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Congress races against the clock to avert skyrocketing health care costs for millions

(CNN) Lawmakers are scrambling to address skyrocketing health care costs in the final days before Congress leaves Washington for the holidays, with enhanced tax credits that make insurance premiums more affordable for millions of Americans set to expire at the end of the month. After the Senate failed to advance health care plans spearheaded by each party last week, it’s the House’s turn to take up proposals with similarly uncertain outcomes.

Trump Officials Celebrated With Cake After Slashing Aid. Then People Died of Cholera.

(ProPublica) Despite the steps to insulate themselves, dire warnings poured in from diplomats and government experts around the world. The cuts would cost countless lives, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the other Trump officials were told repeatedly. The team of aides pressed on, galvanized by two men who did little to hide their disdain for the agency: first Peter Marocco, a blunt-spoken Marine veteran, and then 28-year-old Jeremy Lewin, who, despite having no government or aid experience, often personally decided which programs should be axed.

"As a conservative, I'm beginning to wonder: Are we the bad guys?"

(Letter to the Washington Post) I served in the Reagan and George W. Bush administrations and would like to believe conservatism wasn’t always thus, but I’m beginning to wonder. Was the virus from which today’s bigotry sprang lying dormant in us back then, like chickenpox leading to shingles? The moral herpes virus? Was it like a recessive gene long buried in our ancestral DNA that suddenly got switched on and has become dominant? Are these new conservatives in fact our descendants? Were we always secretly like this but were pretending we weren’t? I’m hoping these new conservatives are mutants, but I’m not so sure about that anymore.

Hassett says Federal Reserve can reject Trump's views if he is chair

(AP) A leading candidate to be President Donald Trump’s choice for Federal Reserve chair said that he would present the president’s views to Fed officials for their consideration but they could reject them if they chose when making decisions on interest rates. Kevin Hassett, in an interview Sunday on CBS News’ “Face the Nation,” said he would continue to speak with Trump if he becomes the Fed chair. But when asked if Trump’s opinions on interest rates would have “equal weighting” with members of the Fed’s interest-rate setting committee, Hassett replied, “No, he would have no weight.”

Rob Reiner and His Wife Michele Were Killed by Their Son

(People) Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were killed by their son, Nick, multiple sources confirm to PEOPLE. On Sunday, Dec. 14, at about 3:30 p.m., the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) was called to a home to provide medical aid, the LAFD told PEOPLE. Upon arrival, they found a man, 78, and a woman, 68, dead. Sources confirm the victims were Rob and Michele.

Monday's Condensed News Cartoons

Democrats Remember Sandy Hook Shooting and Renew Calls for Gun Reform

(Newsweek) As many remember the tragic 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary shooting, in which a shooter killed 20 children and six adults on scene, as well as himself and his mother, Democrats are renewing calls for gun reform. The posts come amid news of two horrific mass shootings this weekend, one at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where two people died and another at a Hannukah celebration in Sydney that killed 16 people, and dozens more injured.

Gang of Eight member unsure about US goal in Venezuela: 'I do not know'

(The Hill) Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) is unsure about what President Trump’s endgame is in Venezuela, but he certainly does not want troops on the ground. “I do not know what this president’s goal vis-a-vis Venezuela is,” Warner told host Martha Raddatz on ABC News’s “This Week.” Warner, a member of the Gang of Eight — comprising the House and Senate leaders of both parties and the top GOP and Democratic members of the Intelligence committees — said he has not been briefed on the Trump administration’s intentions with regard to the South American country.

US citizen arrested by ICE in Minneapolis because he 'looks Somali'

(The Independent) An American man was dragged out of a restaurant, forcibly arrested, and detained for two hours by masked federal immigration officers, according to reports. The 20-year-old man, who gave MPR News only his first name, Mubashir, moved to the U.S. from Somalia as a child and later became a naturalized citizen. While walking out on the street near 4th Street and Cedar Avenue, Mubashir said he noticed two masked men approach him, to avoid them he went into a nearby restaurant. The two men followed him inside, dragged him outside, and arrested him. Mubashir was also pushed onto his knees in the snow and put into a chokehold, CBS News reported.

Trump Vows 'Truckloads' of Evidence the 2020 Election Was 'Rigged' Is Coming Out

(Mediaite) President Donald Trump said his administration has “truckloads” of evidence to show Democrats “rigged” the 2020 election on Sunday. “We have all the ammunition, all the stuff, and you’ll see it come out,” Trump said. “It’s coming out in truckloads.” The president made the remark while hosting a Christmas reception at the White House. Trump said the Democrats are “professionals at cheating,” especially when it comes to elections, and said that was obvious in 2020 when he lost as the incumbent to Joe Biden.