Stars & Stripes reports: The Senate on Friday rejected President Donald Trump’s attempted derailment of the $740.5 billion defense bill that boosts pay and benefits for troops and adds care for thousands of Vietnam-era veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange. In a 81-13 vote, the Senate overrode Trump’s veto of the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, joining the House …

PBS NewsHour reports: The U.S. continued to surpass other countries in COVID-19 cases as it reached 20 million at the start of the new year, according to data kept by Johns Hopkins University. America exceeded the mark Friday, less than a week after the country reached 19 million cases. COVID-19 deaths have also increased in the country, now totaling more …

From the right wing Washington Times: President Trump on Friday encouraged South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to launch a primary challenge in 2022 against Sen. John Thune, the No. 2-ranking Republican in the U.S. Senate. Mr. Trump said last month that Mr. Thune – who the president called “Mitch’s boy” – will be primaried in 2022, though he didn’t offer …

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports: A record 3 million Georgia voters cast their ballots before early voting ended for the U.S. Senate runoffs, setting up a showdown that will be decided on election day Tuesday. The high turnout so far reflects the national importance of the dual runoffs, which will determine control of the Senate. Republican U.S. Sens. Kelly Loeffler and …

The Argus Leader reports: A federal judge says a state court can’t use the COVID-19 pandemic as an excuse to delay a Codington County trial and in the same breath criticized South Dakota’s response to the pandemic, saying it has done “little, if anything,” to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann ordered that unless the …

Los Angeles’ ABC News affiliate reports: Despite warnings from public health officials to stay home on New Year’s Eve, a number of public gatherings took place throughout Southern California, including another maskless event hosted by actor Kirk Cameron. In recent weeks, Cameron has openly defied COVID-19 mandates and hosted two caroling events in Thousand Oaks as the region deals with …

CNN reports: Florida’s county-by-county plan to vaccinate its elderly population has created a mass scramble for a limited number of doses, leading to hourslong lines at vaccination sites and overwhelmed county hotlines and websites. The first-come, first-serve plan led to huge lines forming overnight Tuesday as people camped out on lawn chairs and waited for hours. Bruce Scott told CNN …

Via press release from Sen. Mitt Romney: That comprehensive vaccination plans have not been developed at the federal level and sent to the states as models is as incomprehensible as it is inexcusable. I have experience organizing a major logistical event but nothing on the scale of what is called for today. Nor do I have any relevant medical or …

ABC News reports: A spike in disinformation about the election process in Georgia has prompted online threats against officials, poll workers and campaign staff that activists fear could lead to real-world violence. Researchers from Fair Fight Action, an activist group that promotes voter participation in Georgia and is chaired by Stacey Abrams, have tracked a large increase in disinformation related …

CBS News reports: District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine is preparing for another round of protests in the nation’s capital next week, when supporters of President Trump are expected to travel to Washington to protest Congress’ certification of Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory in the 2020 presidential election. “My level of anxiety is high. My preparation is even more …

Yahoo News reports: Republican House members and at least one senator are lining up to oppose President-elect Joe Biden’s 2020 win. But Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) says that’s not what’s happening behind the scenes. And after analyzing several court battles and fraud allegations, he came to the same conclusion as former Attorney General William Barr: There was no large-scale fraud …

Mediaite reports: Congressman Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) fired back at Fox News host Mark Levin this morning after Levin took a series of potshots at the Republican legislator over him being a vocal critic of President Donald Trump. Levin, who was once a “Never Trump” supporter, began the war of words by tweeting early Thursday morning that Kinzinger was a “reckless …

The New York Times reports: It was a warm summer Wednesday, Election Day was looming and President Trump was even angrier than usual at the relentless focus on the coronavirus pandemic. “You’re killing me! This whole thing is! We’ve got all the damn cases,” Mr. Trump yelled at Jared Kushner, his son-in-law and senior adviser, during a gathering of top …

NBC News reports: New York state authorities yanked the liquor license of a restaurant that played host to a “Covid conga line” and might have led to at least one infection, officials said Thursday. The Whitestone Republican Club threw its Christmas bash at Il Bacco in Queens. “After video surfaced of a potential superspreader holiday party at Il Bacco with …

The Hill reports: President-elect Joe Biden and his wife Dr. Jill Biden honored frontline workers in a New Year’s Eve address Thursday during ABC’s “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” broadcast from Times Square. “My mother used to have an expression,” Biden said. “Bravery resides in every heart and someday it’ll be summoned. [In] the people we’re honoring tonight, it was summoned …