Top Items:
Michael S. Schmidt / New York Times:
Federal Inquiry Traced Payments From Gaetz to Women — A document prepared by federal investigators bolsters claims by women who say they were hired for sex by Matt Gaetz, President-elect Donald J. Trump's choice for attorney general, who denies wrongdoing.
Discussion:
HuffPost, Townhall, Raw Story and Sun-Sentinel
RELATED:
Politico:
House Ethics panel does not agree to release the Gaetz report — The House Ethics Committee on Wednesday did not agree to release the long-anticipated report into Matt Gaetz. “There was not an agreement by the committee to release the report,” Chair Michael Guest (R-Miss.) told reporters after the meeting ended.
Associated Press:
Republicans on House Ethics reject for now releasing report on Matt Gaetz — House Ethics Committee Republicans voted Wednesday against releasing the panel's long-running investigation into President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general, former Rep. Matt Gaetz, the top Democrat on the panel said.
Discussion:
The Hill, Townhall, Los Angeles Times, Washington Examiner, The Independent, NPR, The Guardian and CNN
Axios:
Trump rages as absent Senate Republicans help confirm Biden judges … - Trump posted Wednesday on “X”: “The Democrats are trying to stack the Courts with Radical Left Judges on their way out the door. … Democrats confirmed two more judges on Wednesday by 50-48 margins, with Republican Sens. Ted Cruz …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, The Gateway Pundit, PoliticusUSA, The Independent and HuffPost
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:
Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, Decider, New Republic, The Hill, Slate, The Independent, Raw Story, United States Senator …, Crooked Media, Rolling Stone, Forbes and Mediaite
Elizabeth Urban / International Business Times:
Trump Accidentally Helps Dems Get Key Judicial Nominees Approved By Taking Republicans To SpaceX Launch
Trump Accidentally Helps Dems Get Key Judicial Nominees Approved By Taking Republicans To SpaceX Launch
Politico:
House Democrat pledges to force a vote to release the Gaetz report
House Democrat pledges to force a vote to release the Gaetz report
Discussion:
The Hill, Washington Examiner, Axios, The Gateway Pundit, New Republic, Daily Caller News Foundation and Washington Times
Anthony Adragna / Politico:
Luna: Johnson blocked proxy voting for new moms
Luna: Johnson blocked proxy voting for new moms
Discussion:
The Hill and Washington Examiner
The Hill:
House Ethics Committee to keep Gaetz report under wraps
House Ethics Committee to keep Gaetz report under wraps
Discussion:
CBS News, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, UPI, Roll Call, Talking Points Memo, WCMH-TV, Washington Examiner, Trending Politics … and NOTUS
Washington Post:
House panel was told Gaetz paid two women $10,000, in part for sex
House panel was told Gaetz paid two women $10,000, in part for sex
Discussion:
Vanity Fair, Decider, CNN, Press Herald, ABC News, NBC News and Axios
Carl Hulse / New York Times:
Past Nominees Have Been Undone by Far Less Than What Surrounds Trump Picks
Past Nominees Have Been Undone by Far Less Than What Surrounds Trump Picks
Discussion:
Florida Politics, Raw Story, Politico and Bloomberg
Wall Street Journal:
Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy: The DOGE Plan to Reform Government — Following the Supreme Court's guidance, we'll reverse a decadeslong executive power grab. — Our nation was founded on the basic idea that the people we elect run the government. That isn't how America functions today.
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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 …
ABC News:
Linda McMahon's background as Trump's pick for education secretary — Her nomination has come under scrutiny this week. — Linda McMahon speaks during the last day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 18, 2024.
Discussion:
Slate, Associated Press, Daily Mail, Iowa Starting Line, Trending Politics …, One America News Network, The Guardian, USA Today, Metro.co.uk, Deadline, Washington Times, Fox News, Washington Post, Roll Call, Front Office Sports, The Hill, Wall Street Journal, New York Post, HuffPost, New York Daily News and Raw Story
RELATED:
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.
Discussion:
Axios, Washington Post, CBS News, ABC News, Vox, CNN, New York Post, Daily Mail, Speaker of the House …, Fox News, Associated Press, Politico, Townhall, Roll Call, Mediaite, Megyn Kelly, The Independent, Forbes, The Gateway Pundit, NBC News, Reuters, American Greatness, Law Dork, The Post Millennial, ABC7, Washington Examiner, Trending Politics …, RedState, Scripps News, USA Today, Washington Times, Breitbart, Daily Kos, freebeacon.com and Missouri Independent
RELATED:
Arthur Delaney / HuffPost:
Mike Johnson Announces Transgender Bathroom Ban In Capitol
Mike Johnson Announces Transgender Bathroom Ban In Capitol
Discussion:
Axios, UPI, Washington Post, The Independent, New York Post, The American Spectator, New Republic, ABC News, Associated Press, The Hill and CNN
Brian Steinberg / Variety:
MSNBC Faces Potential for Big Changes in Comcast Cable Spin-Off — MSNBC fans who are disappointed in the progressive-leaning network after Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 election may no longer have it to kick around. — The cable-news outlet could have to consider changing its name …
Patrick Marley / Washington Post:
Republicans in North Carolina pass sweeping changes to consolidate power — The last-minute inclusions in a lame-duck bill will strip the incoming Democratic governor and attorney general of significant authority before the GOP loses its legislative supermajority.
