Senior Republican senators say Biden should have access to classified briefings  —  GOP senator says he will ‘step in’ if Biden doesn't get intelligence briefing  —  (CNN)Two top GOP senators told CNN on Thursday that Joe Biden should have access to classified briefings …

I'm Not Yet Ready to Abandon the Possibility of America  —  The Atlantic is pleased to offer, below, an adapted and updated excerpt from former President Barack Obama's new memoir, A Promised Land, which will be published on Tuesday by Crown.  Yesterday, The Atlantic's editor in chief …

Scoop: Trump eyes digital media empire to take on Fox News  —  President Trump has told friends he wants to start a digital media company to clobber Fox News and undermine the conservative-friendly network, sources tell Axios.  —  The state of play: Some Trump advisers think Fox News …

POLITICO Playbook: Maggie's Trump book, and some Biden world moves  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  NEW ... NYT'S MAGGIE HABERMAN is writing a book about President DONALD TRUMP.  —  WHAT ELSE do we need to say about this?  You know this is going to be awesome.  MAGGIE has been a singular force …

This Election Result Won't Be Overturned  —  Recounts occasionally change margins in the hundreds, never in the tens of thousands.  —  It has been an eventful, unsettling year: A deadly virus struck without warning and claimed almost a quarter-million American lives; a lockdown demolished personal routines …

Trump advisor Corey Lewandowski tests positive for coronavirus  — Corey Lewandowski, a top Trump campaign advisor who has helped lead efforts to undermine President-elect Joe Biden's victory, has tested positive for the coronavirus.  — Lewandowski, 47, confirmed in a text to CNBC …

Maricopa County Republican chairman Rae Chornenky steps down  —  PHOENIX — The Maricopa County Republican chair has stepped down from her post after it was publicly revealed she was a no-show at a voting machine test in October.  —  Rae Chornenky resigned Tuesday night, one week after Election Day …

Notes on the State of the 2020 Election  —  Dear Readers: Check out our YouTube channel, UVACFP, later today for our latest Crystal Ball webinar.  It will feature the 22nd annual American Democracy Conference: We'll be hearing from New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie; CNN commentator Tara Setmayer …

Senior U.S. cybersecurity official asked to resign amid Trump transition tumult  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A senior U.S. cybersecurity official is leaving government after being asked to resign, an official familiar with the matter said Thursday, part of a wider thinning of President Donald …

Justice Department probe ends with no action against prosecutors who oversaw Epstein deal  —  A Justice Department investigation found that federal prosecutors who oversaw a controversial non-prosecution deal with Jeffrey Epstein in 2008 exercised “poor judgment” but did not break the law, Sen. Ben Sasse said Thursday.

How to cover a coup — or whatever it is Trump is attempting  —  President Trump lost.  The nation knows it.  The world knows it.  And, although he won't admit it, he certainly knows it, too.  —  But because he is claiming otherwise — with his Republican enablers joining the chorus …

Evidence suggests several state Senate candidates were plants funded by dark money  —  MIAMI - Why would candidates for Florida Senate seats do no campaigning, no fundraising, have no issue platforms, nor make any effort to get votes?  —  Local 10 News has found evidence to suggest three …

'We're the ones who won': McCarthy guarantees 2022 House majority after GOP stymies Democrats in suburbs  —  Democrats have spent years wooing suburban voters, seeking to build a durable House majority on a foundation of affluent, well-educated voters repelled by President Trump and a hard-right GOP.

Appeals court rules in favor of Harvard in affirmative action case, paving way for Supreme Court challenge  —  A federal appeals court on Thursday agreed with a lower court ruling that Harvard University does not intentionally discriminate against prospective Asian American students.

Scoop: Pompeo to make unprecedented visit to West Bank settlement  —  Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is planning to visit the Golan Heights and an Israeli settlement in the West Bank next week, both firsts for a U.S. secretary of state.  —  Why it matters: Since 1967, all previous U.S. administrations …

N.Y.C. Schools May Close Again, a Grim Sign of a Global Dilemma  —  The school system, the nation's largest, has had strikingly few virus cases.  Even so, the mayor may end in-person classes because the city's overall rate is surging.  —  New York City has more students in classrooms …

Trump wants to make money off the fake ‘stolen election’ crisis he created.  Don't let him.  —  Republican donors beware!  Trump says he needs your money for legal challenges to the election, but the fine print says it won't be used that way.  —  For days, President Donald Trump has been blasting …

Utah Man Driving 115 MPH Said He Was on His Way to Kill Former Missouri Senator: Police  —  STOPPED IN HIS TRACKS  —  A Utah man who was arrested after police clocked him driving more than 100 mph told state troopers he was on his way to Missouri to kill former Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO), Desert News reports.

At dinner parties and game nights, casual American life is fueling the coronavirus surge  —  A record-breaking surge in U.S. coronavirus cases is being driven to a significant degree by casual occasions that may feel deceptively safe, officials and scientists warn — dinner parties, game nights, sleepovers and carpools.

Biden Can Pass His Agenda If He Gives Republicans What They Want Most  —  The Democrats won the presidency, but they don't have what a parliamentary system would call a “government.”  Even if they win both Georgia Senate seats in the runoffs, they'll have just 50 Senate seats and will need …

Passenger Aboard First Cruise Ship to Return to Sailing in Caribbean Tests Positive for COVID-19  —  Passengers and non-essential crew are now isolating in their cabins as the ship heads back toward its departure point in Barbados  —  The first cruise ship to set sail in the Caribbean since …

A Careful Voter-Fraud Review  —  On the menu today: a careful review of recent voter-fraud cases, and how this dispels the trite, inaccurate claims that “voter fraud doesn't exist”; perspective on what recent voter-fraud cases have proven and the scale of the problem; and something …

Louisville police, county attorney's office hide 738,000 records in Explorer sex abuse case  —  Louisville Metro Police concealed at least 738,000 records documenting the sexual abuse of Explorer Scouts by two officers — then lied to keep the files from the public, records show.

Nevada's biggest newspaper tells Trump to give up  —  Nevada's largest newspaper, owned by Trump megadonor and casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, told the president Thursday that he lost the election.  —  The Las Vegas Journal-Review, which was purchased by Mr. Adelson in 2015 …

Trump's Post-Election Tactics Put Him in Unsavory Company  —  Denying defeat, claiming fraud and using government machinery to reverse election results are the time-honored tools of dictators.  —  MOSCOW — When the strongman ruler of Belarus declared an implausible landslide victory …