A critical day for White House, Senate negotiators on border  —  Good morning, Early Birds.  Much to our dismay, our intrepid editor Dave Clarke is moving on.  His sharp wit, informed skepticism and always-cool-under-pressure demeanor made us better journalists, writers and people.

New York Republicans choose ex-Israel Defense Forces soldier as nominee to replace George Santos  —  County party leaders selected the Nassau County legislator to be the GOP nominee in February's special election.  —  New York Republicans have selected Nassau County legislator Mazi Melesa Pilip …

Jack Smith is still scrutinizing John Eastman  —  Eastman, a former top Trump attorney, is facing the loss of his law license in California — and the special counsel's office appears to be interested in materials from that case.  —  Federal prosecutors don't appear to be done with John Eastman just yet.

The Story Behind Trump's Gag Order Involves a Man Under Criminal Investigation for Stalking (Exclusive)  —  A Wisconsin man behind the digital campaign that prompted Donald Trump's gag order received three 50-year restraining orders and two criminal convictions resulting in jail time for harassing women

Rudy Giuliani Labels ‘Daily Show’ Guest Host a ‘Slob’ After Roast  —  The former New York City mayor was not impressed with a segment aired on “The Daily Show” this week.  —  As a Washington, D.C. jury decides if he'll pay $43 million to a pair of Georgia poll workers he defamed …

‘Are We Truly So Precious?’:  James Bennet's Damning NYT Portrayal  —  The former Times editorial page editor clears the record on his controversial 2020 firing.  —  Three years after his high-profile firing from the New York Times, James Bennet has told his side of the story in a damning portrait of the Times.

Ex-FBI counterintelligence official gets over 4 years in prison for aiding Russian oligarch  —  A former top FBI counterintelligence official was ordered Thursday to spend over four years in prison for violating sanctions on Russia by going to work for a Russian oligarch seeking dirt …

Here's how dishonest James Comer's Biden allegations are  —  Over the past 24 hours, with a vote to formalize the impeachment investigation into President Biden looming in the House, Republican lawmakers have been pressed to identify what, exactly, they think Biden did.

Congress approves bill barring any president from unilaterally withdrawing from NATO  —  Congress has approved legislation that would prevent any president from withdrawing the United States from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) without approval from the Senate or an Act of Congress.

Four Hamas members detained on suspected attack plans -German prosecutor  —  Four members of the Islamist militant group Hamas have been detained on suspicion of planning attacks on Jewish institutions in Europe, German prosecutors said in a statement on Thursday.

Jeffries: Government will shut down unless House GOP yields on demands  —  House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) is drawing red lines when it comes to 2024 spending, warning Thursday that the government will close its doors if House Republicans continue to demand funding levels below …

Mayor Wu's Boston City Council holiday party invitations draw criticism  —  An email went out to all city councilors about a holiday party on Tuesday, when it was only meant for minority elected officials  —  It was a festive atmosphere at the last scheduled Boston City Council meeting of the year on Wednesday.

EXCLUSIVE: Apology letters surface in Fulton Trump case  —  Statements from Powell, Chesebro are just one sentence long  —  The apology letters written by two of the attorneys who struck plea agreements in the Fulton County election interference case are just one sentence long and hand-written on lined notebook paper.

Hungary Blocks Ukraine Aid After E.U. Opens Door to Membership  —  President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine welcomed the breakthrough in Ukraine's official opening of accession negotiations to join the bloc.  Securing more financial aid will have to wait.  —  Hungary on Friday blocked …

Virginia court revives lawsuit by teacher fired for refusing to use trans student's pronouns  —  The former teacher, who was fired from West Point High School in 2018, said he could not use the student's pronouns because of his religious beliefs.  —  RICHMOND, Va. — A lawsuit filed …

In GOP Contest, Trump Supporters Stand Out for Dislike of Compromise  —  Biden's job approval stands at 33% Biden's job approval stands at 33%  —  How we did this  —  With less than a month until the Iowa caucuses, former President Donald Trump has a wide lead for the Republican Party's presidential nomination.

Sources: Christian Ziegler wants multimillion-dollar buyout to step down as Florida GOP Chair  —  Christian Ziegler wants a multimillion-dollar buyout to resign as the Republican Party of Florida's (RPOF) Chair, party sources confirmed.  —  The demand comes as the political leader remains under investigation …