Top of the Fold

• Chuck Schumer averts shutdown after defeating GOP rebellion over vaccine mandate (Washington Times), though Joe Manchin won’t rule out backing GOP effort to defund the mandate (The Hill)

• “A history of antipathy”: Republicans slam Biden FCC pick for anti-conservative views (Free Beacon) | Gigi Sohn previously described Fox News as “state-sponsored propaganda” (Blaze Media)

Economy

• Hiring stumbles in November as economy adds just 210,000 new jobs (Fox Business)

• At the same time, inflation causing financial strain for nearly half of U.S. households (Washington Post)

But lest you forget, rube: “We’d do ourselves a favor by consciously lowering expectations.” —Washington Post columnist Micheline Maynard

• Power move: Tesla says so long to California, files to move headquarters to Texas (CNET)

Health

• “All inbound international travelers must test within one day of departure”: Joe Biden announces new COVID travel restrictions, extends mask mandate (National Review)

• Biden admin suspends enforcement of CMS vax mandate following court order (Daily Wire)

• The doc who helped discover the Omicron variant writes a scathing letter condemning the knee-jerk lockdowns of world governments (Not the Bee)

• We’re shocked — shocked! Vaping linked to same cancer-causing mutations as cigarettes (Washington Examiner)

Politics

• Spin Dr. Jen Psaki says root cause of organized retail crime is the COVID pandemic (Fox Business) | Meanwhile, 14 looting suspects released on California’s “zero bail” rule (National Review)

• Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg team up to sell infrastructure law, with potential 2024 rivalry in view (Fox News)

Heartland

• Deliberate roadblock: Loudoun County asks parent to pay $36,000 for FOIA request for documents regarding “sexual assault” or “rape” (Washington Examiner)

• Cook County confirms over 1,000 homicides for first time in 27 years (Not the Bee)

• Waukesha parade suspect says he feels “dehumanized,” “demonized” (Fox News) | Darrell Brooks allegedly ran over ex-girlfriend with SUV after catching her with another man (Fox News) | Brooks was assessed top risk for violence, was released by leftist DA anyway (Daily Wire)

• Federal judge blocks Texas social media censorship law (CNET)

Notables

• Number of police officers shot, killed in line of duty hits new high (Daily Wire)

• Alec Baldwin on “Rust” shooting: “Someone is responsible … but I know it’s not me” (ABC News)

Belly Laugh of the Week

• Democrats celebrate gas prices declining by two cents in two weeks (Daily Wire)

Closing Arguments

• Policy: The U.S. does not have an Africa strategy, but China does (Georgetown Security Studies Review)

• Policy: The extraordinary hidden costs of the climate-change transition (National Review)

• Humor: LeBron changes last name to “Slavery” to get back at Enes Kanter Freedom (Genesius Times)

For more of today’s editors’ choice headlines, visit Headline Report.

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