Democracy Dies in Darkness
President Trump’s pardon of Flynn marks a full embrace of the retired general he had ousted from the White House after only 22 days — and a final salvo against the Russia investigation that shadowed the first half of his term in office.
Travelers wearing protective face masks reclaim their luggage at the airport in Denver on Tuesday. (Kevin Mohatt/Reuters)
Scores of Americans are choosing to follow through with plans to visit family and friends this week despite surging coronavirus cases — a scenario that officials in other countries are trying to avert ahead of other upcoming holidays, such as Christmas and New Year’s.
With the holidays upon us and the pandemic worsening, 26 million now say they don’t have enough to eat, an increase several times greater than the most comparable pre-pandemic figure.
The money was meant for businesses critical to national security. It is mostly unspent, with some going to a hodgepodge of little-known companies with unclear importance to national defense.
Election 2020
As President-elect Joe Biden called on Americans to make a shared sacrifice, President Trump spent the day tweeting a stream of grievances and baseless accusations.
Former Obama official Michèle Flournoy, often mentioned as Biden’s most likely choice, said to remain in the running.
Former senator Carol Moseley Braun (D-Ill.), who served with President-elect Joe Biden, said in an interview that she is interested in serving as the next interior secretary.
More Top Stories
The latest tax return shows the nonprofit gun rights organization in the red for the fourth year in a row.
arrow-rightNaples mourns
People gather to mourn the death of Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona outside San Paolo stadium in Naples, Italy. (Reuters)
In Argentina and beyond, he was simply “D10S,” a mixture of the number he wore and the word for God in Spanish.
Outages at Amazon Web Services’ northern Virginia datacenters left customers scrambling Wednesday to get their computing systems and web services working.
Trending
Allie Caren/The Washington Post
Your coronavirus vaccine questions, answered
Moderna, Pfizer and AstraZeneca have released promising results from their initial coronavirus vaccine trials. Here are answers to common questions about them.
Get the headlines from today's paper, and click on each one to read the story.
Browse the paper on your computer or tablet, just as it appears in the print edition.
The Post offers several ways to securely send information and documents to journalists.
Experience The Washington Post on your tablet and phone.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) campaigns for Trump earlier this month. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
The FixAnalysis
In near-identical tweets this week, GOP senators Tom Cotton (Ark.), Josh Hawley (Mo.) and Marco Rubio (Fla.) all came out pretty aggressively against President-elect Joe Biden’s Cabinet picks.
Fact CheckerAnalysis
The president is casting doubt on Wisconsin’s election results, but every part of his claim is false.
The Senate majority leader’s ongoing silence leaves a question mark over what could be the most important Washington relationship of the next two years.
The Energy 202Analysis
The selection of John F. Kerry as chief climate diplomat gives the new position gravitas at a time when U.S. credibility abroad on global warming and other issues has waned under President Trump. 
The Cybersecurity 202Analysis
Alejandro Mayorkas championed cybersecurity initiatives during the Obama years.
The vehicle, carrying at least two political slogans, appeared to have caused only minor damage. Authorities did not comment on the driver’s motive.
He was convicted of stealing papal documents in 2012, and served two months in a Vatican jail before being pardoned by Benedict.
The Duchess described the “almost unbearable pain” that comes with losing a child, and urged people to “commit to asking others, ‘Are you OK?’”
Today’s WorldViewAnalysis
Analysts expect Joe Biden’s ascent to power to bolster liberal, internationalist forces across the Atlantic.
Governments eager to relax the rules and people eager to enjoy themselves have given the virus a window. Now, winter is coming.
(AP)
The wind event is raising wildfire danger in the state to "critical" levels, and it may force millions to preemptively lose power.
A major storm could track from the Gulf Coast to the Ohio Valley early next week, with heavy rain to its east and snow to the west.
Economists say they are concerned that the current surge of the coronavirus, combined with Congress’ failure to pass stimulus help, could send the recovery backwards.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. (Toni L. Sandys/The Post)
Perspective
Stimulus packages included giveaways to people who really didn’t need them.
The White House has pressured the Defense Department to move forward with a plan to allow a private company to lease electromagnetic spectrum necessary for 5G communication networks. Industry analysts say such an opportunity would be worth at least $50 billion.
Market Watch
Last Updated: Today at 5:33 p.m. ET
Dow 29,872.47
Today arrow-down -0.58%
S&P 3,629.65
Today arrow-down -0.16%
NASDAQ 12,094.40
Today arrow-up 0.48%
Perspective
As conference players and coaches lament a canceled season, others continue in their pursuit of madness.
Perspective
Navy and GW opened their men’s seasons Wednesday, and the normalcy was a welcome reprieve.
Washington Football Coach Ron Rivera, who was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma this year, continued to work while receiving treatment. (John McDonnell/The Post)
After going through cancer treatment, the Washington Football Team coach was compelled to speak out on the issue of affordable health care.
The 18th-ranked Badgers, who suffered a damaging loss to No. 11 Northwestern last week, likely now have almost no shot at reaching the Big Ten championship game.
The NFL pushed back the game because of the Ravens' coronavirus issues. It's the NFL's first coronavirus-related schedule adjustment since Week 7.
Colter Zimmer, 13, puts up Christmas lights with his mom, Julie Zimmer, at their home in Crofton, Md., on Sunday. (Evelyn Hockstein for The Post)
Families are digging into their storage containers earlier than ever to follow through on one part of the holidays they can control in a year turned upside down by the coronavirus pandemic: turning on the Christmas lights.
Your boyfriend might be an abuser. Give him one chance to stop scolding and patronizing.
Friend who socializes and doesn’t wear a mask says reader is paranoid about getting sick.
Job seeker puts on a suit, but interviewers are taking a much more casual approach.
(The Phillips Collection)
The beloved museum remains relevant, and not just because it was founded in the wake of a pandemic.
The nine nominations from the Recording Academy for January’s ceremony puts Beyoncé at 79 for her career, the most of any female artist.
Years of discrimination and financial difficulties have left many vulnerable to a covid-19 economy at a time when the stories they tell are as salient as ever.
Book Review
John Gray’s “Feline Philosophy” argues that cats have it all figured out.
In “No Time Like the Future,” the beloved actor and activist offers life lessons he’s learned the hard way.