Top Items:
Mychael Schnell / The Hill:
Speaker Johnson announces policy barring trans women from Capitol bathrooms — Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) announced on Wednesday that transgender women are not permitted to use bathrooms in the Capitol that match their gender identity, taking a stance on the hot-button issue that has overtaken the Capitol in recent days.
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Anthony Adragna / Politico:
Johnson announces policy barring transgender women from Capitol women's bathrooms — Speaker Mike Johnson has banned transgender women from using women's bathrooms in the House portion of the Capitol building. “All single-sex facilities in the Capitol and House Office Buildings …
Steven Overly / Politico:
Raimondo's new mission: Leave no cash for Trump — With a massive legacy program hanging in the balance, the Commerce secretary wants to get billions in microchip money out the door in the next two months. — Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo is on an urgent mission: get as much high-tech spending …
Discussion:
Fox News, Patterico's Pontifications and Daily Caller News Foundation
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Mary Ann Akers / The Daily Beast:
GOP No-Shows Help Dems Approve Judicial Nominees Against Trump's Wishes
GOP No-Shows Help Dems Approve Judicial Nominees Against Trump's Wishes
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Raw Story, Daily Kos, CBS News, The Hill, Washington Examiner, Daily Caller News Foundation, CNBC, ABC7 and Forbes
Will Steakin / ABC News:
Gaetz sent over $10K in Venmo payments to 2 women who testified in House probe, records suggest — House investigators also obtained a $750 check from Gaetz, said sources. — Matt Gaetz talks before President-elect Donald Trump speaks during an America First Policy Institute gala at his Mar-a-Lago estate …
Discussion:
The Hill, Slate, New Republic, Rolling Stone, Raw Story, Forbes, Decider, Mediaite, New York Times and The Independent
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Washington Post:
House panel was told Gaetz paid two women $10,000, in part for sex — The House Ethics Committee is expected to vote on whether to release its investigation into the former congressman. — House Ethics Committee investigators probing sexual misconduct allegations against former congressman …
Discussion:
Decider, CNN, NBC News, Axios and Vanity Fair
David Nir / The Downballot:
Morning Digest: In stunning turnaround, Democrat takes lead in North Carolina Supreme Court race — Leading Off — NC Supreme Court — A critical race for North Carolina's Supreme Court is headed to a recount after late-counted votes gave Democratic incumbent Allison Riggs the slimmest …
Discussion:
Associated Press, Digby's Hullabaloo, WBTV-TV, The Gateway Pundit, WHEC.com, RedState and Balloon Juice
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Patrick Marley / Washington Post:
Republicans in North Carolina push sweeping changes to consolidate power — The last-minute inclusions in a lame-duck bill would strip the incoming Democratic governor and attorney general of significant authority before the GOP loses its legislative supermajority.
Discussion:
Pluribus News, The Guardian, WHEC.com and Associated Press
Will Doran / WRAL-TV:
NC House votes to strip power from incoming Democratic governor, AG as part of Helene aid bill
NC House votes to strip power from incoming Democratic governor, AG as part of Helene aid bill
Discussion:
governor.nc.gov and Mother Jones
Carl Hulse / New York Times:
Past Nominees Have Been Undone by Far Less Than What Surrounds Trump Picks — Back taxes, youthful pot smoking and undocumented nannies scuttled previous presidential choices. Some of President-elect Donald J. Trump's candidates face bigger questions. — A Supreme Court prospect bowed …
Discussion:
Bloomberg
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New York Post:
Please, Mr. President, ditch this dreadful duo — Gabbard and Gaetz — In January 2017, shortly after taking office for the first time, President Donald Trump had already issued 19 executive actions, and this paper dubbed him DON NONSTOP. — To which second-term Trump says: “Hold my Diet Coke.”
