Elon Musk spent a quarter-billion dollars electing Trump, including financing mysterious ‘RBG PAC’  —  The super PAC, which defended Trump on abortion, got its more than $20 million in funds came from the “Elon Musk Revocable Trust.”  —  Billionaire Elon Musk poured more than $20 million …

Biden Team Considers Blanket Pardons Before Trump's Promised ‘Retribution’  —  White House officials believe President-elect Donald J. Trump's selection of partisan warriors for top law enforcement jobs indicates that he will pursue revenge against his perceived enemies.

House Republicans vote to block release of Gaetz ethics report  —  House Republicans voted on Thursday to block a Democrat-led effort to release a long-awaited Ethics Committee report on allegations against former GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida.  —  The House took a step to effectively shut …

Hegseth says he won't withdraw as he struggles as Trump's Defense pick  —  “As long as Donald Trump wants me in this fight, I'm going to be standing right here in this fight,” he said.  —  Pete Hegseth spent this week attempting to woo senators — and others — as he fought to remain Donald Trump's pick for secretary of Defense.

Trump picks David Perdue to be ambassador to China  —  Donald Trump has selected former Georgia Sen. David Perdue to serve as ambassador to China.  Perdue has significant business experience in Asia, including China, something he ran on during his Senate election in 2014.

Trump names ICE chief and makes another round of immigration announcements  —  President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday night announced a new round of nominees and appointments to tackle his aggressive immigration and homeland security agenda.  Trump said he was nominating Rodney Scott as commissioner of Customs and Border Protection.

Putin's Pals Say Tucker Carlson Is Acting as a Secret Back-Channel to Trump  —  GOING UNDERCOVER  —  Carlson traveled to Moscow to push the Kremlin's Ukraine propaganda in public, but what was he doing in private?  —  Tucker Carlson, the darling of the Russian state media …

Searching for a ray of hope?  Look at Wisconsin.  —  Stringing together small wins can lead to big progress. … 🧀  —  A lot of the post-mortems of the 2024 election have felt impossibly grim, with Democrats grappling with the fact that most of the country lurched right to elect a felon who led an insurrection.

EU snubs France to seal huge Latin American trade deal  —  European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen sealed a massive trade agreement with South America on Friday, in a bold step that threatens to widen a rift between France, which hates the deal, and her native Germany, which loves it.

What if everyone had masked up?  Analysis of app data has an answer … What would have happened if everyone in the United Kingdom had worn high-grade masks during the COVID-19 pandemic?  A modelling study 1 has estimated just how sharply transmission might have dropped.  —  Access options

Trump could hobble renewed fight against domestic terrorism, analysts warn  —  Based on his first-term record, researchers expect the next Trump administration to shift the government's focus from white supremacists and other far-right militants.  —  After more than two decades …

Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield calls off surgery anesthesia cap … - The decision covered plans in Connecticut, New York and Missouri.  — The insurer had based the decision on surgery time metrics from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, NPR reported.

Why I Just Resigned From The Los Angeles Times  —  I have been a contributor to the Los Angeles Times op-ed page in some fashion for more than 15 years.  For the last three years, I have been the Senior Legal Columnist, writing regular weekly columns about Trump's legal troubles, the Supreme Court, and a wide range of other topics.

No, Trump Can't Just ‘Dismiss’ the Senate  —  The threat from House Republicans should be seen and called out for what it is: an autocratic move that is not just unlawful but contemptuous of constitutionalism.  —  Donald Trump has not even returned to office, and already a constitutional crisis may be in the making.

Trump's billionaires set to take government by storm … - They've been picked to lead the departments of Treasury (Scott Bessent), Commerce (Howard Lutnick), Education (Linda McMahon), Interior (Doug Burgum), the Small Business Administration (Kelly Loeffler) and NASA (Jared Isaacman).

Torrent of Hate for Health Insurance Industry Follows C.E.O.'s Killing  —  The shooting death of a UnitedHealthcare executive in Manhattan has unleashed Americans' frustrations with an industry that often denies coverage and reimbursement for medical claims.

Canada to boost Arctic cooperation with US, cites Russia threat  —  Canada plans to work more closely with the United States in the Arctic to ensure regional security in the face of an increasingly aggressive Russia, Ottawa said on Friday.  —  As part of a renewed strategy …

How Trump could bring on a second civil war  —  With his plans to use the military to root out undocumented immigrants and to use the Justice Department and FBI to punish his political enemies  —  Trump may force a second civil war on America with his plan to use the military to round …

AOC tells Democratic colleagues she's running for top job on Oversight Committee  —  New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's entrance into the Oversight race pits the millennial progressive star against Rep. Gerry Connolly, 74, a senior member of the panel.

Playbook: Inside the generational fight roiling Democrats  —  With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  END OF AN ERA, PART I — “Goodbye to the American Century?” by Joshua Zeitz: “The post-WWII world order of American dominance is over.  DONALD TRUMP proves it.”

Trump Claims a ‘Historic’ Mandate.  Polls Show Americans Have Mixed Feelings.  —  The public may have more nuanced views on issues like tariffs and mass deportations than it might seem at first blush.  —  President-elect Donald J. Trump and his allies have declared that his incoming administration has an …

Trump's Fans Are Suffering From Tony Soprano Syndrome  —  Some conservatives are embracing the villains in what are supposed to be cautionary tales.  —  In every Judge Joe Dredd story I've ever read, there is at least one almost comically obvious moment when the author makes clear …

Raw milk CEO whose products have been recalled may lead US raw milk policy  —  Mark McAfee, whose products have been repeatedly contaminated with bird flu, asked by RJK Jr to apply for job  —  Mark McAfee, a California raw milk producer whose products have been recalled several times recently due …