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 Korean president declares emergency martial law, accusing opposition of anti-state activities  —  South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared an “emergency martial law,” Tuesday accusing the country's opposition of controlling the parliament, sympathizing with North Korea and paralyzing the government with 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 …

For U.K. Ambassador, Trump Picks Billionaire Who Supported His Rivals  —  Warren Stephens, an investment banker, gave $2 million in 2016 to a group aiming to block Donald J. Trump's political rise.  More recently, he backed Asa Hutchinson, Chris Christie, Mike Pence and Nikki Haley before donating to the Trump campaign.

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 …

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 ❄️

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 …

Supreme Court will weigh Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care  —  The Supreme Court will hear arguments Wednesday in a lawsuit challenging Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming medical care for minors, a landmark case whose outcome could have wide-reaching implications for the future of transgender health care in the U.S.