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The EU and U.S. positions on China have converged, due in part to Beijing's growing assertiveness and burgeoning partnership with Russia, according to Stefano Sannino, secretary-general of the EU’s foreign policy arm.

Why it matters: The EU declared Beijing a "systemic rival" in 2019, but European leaders have been slower than their U.S. counterparts to shift their focus from economic opportunities to security concerns. Today though, Sannino said, Brussels and Washington have reached a common assessment of the challenges posed by China — though not always a shared approach to addressing them.

Driving the news: One factor pushing the U.S. and EU closer together has been China's "new friendship" with Russia, particularly since the invasion of Ukraine, Sannino said.

"We have in front of us a different world compared with what we had one year ago," Sannino said. "We do not have all the elements of the new equation, but certainly it’s something that is changing, somehow, the landscape."

Sannino said the China-Russia nexus was a primary focus of the fourth high-level U.S.-EU Dialogue on China on Thursday and Friday, which the veteran Italian diplomat led alongside Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman.

Flashback: For years, the EU's focus in dealing with China was maintaining a level playing field for European companies, Sannino said. 

“Now it has become much broader," due in part to the growing assertiveness of Chinese leaders who have made clear they want to reshape the world order to suit their interests, Sannino said.

The EU is attempting to reduce reliance on China in areas ranging from rare-earth minerals to 5G infrastructure. After last week's talks, the U.S. and EU also released a joint statement raising concerns about China's human rights abuses, "provocations" toward Taiwan, and "economic coercion."

State of play: EU leaders have also raised concerns about the idea of "decoupling" from China, or getting caught up in a U.S.-China confrontation. The Biden administration's efforts to cut China off from advanced semiconductor technology and boost U.S. industry to compete with China also risked tensions with Europe.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration's efforts to cut China off from advanced semiconductor technology and boost U.S. industry to compete with China have created tensions with Europe.

Sannino warned against responses to China that were also "discriminatory" toward the EU — an allusion to U.S. subsidies under the Inflation Reduction Act that don't apply to EU firms — and said "the jury is still out" on President Biden’s export controls on semiconductor exports to China.

Still, Sannino said after last week's talks that the U.S. and EU are increasingly speaking the same language on China, and that "there was no kind of pressure to take a certain decision, to say yes or no, with us or not with us."

Yes, but: The U.S. is reportedly pressuring the Netherlands — home to the world's leading producer of chipmaking tools, ASML — to go along with its export controls.

The big picture: Sannino spoke to Axios shortly after European Council President Charles Michel met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also recently visited Beijing, and French President Emmanuel Macron intends to go early next year.

The intense criticism Scholz faced at home for traveling to Beijing with a delegation of business leaders underscored the growing skepticism toward an economy-first approach to China. 

However, EU-China trade hit a record high last year, and is increasingly important at a time when Europe is facing severe economic headwinds.

The other side: Xi has urged the EU to view China "independently," rather than going along with U.S. policy.

The bottom line: "The point here is not ostracizing China," Sannino told Axios. Brussels has to strike the right balance, he said, "not to be nasty, but not to be naive."

U.S. and EU positions on China are converging, top official says

The goal is "not to be nasty, but not to be naive."

Illustration of the EU stars arranged as a no sign over a map of China.

China foreign policy

China

China is becoming the most formidable rival America has faced, and the risk of confrontation with Russia, North Korea or Iran still looms. Authoritarians are rising, the chaotic Afghanistan exit revealed the limits of U.S. power, and the pandemic, climate change and other critical challenges continue to pose grave threats.

A federal judge dropped bribery and corruption charges against former New York Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin Monday, ruling the "indictment fails to allege an explicit quid pro quo," per the filing. 

Driving the news: U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken of the Southern District of New York wrote in a decision that "the Court concludes that the indictment fails to allege an explicit quid pro quo, which is an essential element of the bribery and honest services wire fraud charges brought against Benjamin."

Federal prosecutors later Monday appealed Oetken's decision to drop some of the charges charges against Benjamin. 

Details: Oetken said the court would throw out three counts of corruption against Benjamin, a Democrat, but a motion to throw out two other counts that the former lieutenant governor allegedly falsified records was denied.

