All Bets Are Off  —  In Joseph O'Neill's first essay in our pages, he warned readers that “the Republican Party enjoyed a mystifying presumption of legitimacy,” contrasted with “the curious timidity of Democrats.”  In that instance, he was describing the 2000 presidential election fiasco in Florida …

Trump Holds Up Transition Process Over Ethics Code  —  President-elect Donald J. Trump has not submitted a required ethics plan stating he will avoid conflicts of interest.  —  President-elect Donald J. Trump has not yet submitted a legally required ethics pledge stating that he will avoid conflicts …

I spent hours trying to persuade US voters to choose Harris not Trump.  I know why she lost  —  As a phone bank volunteer, I hoped to counter the Republican attacks and half-truths, but people really believed them  —  It has been an extraordinary week for US politics …

Anti-abortion advocates press Trump for more restrictions as abortion pill sales spike  —  Anti-abortion advocates say there is still work to be done to further restrict access to abortion when Republican Donald Trump returns to the White House next year.  They point to the federal guidance …

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 …

November 8, 2024  —  Social media has been flooded today with stories of Trump voters who are shocked to learn that tariffs will raise consumer prices as reporters are covering that information.  Daniel Laguna of LevelUp warned that Trump's proposed 60% tariff on Chinese imports could raise …

Justice Dept. to focus on ‘most egregious’ Jan. 6 cases until Trump is inaugurated  —  President-elect Donald Trump has said he would “absolutely” consider pardoning every Capitol rioter and has called them political prisoners and “hostages.”  —  WASHINGTON — The Justice Department plans …

Cuban implies Trump's tariff threat having negative impact ‘right now’  —  Billionaire and former Harris campaign surrogate Mark Cuban warned of the negative impact of President-elect Trump's tariff plans, which include a general tariff on imported goods and an additional tariff specific …

They split the ticket.  Meet the abortion rights voters who also went for Trump  —  Voters in three states — Arizona, Missouri, and Nevada — chose on Tuesday to advance protections for abortion rights in their state constitutions.  Donald Trump, meanwhile, is likely to win all three states in his victorious bid for the White House.

EXCLUSIVE: FEMA Official Ordered Relief Workers To Skip Houses With Trump Signs  —  Whistleblower: 'It's almost unbelievable to think that somebody in the federal government would think that's okay'  —  A federal disaster relief official ordered workers to bypass the homes of Donald Trump's supporters …

Trump, Who Was Charged with Mishandling Secrets, Will Get Classified Briefings Again  —  Two years ago, the FBI raided Donald Trump's home to retrieve government records he had refused to return, including hundreds containing classified information.  The indictment that followed alleged …

Qatar to pull out of Gaza ceasefire mediation, source says  —  Qatar will stop trying to mediate a Gaza ceasefire deal until Hamas and Israel show a “sincere willingness” to return to the negotiating table, an official briefed on the matter told Reuters on Saturday, in the biggest setback to efforts to reach a truce since the war began.

📝 The Readback: It's now Trump's Washington  —  THIS IS A PREVIEW! … Welcome to The Readback, our weekend digest featuring the best of Punchbowl News this week - a quick roundup of all our scoops, analysis and Capitol Hill insight you won't find anywhere else.

Should Alito and Thomas Be Pushed to Retire?  Conservatives Are Divided.  —  Coaxing aging Supreme Court justices to give up their power and status during a window of political opportunity can be a delicate endeavor.  —  With Republicans set to regain control of the White House and the Senate …

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 …

Smile, Flatter and Barter: How the World Is Prepping for Trump Part II  —  Foreign leaders have rushed to ingratiate themselves with Donald J. Trump in recent days, nervously recalling the clashes, insults and feuds of his first presidency.  —  When Prime Minister Keir Starmer met Donald J …

Arizona Elections Signal Robust Immigration Enforcement Under Trump  —  Along with a state ballot initiative to empower local officials on immigration, voters in the largest county elected a sheriff following in the footsteps of the notorious Joe Arpaio.

Elon Musk Uses X to Promote Trump's Incoming Administration  —  Since the election, Mr. Musk has used his social media company to talk up how bright the future will be under the president-elect.  —  Since Donald J. Trump won the presidential election, Elon Musk has gone all in on X to promote the incoming administration.

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.

Republican Don Bacon holds on to win reelection in Nebraska House seat  —  Bacon's victory comes after several polls showed him narrowly trailing Vargas.  —  Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) will hold onto his battleground House seat, The Associated Press projected, fending off a spirited push for a Democratic pickup.

Trump's second presidency sparks fear of ‘scary’ time ahead among some immigrants  —  Lauren Villagran Trevor HughesUSA TODAY  —  Giddel Contreras lives in the Bronx, works as a chef at a hotel-resort in Queens and is as much a New Yorker as the next guy.  —  But the Honduran native's decision …