A fraying coalition: Black, Hispanic, young voters abandon Biden as election year begins  —  In a new USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll, Biden's failure to consolidate his victorious 2020 support has left him narrowly trailing Trump.  —  President Joe Biden heads into the election year …

Israel is pulling thousands of troops from Gaza as combat focuses on enclave's main southern city  —  Thousands of Israeli soldiers are being shifted out of the Gaza Strip, the military said Monday, in the first significant drawdown of troops since the war began as forces continued to bear …

Trump's Mar-a-Lago New Year's Eve party features '90s rapper Vanilla Ice  —  The New Year's Eve party at Mar-a-Lago featured a performance by rapper Vanilla Ice, launching the early-1990s sensation as 2024's first musical act to trend on X.  —  Vanilla Ice, whose real name is Rob Van Winkle …

Mental hospitals warehoused the sick.  Congress wants to let them try again.  —  Lawmakers are on the verge of allowing Medicaid to cover substance use treatment in the facilities.  —  The linked crises of drug addiction and homelessness have Washington on the verge of embracing …

Judge allows Mississippi to create state-run court in Black-majority capital city  —  Despite objections from the NAACP, a federal judge is allowing Mississippi to create a state-run court in Jackson — the state capital where the majority of residents are Black.

House Minority Leader Jeffries's father dies at 85  —  Marland Jeffries, father of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), died Sunday, according to the younger Jeffries's office.  —  Marland Jeffries, 85, was a former substance abuse counselor who raised two sons with his wife of 56 years …

Harvard President Claudine Gay Hit With Six New Charges Of Plagiarism  —  Half of Gay's published works now implicated in growing scandal  —  Harvard University president Claudine Gay was hit with six additional allegations of plagiarism on Monday in a complaint filed with the university …

Israel's Supreme Court strikes down disputed law that limited court oversight  —  Israel's Supreme Court on Monday struck down a highly disputed law passed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing government that rolled back some of the high court's power and sparked nationwide protests.

Fox News Panelist Is Surprisingly OK With Trump Being ‘President From Jail’  —  Dr. Janette Nesheiwat said that if Trump is both reelected and convicted of a crime, he could just do the job from behind bars.  —  LOADING  —  Considering that Donald Trump has been indicted four times on 91 felony counts …

The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier is returning home after extended deployment defending Israel  —  After months of extra duty at sea providing protection for Israel, the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier strike group will be heading home, the Navy announced on Monday.

New State Laws Will Affect Americans Starting Jan. 1, 2024  —  Many state laws take effect on the first day of 2024, including new rules on gun safety, a ban on diversity programs and a curb on telemarketing calls.  —  A spate of new state laws, including on guns, minimum wage and gender transition care …

‘A formulaic game’: former officials say Trump's attacks threaten rule of law  —  Ex-president has made increasingly conspiratorial and authoritarian broadsides against prosecutors pursuing him  —  As Donald Trump faces 91 felony counts with four trials slated for 2024 …

Prescription drugs  —  As a candidate, Biden proposed repealing the law that bars Medicare from negotiating lower prices with drug corporations.  Instead of repealing the law, Biden signed into law a measure that would allow the federal government to negotiate lower prices for prescription drugs for some Medicare recipients.