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| Good morning. It’s Monday, Dec. 22, and if the news has left you feeling cynical this year, these five stories might give you hope. Now, try to hold on to that feeling as we catch up. | |
 | Sen. Ted Cruz is weighing another presidential run, setting up a clash with JD Vance. | - Where things stand: With the future of the party up for grabs in 2028, the Texas Republican is considering a politically risky second White House bid, The Post reported this morning.
- Behind the scenes: Cruz has privately criticized the vice president, who is widely expected to enter the 2028 race. The emerging rivalry is being fueled by a raging debate over Israel.
- Who else could run? We ranked Republican contenders here and Democrats here.
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 | Two lawmakers said they will seek to find Pam Bondi in contempt over the Epstein files. | | |
 | More than 1,200 current and former federal workers told The Post about a chaotic year. | | | (Washington Post illustration; Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post, handout images, iStock) | |
 | The U.S. is pursuing another tanker off Venezuela, a U.S. official said. | | |
 | A Post analysis shows surprising shifts in who is most likely to work at home. | | | Source: Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey via IPUMS. (Department of Data/The Washington Post) | - The findings: The odds of working hybrid decline as you age. But fully remote work goes in the opposite direction, with older workers the most likely to be working at home.
- Why? Much of the trend can be explained by older people working part-time in retirement.
- Dig deeper into the data: Find out which jobs have the most remote workers here.
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 | Stormy weather could impact your holiday travel plans. | - What to expect: Storms will deliver flooding to California and the Pacific Northwest. Much of the country will be unseasonably warm — see the full forecast here.
- If you’re flying: Food, candles, Play-Doh and snow globes are among the items most likely to get you stopped by TSA. Find our list of things that could get flagged here.
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 | Playing video games could help slow down brain aging. | | | (George Wylesol/For The Washington Post) | | Before you go … from cookies to shopping hell:
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Jamie Ross and 
