Biden says he would not comply with a Senate subpoena in the impeachment trial of President Trump  —  Former Vice President Joe Biden confirmed Friday he would not comply with a subpoena to testify in a Senate trial of President Donald Trump.  —  The Democrat-controlled U.S. House …

Don Imus, Legendary ‘Imus in the Morning’ Host, Dies at 79  —  The controversial radio personality passed away on Friday morning at Baylor Scott and White Medical Center in College Station, Texas.  —  Radio personality Don Imus, whose insult humor and savage comedy catapulted him to a long-lasting …

McGrath files to challenge McConnell in Senate race  —  FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Calling her party's victory in the Kentucky governor's race a jolt of momentum for her own bid to unseat a Republican incumbent, Democrat Amy McGrath on Friday officially filed to challenge Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell …

Federal judge to halt latest North Carolina voter ID law  —  Raleigh, North Carolina — Republican attempts to require photo identification to vote in North Carolina are being thwarted again by judges hearing arguments that the mandate is tainted by bias that would deter black and Latino residents.

Anguish and Anger From the Navy SEALs Who Turned In Edward Gallagher  —  Video interviews and group texts obtained by The Times show men describing their platoon leader in grim terms.  —  [Watch a special Times documentary featuring combat video and confidential interviews with the Navy SEALs …

Mile high ugh: What you should know before you eat airplane food  —  Airline food caterers face limited oversight with infrequent inspections, numerous violations and few consequences.  —  Jason Alderman was hungry.  It was the beginning of his regular Sunday night commute from San Francisco to Boston …

Pelosi “has the right” to submit Trump to an “involuntary evaluation”: Yale psychiatrist Bandy Lee  —  “I am beginning to believe that a mental health hold . . . will become inevitable,” Lee tells Salon in an interview  —  A Yale psychiatrist who has repeatedly sounded the alarm …

Hunter Biden and pregnant wife spotted in LA amid paternity battle with former stripper  —  Here are the two people Joe Biden doesn't want you to see.  —  A bloated Hunter Biden — who along with his pregnant newlywed wife was left off dad Joe's family Christmas card this year …

On land, Australia's rising heat is ‘apocalyptic.’ In the ocean, it's worse.  —  BRUNY ISLAND, Tasmania — Even before the ocean caught fever and reached temperatures no one had ever seen, Australia's ancient giant kelp was cooked.  —  Rodney Dillon noticed the day he squeezed …

Rank-and-File Workers Get Bigger Raises  —  Short supply of labor, minimum-wage rises and increased poaching have helped lift wages for lower-income workers  —  Rank-and-file workers are getting bigger raises this year—at least in percentage terms—than bosses.

U.S. judge denies bid to restore 98,000 purged Georgia voters  —  A federal judge on Friday denied an effort to restore 98,000 Georgia voters who were removed from the state's voter rolls this month because they haven't participated in elections for more than eight years.

Bizarre Fortunes Flourish as World's Richest Gain $1.2 Trillion  — The wealth of the 500 richest people surged 25% in 2019  — Wrecked cars, catchy tunes are among the sources of new riches  —  The leveraging of a giant social-media presence, a catchy tune about a family of sharks …

Women attacked, man threatens shooting in rash of anti-Semitic incidents in NYC  —  GRAVESEND, Brooklyn (WABC) — There have been a rash of anti-Semitic incidents in New York City this week, most in parts of Brooklyn.  —  A man wearing a hoodie apparently walked into Lubavitch World Headquarters …

Schumer said in 1999 Senate wasn't like a jury box and was ‘susceptible to the whims of politics’  —  (CNN)Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer has blasted his Republican counterpart Mitch McConnell in recent days after he described himself as “not an impartial juror” ahead …

Ivanka Trump Confirmed as CES 2020 Keynote Speaker  —  It's official: Ivanka Trump, President Donald Trump's daughter and adviser, will be on the CES 2020 keynote stage next month in Las Vegas.  —  Ivanka Trump will join a keynote discussion on jobs and the future of work with Gary Shapiro …

In the U.S., an Angioplasty Costs $32,000.  Elsewhere?  Maybe $6,400.  —  A study of international prices finds American patients pay much more across a wide array of common services.  —  Why does health care cost so much more in the United States than in other countries?

Michael Moore Predicts 2020 Trump Victory: Trump's Level Of Support “Has Not Gone Down One Inch”  —  In an interview with Amy Goodman of Democracy Now!, Michael Moore said if the election were held today that President Trump would win a second term.  However, Moore predicted the Democratic candidate …

Activist who raised awareness about transphobia murdered in Toronto  —  When Julie Berman came up to the open mic at the trans day of remembrance event on Nov. 20, 2017, she delivered a speech about transphobia in Toronto.  She talked about a trans friend of hers that was murdered.

Families of Americans killed in Afghanistan sue contractors over alleged Taliban payments  —  Families of more than 140 U.S. service members and contractors killed or wounded in Afghanistan are suing U.S. and international contractors, alleging that those companies paid the Taliban for security services …

CNN falls behind Hallmark Channel in holiday ratings battle  —  Hundreds of thousands of Americans have been tuning in to ongoing coverage of the impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump over the last several weeks, lapping up new developments and as much crosstalk as the three cable news giants appear willing to serve.

Russia commissions intercontinental hypersonic weapon  —  MOSCOW (AP) — Russia's defense minister reported to President Vladimir Putin that a new hypersonic weapon of intercontinental range became operational Friday following years of tests.  —  Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu informed Putin …

Even as the U.S. and China agree to trade truce, they are edging toward partial economic divorce  —  If President Trump's trade deal with Beijing works as planned, Chinese purchases from American manufacturers and farmers will more than double over the next two years and American investors …

Grabien's 25 Funniest News Clips of 2019  —  Let's revisit the moments that made us laugh over the last 12 months  —  It's that time of year: The season of news editors telling their readers what the most important stories from the past 12 months were.  —  At Grabien, we're taking a less presumptuous route.

The 2010s Were the End of Normal  —  TWO OF THE MOST WIDELY QUOTED and shared poems in the closing years of this decade were William Butler Yeats's “The Second Coming” ("Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold"), and W.H. Auden's “September 1, 1939” ("Waves of anger and fear / Circulate …

Why Trump's Second Term Will Be Worse  —  When I spent a month on a research trip to India in December 2014, half a year after Narendra Modi swept to power, the writers, academics, and intellectuals I met were engrossed in a debate that may now feel oddly familiar to Americans.