With Republicans criticizing their own candidate for Speaker of the House while Democrats unify around their new leadership, the GOP isn't acting like it has the majority in the House next year. Why is Kevin McCarthy having a hard time getting the votes to lead his party? Plus, the House and Senate vote on bills to avoid an economy-crippling rail strike.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With Republicans set to take over the House in a little more than a month, Democrats want one more spending blowout, as a Dec. 16 deadline looms for funding the government. Meantime, lawmakers are also considering the Electoral Count Act, the National Defense Authorization Act (or NDAA), and maybe even the debt ceiling. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Contrary to his reputation as a pro-union Democrat, President Biden calls on Congress to impose a labor deal on America's railroads, as a way to avert an economically damaging strike. Plus, Georgia voters turn out in huge numbers for the Senate runoff between Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker, while Donald Trump's absence could improve the GOP's chances. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Demonstrations have broken out in cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, as the government and state-run media tries to squash any opposition to China's zero-tolerance Covid policy. Plus, the U.S. eases sanctions on Venezuela as Chevron is allowed to pump oil in the country again.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From school applications to medical forms, Americans are often presented with checkboxes and asked to identify their racial backgrounds. But where did these six standard labels come from, and do they still describe an increasingly diverse country? Law professor David Bernstein answers those questions and more, as the public awaits the outcome of the Supreme Court's case on racial preferences at Harvard and the University of North Carolina. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices