, Dec. 9, 2022.

Now Fighting for Ukraine: Volunteers Seeking Revenge Against Russia  —  Chechens, Crimean Tatars and people from the former Soviet republics, all with deep historical grievances against Moscow, are eagerly taking up arms for Kyiv.  —  KYIV REGION, Ukraine — The sharp crack of sniper fire rang out across the snowbound valley.

It's Tempting to Laugh at McCarthy's Struggles, but History Shows That This Type of Chaos Is Not a Joke  —  In recent days, we've watched congressional Republicans reap the whirlwind.  In campaigning for the 2021 midterm elections, the G.O.P. rode a wave of extremism, saying little …

A Lecturer Showed a Painting of the Prophet Muhammad.  She Lost Her Job.  —  After an outcry over the art history class by Muslim students, Hamline University officials said the incident was Islamophobic.  But many scholars say the work is a masterpiece.  —  Erika López Prater …

For GOP, Speaker Debacle Has Roots in Newt Gingrich's Revolt  —  Mr. Gingrich began the zero-sum politics that mutated into the brand of the Tea Party and Trump M.A.G.A. Republicans and that presaged the raucous speaker battle in the House.  —  WASHINGTON — Newt Gingrich was disdainful.

Benedict's Burial Leaves Francis Alone, and Unbound  —  Liberal supporters of Francis, a pope never shy about exercising power, now anticipate a late-breaking season of change.  —  VATICAN CITY — Since the first day of his papacy nearly a decade ago, Pope Francis has had to navigate …

Time is not on Ukraine's side  —  Condoleezza Rice was secretary of state from 2005 to 2009.  Robert M. Gates was secretary of defense from 2006 to 2011.  —  When it comes to the war in Ukraine, about the only thing that's certain right now is that the fighting and destruction will continue.

CREEPY: OB-GYN Hypes Medication Abortion as ‘Extrarordinarily Safe’ — For Whom?  —  Text to Speech Font Size  —  On Wednesday's PBS NewsHour, viewers received a bucket of happy talk about medication abortions from Dr. Jennifer Villavicencio.  Twice, she insisted the use of mifepristone was …

There Are Many Questions About George Santos, but Latest Leftist Complaint Is Incredibly Dumb  —  There are a ton of valid questions that one might ask about Rep. George Santos (R-NY) who seems to be following in the grand tradition of Joe Biden and lying — a lot — about his background and a variety of aspects of his life.

From battlefield to internet sleuthing: Exposing U.S. white supremacy  —  NBC News' Courtney Kube has the story of veteran Kristofer Goldsmith who is on a mission to expose far-right extremism despite some saying his tactics are co...