Trump fires Secretary of Defense Mark Esper  —  Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump announced on Twitter Monday that he has fired Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, and that Christopher Miller, who serves as director of the National Counterterrorism Center, will become acting secretary “effective immediately.”

Scoop: Trump privately discussing 2024 run  —  President Trump has already told advisers he's thinking about running for president again in 2024, two sources familiar with the conversations tell Axios.  —  Why it matters: This is the clearest indication yet that Trump understands he has lost …

McConnell defends Trump's refusal to concede to Biden  —  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) celebrated Republicans' congressional victories and defended President Trump's refusal to concede to Joe Biden, saying on the Senate floor Monday that Trump has “every right to look into allegations and request recounts.”

Pfizer's Early Data Shows Vaccine Is More Than 90% Effective  —  Pfizer announced positive early results from its coronavirus vaccine trial, cementing the lead in a frenzied global race that has unfolded at record-breaking speed.  —  The drug maker Pfizer announced on Monday that an early analysis …

GOP-led states back Trump's legal drive to challenge election  —  Republican-controlled state governments on Monday began throwing their weight behind President Donald Trump's legal drive to challenge the results of last week's presidential election.  —  A coalition of Republican attorneys general filed …

Trump Adviser Leading Post-Election Legal Fight Has Coronavirus  — Aide David Bossie was diagnosed Sunday in White House test  — Bossie helping with strategy after Meadows tested positive  —  David Bossie, an outside adviser to Donald Trump who is leading his post-election fight over vote counts …

Man featured at Giuliani press conference is a convicted sex offender  —  The first person Rudy Giuliani, the attorney for President Donald Trump, called up as a witness to baseless allegations of vote counting shenanigans in Philadelphia during a press conference last week is a sex offender …

Cheri Bustos won't run for DCCC chief after House Dem losses  —  House Democratic campaign chief Cheri Bustos announced Monday that she would not seek reelection, days after an unexpected string of losses that could end up costing the caucus nearly a dozen seats.

Barr OKs election probes despite little evidence of fraud  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General William Barr has authorized federal prosecutors across the U.S. to pursue “substantial allegations” of voting irregularities before the 2020 presidential election is certified, despite little evidence of fraud.

The former CEO of Google has applied to become a citizen of Cyprus  —  Eric Schmidt is effectively buying a passport that he can use to enter the European Union.  —  The former CEO of Google, Eric Schmidt, is finalizing a plan to become a citizen of the island of Cyprus, Recode has learned …

Biden-Harris Transition Announces COVID-19 Advisory Board  —  Leading Public Health and Scientific Experts to Advise the Transition on COVID-19 Response  —  WASHINGTON - Today, the Biden-Harris Transition announced the formation of the Transition COVID-19 Advisory Board …

Utah governor declares emergency, issues mask mandate: ‘We cannot afford to debate this issue’  —  For months, even as coronavirus cases have dramatically risen in his state, Utah Gov. Gary R. Herbert (R) has refused to order residents to wear a mask.  But on Sunday, after the state's worst week yet …

Of Course The Party Of Moral Authoritarianism Would Cheat On Elections  —  We and many others were warning months ago that the Democrats were going to try to steal the 2020 election.  When the counting, recounting, and lawsuits are done, they might well have succeeded.

We're still living in a 49% nation  —  In early 2001, in the wake of the closely contested 2000 presidential election, I wrote an Introduction to The Almanac of American Politics called “The 49 percent nation.”  Not only was the popular vote for president 49% to 49%, but in each …

How Democrats Missed Trump's Appeal to Latino Voters  —  The election was a referendum on Trump's America, but plenty of Latino voters liked it just fine.  —  PHOENIX — Democrats thought it would be enough.  —  After four years of draconian Trump immigration policies and divisive messaging …