Syrian opposition activists say insurgents have reached the suburbs of Damascus  —  Insurgents' stunning march across Syria gained speed on Saturday with news that they had reached the suburbs of the capital and the government forced to deny rumors that President Bashar Assad had fled the country.

Trump hesitates to personally lobby for endangered Cabinet picks  —  The president-elect is not yet personally pushing hard for his selections, limiting his exposure if they withdraw or fail to win confirmation.  —  President-elect Donald Trump, a lifelong teetotaler whose brother struggled …

South Korean President Yoon's impeachment vote fails after ruling party boycotts it  —  A South Korean legislative push to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived imposition of martial law fell through on Saturday after most lawmakers from his conservative governing party boycotted the vote.

Far-right activists from Germany spent US election day at Trump's Mar-a-Lago  —  AfD parliamentary candidate and influencers posed for photos with now president-elect at his Florida home  —  As Donald Trump gathered his supporters, family and friends at Mar-a-Lago on US election day last month …

How Trump's transition could end up hamstringing his agenda  —  The president-elect's advisers haven't yet begun meeting with federal agencies, despite signing an agreement late last month allowing them to do so.  —  President-elect Donald Trump's transition team still has not sent policy advisers …

Now Is the Time for Courage  —  One month after the election of Donald Trump I feel more certain about who he is and what he aims to achieve but less certain about who stands in opposition to him.  Trump is an aspiring dictator who aims to aggregate his power to reward his friends and punish his enemies.

The Musk Rat  —  The New York Times reported this morning that the world's richest man, Elon Musk, who owns Tesla, Space X and Twitter, spent a whopping $250 million to help elect Donald Trump.  —  He did this primarily through his America PAC, which spent $239 million in cash and in-kind contributions.

How RFK Jr. can win over a skeptical medical community  —  Despite the skepticism and outrage over Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s nomination to head the Department of Health and Human Services, there is a lot that he can do to reassure doubters in the medical community.

What Republicans and Democrats Get Wrong About Crime  —  Americans are understandably concerned about crime.  Before the 2024 election, voters consistently ranked it among their top priorities.  At least two states rolled back reforms this year, and prison populations in many states …

Trump Still Faces 8 Civil Lawsuits Over the Jan. 6 Attack  —  Donald J. Trump has successfully defeated or impeded many legal challenges against him over the storming of the Capitol, but eight lawsuits on the matter remain in the courts.  —  There have been many efforts, over nearly four years …

Welcome to the New Dark Ages  —  If Trump has his way, the next four years will be far worse than even the Gilded Age  —  Donald Trump has moved at warp speed to nominate people to serve in his Cabinet and other important government posts who have chosen loyalty to him as their most important virtue …

How Alarmed Harris Staffers Went Rogue to Reach Black and Latino Voters  —  Worried that the campaign was neglecting voters of color in Philadelphia and other battleground cities, organizers secretly gathered at a Dunkin' Donuts and elsewhere to get out the vote.

Hegseth and Collins' push for cutting veterans health benefits alarms servicemembers and veterans groups  —  “Get Pete Hegseth on the phone!”  —  It was March 2018, and then-President Donald Trump was meeting with his Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary, Dr. David Shulkin, about how to reform veteran health care.

Supreme Court term-limits amendment proposed by Sens. Manchin, Welch  —  The long-shot proposal by Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vermont) and outgoing Sen. Joe Manchin III (I-West Virginia) would impose 18-year term limits on new justices.  —  Two senators have introduced a constitutional amendment …

Harris raised and spent twice as much as Trump in final days of 2024 election  —  WASHINGTON - Some Democrats are questioning how Kamala Harris' presidential campaign spent more than $1 billion but nonetheless lost to Donald Trump - and now they have more fodder as they continue with their post-election autopsies.

Killing of insurance CEO reveals simmering anger at US health system  —  Mike Wendling in Chicago & Madeline Halpert in New York  —  The “brazen and targeted” killing of health insurance executive Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare, outside a New York hotel this week shocked America.

Trump receives a Paris welcome full of presidential pomp from France's Macron  —  PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed Donald Trump to Paris on Saturday with a full a dose of presidential pomp as the two men resumed the relationship they established during Trump's first term after a four-year hiatus.

The Silicon Valley Billionaires Steering Trump's Transition  —  The involvement of wealthy investors has made this presidential transition one of the most potentially conflict-ridden in modern history.  —  The week after the November election, President-elect Donald J. Trump gathered …

Merkel-worship was liberalism at its worst  —  Fans of the former German chancellor should be contrite — even if she isn't  —  In the future, perhaps during one of her Baltic walks, Angela Merkel might reflect that calling her memoir Freedom, as Ukraine fights for just that against a Russia …

Slain UnitedHealth CEO faced ongoing court battles, threats  —  Common complaints against insurer denials were written on bullet casings found where Brian Thompson was killed.  —  Before UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was gunned down in Midtown Manhattan this week …

The fascinating — and important — Florida and Ohio Senate appointments  —  A look at the dynamics for both appointments, which could make the Senate more or less Trump-y.  —  President-elect Donald Trump is engaged in a battle of wills with GOP senators over his Cabinet picks …

Pam Bondi will face an ethics quagmire as attorney general  —  She and her firm have clients that have been doing legal battle with the U.S. government.  —  Over the past six years, Pam Bondi has worked as a Washington lobbyist for one of the top firms in the country, representing corporate behemoths such as Amazon and Uber.

South Korea's President Survives Impeachment Bid  —  Opposition lawmakers failed to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over the political crisis he sparked by declaring martial law earlier this week.  Tens of thousands of protesters had gathered.  —  Jun Michael Park for The New York Times Jun Michael Park for The New York Times

Trump's team weighs withholding massive research grants from universities that are too ‘woke’: Report  —  Trump's nominee to head the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, wants to target so-called ‘cancel culture’ at top universities … Your support helps us to tell the story