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 …

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 …

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 …

HUD Secretary Ben Carson tests positive for the coronavirus  —  Carson was at the White House for an election night party  —  Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson has tested positive for the coronavirus, a HUD spokesman confirmed.  —  Carson, who tested positive Monday morning …

Scoop: Trump allies brace for 30-day legal war  —  GOP leaders and confidants of President Trump tell Axios his legal fight to overturn President-elect Joe Biden's victory — which they admit is likely doomed — could last a month or more, possibly pushing the 2020 political wars toward Christmastime.

The Latest: Ousted vaccine expert on Biden virus task force  —  President-elect Joe Biden has announced the members of his coronavirus task force, which will put together a blueprint for fighting the pandemic.  —  The co-chairs are former Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

Ossoff says Georgia Dems ‘have the wind at our backs’ ahead of Senate runoffs  —  Georgia Senate candidate Jon Ossoff said Monday that Democrats in the state “have the wind at our backs” as they seek to dispatch two incumbent Republican senators in a pair of January runoff elections that will determine control of the chamber.

Republicans already racing to fill Trump power vacuum  —  President Donald Trump's defeat has set off a flurry of activity as would-be successors start to position themselves for 2024 and a battle to lead a Trump-less Republican Party begins to take shape.  —  Likely Republican candidates …