The Real Scandal of Our Media Tycoons  —  Quote of the year so far, from Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago yesterday: “In the first term, everyone was fighting me.  This time, everybody wants to be my friend.”  —  Amazing how many friends you can make with just a few well-chosen threats of vengeance against your remaining enemies!

AOC defeated by Connolly in battle for Oversight role … - Ocasio-Cortez, one of House Democrats' most high-profile members, also lost a vote of the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee on Monday. … - He had the backing of several veteran lawmakers, including former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

Republican House Majority in Peril  —  The Republican wafer-thin majority in the House of Representatives is facing growing uncertainty as GOP members of  —  's Cabinet.  —  Representative Victoria Spartz, an Indiana  —  , announced on Monday that she would no longer …

A bomb killed a Russian general in Moscow.  A Ukrainian official says secret service was behind it  —  Live from Moscow after an explosive device planted close to a residential apartment block killed the head of Russia's Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Defence Forces, Lt. General Igor Kirillov, Russia's Investigative Committee said.

Elon Musk and SpaceX Face Federal Reviews After Violations of Security Reporting Rules … Elon Musk and his rocket company, SpaceX, have repeatedly failed to comply with federal reporting protocols aimed at protecting state secrets, including by not providing some details of his meetings …

December 2024 National Poll: Young Voters Diverge from Majority on Crypto, TikTok, and CEO Assassination  —  Home Polls December 2024 National Poll: Young Voters Diverge from Majority on Crypto, TikTok, and CEO Assassination … A new Emerson College Polling national survey finds about 1 in 5 …

Musk's influence on X eclipses all members of the incoming Congress, combined  —  The tech billionaire's X account blasts his political messages to an audience far bigger than Trump reaches on the platform, data analysis by The Post shows.  —  From the moment Musk first endorsed Trump …

Americans Pass Judgment on Their Courts  —  Sharp decline in confidence in judiciary is among the largest Gallup has ever measured  —  LONDON — Americans' confidence in their nation's judicial system and courts dropped to a record-low 35% in 2024.  —  The result further sets the U.S. apart …

Scoop: Top editors stiff the Washington Post … - One person involved in the search told us Lewis' pitch was foggy and uninspiring. … Other candidates include current interim executive editor Matt Murray.  But it's hard to imagine this monthslong process unfolding so publicly — only to end with the same guy in charge.

Archivist says Equal Rights Amendment can't be certified as Democrats push Biden to recognize it  —  In a rare joint statement, the archivist and deputy archivist of the United States said Tuesday that the 1970s-era Equal Rights Amendment cannot be certified without further action by Congress or the courts …

House GOP accuses Liz Cheney of tampering with J6 witness, ask FBI to investigate criminality  —  Interim report by Rep. Barry Loudermilk concludes Jan. 6 attack was “preventable,” highlights intelligence and security failures, Cheney's possible shenanigans.  — Article  — Dig Deeper

Tragedy in Wisconsin  —  A teacher and student were killed by a 15-year old girl in the latest school shooting to rock the nation.  Bitcoin has hit a new high after Trump's plan to create a U.S. bitcoin strategic reserve stoked enthusiasm.  What are the odds of seeing a white Christmas?

The road back to power for Democrats  —  It begins with messengers and messages that meet the moment.  —  Rahm Emanuel is U.S. Ambassador to Japan.  —  Campaigns of joy in an era of rage don't win elections.  —  Make sense of the latest news and debates with our daily newsletter

CNN Fact-Checker Flags ‘Most Dangerous Part’ Of Donald Trump's News Conference  —  There was “a lot of lying from the president-elect” but one comment stood out, said Daniel Dale.  —  LOADING  —  There was “a lot of lying” from Donald Trump during the press conference the president-elect gave …

Masayoshi Son and the Art of the Fake Deal  —  The investment Trump is touting is fake on multiple levels  —  Just a quick note about the latest fake news, economic policy edition.  (I have a doctor's appointment, and probably won't get my planned post, about health care, out until the middle of the day.)

Drugmakers Paid PBMs Not to Restrict Opioid Prescriptions … In 2017, the drug industry middleman Express Scripts announced that it was taking decisive steps to curb abuse of the prescription painkillers that had fueled America's overdose crisis.  The company said it was …

Trump's Time interview provides a sobering reminder  —  He's staggeringly unfit.  Always has been.  Always will be. … 📰  —  In conjunction with naming him “Person of the Year,” Time Magazine last week published a lengthy interview with Donald Trump.

Judge Broke Rules by Criticizing Justice Alito During Flag Flap  —  Investigation concludes it was an ethics violation to question the ethics of a Supreme Court justice  —  WASHINGTON—Amid collapsing public confidence in U.S. courts, a federal judge has been found culpable of misconduct.

Transcript: Trump's Unhinged New Vaccine Ramblings Reveal Big Weakness … The following is a lightly edited transcript of the December 17 episode of the  —  Daily Blast podcast.  Listen to it here.  —  Greg Sargent: This is The Daily Blast from The New Republic, produced and presented by the DSR network.

What Kennedy Has Said About the Polio Vaccine in Recent Years  —  President-elect Donald Trump's choice for health secretary has suggested that the polio vaccine cost more lives than it saved and that the vaccine did not wipe out the disease in the U.S.  —  Robert F. Kennedy Jr. began a tour …

Why did murders surge in 2020?  Research says economics, not activism.  —  New analysis from Brookings shows that the increase began not with the death of George Floyd but the erosion of employment.  —  2020 was a tumultuous year, to put it mildly.  There was a presidential election …

MTG Threatens to Shoot Down Mystery Drones Herself  —  The lawmaker said she would be joined by all “red-blooded freedom-loving” Americans.  —  SHOP WITH SCOUTED  —  This Luxe Houseware Brand Offers a More Elegant Way to Smoke  —  HIGH STANDARDS  —  NWTN Home's elevated weed accessories …

Kremlin Insiders Spill Putin's Secret Plan to Manipulate Trump  —  Head of RT Margarita Simonyan, a decorated state TV propagandist and Kremlin insider, has spilled not only Russia's hopes and dreams for Donald Trump's second term in office but also Moscow's strategy for suckering him in.

U.S. Releases Kenyan Prisoner Held for Nearly 18 Years Without Charges  —  The detainee was approved for transfer from Guantánamo Bay three years ago as the Biden administration tried to empty the wartime prison.  —  The Pentagon has released a Kenyan prisoner who was held …

KFile: Pete Hegseth spread baseless conspiracy theories that January 6 attack was carried out by leftist groups  —  President-elect Donald Trump's pick for secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, justified the January 6, 2021, US Capitol attack and spread baseless conspiracy theories claiming …

Elon Musk Met With Nigel Farage at Mar-a-Lago  —  The British politician shared an image on social media that showed him at Donald Trump's Florida resort with the tech billionaire.  —  As preparations for President-elect Donald J. Trump's return to the White House continue at Mar-a-Lago …

Possible Trump FEMA Pick Made Millions After Florida Disaster-Response Gig  —  Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz is seen as a contender to lead FEMA under Donald Trump.  He says he's staying in Congress  —  Over the past two years, Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) built a national profile …

Women lawmakers 70 times more likely to be victims of deepfake porn, study finds  —  Women in Congress are more likely to be victims of deepfake pornography than their male counterparts, according to a national organization that combats disinformation online.