RNC Moving to Declare Trump Its Presumptive Nominee  —  An RNC committeeman has submitted the proposal despite Nikki Haley's vow to stay in the race.  —  The Republican National Committee (RNC) is reviewing a draft resolution that, if approved, would declare Donald Trump …

1/25/24 ☀️ Punchbowl News AM … Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell did four extraordinary things Wednesday afternoon, all of which we scooped in our PM edition Wednesday night. … McConnell told GOP senators that before border security talks began, immigration policy united Republicans and Ukraine aid divided them.

‘Preposterous’: Federal judge decries efforts to downplay Jan. 6 violence, label perpetrators ‘hostages’  —  Judge Royce Lamberth, who has handled dozens of Jan. 6 cases, lamented the false rhetoric spread by Donald Trump and his allies.  —  The longest-serving district judge on the federal bench …

Trump Spokesperson Steven Cheung Booted From Defamation Trial for Phone Alarm  —  U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan, notoriously strict about electronics in his courtroom, brought down the hammer when the alarm went off in the middle of witness testimony on Thursday

Exclusive: China presses Iran to rein in Houthi attacks in Red Sea, sources say  —  Chinese officials have asked their Iranian counterparts to help rein in attacks on ships in the Red Sea by the Iran-backed Houthis, or risk harming business relations with Beijing, four Iranian sources and a diplomat familiar with the matter said.

Eagle Pass is today's Fort Sumter.  Biden must federalize the Texas National Guard.  —  The high-stakes game of Texas Hold 'Em taking place on the banks of the Rio Grande between the tin soldiers of that state's Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and the U.S. Border Patrol has reached a tension level …

EXCLUSIVE: Willis, Wade and others expected to be subpoenaed for hearing on Fulton County DA affair allegations  —  A current and former law partner to Nathan Wade, the special prosecutor leading the 2020 election subversion case in Georgia, have been told to expect a subpoena to testify …

How Big Pharma Is Fueling a Radical MAGA Agenda  —  Republicans' Project 2025 blueprint is an assault on women's health care.  It would also end Biden's Medicare drug-pricing plan  —  Big Pharma has invested big money in the organizations planning what a MAGA policy agenda will look like in a new Trump administration.

Vince McMahon Accused of Sex Trafficking by WWE Staffer He Paid to Keep Quiet  —  Janel Grant files lawsuit saying McMahon pressured her into sex with him and other men at wrestling business, raising questions about 2022 board probe into CEO's payouts  —  A woman who received a payout …

Elon Musk Is Spreading Election Misinformation, but X's Fact Checkers Are Long Gone  —  Civil rights lawyers and Democrats are sounding alarms about Mr. Musk's claims about voting.  The Biden campaign called his posts “profoundly irresponsible.”  —  In the spring of 2020 …

Biden to deploy CIA director to help broker major Gaza deal  —  William Burns is looking to close gaps between Israel and Hamas on a deal that includes the release of all hostages in Gaza and a two-month cease-fire  —  President Biden plans to dispatch CIA Director William J. Burns …

Larry Kudlow Agrees Biden Economy ‘Not as Bad’ as He's Been Saying  —  “So he gets his due.  If I were he, I would be out slinging that hash,” Kudlow declared on Thursday about the better-than-expected economic growth.  —  Former Trump economic adviser Larry Kudlow conceded on Thursday …

McConnell dispels doubts about his commitment to a border-Ukraine deal  —  The Senate GOP leader made clear that Donald Trump's opposition to an agreement was not souring him on the negotiations.