Exclusive: Woman told House Ethics panel she witnessed Gaetz having sex with minor, lawyer says  —  Matt Gaetz resigned from Congress Wednesday after Trump picked him for AG.  —  Representative from Florida Matt Gaetz speaks during the third day of the 2024 Republican National Convention …

Trump Pentagon pick had been flagged by fellow service member as possible ‘Insider Threat’  —  Pete Hegseth, the Army National Guard veteran and Fox News host nominated by Donald Trump to lead the Department of Defense, was flagged as a possible “Insider Threat” by a fellow service member due …

Muslims who voted for Trump upset by his pro-Israel cabinet picks  —  U.S. Muslim leaders who supported Republican Donald Trump to protest against the Biden administration's support for Israel's war on Gaza and attacks on Lebanon have been deeply disappointed by his Cabinet picks, they tell Reuters.

Trump trolls GOP with Cabinet picks: The point is to bring Republicans to heel — but it may backfire  —  Trump believes in rule by fear, but that stokes resentment and possibly even resistance  —  In these dark times, it's more important than ever to nurse tendrils of joy.

Scoop: House Dems sick of Pelosi … - “She needs to take a seat,” said one senior Democratic lawmaker.  — “Making scattershot comments is not just unhelpful, it's damaging,” said the lawmaker. … - Both lawmakers insisted on anonymity.  — Pelosi still instills fear in the members she led for two decades.

Trump Names Karoline Leavitt as His White House Press Secretary  —  Ms. Leavitt, 27, who served as his campaign's press secretary and worked in the White House during his first administration, will be the youngest person ever to assume the role.  —  President-elect Donald J. Trump announced …

The boys in our liberal school are different now that Trump has won  —  Anonymous  —  Subtle high-fives were exchanged and remarks about the impending success of the next four years were whispered around  —  When we walked into school on the morning of 6 November, we exchanged quick glances …

Trump Considers Fox Business Host Larry Kudlow for Top Economic Jobs  —  Former National Economic Council director had met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago this week  —  Donald Trump appeared to be nearing a decision on his nominee to lead the Treasury Department, as he was meeting Friday …

Scoop: McCaul's exit from Foreign Affairs leadership sets up succession race … - “Out of respect for [conference] rules and a desire to see future leaders rise from our conference, I have decided not to pursue another term as chairman,” McCaul told Axios in a statement.

Trump allies lobby him to fire FBI director early and install loyalist Kash Patel  —  Donald Trump is weighing a push from right-wing allies to nominate Kash Patel to lead the FBI, one of the clearest indications the president-elect plans to stick by his vow to fire Director Christopher Wray …

FBI Statement Regarding Offensive Text Messages  —  The FBI is aware of the offensive and racist text messages sent to African American and Black communities around the country and is in contact with the Justice Department and other federal authorities on the matter.

Rudy Giuliani makes a down payment on $148M judgment  —  He turns over his car but wants to keep DiMaggio jersey.  —  NEW YORK — Rudy Giuliani surrendered a Mercedes-Benz, watches and a ring on Friday to two Georgia election workers who successfully sued him for defamation …

T-Mobile Hacked in Massive Chinese Breach of Telecom Networks  —  Carrier joins growing list of known victims, including AT&T and Verizon, of the major Chinese spying operation  —  T-Mobile's network was among the systems hacked in a damaging Chinese cyber-espionage operation …

Trump's team skips FBI background checks for some Cabinet picks  —  President-elect Donald Trump's transition team is bypassing traditional FBI background checks for at least some of his Cabinet picks while using private companies to conduct vetting of potential candidates for administration jobs …

Right-wing provocateur uses racist language testifying against gun legislation  —  A right-wing provocateur testifying against legislation expanding a firearms ban to lawmakers' offices used a racial slur during a Senate committee hearing Thursday as he falsely accused lawmakers of attacking …

House GOP Moves to Ram Through Bill That Gives Trump Unilateral Power to Kill Nonprofits  —  A controversial “nonprofit killer” bill is back on track after it was blocked earlier this week.  —  A majority of Democrats in the House of Representatives rejected the bill on Tuesday out of fear …

Dem Rep. Says Tulsi Gabbard Is ‘Likely a Russian Asset’  —  DOUBLE AGENT?  —  The Florida Democrat slammed Trump's pick for director of national intelligence, whose comments about Russia have raised concerns.  —  Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz said that Tulsi Gabbard …

John Fetterman says Democrats need to stop ‘freaking out’ over everything Trump does  —  The Pennsylvania senator spoke to NBC News about what went wrong for his party in 2024 and how it should approach the future Trump administration.  —  In the closing weeks of the presidential campaign …

Decapitation Strike  —  Each of Trump's proposed appointments is a surprise.  It is comforting to think that he is simply a vengeful old man, lashing out this way and that.  This is unlikely.  He and Musk and Putin have been talking for years.  And the whole idea of his campaign was that this time he had a plan.

It's Time for Outgoing Democrats to Play Hardball  —  IN THIS CRUCIAL PERIOD between the election and the inauguration, opponents of the president-elect need to use every feasible lever of power to defeat Trump's movement, lest the country fail.  —  In this, they would be correcting a past mistake.

Musk asks ‘high-IQ revolutionaries’ to work for no pay on new Trump project  —  World's richest man solicits applications for ‘tedious work’ in newly formed Department of Government Efficiency  —  Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy are asking Americans who are “high-IQ small-government revolutionaries” …

Trump to tap campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung as communications director  —  A veteran of all three campaigns, he's known for his slashing statements on Trump's behalf.  —  Steven Cheung, who served as Donald Trump's principal spokesperson on his 2024 campaign and also served on his 2020 …

Democrats are already looking to revamp their early state primary calendar for 2028  —  Some caution that putting South Carolina to the back of the line-up could alienate Black voters.  —  It took months for Democrats to settle on their primary presidential calendar, an extended battle …