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DeSantis tacks further right amid 2024 speculation

BY MAX GREENWOOD

© Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is tacking further to the right as he weighs a 2024 presidential bid, a strategy that could endear him to the GOP’s conservative base and help him outflank rivals — including former President Trump. 

DeSantis has already carved out a reputation as a conservative firebrand, but in recent days he’s ramped up his rhetoric.

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Five things to know about the end of Title 42

BY RAFAEL BERNAL

When a federal judge in November declared Title 42 illegal “with great reluctance,” he allowed the Biden administration to keep implementing the border management policy for five weeks.

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Jan. 6 committee to vote on at least three criminal referrals targeting Trump: reports

BY MYCHAEL SCHNELL

The Jan. 6 select committee is reportedly planning to vote on at least three criminal referrals targeting former President Trump on Monday, a significant step from the panel as it nears the end of its year-plus investigation.

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Biden signs short-term bill to keep government open

BY BRETT SAMUELS

President Biden on Friday signed a short-term funding bill to keep the government open through next week as congressional negotiators haggle over the details of a longer-term spending deal.

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Same-sex marriage bill gives boost to LGBTQ people of color, but advocates say there’s more work to do

BY BROOKE MIGDON AND CHEYANNE M. DANIELS

When David Johns heard Congress had passed the Respect for Marriage Act, he felt conflicted. 

On the one hand, he celebrated how the measure enshrining marriage equality in federal law would benefit same-sex and interracial couples. But on the other hand, he recognized it was only a small step forward in the battle for equal rights.

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Pelosi backs adding government device ban of TikTok to funding bill

BY REBECCA KLAR

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) supports adding legislation to ban TikTok on government devices to a federal funding bill, a spokesperson confirmed Friday. 

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US to expand training of Ukrainian troops

BY ELLEN MITCHELL

The United States plans to expand its training of Ukrainian troops in Europe as Russia continues to bombard the country with missile strikes, the Pentagon announced. 

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Energy Dept vacates 1950s decision revoking security clearance for ‘father of the atomic bomb’ J. Robert Oppenheimer

BY RACHEL FRAZIN

The Biden administration is vacating a decades-old decision to revoke the security clearance of World War II-era scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer, who is known today as the “father of the atomic bomb.”

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NC Supreme Court strikes down voter ID constitutional amendment

BY JULIA SHAPERO

North Carolina’s Supreme Court on Friday struck down a state voter ID requirement, finding that it was enacted with a racially discriminatory purpose and violated the state’s constitution.

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Arizona Republican loses election lawsuit in secretary of state race

BY JARED GANS

An Arizona judge has dismissed a lawsuit from Mark Finchem, the Republican nominee for secretary of state, that challenged the results in his race, confirming Democrat Adrian Fontes’ victory in the contest. 

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How Musk may reinvent the internet without even trying

BY SORIN MATEI, PH.D.

OPINION | Billionaire entrepreneur and innovator Elon Musk might have just opened a new chapter in the history of the internet — albeit unintentionally. His new Twitter policies and the digital refugees he created, most fleeing to the heretofore obscure Twitter-like platform Mastodon, could give birth to a very new type of social media experience. 

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The homeless crisis should be an omnibus bill priority

BY LYNDON HAVILAND

OPINION | Once again we find ourselves on the brink of a government shutdown. As today’s deadline neared, Congressional leaders scrambled to pass a stopgap measure to keep the lights on for another week as they negotiate a bipartisan omnibus bill that would fund the government and advance key initiatives for the next fiscal year. 

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The Washington Post: U.S. appeals court ruling means border expulsions on track to end Dec. 21

BY MARIA SACCHETTI AND ARELIS R. HERNÁNDEZ

A federal appeals court on Friday cleared the way for the Biden administration to end a covid-related policy that allows officials to expel migrants from U.S. borders, rejecting a push by Republican officials to keep enforcing the removals.

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The Associated Press: What Trump promised, Biden seeks to deliver in his own way

BY JOSH BOAK

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump pledged to fix U.S. infrastructure as president. He vowed to take on China and bulk up American manufacturing. He said he would reduce the budget deficit and make the wealthy pay their fair share of taxes.

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Reuters: Russia fires scores of missiles in one of its biggest attacks on Ukraine

BY TOM BALMFORTH AND OLENA HARMASH

KYIV, Dec 16 (Reuters) - Russia fired more than 70 missiles at Ukraine on Friday in one of its biggest attacks since the start of the war, knocking out power in the second-biggest city and forcing Kyiv to implement emergency blackouts nationwide, Ukrainian officials said.

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The New York Times: Global Leaders Mix Sports and Diplomacy at the World Cup

BY EDWARD WONG

They have shown up in the shiny soccer stadiums here in Qatar one after the other, popping up more frequently than yellow cards or penalty goals.

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