When Will Democrats Learn to Say No?  —  When Donald Trump held a rally in the Bronx in May, critics scoffed that there was no way he could win New York State.  Yet as a strategic matter, asking the question “What would it take for a Republican to win New York?” leads to the answer …

Elon Musk pushes Lutnick for Treasury  —  The billionaire Trump confidant posted an endorsement on his social media network on Saturday.  —  Elon Musk is backing Donald Trump's transition co-chair Howard Lutnick to lead the Treasury Department, touting the billionaire CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald …

Jay Bhattacharya, an NIH critic, emerges as a top candidate to lead the agency  —  The Stanford physician was excoriated by NIH's director in 2020 for his “fringe” ideas on covid.  Four years later, he's poised for power in Trump's Washington.

Trump Allies Were Told to Stop Saying They'll Put Migrants in ‘Camps’  —  “Apparently some people think it makes us look like Nazis,” says a close Trump ally … To be sure, Trump's migrant expulsion program, if he were to follow through with his plans to deport millions …

Trump taps oil executive Chris Wright as Energy secretary  —  The oil executive and GOP fundraiser disputes the need to fight against climate change.  —  President-elect Donald Trump named Chris Wright, head of a Denver-based oil service company and a vocal opponent of government action …

Under the Chandelier at Mar-a-Lago, Trump Makes Picks at Breakneck Speed  —  President-elect Donald J. Trump is more contemptuous than ever of Washington expertise and determined to hire people based on loyalty.  —  President-elect Donald J. Trump chose his attorney general almost on a whim …

A majority of Senate Republicans doubt Matt Gaetz will be confirmed as attorney general, sources say  —  More than half of Senate Republicans, including some in senior leadership positions, privately say they don't see a path for the former Florida representative, according to a number of Republican sources.

Trump's recess appointment power is constitutional and vital to his agenda  —  President-elect Trump's victory is an end to business as usual in Washington.  —  His desire to use recess appointment authority is a clear expression of how serious he is about making the federal government responsive to the will of the American people.

Democratic jockeying for the 2028 presidential election is already underway  —  Nearly two dozen Democrats are seen as possible contenders ahead of an invisible primary that will be shaped partly by Trump and his second term.  —  As the dust settles from Vice President Kamala Harris' defeat …

Xi Says China Is Ready to Work With Trump to Boost Relations  —  Chinese leader Xi Jinping told US President Joe Biden that he's ready to work with Donald Trump to improve the relationship between the world's biggest economies.  —  Speaking in their final meeting before Trump takes office …

Trump's victory means war will end sooner, says Zelensky  —  Ukrainian president said he had had a ‘constructive’ conversation with the US president-elect and he had heard nothing ‘that goes against our position’  —  President Zelensky has said the war in Ukraine will “end sooner” …

Trump won.  The celebrations started.  Then the trouble began.  —  The president-elect has been operating off his own script, making Cabinet picks that have posed immediate political challenges.

American Kakistocracy  —  Italy knows a thing or two about what the United States faces—but there are key differences between the two countries' experiences.  —  Why is a regular guy attracted to a billionaire candidate?  It's simple: Because the candidate can play to people's fantasies.