The showdown between Fani Willis and a Republican-led Georgia state Senate committee over her conduct while prosecuting Donald Trump had loomed for months, and when it finally arrived Wednesday, Fulton County’s Democratic district attorney was ready to fight. | AP

The Senate gave final passage on Wednesday to an annual military policy bill that will authorize $901 billion in defense programs while pressuring Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to provide lawmakers with video of strikes on alleged drug boats in international water near Venezuela. | AP

President Donald Trump said in a White House speech Wednesday night that he was sending a $1,776 bonus check to U.S. troops for Christmas, indicating that tariffs were funding the payments as he tried to reassure a worried public about the health of the economy. | AP