"The Second Circuit has held — again, explicitly — that 'proof of an express promise is necessary when the payments are made in the form of campaign contributions,'" Oetken wrote. 

What they're saying: "Today’s decision shows how these wrongful charges so harmed Mr. Benjamin and unfairly cost him his position as Lt. Governor," defense lawyers Barry H. Berke and Dani James said in a statement.

"The dismissal of this now discredited bribery theory also makes clear how the indictment was a direct assault on the democratic process." 

"Mr. Benjamin is thankful for his vindication and looks forward to new opportunities to serve the people of New York and his Harlem community."

A representative for the attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York declined to comment. 

The big picture: Benjamin resigned in April after he was arrested for campaign finance-related federal bribery conspiracy charges.

The federal indictment accused Benjamin of soliciting campaign contributions from a New York real estate developer in exchange for $50,000 in state funds for the developer's nonprofit in Harlem. 

Benjamin was appointed lieutenant governor by Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) in 2021, and before that he was a New York state senator. 

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional developments. 

Judge drops corruption charges against former New York Lt. Gov. Benjamin

The U.S. government filed an appeal Monday to dismiss the judge's order to drop some of the charges against Benjamin.

ieutenant governor of New York, Brian Benjamin attends the Dapper Dan Preview Capsule Collection during New York Fashion Week: The Shows at Spring Studios on September 12, 2021 in New York City. 

Then-lieutenant governor of New York, Brian Benjamin, attends an event during New York Fashion Week on Sept. 12, 2021 in New York City. Photo: Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for IMG Fashion

New York

President Biden has made the COVID-19 crisis and a post-Trump return to national unity and traditional democratic ideals his top priorities. From vaccinations to stimulus to schools, Biden is seeking bipartisan compromise while showing a willingness to use executive authority and bare Democratic majorities in the U.S. House and Senate to implement his policies. Republican leaders are navigating deep party divisions over if and how to move beyond former President Trump.

Politics & Policy

A host of lawmakers from both parties have sharply rebuked former President Trump over the past few days, after he called for the suspension of the Constitution in order to overturn the results of the 2020 election. 

Driving the news: Repeating his oft-cited false claims of fraud in the 2020 election in a Truth Social post on Saturday, Trump wrote that such fraud "allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution."

Trump's remarks were condemned by the White House, with Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates saying in a statement that "attacking the Constitution and all it stands for is anathema to the soul of our nation."

On Monday, the White House also called on GOP lawmakers to "reaffirm their oath of office," in a separate statement issued by Bates to The Hill. 

What they're saying: Several influential GOP figures have criticized Trump in since he made the comments. "As elected officials, we take an oath to support and defend the Constitution," Republican Sen. Mike Rounds (S.D.) tweeted on Monday. 

"We should never dishonor that oath," he said. "No one is above the Constitution. Anyone who desires to lead our country must commit to protecting the Constitution. They should not threaten to terminate it."

Rounds added that "there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud that would alter the results of the 2020 election."

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) also condemned Trump's comments on Twitter. "Suggesting the termination of the Constitution is not only a betrayal of our Oath of Office, it’s an affront to our Republic," she tweeted on Sunday night. 

Former Vice President Mike Pence spoke out as well, telling WVOC radio in Columbia, S.C.: “Everyone that serves in public office, everyone that aspires to serve or to serve again, should make it clear that we will support and defend the Constitution of the United States." 

Pence also said that he believes "by God's grace" he was able to defend the Constitution "not only my tenure as vice president but in those tumultuous days at the end," referring to Trump's final days in office and efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.

Meanwhile, vocal anti-Trump Republicans had even harsher words for the former president. "No honest person can now deny that Trump is an enemy of the Constitution," Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) tweeted Sunday.

"With the former President calling to throw aside the constitution, not a single conservative can legitimately support him, and not a single supporter can be called a conservative,"  Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) tweeted. 

"This is insane. Trump hates the constitution," he added.

