Ron who?  How Trump allies brought Hegseth back from the brink  —  Skeptical Republican senators were singing a different tune on Monday.  —  Donald Trump's transition team entered a critical week of nomination meetings on Capitol Hill with a new head of steam, emboldened by a swarm …

Nobel Laureates Urge Senate to Turn Down Kennedy's Nomination  —  Elevating Mr. Kennedy to secretary of H.H.S. “would put the public's health in jeopardy,” more than 75 laureates wrote.  —  More than 75 Nobel Prize winners have signed a letter urging senators not to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr. …

Rupert Murdoch Fails in Bid to Change Family Trust  —  A Nevada commissioner ruled resoundingly against Mr. Murdoch, who was trying to give full control of his empire to his son Lachlan and lock in Fox News's right-wing editorial slant.  —  A Nevada commissioner ruled resoundingly …

Person of interest in fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson ID'd as Luigi Mangione, an ex-Ivy League student  —  The person of interest identified in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson is an anti-capitalist former Ivy League student — who liked online quotes from …

Patel FBI plans spark concern over agency independence, retribution  —  Kash Patel, President-elect Trump's nominee to lead the FBI, has promised to deliver a massive reform of a bureau he sees as among the agencies that have “weaponized the government.”  —  Patel hasn't offered specifics …

Top ‘Washington Post’ editor kills article on deputy's departure  —  As the Washington Post newsroom awaits the appointment of a new top editor, its acting news chief intervened to block an article about the departure of its second-highest-ranking editor, a contender for the position …

Criminal Charges Unsealed Against Two Former High-Ranking Syrian Government Intelligence Officials for War Crimes against Americans and Other Civilians  —  For Immediate Release  —  A copy of the indictment can be found here.  —  An indictment was unsealed today in the Northern District …

GOP Congresswoman Nancy Mace is caught on video in gross act with two women and a man  —  Her crusade against transgender bathroom access has cemented her role as a hardline culture warrior and MAGA favorite.  —  But an eye-popping video unearthed exclusively by DailyMail.com suggests …

Trump talks ACA, abortion pills on ‘Meet the Press’  —  Health Care  —  Trump talks health care on ‘Meet the Press’  —  President-elect Trump had his first sit-down broadcast interview since he was reelected last month.  —  During the interview on NBC's “Meet the Press” Sunday night …

Daniel Penny acquitted in subway chokehold death of Jordan Neely  —  A Manhattan jury has cleared Daniel Penny of criminal wrongdoing in the chokehold death of Jordan Neely on a crowded subway — a caught-on-video killing that sparked fierce debate over the city's mental health system and crime underground.

On Issue After Issue, Trump Promises the Moon.  No Word on the Rocket.  —  The president-elect has made some of the most expansive campaign pledges in history.  Some supporters fear that his bravado could undermine his ambitions.  —  In his own telling, President-elect Donald J. Trump wields magical powers …

Acrimonious Texas House Speaker race divides state's Republicans  —  An acrimonious race for Speaker of the Texas House is splitting the state GOP — and forcing a confrontation between the body's warring Republican camps.  —  Competing Republican state Reps. David Cook and Dustin Burrows …

Tariffs Are Trump's Tool to Consolidate His Hold on Power  —  Donald Trump has precious few rigidly held political beliefs—but one of his constants throughout his entire time in presidential politics is his inflexible commitment to tariffs.  He has nicknamed himself “Tariff Man,” …

Republican-led states are rolling out plans that could aid Trump's mass deportation effort  —  As President-elect Donald Trump assembles his administration, Republican governors and lawmakers in some states are already rolling out proposals that could help him carry out his pledge to deport millions …

What to look for in Supreme Court arguments over environmental regulation of Utah oil railway plan  —  A proposed western railroad expansion aimed at boosting crude oil production in Utah is coming before the Supreme Court Tuesday in a case that could have wider impact on federal environmental regulation.

Playbook PM: A Jan. 6 insider on the transition team?  —  ON THE WAY OUT THE DOOR — Interesting parting gesture from Sen. JOE MANCHIN (I-W.Va.): “I'm proud to introduce legislation with @SenPeterWelch that would establish 18-year term limits for Justices of the United States Supreme Court.”

Federal court blocks ACA coverage for Dreamers  —  A federal court in North Dakota has blocked Affordable Care Act (ACA) coverage for immigrants that came into the U.S. illegally as children, also known as “Dreamers.”  —  U.S. District Judge Daniel M. Traynor on Monday granted Kansas …

Money in Your Pockets: Governor Hochul Proposes Sending 8.6 Million New Yorkers an Inflation Refund Check as First Proposal of 2025 State of the State  —  Proposal Would Deliver $3 Billion by Taking Excess Sales Tax Revenue Driven by Inflation and Giving That Money Back to Everyday New Yorkers

Susan Wild absent from Ethics Committee meeting after Gaetz leaks to press  —  Rep. Susan Wild (Pa.), the top Democrat on the House Ethics Committee, was absent from the panel's meeting last week after being traced as the source of leaks to the press regarding the investigation into former Rep. Matt Gaetz …

Elon Musk's Stunning $250 Million Favor to Trump Should Wake Up Dems  —  We have now learned, belatedly, that billionaire Elon Musk spent at least $250 million to help billionaire Donald Trump win the White House.  One key part of that spending came in the form of the $20 million Musk dumped into a brazen pro-Trump propaganda campaign.