Trump speaks with Justice Alito amid push to halt criminal sentencing  —  Alito spoke to Trump to recommend an ex-clerk for a job in his administration.  —  President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, Jan. 7, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla.

Wildfire response threatens to end Karen Bass' extended honeymoon  —  The Los Angeles mayor returned home from Ghana on Wednesday and said she was in “constant contact” while abroad.  —  LOS ANGELES — Karen Bass probably has second thoughts about that trip to Ghana.

Biden postpones Italy trip amid raging Los Angeles fires  —  President Biden will no longer travel to Italy this weekend as fires rage in Los Angeles County, the White House said Wednesday.  —  “After returning this evening from Los Angeles, where earlier today he had met with police …

Taking Trump's imperialist trolling seriously (for a moment)  —  We've come a long way from bringing down egg prices.  —  ∙ Paid  —  Speaking as someone who's been covering Trump for nine years now, paying attention to what he's doing instead of obsessing over what he's saying is generally a good rule of thumb.

Funeral service for Jimmy Carter at Washington National Cathedral  —  Jimmy Carter will be honored in Washington one last time Thursday, with a state funeral for the former president before a flight back home to be buried.  Public visitation at the U.S. Capitol ended Thursday morning.

Elon Musk says DOGE probably won't find $2 trillion in federal budget cuts  —  Musk previously said his Department of Government Efficiency would be able to recommend cuts to the federal budget of “at least $2 trillion.”  —  Tech billionaire Elon Musk said Wednesday that his budget-cutting effort …

Trump is laying out his legal takeover this week — before he even takes office  —  After fighting not to give up power at all after losing re-election in 2020, Trump is now fighting to take power early after having won election in 2024.  —  Donald Trump is freely sharing his plans to run …

Republicans on North Carolina Supreme Court block certification of Democratic justice's election victory  —  On Monday, Congress certified the results of the 2024 presidential election in routine fashion.  Some concluded that, due to Trump's victory, there would be no attacks on the democratic process this year.

Trump Is Poised to Turn the DOJ Into His Personal Law Firm … No president has ever attempted to do what Donald Trump now proposes to do—assemble a small team of former personal attorneys and install it at the highest levels of the Department of Justice.  The president-elect first named lawyers …

The '90s weren't that great  —  Nostalgia isn't what it used to be  —  Today's guest post is from the author of Cartoons Hate Her, a Substack about social dynamics (including parenting, marriage, sex and friendship) from the hybrid mind of a terminally online sicko and a normie liberal mom.

Prepare to Be Shocked: Los Angeles' Fire Chief Is a DEI-Obsessed ‘LGBTQ’ Woman Who Wasted Millions  —  In perhaps the most unexpected, shocking revelation to come out of the devastating Los Angeles wildfires, it turns out their Fire Chief is an “LGBTQ+” woman who is obsessed with DEI.

Musk to host German far-right leader on X, stirs angst about election meddling  —  Elon Musk will host the leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) on X on Thursday, stoking concerns in Berlin and Brussels about possible meddling by the U.S. billionaire in campaigning for Germany's Feb. 23 national election.

Billy Long, Trump's pick to lead IRS, pushed a tax credit that raises red flags, Sen. Warren says  —  Billy Long, President-elect Donald Trump's pick to run the IRS, is facing questions about his qualifications to lead the tax agency from Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts who serves on the Senate's Finance Committee.

Musk examines how to oust Starmer as UK prime minister before next election  —  Technology billionaire interested in building support for another political party, notably Reform UK  —  Elon Musk has privately discussed with allies how Sir Keir Starmer could be removed as UK prime minister …

Extremism in US military is ‘sleeping danger’ says author of Pentagon report  —  New Year's Day attacks by US service members highlight threat, says Bishop Garrison who led DoD investigation  —  The decorated combat veteran who led the Biden administration's efforts to counter extremist activity …

Scoop: Trump's 100 executive orders … - Senators were given previews of some of what they were told would be 100 executive orders, two sources who were in the room told Axios.  — Stephen Miller, Trump's longtime immigration adviser, dove into how they intend to use executive power …

Robert F Kennedy Jr accused of voter fraud over New York ballot  —  Watchdog files complaint after Trump nominee cast vote from address court ruled was not his place of residence  —  Robert F Kennedy Jr has been accused of committing voter fraud in November's presidential election by casting …

Zelenskiy Urges Allies Not to ‘Drop the Ball’ on War Support  — Ahead of Trump inauguration, Ukrainian leader presses case  — Austin, at last Ramstein meeting, confirms $500 million in aid  —  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy made a plea to press on with support …

Disgraced former US Rep. George Santos granted 3-month delay in sentencing for fraud and ID theft  —  Disgraced former congressman George Santos, facing a federal prison sentence, has won a few months' freedom to come up with more than half a million dollars in court fines — including from work on his new podcast.

As L.A. burns, Trump blames Newsom — and California governor pushes back  —  The president-elect sought to blame the climate-change-exacerbated crisis in Southern California on the state's water management.  Experts disputed his claims.