Separately, some congressional Republicans who appeared on Sunday news shows denounced Trump's claims, with Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) telling CBS' "Face the Nation" that the former president's remarks were "certainly not consistent with the oath we all take." 

"I vehemently disagree with the statement that Trump has made," Turner added.

Rep.-elect Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) told CNN's "State of the Union" that he "obviously" disagrees with Trump's comments. 

"The Constitution is set for a reason, to protect the rights of every American," Lawler said. "So I certainly don't endorse that language or that sentiment." 

Yes, but: Rep. Dave Joyce (R-Ohio), appearing on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday, did not rule out supporting Trump if he won the Republican primary ahead of the 2024 election.

"I will support whoever the Republican nominee is," Joyce said when asked whether he would support Trump despite his calls to suspend the constitution. "I just don't think that at this point he'll be able to get there because there are a lot of other good quality candidates out there."

Pressed about his answer, Joyce said Trump "says a lot of things, but that doesn't matter it's ever going to happen" and said suspending the constitution was a "fantasy."

Trump on Monday attempted to backtrack on his comments, blaming the "Fake News" for "trying to convince the American people that I said I wanted to 'terminate' the Constitution." 

The other side: "For Donald Trump, last week it was dinner with antisemites. Now he’s calling for an end to America’s constitutional democracy. He’s out of control and a danger to our democracy. Everyone must condemn this attack on our democracy," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) tweeted Sunday.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) urged voters in Georgia's runoff election to take action in light of Trump's comments. "You stood tall against Trump and his minions last time," she tweeted Saturday. "A win for Warnock is another win for democracy."

"A few hours ago the leader of the republican party donald trump called for destroying the Constitution and making himself dictator," Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) tweeted.

"Every congressional reporter should demand responses from Congressional Republicans about Donald Trump’s call for the Constitution to be terminated … how many of them called themselves 'Constitutional conservatives' during the Obama years???" Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) tweeted Saturday evening.

"Donald Trump wants to suspend the Constitution in the name of protecting the Constitution, just like he perpetrated election fraud in the name of preventing election fraud," Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) tweeted.

"January 6 was Donald Trump’s attempt at terminating the US Constitution.  He’s a repeat offender," Torres added in another tweet.

“Trump’s words and actions are well beyond the bounds of acceptable political discourse, they stoke hatred and political violence, and they are dangerous," Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) said in a statement.

"Trump has openly declared himself an enemy of the Constitution, and Republicans must repudiate him," Beyer added.

Newly elected Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) told ABC's "This Week" on Sunday that he "thought it was a strange statement."

"The Republicans are going to have to work out their issues with the former president and decide whether they're going to break from him and return to some semblance of reasonableness, or continue to lean into the extremism, not just of Trump but of Trump-ism," Jeffries added.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional reporting.

Lawmakers condemn Trump's call to suspend Constitution

Trump "called for destroying the Constitution and making himself dictator," Rep. Bill Pascrell said.

Trump speaks at Mar-a-Lago on Nov. 15. Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Donald Trump

Raleigh

Axios Raleigh

An alleged attack on two electrical substations left 60 percent of North Carolina's Moore County without power over the weekend in what local and state authorities are investigating as a criminal attack.

The latest: Duke Energy said Monday it had restored power to approximately 7,000 customers across the county, but around 38,000 still remained without power as work and repairs continued.

Catch up quick: About 45,000 homes and businesses in Moore County, about 70 miles southwest of Raleigh, were plunged into darkness on Saturday night, the Moore County Sheriff's Office wrote in a Facebook post.

At a press conference Sunday evening, Moore County Sheriff Ronnie Fields said that the substations had been shot at by gunfire in a "targeted" attack and that his office was working with the FBI and State Bureau of Investigation to find the cause of the attack. 

In response, the county declared a state of emergency, issued a curfew at 9 pm Sunday and closed county schools on Monday.

Duke Energy spokesman Jeff Brooks said at the Monday news briefing that some infrastructure can be repaired and other parts need to be replaced. 

"This outage will continue until we get those repairs completed and so we will gradually see more recovery, but we could still see this extend Wednesday into Thursday, somewhere in that timeframe," added Brooks.

