In reversal, key House panel votes to release Matt Gaetz ethics report  —  The House Ethics Committee secretly voted earlier this month to release its report into the conduct of former Rep. Matt Gaetz before the end of this Congress, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the matter.

Trump planning to target progressive non-profits, US watchdog warns  —  Congressional Integrity Project creates initiative to counter growing ‘authoritarianism’ and defend progressives  —  Donald Trump and his Republican allies are planning to target progressive groups they perceive …

Inside Disney's Decision to Settle a Trump Defamation Suit  —  Talks started and finished on the same day, after Disney decided that fighting the lawsuit could potentially hurt the company and protections for the press.  —  When Disney reached a settlement last week with President-elect Donald J. Trump …

CDC confirms first case of severe bird flu  —  A hospitalized patient in Louisiana is the first confirmed severe case of bird flu in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Wednesday.  —  The case was confirmed Dec. 13.

Democrats' playbook to beat Republicans in 2 years: work with them now  —  “I think we are telling them that we're here to govern,” one Democrat said.  —  DCCC chair Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., speaks during the House Democrats' post-caucus meeting news conference in the Capitol, Sept. 18, 2024.

Trump: Canada becoming 51st state ‘great idea’  —  President-elect Trump questioned Canada early Wednesday, asking why the U.S. provides its northern neighbor with subsidies, and suggesting that it should become the 51st state.  —  “No one can answer why we subsidize Canada to the tune of over $100,000,000 a year?

What Do Democrats Need to Do?  Act Like an Opposition Party.  —  Democrats may be in the minority, but they are not yet an opposition.  —  What's the difference?  —  An opposition would use every opportunity it had to demonstrate its resolute stance against the incoming administration.

The No-Win ‘Mystery Drone’ Clusterfuck  —  To political grifters boosting their profiles, government inaction is unacceptable, and government action cannot be trusted.  There is no acceptable explanation.  —  If you are wondering what to think of the New Jersey mystery drone situation …

Lawmakers are primed to get a pay bump.  Some aren't happy about it.  —  Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are primed to get their first pay bump since 2009 in the new spending bill.  Many of them aren't happy about it.  Members in competitive districts have long-feared political blowback for voting to give themselves a raise.

Transcript: Trump's Angry New Tirade on Truth Social Signals Dark 2025  —  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.

I Was a Health Insurance Executive.  What I Saw Made Me Quit.  —  I left my job as a health insurance executive at Cigna after a crisis of conscience.  It began in 2005, during a meeting convened by the chief executive to brief department heads on the company's latest strategy: “consumerism.”

The upcoming GOP assault on Social Security  —  🌎 Public Notice is made possible by paid subscribers.  If you aren't one, please click the button below to sign up and support our independent journalism.  🌎  —  👉 Subscribe to Public Notice 👈

Ice deports mother and children, including newborn twins, to Mexico  —  Despite the infants being US citizens, Christina Salazar and all four of her children were put on a plane on 11 December  —  After his wife and children, including newborn twins, were suddenly deported to Mexico …

Judge says a pardon of Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes would be ‘frightening’  —  The Oath Keepers leader was sentenced last year to 18 years in prison.  —  The federal judge who oversaw the trial and sentencing of Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, who was convicted of seditious conspiracy …

What it's like to cook for Donald  —  Welcome to POLITICO's West Wing Playbook, your guide to the preparations, personnel decisions and policy deliberations of Donald Trump's transition.  POLITICO Pro subscribers receive a version of this newsletter first.  —  DONALD TRUMP is a man of routine when it comes to his diet.

Feeling at home?  New app lets US homebuyers see neighbors' politics  —  Oyssey startup allows users to access neighborhood political affiliations and other social data  —  America's political divide is likely to get even wider thanks to a new real-estate platform that lets potential buyers …

Federal Reserve cuts interest rates by 0.25 percentage points, its third reduction this year  —  The Federal Reserve on Wednesday announced its third consecutive interest rate cut of 2024, reducing its benchmark rate by 0.25 percentage points amid cooling inflation.

Done With Never Trump  —  It's been more than nine years since I first denounced Donald Trump as a “loudmouth vulgarian appealing to quieter vulgarians.”  I've called myself a Never Trump conservative ever since, even when I agreed with his policies from time to time.  I also opposed him throughout his run this year.

Musk's Alleged Russia Contacts Worry Air Force's Kendall  — Kendall responds to a letter from senators Shaheen and Reed  — Pentagon official cites competition for satellite launches  —  Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall has told Democratic senators that he shares their security concerns …