‘Who the f—k is this guy?’:  Defense world reacts to Trump's surprise Pentagon pick  —  “Hegseth is undoubtedly the least qualified nominee for SecDef in American history,” one veterans' advocate said.  —  President-elect Donald Trump's Tuesday night surprise pick of a conservative commentator …

Why the Guardian is no longer posting on X  —  We will stop posting from our official editorial accounts on the platform, but X users can still share our articles  —  We wanted to let readers know that we will no longer post on any official Guardian editorial accounts on the social media site X (formerly Twitter).

Thune elected Senate majority leader  —  Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) has been elected Senate majority leader, setting the stage for him to replace retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who has held the top Senate GOP leadership job for the past 18 years.  —  Thune has served as Senate Republican whip …

Jack Smith Plans to Step Down as Special Counsel Before Trump Takes Office  —  The prosecutor who investigated and charged Donald J. Trump plans to finish his report and leave the job before he can be fired.  —  Jack Smith, the special counsel who pursued two federal prosecutions of Donald J. Trump …

RFK Jr.: ‘Stuff’ Trump eats ‘really, like, bad’  —  Former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spoke about President-elect Trump's eating habits on the campaign trail, calling the food the Republican leader ate “really, like, bad.”  —  “The stuff that he eats is really …

C.I.A. Official Charged in Leak of Classified Documents About Israeli Military Plans  —  The man, who worked overseas, was arrested on Tuesday by the F.B.I. and faces two counts of violating the Espionage Act.  —  A C.I.A. official has been charged with disclosing classified documents …

Transcript: Paul Krugman on How Badly Trump Voters Have Been Scammed  —  The following is a lightly edited transcript of the November 13 episode of the Daily Blast podcast.  Listen to it here.  —  Greg Sargent: This is The Daily Blast from The New Republic, produced and presented by the DSR network.

Melania Trump questions 'whether Jill's concern was genuine' following Trump assassination attempt  —  Former first lady Melania Trump said she questions whether current first lady Jill Biden's “concern was genuine” following the first assassination attempt against President-elect Donald Trump in July …

Trump demands Senate recess so he can install Star Wars cantina  —  🚀 Public Notice is possible thanks to paid subscribers.  If you aren't one, please click the button below to sign up and support our independent journalism.  🚀  —  👽 Subscribe to Public Notice 👽

Democrats Wonder: Are We Too Correct?  —  The depth of the 2024 defeat brings tough questions about a base built around identity groups.  —  It sounds odd, but the scale of Vice President Kamala Harris' defeat may double as a silver lining.  By losing all seven battleground states …

At Mar-a-Lago, ‘Uncle’ Elon Musk Puts His Imprint on the Trump Transition  —  He's on the patio.  He's on the golf course.  Everywhere Donald Trump looks, there is the world's richest man.  —  In nearly every meeting that President-elect Donald J. Trump holds at Mar-a-Lago …

Trump May Usher In Massive TV Station Land Grab  —  Flush with political ad dollars and anticipating a deal-friendly environment, moguls are eyeing big moves to roll up lucrative local broadcasters.  —  The mid-19th century was defined by the gold rush, as investments poured westward to fund the mining of the precious metal.

Frontrunners emerge for Trump White House press secretary  —  It's a tough job in any administration, but especially the incoming one.  —  While Donald Trump is focused for now on filling out his Cabinet, front-runners have begun to emerge for one of the toughest jobs in his White House: Press secretary.

Lawmakers Reject Bill That Would Let Trump Destroy Nonprofits  —  A contingent of Democratic lawmakers rallied Tuesday evening to vote down a controversial bill that would have granted President-elect Donald Trump broad powers to censor and punish his political opponents.

University of Rochester plastered with ‘wanted’ posters of Jewish faculty, staff  —  The University of Rochester in New York found “wanted” posters of Jewish faculty members on campus on Sunday night.  —  “This act is disturbing, divisive and intimidating and runs counter to our values as a university …

Dogecoin spikes after Trump announces a Department of Government Efficiency — DOGE … Dogecoin shot higher on Tuesday night, extending its postelection surge after President-elect Donald Trump formally announced the creation of the Department of Government Efficiency, which he referred to as “DOGE” in his statement.

Two top Biden administration officials warn of threat to U.S. children if anti-vaccine views prevail  —  CDC, FDA officials stress that kids could pay an unnecessary toll  —  Two senior Biden administration officials on Wednesday warned there could be serious consequences for the nation's children …

Jared Kushner's $3 billion conflict of interest  —  During Donald Trump's first term, one of his most influential advisors was his son-in-law, Jared Kushner.  Now that Trump has won another term, Kushner seems poised to reprise this role.  Except this time, instead of being an employee …

Pritzker, Colo. Gov. Polis launch governors' coalition to protect against ‘threats of autocracy’ under Trump  —  Gov. JB Pritzker cited environmental protections and the threat of mass deportations as the types of issues the coalition will be exploring.  —  Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker …

Trump's Cabinet moves hand Ron DeSantis a gift — but possibly with strings attached  —  Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis may get to appoint a Senate replacement for Marco Rubio.  But he'd need to balance the preferences of Trump and allies with his own wishes.  —  TALLAHASSEE, Fla. …

Don't Give Up on the Truth  —  Striking out against injustice is always right; it always matters.  —  The donald trump who campaigned in 2024 would not have won in 2016.  It's not just that his rhetoric is more serrated now than it was then; it's that he has a record of illicit behavior today that he didn't have then.