House Approves Defense Bill By Veto-Proof Margin, Despite President Trump's Threats The House approved the final version of the annual defense with overwhelming bipartisan vote. The legislation is facing several veto threats from the president, which Congress may override. Claudia Grisales
VOA Director Forced Aside In Drive To Embed Trump Loyalists Before Biden Era U.S. Agency for Global Media CEO Michael Pack removed Acting Voice of America Director Elez Biberaj, part of a broad effort to install Trump supporters before the Biden administration comes to power. David Folkenflik
Biden Pledges To Conserve Nearly A Third Of U.S. Land And Water By 2030 President-elect Joe Biden wants to conserve 30% of U.S. land and water by 2030. It's part of a global push to avoid the worst effects of climate change and the decline of the natural world. Nathan Rott
Former Cybersecurity Chief Sues Trump Campaign and Others, Charging Defamation Christopher Krebs argues critics' public statements amounted to calling him a "traitor" for stating the 2020 presidential election was "the most secure in American history." Brian Naylor
Democrats And Some Republicans Push To Add Stimulus Checks To COVID-19 Relief Bill Bipartisan negotiators are still trying to finalize a coronavirus deal with money for states, unemployed Americans and vaccine distribution, but some want another round of direct payments. Kelsey Snell
Morning News Brief Joe Biden is expected to nominate retired General Lloyd Austin as defense chief. Vaccinations against the coronavirus have begun in the U.K. Plus, new data show how COVID-19 is stressing hospitals. David Greene
Lloyd Austin, Retired 4-Star General, To Be Picked As Defense Secretary President-elect Joe Biden is expected to nominate retired Gen. Lloyd Austin as his defense secretary. If confirmed, Austin would be the first African American to head the Pentagon. Franco Ordoñez
Biden Expected To Nominate Gen. Lloyd Austin As Defense Secretary Austin will bring to the Pentagon decades of military experience. He would be the first African American to lead the department. Franco Ordoñez
GOP Strategist Suggests How Republicans Can Hang On To The Senate NPR's David Greene speaks with Republican strategist Alex Conant about what the GOP needs to do to maintain control of the U.S. Senate, and counter Trump's false claims of widespread voter fraud.
Biden Picks California Attorney General Xavier Becerra For Top Health Post The state official and former congressman would enter the job with a historic public health crisis raging. In his current role, Becerra has fought Trump efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. Franco Ordoñez