Discussion:
New York Times, Associated Press, Washington Examiner, NBC News, WHEC.com, Pluribus News, The Guardian, NC Newsline and Anderson Alerts
RELATED:
Ed O'Keefe / CBS News:
Trump taps Russ Vought, one of the authors of Project 2025, to lead budget office again — President-elect Donald Trump is expected to name Russ Vought to lead the Office of Management and budget, according to two sources close to the transition. — If confirmed, this will be Vought's second time in the role.
Discussion:
New Republic, Mediaite, Washington Post, The American Conservative, ABC News and Politico
RELATED:
Ronan Farrow / New Yorker:
The Technology the Trump Administration Could Use to Hack Your Phone — Other Western democracies have been roiled by the use of spyware to target political opponents, activists, journalists, and other vulnerable groups. Could it happen here? — In September, the Department of Homeland Security …
Discussion:
Fox News
Joe Stanley-Smith / Politico:
Merkel eviscerates ‘emotional’ Trump in upcoming memoir — European politicians preparing for United States President-elect Donald Trump's second term in the White House have so far made a point of not saying anything that could upset him. — But Angela Merkel, who was Germany's chancellor for 16 years …
Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
Mandate? Fuller election results increasingly show GOP gains were small. — A holistic look — down to the state legislative level — reinforces the fact that early Trump and GOP claims to a huge “mandate” were overblown. — From the moment he claimed victory in the 2024 presidential election …
Discussion:
Salon, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Breitbart, CNN and Washington Times
Bonchie / RedState:
WATCH: Dem Rep. Jasmine Crockett Goes Nuts During Hearing, Starts Shouting About the ‘White Man’ — The House of Representatives is becoming more of an insane asylum every day, and Rep. Jasmine Crockett is the perfect example of that. During a hearing on Wednesday, the Texas congresswoman went nuts …
Discussion:
Trending Politics …, Twitchy, Daily Caller News Foundation and The Post Millennial
Charlie Savage / New York Times:
Trump Tells Republicans to ‘Kill’ Reporter Shield Bill Passed Unanimously by House — The bill, known as the PRESS Act, would codify protections against federal investigators seizing reporters' records. It is now less likely the legislation would clear the Senate before the current session ends.
Discussion:
Daily Caller News Foundation and Rolling Stone, more at Mediagazer »
Zack Budryk / The Hill:
Judge rules Youngkin administration can't pull Virginia out of greenhouse gas agreement — A Virginia court ruled Wednesday that Gov. Glenn Youngkin's (R) administration cannot withdraw from an interstate carbon emission-capping compact without approval from the state Legislature.
Lauren Irwin / The Hill:
Trump nominates former House Republican for US ambassador to Canada — President-elect Trump announced Wednesday that he was announcing former Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.) to be the U.S. ambassador to Canada. — “I am very pleased to announce that former Ambassador, and former Congressman …
Discussion:
Fox News, The Gateway Pundit and Raw Story
Cara Tabachnick / CBS News:
Florida man arrested in alleged plot to bomb New York Stock Exchange — FBI agents have arrested a Florida man in connection with an alleged plot to bomb the New York Stock Exchange, according to charging documents unsealed on Wednesday. — South Florida resident Harun Abdul-Malik Yener …
Discussion:
New York Times, The Hill, RedState, Sun-Sentinel, KVUE-TV, One America News Network, The Gateway Pundit, New York Daily News and Fox News
Avery Lotz / Axios:
Exclusive: GOP senator demands “extensive” vetting for Trump health appointees … - To her, “that means a background check, it means extensive committee investigations and questionnaires and public hearings,” she told Axios' Peter Sullivan. — Collins, who called for additional federal funding …
Discussion:
Raw Story and Bangor Daily News
Sidney Blumenthal / The Guardian:
Trump's cabinet picks are agents of his contempt, rage and vengeance — With them, Trump will tear down any person or institution that tried to restrain his worst impulses or hold him accountable — “Shock” suddenly became the most commonly uttered word in habitually nonplussed Washington DC.
Discussion:
PolitiFact
David Koenig / Associated Press:
Delta CEO says the Trump administration will reverse government ‘overreach’ seen under Biden — The chief executive of Delta Air Lines says the incoming Trump administration will be a “breath of fresh air” for airlines after what he calls government “overreach” under President Joe Biden.
Discussion:
Digby's Hullabaloo, Associated Press and Quartz
Lawrence Hurley / NBC News:
Supreme Court rejects RFK Jr. group's attempt to protect anti-Covid-vaccine doctors from investigations — Justice Elena Kagan turned away an emergency request from Children's Health Defense, the anti-vaccine group founded by Donald Trump's pick for secretary of health and human services.