He asked the public to understand that "it's not as simple as changing a light bulb."

Gov. Roy Cooper (D), who has been working with Duke Energy and state law enforcement officials, said Monday that things will "change to make sure that our infrastructure is protected."

"This kind of attack raises a new level of threat. We will be evaluating ways to work with our utility providers and our state and federal officials to make sure that we harden our infrastructure where that's necessary and work to prevent future damage," Cooper said during the briefing. 

Between the lines: The power went out during a drag show in downtown Southern Pines that attracted a significant amount of protesters and police presence.

The show ended early because of the power outages, The Pilot reported. 

One of the leading protesters, Emily Grace Rainey, claimed on social media that sheriff's deputies questioned her about the outages after she posted that she knew why it had occurred, WRAL reported Sunday morning. 

"I told them that God works in mysterious ways and is responsible for the outage," Rainey, who rose to local prominence protesting COVID-19 restrictions, wrote on Facebook. "I used the opportunity to tell them about the immoral drag show and the blasphemies screamed by its supporters." 

In 2021, Rainey also resigned from her position as a psychological operations officer in the Army, after the Army investigated her for leading a group of people from Moore County to the January 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol, CBS News previously reported. 

Fields said his office was looking into a possible connection to the drag show but added it had "not been able to tie anything back to the drag show." 

"We had to go interview this young lady and have a word of prayer with her, but it turned out to be nothing," he said in a reference to Rainey's Facebook post. 

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional details.

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North Carolina county may be days without power after “targeted” attack

Moore County declared a state of emergency, issued a curfew and closed county schools on Monday.

Duke Energy's headquarters in 2014 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Photo by Davis Turner/Getty Images

Electric power

Ominous forecasts about the impact of climate change serve as the backdrop for the world — led by U.S. lawmakers and companies — to debate big action on the problem, which could upend energy systems and our way of life.

Energy & Environment

Congress may consider legislation later this week that would scrap the Pentagon's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for military service members, Politico reports.

Why it matters: A rollback of the policy may be included in the National Defense Authorization Act, which is set to be unveiled Monday, as a compromise between Republicans and Democrats.

Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), chair of the House Armed Services Committee, told Politico Saturday a repeal had been considered but also that nothing had been decided yet.

In August 2021, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin directed that all troops receive the coronavirus vaccine or face potential expulsion.

Some Republican governors and members of Congress have argued that it's unfair to force troops to decide between getting the coronavirus vaccine or potentially being expelled from the military.

Austin said on Saturday that the policy should be maintained, saying, “We lost a million people to this virus,” according to AP. 

“A million people died in the United States of America. We lost hundreds in DOD. So this mandate has kept people healthy," Austin added.

What they're saying: House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who is vying to become House speaker in the incoming Congress, warned on Fox News Channel's “Sunday Morning Futures" that the bill would not move forward if the rollback is not included.

McCarthy also said that he and President Biden brokered a compromise on the policy, though the White House later pushed back on those comments.

Two top White House aides confirmed to the Washington Post on Sunday that Biden and McCarthy discussed the policy but that nothing is resolved.

“Leader McCarthy raised this with the President, and the President told him he would consider it. The Secretary of Defense has recommended retaining the mandate, and the President supports his position. Discussions about the NDAA are ongoing,” White House spokesperson Olivia Dalton said in a statement to the Post.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby also told reporters on Monday that Biden agrees with Austin in opposing a repeal of the mandate. 

Yes, but: The coronavirus vaccine is just one of several vaccines that service members are required to receive, as outlined in the "Joint Regulation on Immunization and Chemoprophylaxis for the Prevention of Infectious Diseases."

Service members can request to opt-out of a mandatory vaccination on health, administrative or religious grounds, including the coronavirus vaccine.

The big picture: 21 Republican governors asked the Biden administration in a letter last week to repeal the policy, claiming the "unnecessary" vaccine mandate has hurt the armed service's recruiting efforts.

Multiple factors account for the armed service's missed recruiting targets, including a tight labor market and competition with private companies, Army Gen. Joseph Martin, vice chief of staff for the Army, told Congress in July.

