South Korea President Yoon declares martial law  —  South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday declared martial law in an unannounced late night address broadcast live on YTN television.

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 …

McConnell cries foul after 2 Democratic judges cancel retirement after Trump victory  —  Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) vented his displeasure Monday after two Democratic-appointed federal judges reversed their decisions to retire in what appear to be efforts to stop President-elect Trump …

How Jeff Bezos Smothered Pete Hegseth News because Hunter Biden Was Pardoned of Already Declined Charges  —  When I went to bed last night, the WaPo was feeding me the following stories at the top of its digital front page.  —  WaPo has since added a story about Biden's attempt to surge weapons to Ukraine before Trump cuts them off.

Here Are the Republicans Kash Patel Wants to Target  —  Trump's pick to be FBI director has expressed an intent to mount a revenge-a-thon that will include not just Democrats.  —  For years, Kash Patel, the MAGA provocateur, conspiracy theory monger, and seller of pills he claims reverse …

Thune plans sweeping bill on the border, defense and energy in Trump's first 30 days  —  Incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune is pushing for two major partisan bills next term, including one within the first 30 days of the Trump administration, he told Republican senators …

The First Corruption Scandal of Trump's Second Term Is Already Here  —  Justin Sun, a Chinese national accused of fraud, sent Donald Trump $18 million last week.  —  The newsletter Popular Information reports that Sun, most recently famous for spending $6.2 million on a banana and then eating it …

Supreme Court to confront dispute over gender-affirming care for transgender minors  —  Washington — The Supreme Court is set to convene Wednesday to hear arguments in a landmark case involving access to gender-affirming care like puberty blockers and hormone therapy for minors experiencing gender dysphoria.

Judge Orders Fani Willis to Release All Communications with Jack Smith and J6 Committee  —  A judge ordered Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to release all communications with Jack Smith and the House January 6 Committee.  —  Earlier this year conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch asked …

Meta says it's mistakenly moderating too much … Meta is mistakenly removing too much content across its apps, according to a top executive.  —  Nick Clegg, Meta's president of global affairs, told reporters on Monday that the company's moderation “error rates are still too high” …

Trump urges judge to toss hush money case, citing Hunter Biden pardon  —  Trump's attorneys said President Biden's statement that his son had been “selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted” also applies to the president-elect.  —  Lawyers for Donald Trump urged the judge who presided …

Tuberville on Hunter Biden pardon: 'If it was my son, I'd pardon him, too'  —  Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) seemingly agreed with President Biden's decision to pardon his son Hunter Biden over the weekend, but took issue with the president's prior vow to stay out of the matter.

FTC Bans Location Data Company That Powers the Surveillance Ecosystem  —  The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced sweeping action against some of the most important companies in the location data industry on Tuesday, including those that power surveillance tools used by a wide spread …

The Storybook Start—and Bitter End—of Pete Hegseth's First Marriage  —  Donald Trump's nominee for secretary of defense is a conservative culture warrior, a central-casting alpha male who believes in guns, God, and the primacy of the family unit.  The story of his first marriage …

Trump offers Pentagon's No. 2 job to billionaire Stephen Feinberg  —  The search for a capable deputy defense secretary has taken on heightened significance as lawmakers scrutinize Pete Hegseth, Trump's choice to lead the agency.  —  President-elect Donald Trump offered billionaire investor Stephen Feinberg …

House Republican: ‘Hard decisions’ needed on Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare  —  Rep. Rich McCormick (R-Ga.) said Tuesday that lawmakers will ultimately face tough choices on spending in next year's unified GOP government, suggesting cuts may be coming to social welfare programs.

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 ❄️

How a potential panel shakeup will test Ocasio-Cortez's influence  —  Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez could face the biggest test of her influence yet if a coveted spot as the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee opens up.  Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), who currently holds the job …

Live Updates: South Korean President Backs Down From Martial Law Order  —  President Yoon Suk Yeol pulled the order hours after South Korea's National Assembly voted to halt it.  Thousands of protesters took to the streets in Seoul, demanding that the president resign.  —  Chang W. Lee/The New York Times

The Massive Clue That Donald Trump's Threats Are All BS  —  CALLING THEIR BLUFF  —  “Sheer fantasy” is how Harvard economist Jeffrey Frankel described Elon Musk's plan to ax $2 trillion in federal spending.  —  President-elect Donald Trump has promised to deport millions in an unprecedented crackdown on undocumented migrants.

Mayor says he refuses to be bullied or pay fine for not flying Pride flag  —  A Northern Ontario mayor who was fined for voting against flying a Pride flag at his town hall says he will not be bullied into paying the $5,000 penalty.  —  Nor will Mayor Harold McQuaker be taking LGBTQ training …

Trump team outlines inauguration benefits for donors  —  President-elect Trump's team outlined the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee benefits for donors over the Jan. 20 weekend, which include a reception with Cabinet picks, a Sunday service and the inaugural ball.

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.

Unknown disease kills 143 in southwest Congo, local authorities say  —  An unknown disease killed 143 people in Democratic Republic of the Congo's southwestern province in November, local authorities told Reuters.  Infected people had flu-like symptoms, including high fever and severe headaches …

Bloomberg Says Kennedy Would Be ‘Beyond Dangerous’ as Health Secretary  —  Michael R. Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor and a public health advocate, is asking Senate Republicans to persuade President-elect Donald J. Trump to “rethink” Kennedy's nomination.