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.

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 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.

US adds whopping 256K jobs in December  —  The U.S. added 256,000 jobs and the unemployment rate ticked down to 4.1 percent in December, according to data released Friday by the Labor Department.  —  The December jobs report showed the U.S. economy blowing past expectations to end the year.

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 …

“DEI is deadly”: Fox News spin on California wildfires exposes MAGA's total incoherence  —  Jesse Watters implied women are too stupid to run fire departments — most LA fire department leaders are men  —  One thing no one can deny: MAGA influencers put a lot of work into pushing really stupid talking points.

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”.

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.

‘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.

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.

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.

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

Trump discusses his viral moment with Obama  —  Donald Trump is talking about what appeared to be a warm moment between him and Barack Obama.  Trump concedes the pair did seem to be on friendly terms when cameras captured them chatting, and Obama laughing as they sat next to each other Thursday …

Live updates Supreme Court hears challenge to law banning TikTok  —  The Supreme Court has begun hearing oral arguments over the fate of TikTok in a high-stakes case reviewing a federal law that would effectively shut down the popular social media platform in the United States in less …

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.

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.

Black Lesbian LAFD Asst Chief Sums Up Everything Wrong With DEI in One Snark  —  And I made sure to tell you she was a BLACK LESBIAN right up front because she's so damn proud of it.  Historic, even.  —  I know she would want me to.  —  Plus, she's got the Ivy League DEI certificate, and I don't.