As of Dec. 1, over 11,500 members of the Army, Army National Guard and Army Reserve had refused the COVID-19 vaccine, though 97% of the Army's active personnel received it.

Go deeper: National Guard falls short of target goals as troops continue to exit

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect McCarthy was speaking on Fox News Channel's "Sunday Morning Futures," not on Fox Business Network's "Sunday Morning Futures."

Congress considering repeal of military's coronavirus vaccine mandate

A rollback may be included in the upcoming National Defense Authorization Act.

Soldiers marching in a Veterans Day Parade in New York City in November 2022.

Soldiers marching in a Veterans Day Parade in New York City in November 2022. Photo: Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Military

The U.S. faces a range of health care flashpoints — unaffordable drugs, opioids, vaping — as we debate whether to adopt universal care. For now, the Affordable Care Act is the law of the land, but Republicans want to issue it a final death blow.

Health

Explosions rocked two Russian air bases hundreds of miles from the Ukrainian border on Monday morning, Russian media reported.

Driving the news: Russia's Defense Ministry on Monday said it shot down Ukrainian drones that had attacked military airfields in Russia's Saratov and Ryazan regions, according to state news agency RIA Novosti.

Russian forces say they intercepted the drones, but the explosions killed three military technical personnel and injured four others, in addition to slightly damaging two aircraft.

Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for the explosions. Other explosions have occurred within Russian territory, though those were much closer to the Ukrainian border.

State of play: The Engels air base houses strategic bombers that have previously been used to launch strikes on Ukraine and are capable of carrying nuclear weapons, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The Ryazan air base is a hub for long-range flight tankers that can refuel bombers while in the air, per AP.

The big picture: Russia launched a fresh wave of missile strikes across Ukraine on Monday, continuing attacks on critical infrastructure as the war stretches into winter.

"The enemy is again attacking the territory of Ukraine with missiles," Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the deputy head of the president's office, wrote in a Telegram post. 

Russian strikes in the Zaporizhzhia region killed two people and injured three others, Tymoshenko wrote on Telegram. Several private houses were destroyed, he added.

The cities of Odesa, Cherkasy and Kryvyi Rih also reported explosions. In Odesa, a missile strike left the city without water after cutting the power supply to pumping stations, AP reported.

"Unfortunately, there are already hits on energy infrastructure facilities and related emergency power outages," Ukraine's electric utility, Ukrenergo, wrote in a Facebook post Monday.

 Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.

Explosions reported at two air bases deep inside Russia

Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for the explosions.

Satellite image of Russia's Engels air base.

Satellite image of Russia's Engels air base on Nov. 29. Photo: Planet Labs PBC

Russian invasion of Ukraine

Ukraine

Russia

Polls and conversations with top strategists in both parties suggest Tuesday's Georgia Senate runoff will be close — but that Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) holds a small but resilient advantage over Herschel Walker.

Why it matters: Runoffs are typically about turning out your base a second time. But in Georgia, both are targeting a critical mass of swing voters — independent-minded suburbanites just outside Atlanta.  

What's happening: Walker's ties to former President Trump — and struggles communicating his positions on the campaign trail — have made him uniquely ill-suited to win over swing voters, who have made the difference in recent closely contested Georgia elections.

A closing ad from the Warnock campaign features footage of Walker speaking about vampire movies, pregnant cows and how "our good air decided to float over to China’s bad air."

The ad shows voters with stunned facial reactions, side by side with Walker's comments.

🧮 By the numbers: On Election Day, Walker underperformed the rest of the Georgia Republican ticket, running 7 points behind Gov. Brian Kemp in Cobb County, an affluent and fast-diversifying county in the Atlanta suburbs.  

Among white college-educated voters, Kemp tallied 63%, according to the Edison Research exit poll — a 5-point edge over Walker with that traditionally Republican voting bloc.

Between the lines: The Republican strategy for the runoff is to use Kemp as Walker's leading surrogate on the airwaves, appealing to Republican voters to stick to their partisan instincts.

In November, about 203,000 voters backed Kemp for governor but not Walker for senator.

