Live Updates: Trump to Be Sentenced in N.Y. Criminal Case  —  The proceedings are set to begin at 9:30 a.m. in Manhattan.  Though the president-elect is expected to avoid jail time, his sentencing on 34 counts will formalize his status as a felon and make him the first to carry that distinction into the White House.

U.S. payrolls grew by 256,000 in December, much more than expected; unemployment rate falls to 4.1% … Job growth was much stronger than expected in December, likely providing the Federal Reserve less incentive to cut interest rates this year.  —  Nonfarm payrolls surged by 256,000 for the month …

Gabbard reverses course on key intel-gathering tool as nomination teeters … In her first public comments since being nominated, Gabbard told us in an exclusive statement that she now supports Section 702, saying the program is “crucial” and “must be safeguarded to protect our nation while ensuring the civil liberties of Americans.”

How Outlets on the Left and Right Have Covered the Los Angeles Wildfires  —  Media outlets reported similarly on the destruction caused by the fires that raced through Southern California.  But partisan publications attributed them to very different causes.

Treasury Sanctions Venezuelan Officials Supporting Nicolas Maduro's Repression and Illegitimate Claim to Power  —  Multilateral Action Maintains Pressure on Maduro and his Representatives  —  WASHINGTON — Today, the Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) …

A time for truth and reconciliation  —  Trump's return to the White House augurs the ‘apokálypsis’ of the ancien regime's secrets  —  The writer is a technology entrepreneur and investor.  —  In 2016, President Barack Obama told his staff that Donald Trump's election victory was “not the apocalypse”.

How a Phone Call Drew Alito Into a Trump Loyalty Squabble  —  The phone call centered on a former law clerk of Justice Alito's.  In the eyes of the Trump team, the clerk still needed to prove his loyalty to the president-elect.  —  Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. received a call on his cellphone Tuesday.

Meta never cared about factchecking.  What it wants is friction-free oligarchy  —  The company's plan to end its factchecking program is about appeasing Trump.  That signals the making of a mafia state  —  This week Meta announced the elimination of its factchecking program in the US …

Barry Blitt's “Two's a Crowd”  —  Elon Musk takes center stage.  —  In cartoonist Barry Blitt's portrayal of the upcoming Inauguration Day, the new President is sidelined into a dash of yellow hair and a sliver of red tie.  “On January 20, 2025, the next leader of the United States—and of the free world—assumes power,” Blitt said.

DOGE is dispatching agents across U.S. government  —  Federal officials are already dealing with surrogates from Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy's nongovernmental body before Donald Trump is sworn in again.  —  Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy are sending representatives to agencies across …

Kash Patel's Emails Offer Insight Into How He Might Run the FBI  —  More than 800 pages of Patel's emails obtained by FOIA Files, from the Office of Director of National Intelligence, raise questions about whether he'll weaponize the FBI to settle scores if he's confirmed as the bureau's next director.

‘Pizzagate’ gunman killed by police in North Carolina after traffic stop, authorities say  —  A man who fired a gun inside a restaurant in the nation's capital after a fake online conspiracy theory called “Pizzagate” motivated him to do so nearly a decade ago was shot and killed by North Carolina police during a weekend traffic stop.

As a Climate Scientist, I Knew It Was Time to Leave Los Angeles  —  I am utterly devastated by the Los Angeles wildfires, shaking with rage and grief.  The Altadena community near Pasadena, where the Eaton fire has damaged or destroyed at least 5,000 structures, was my home for 14 years.

Earth records hottest year ever in 2024 and the jump was so big it breached a key threshold  —  Earth recorded its hottest year ever in 2024, with such a big jump that the planet temporarily passed a major climate threshold, several weather monitoring agencies announced Friday.

Appeals court allows special counsel's report about Trump's election interference case to be released to public  —  The president-elect could still appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court.  —  A federal appeals court ruled Thursday that the Justice Department can release a report …

Statement from President Joe Biden on the December 2024 Jobs Report  —  With today's report of 256,000 new jobs in December, we have created over 16.6 million jobs over the course of my administration and this is the only administration in history to have created jobs every single month.

Donald Trump Jr.'s Ridiculous Greenland Trip Just Took a Dark Turn  —  A MAGA visit intended to make Greenland look pro-Donald Trump appears staged from the bottom up.  —  The so-called tourism trip saw Donald Trump Jr., far-right political pundit Charlie Kirk, and Trump administration …

Treasury Intensifies Sanctions Against Russia by Targeting Russia's Oil Production and Exports  —  New energy sector determination targets Russia's primary revenue source with sanctions against Gazprom Neft and Surgutneftegas, more than 180 vessels, and dozens of oil traders, oilfield service providers …

Economists Are in the Wilderness.  Can They Find a Way Back to Influence?  —  Economists have long helped to shape policy on issues like taxes and health care.  But flawed forecasts and arcane language have cost them credibility.  —  Partway through a panel discussion at a recent economics conference …

Statement from Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economics and Deputy Director of the National Economic Council Daleep Singh on Today's Sanctions Actions  —  Today, the United States imposed the most significant sanctions yet on Russia's energy sector, by far the largest source of revenue for Putin's war.

University of West Florida braces for leadership changes  —  The University of West Florida is bracing for significant changes in leadership following a wave of new appointments to its Board of Trustees.  —  Over the past month, the Florida Board of Governors replaced three trustees …