Discussion:
Breitbart, New Jersey Online, The Independent and Mediaite
CBS News:
Matt Gaetz, JD Vance meet privately with Senate Republicans to build support for attorney general nomination — Washington — Former Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz is meeting with senators on Capitol Hill on Wednesday as he seeks to shore up support for his nomination for attorney general amid calls …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, CNBC, Washington Post, New York Times, The Gateway Pundit, The Hill, The Independent, IJR, Fox News, Scripps News, Washington Times, NBC News, ABC News and Quartz
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Senate Democrats ask FBI for files on Gaetz sex trafficking probe — Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee have sent a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray asking for “the complete evidentiary file” from the agency's investigation into allegations of sex trafficking of minors …
RELATED:
NOTUS:
Senate Democrats Want the Full FBI File on the Matt Gaetz Investigation
Senate Democrats Want the Full FBI File on the Matt Gaetz Investigation
Discussion:
USA Today, Washington Post, Raw Story and Associated Press
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Graham urges GOP senators not to join Gaetz ‘lynch mob’
Graham urges GOP senators not to join Gaetz ‘lynch mob’
Discussion:
Fox News, Washington Examiner, ABC News, RedState, Washington Times, New Republic, Mediaite, Associated Press, Raw Story, New Jersey Online, Townhall, New York Post and Sputnik News
Bloomberg:
Ukraine Fires UK Cruise Missiles at Russia for First Time — Comes day after Western-supplied ATACMS were used by Ukraine — Ukraine's Zelenskiy has said weapons critical to the conflict — Ukrainian forces fired British cruise missiles at military targets inside Russia for the first time …
Discussion:
USA Today, Politico, New York Post, Associated Press, The Times of Israel, Reuters, Metro.co.uk and Daily Mail
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Reuters:
Ukraine fires UK Storm Shadow cruise missiles into Russia, a day after using US ATACMS
Ukraine fires UK Storm Shadow cruise missiles into Russia, a day after using US ATACMS
Discussion:
The Hill, Telegraph, Breitbart, Sputnik News, nationalinterest.org, ABC News, The Sun, Metro.co.uk, CBS News, Washington Post, NPR, Politico, USA Today and New York Times
New York Times:
Harris Loss Has Democrats Fighting Over How to Talk About Transgender Rights — Kamala Harris left Donald J. Trump's anti-transgender attack ads largely unanswered. Some Democrats call it political malpractice. — In the weeks before Election Day, aides to Kamala Harris could see in campaign polling …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, CNN, The Independent, Talking Points Memo and Althouse
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Julia Shapero / The Hill:
Musk, Ramaswamy lay out plans for ‘mass’ federal layoffs, rule rollbacks under Trump — Tech entrepreneurs Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy said Wednesday that their brand-new government efficiency panel will identify “thousands” of regulations for President-elect Trump to eliminate …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal and Reuters
Washington Post:
Trump's education pick once incorrectly claimed to have education degree — Linda McMahon, in a questionnaire for a 2009 post on a Connecticut state education board, incorrectly said she had a bachelor's degree in education, according to news reports. — Linda McMahon, President-elect …
Washington Post:
How 2024 may shift our understanding of the political generation gap — Data from the election remains incomplete, but we can already assess how the generational divide has changed — and how it hasn't. — Hours after polls closed — or even before polls closed in some states …
Discussion:
Raw Story
Associated Press:
Court extends hold on Louisiana law requiring the Ten Commandments in classrooms — Louisiana's plan to make all of the state's public school classrooms post the Ten Commandments remains blocked under an order Wednesday by a federal appeals court in New Orleans.
Discussion:
The Hill, Louisiana Illuminator and WHEC.com
NBC News:
Trump lawyers demand judge ‘immediately’ throw out hush money case — Letting the conviction stand would threaten to “hamstring the operation of the whole governmental apparatus,” lawyers Todd Blanche and Emil Bove argued in a letter to the judge. — Donald Trump's attorneys are demanding …
Discussion:
The Hill, Associated Press, New York Post, Talking Points Memo, CNBC, USA Today, The Independent, Business Insider and The Gateway Pundit
Liz Dye / Public Notice:
Trump's corruption of the DOJ goes much deeper than Gaetz — 📳 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 ⚖️
William Kristol / The Bulwark:
Entering Our Crank Era — The TV-guy administration grows: Yesterday, Donald Trump tapped Dr. Mehmet Oz as his administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. “Dr. Oz will work closely with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to take on the illness industrial complex …
Irie Sentner / Politico:
This time around, Trump's transition team has a new approach toward the media — As president-elect, Donald Trump has shied away from the media as he releases a stream of Cabinet picks and White House staffers in statements, most posted to his social media platform Truth Social.
Theodore Schleifer / New York Times:
Behind the Scenes at a Secretive Gathering of Rising MAGA Donors — The Winklevoss twins, Rebekah Mercer, allies of Elon Musk, Donald Trump Jr. and top Trump campaign aides recently joined a conclave of right-wing donors who are suddenly flush with power. — Just four days after being named …
James Bikales / Politico:
Why Biden's $7.5B electric vehicle charger push is probably safe from Trump — The grant programs ridiculed by Trump “aren't going anywhere,” one expert said. — Donald Trump has frequently lampooned the billions of dollars in federal funds set aside to build electric vehicle chargers across America.