That big-tent strategy was undermined by Trump's dinner with antisemitic rapper Kanye West (who changed his named to Ye) and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes.  

Kemp got ahead of other leading Republicans in issuing a full-throated denunciation of the dinner: "Racism, antisemitism and denial of the Holocaust have no place in the Republican Party."

At the same time, the Walker campaign was declining to comment — and has remained silent ever since, even as leading GOP figures including Mike Pence and Kevin McCarthy have made public statements denouncing antisemitism, Holocaust denial and white supremacy.

Our thought bubble, with Axios Atlanta's Emma Hurt: Walker is using Kemp in TV advertising and mailers, but rarely mentions the governor on the campaign trail.  

The Georgia Senate runoff is Raphael Warnock’s to lose

Warnock (D-Ga.) holds a small but resilient advantage over Herschel Walker.

Midterm elections 2022

Midterm Elections 2022

Denver

Axios Denver

The case of an evangelical Christian designer from Colorado who refuses to build websites for same-sex couples lands in the U.S. Supreme Court Monday for oral arguments.

Why it matters: For the second time in five years, a First Amendment case from Colorado pits religious freedom against the right of LGBTQ people to access services without discrimination, and puts the court in the middle of the nation's culture wars.

What to know: Littleton's Lorie Smith, 38, objects to Colorado's Anti-Discrimination Act, saying it violates her free speech rights because it forces her to publish messages she opposes, in this case celebrating same-sex marriage on a wedding website. She preemptively sued the state in 2019.

The law bans businesses open to the public from denying goods or services based on race, gender, sexual orientation, religion and other characteristics.

What she's saying: "Colorado is compelling and censoring my speech and forcing me to design and create custom artwork that celebrates messages that go against my deeply held beliefs," Smith told Reuters in a recent interview. "My faith is at the core of who I am."

Between the lines: The Denver-based 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in 2021 issued a divided ruling against Smith, siding with Colorado in deciding the law doesn't violate the First Amendment. 

Smith — backed by the conservative religious group Alliance Defending Freedom — appealed to the Supreme Court.

The other side: Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser says the nation's highest court has ruled in favor of state-level anti-discrimination laws and he will emphasize that precedent. The Biden administration and LGBTQ advocacy organizations are backing Colorado.

“When a business says we're open to the public, that means they have to serve all members of the public," Weiser said in August, when he filed briefs with the court.

Flashback: In 2018, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Colorado baker Jack Phillips, who refused to make a cake for a gay couple. But the narrowly applied ruling avoided the broader question of whether businesses can discriminate and be protected by the First Amendment.

What's next: A ruling in 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis is expected by the end of June.

Editor's note: This article was originally published on Dec. 3.

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Supreme Court to hear arguments in same-sex discrimination case

Littleton's Lorie Smith, 38, objects to Colorado's Anti-Discrimination Act, saying it violates her free speech rights.

Web designer Lorie Smith is shown in her office on Nov. 7 in the southwest part of Littleton. Photo: David Zalubowski/AP

Web designer Lorie Smith in her office on Nov. 7 in the southwest part of Littleton. Photo: David Zalubowski/AP

Markets

Axios Markets

The IRS is coming for crypto — but it’s complicated

The agency wants to make sure those who dabble in digital assets pay their fair share of taxes

Monday's top stories

U.S. and EU positions on China are converging, top official says

Judge drops corruption charges against former New York Lt. Gov. Benjamin

Lawmakers condemn Trump's call to suspend Constitution

North Carolina county may be days without power after “targeted” attack

Congress considering repeal of military's coronavirus vaccine mandate

Explosions reported at two air bases deep inside Russia

The Georgia Senate runoff is Raphael Warnock’s to lose

Supreme Court to hear arguments in same-sex discrimination case

The IRS is coming for crypto — but it’s complicated

First look: CEO optimism fading as economy teeters

Scoop: Dominican Republic snags first MLB players union office outside U.S.

New AI chatbot is scary good

Elon Musk's year of losing

Tesla's electric Semi faces a long, slow, uphill climb

Worst flu outbreak in more than a decade spikes hospitalizations

GOP rips McCarthy "saboteurs"