12:30 Report — Hunter Biden pardon ripples across Washington  —  Thank you for signing up!  —  The latest in politics and policy.  Direct to your inbox.  Sign up for the 12:30 Report newsletter  —  It's Monday.  Welcome back and happy December!  First lady Jill Biden unveiled …

South Korea president declares emergency martial law  —  South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law in an unannounced late-night TV address Tuesday, accusing the country's main opposition party of sympathizing with North Korea and of anti-state activities.

Trump falls just below 50% in popular vote, but gets more than in past elections  —  President-elect Donald Trump got very close to a majority of the vote in this presidential election, but not quite.  It is not exactly the “unprecedented and powerful mandate” Trump claimed on election night.

Trump suggests Canada become 51st state after Trudeau said tariff would kill economy: sources  —  Trudeau made a hastily arranged visit to Mar-a-Lago last Friday after Trump threatened Canada with tariffs  —  Join Fox News for access to this content  —  President-elect Trump suggested …

Congress faces shutdown dilemma that could mess with Trump's first 100 days  —  There's no easy answer for Republicans as they move toward a stopgap bill to push a key government funding deadline to early 2025, which could complicate Trump's other plans.  —  WASHINGTON — As Congress returns …

Rahm Emanuel?  Ben Wikler?  Why Democrats should pick — or pass over — potential contenders for DNC chair  —  A decision on who will try to lead the party out of the wilderness is expected early in 2025.  —  Democrats' first steps to find their way out of the political wilderness following …

Wisconsin Judge Strikes Down Limits on Public Sector Unions  —  The 2011 law stripped most government workers in the state of collective bargaining rights and set off protests that lasted weeks.  —  A Wisconsin judge on Monday struck down portions of a 2011 law that stripped most government workers …

Meta's Mark Zuckerberg seeks ‘active role’ in Donald Trump's tech policies  —  Policy chief Nick Clegg says social media company ‘overdid it’ on content moderation, as it seeks to placate president-elect  —  Meta has conceded it was too heavy-handed with certain content moderation in the past …

Pete Hegseth's mother begged him to “get some help” — he joined a misogynist church instead  —  Fringe denomination's leader argues that men “dream of being rapists” because women aren't submissive enough  —  Even by the reality-TV chaos standards of our political moment, this one was a doozy …

Notre Dame To Reopen In Paris With Trump In Attendance  —  CHANGES dateline, ADDS detail, quotes, background  —  Notre Dame cathedral will reopen in Paris on Saturday with incoming US president Donald Trump set to attend the ceremony marking the resurrection of the Gothic masterpiece five years after a devastating fire.

Nancy Mace's never-ending chase for 15 more minutes of fame  —  📸 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 ❄️

These reporters wrote a book on Musk's Twitter takeover.  Here's what they think is next for journalism and X  —  Kate Conger and Ryan Mac on Musk's election interference, his courting of strongmen, X's predictable decline and Bluesky's improbable rise  —  In a 1998 interview with CBS News …

Biden moves to end subminimum wages for people with disabilities  —  The Biden administration is moving to phase out a Depression-era program that allows some employers to pay disabled workers far less than minimum wage, fulfilling one of the president's campaign promises.

Misogyny Comes Roaring Back … throughout american political history, two capable, qualified, experienced women have run for president on a major-party ticket.  Both have lost to Donald Trump, perhaps the most famous misogynist ever to reach the highest office.

Trump Says He Will Block Acquisition of U.S. Steel by Japanese Firm  —  The announcement reiterated sentiments the president-elect expressed on the campaign trail, and further imperiled a deal that had already run into widespread political opposition.  —  President-elect Donald J. Trump …