Pentagon officials discussing how to respond if Trump issues controversial orders  —  Pentagon officials are holding informal discussions about how the Department of Defense would respond if Donald Trump issues orders to deploy active-duty troops domestically and fire large swaths of apolitical staffers, defense officials told CNN.

Scoop: Elon Musk joined Trump's call with Zelensky … - The Biden administration is now looking for ways to get as much military assistance as possible to Ukraine ahead of Jan. 20, when Trump could turn off the spigot.  — But the private conversations Trump and his team have had with Zelensky …

Why Does No One Understand the Real Reason Trump Won? … I've had a lot of conversations since Tuesday revolving around the question of why Donald Trump won.  The economy and inflation.  Kamala Harris didn't do this or that.  Sexism and racism.  The border.  That trans-inmate ad that ran a jillion times.

A Red-District Conqueror Wants Fellow Democrats to Look in the Mirror  —  Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, who is on track to win re-election in a rural Washington district, says her party needs to stop demonizing others and change the candidates it supports.  —  It's not always fun to say I told you so.

What is the 4B movement?  —  In the aftermath of Donald Trump's historic US election win, some women on social media have been advocating for a movement which originated in South Korea to stand against authority.  —  A feminist movement which originated in South Korea has been taking off …

Dem Insiders Begged Team Harris Not to Campaign With Liz Cheney  —  “People don't want to be in a coalition with the devil,” says a Democratic source who was appalled by Harris' embrace of Dick Cheney … It opened with the politics of joy, and a hearty dose of mockery aimed at Donald Trump and his running mate, J.D. Vance.

Democratic US Sen. Jacky Rosen is reelected in Nevada, securing battleground seat  —  Nevada Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen won reelection, beating Republican Sam Brown in a tight but unusually quiet race for the battleground state.  Rosen, a first-term senator, campaigned on abortion rights …

Pelosi Laments Biden's Late Exit and the Lack of an ‘Open Primary’  —  “Had the president gotten out sooner, there may have been other candidates in the race,” the former House speaker said in an interview with The New York Times, suggesting she had anticipated an “open primary.”

Three charged in alleged Iranian plot that included plans to kill Trump  —  A person briefed on the investigation, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss it, said two of the individuals are in custody.  —  NEW YORK — Three men have been charged in connection with an alleged Iranian plot …

US judge tosses Illinois' ban on semiautomatic weapons, governor pledges swift appeal  —  A federal judge on Friday overturned Illinois' ban on semiautomatic weapons, leaning on recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings that strictly interpret the Second Amendment right to keep and bear firearms.

Bird flu begins its human spread, as health officials scramble to safeguard people and livestock  —  GETTY  —  Almost from the beginning of the spread of H5N1 bird flu among farms and ranches in the U.S. earlier this year, experts and researchers warned that a critical lag in the blood testing …

Wind the clock  —  A message to those asking “what do I do now?”  —  1×  —  I had allowed myself to hope that American voters would choose the better of the presidential options available to us, and I was wrong.  I am disappointed.  I am sad.  I am afraid.

Mississippi Senate paid Black attorney less than white ones, US Justice Department says  —  The Mississippi Senate discriminated against a Black attorney by paying her about half of what her white colleagues were paid for doing the same job, the U.S. Justice Department says in a lawsuit it filed Friday.

Gavin Newsom's quest to ‘Trump-proof’ California enrages incoming president  —  Trump's post about the Golden State came a day after Newsom called a special legislative session to prepare legal defenses against the new administration.  —  SACRAMENTO — President-elect Donald Trump is lashing …

OUTRAGE: FEMA Workers Working Hurricane Milton Aftermath Ordered to Bypass Houses With Trump Signs  —  FEMA is supposedly constituted to provide help to Americans in the event of disaster, natural or man-made.  They are funded and their personnel are paid by taxpayer dollars …

Election Day bomb threats overwhelmingly targeted Democrat-leaning counties  —  It's still not clear who was behind the wave of threats.  —  Bomb threats sent to polling places and ballot-counting locations in at least five battleground states across the U.S. Tuesday targeted mostly Democratic counties, an NBC News analysis has found.

Trump just made $500 million with a single Truth Social post  —  President-elect Donald Trump's social media stock had been sinking fast after a short-lived, post-election-victory surge this week.  Then, with a single post on Truth Social, he helped boost the stock again - and added a half billion dollars to his net worth as a result.

With Ready Orders and an Energy Czar, Trump Plots Pivot to Fossil Fuels  —  President-elect Donald J. Trump's transition team for climate and the environment is considering relocating the E.P.A. out of Washington and other drastic changes.  —  As President-elect Donald J. Trump's transition team plans …

Chinese national jailed on charges that he tried to enter Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate  —  A Chinese national was ordered held Friday on trespassing charges after police say he tried to enter President-elect Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in violation of a court order that he stay away following previous attempts.

Rep. Jared Moskowitz says he was target of potential assassination plot  —  A suspect was arrested near his Florida residence, the congressman says, citing police  —  Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Florida) said in a statement on Friday that he was recently notified by police that he was the target …

Israeli soccer fans were attacked in Amsterdam.  The violence was condemned as antisemitic  —  Israeli fans were assaulted after a soccer game in Amsterdam by hordes of young people apparently riled up by calls on social media to target Jewish people, Dutch authorities said Friday.

Wave of Racist Texts After Election Prompts F.B.I.'s Scrutiny  —  Offensive messages were reported across the South and from New York to California.  —  A wave of racist text messages summoning Black people to report for slavery showed up on phones across the United States …

Pod Save America Host Says Biden's Internal Polling Showed Trump Winning 400 Electoral Votes  —  Pod Save America host Jon Favreau said on the podcast Friday that President Joe Biden's internal polls showed former President Donald Trump defeating him in an Electoral College landslide before he exited the race in July.

Thousands expected for People's March on Washington ahead of Trump's inauguration  —  Organizers estimate 50,000 will attend as part of an expected surge of protests — and celebrations — from across the political spectrum as the nation's seat of power transitions to Trump

Why America Chose Trump: Inflation, Immigration, and the Democratic Brand  —  KEY FINDINGS:KEY FINDINGS  — The top reasons voters gave for not supporting Harris were that inflation was too high (+24), too many immigrants crossed the border (+23), and that Harris was too focused …