‘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).

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

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 👽

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.

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

Axelrod pushes for Rahm Emanuel as DNC chair  —  Democratic strategist David Axelrod pushed for U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel to become the new chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC).  —  “If they said, ‘Well, what should we do?  Who should lead the party?’

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 …

Republicans suddenly feel good about the economy  —  Republicans are feeling positive about the economy for the first time in four years, while the Democratic vibes have plunged, per new data from Morning Consult.  —  Why it matters: Consumer sentiment used to reflect current economic conditions …

Scoop: Schumer's plan to jam Johnson on government funding … - Schumer is determined to pass regular appropriations bills before the end of the year, sources familiar with the plans told Axios.  — Passing all 12 appropriations bills individually would be a heavy lift for the Senate.

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.

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 …