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Benjamin Wittes / Default:
The Situation: The Cult of Unqualified Authenticity — On Pete Hegseth and the first hearing for a Trump nominee for a major cabinet position — Meet The Authors — Published by The Lawfare Institute in Cooperation With — The Situation on Friday reflected on the sentencing of Donald Trump in New York.
Discussion:
Townhall, Forbes, Letters from an American, Courthouse News Service and Wall Street Journal
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Karoun Demirjian / New York Times:
Joni Ernst Says She Will Vote to Confirm Pete Hegseth — The Iowa Republican's decision dramatically increases the likelihood that Mr. Hegseth will have enough votes to be confirmed as President-elect Donald J. Trump's defense secretary. — Senator Joni Ernst, Republican of Iowa …
Discussion:
Simon Conway, UPI, RedState, Daily Caller News Foundation, One America News Network, Fox News, NBC News, Deadline, Al Jazeera and Digby's Hullabaloo
Ben Johansen / Politico:
Joni Ernst says she'll vote to confirm Pete Hegseth — Pete Hegseth has won over Sen. Joni Ernst. The Iowa senator said Tuesday she will be voting to confirm Hegseth to the next Defense secretary, a crucial endorsement for a nomination that seemed to be on shaky ground a few weeks ago.
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Ernst will vote for Hegseth, handing Trump big win — Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), a key member of the Senate Armed Services Committee who has championed women serving in combat roles, announced Tuesday that she will vote for Pete Hegseth, President-elect Trump's choice to lead the Pentagon.
Discussion:
Deseret News, Breitbart, Washington Times, Roll Call and PBS NewsHour
Philip Bump / Washington Post:
Pete Hegseth seems open to ordering soldiers to shoot protesters — Trump's pick to lead the Defense Department indicates he would be willing to do what Mark Esper refused to do. — Soon after the 2020 election, as President Donald Trump was gearing up his efforts to retain power despite his loss …
Discussion:
The Guardian, Washington Times, USA Today, New Republic, TMZ.com, WPMT, Raw Story, The Hill, CBS News, Twitchy and ABC News
Julia Johnson / Fox News:
GOP Sen. Joni Ernst officially backs Pete Hegseth for DOD after initial uncertainty — 'I will support President Trump's pick for Secretary of Defense,' she told Fox News Digital exclusively — FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, officially endorsed Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense …
Anne Flaherty / ABC News:
Hegseth softens stance on women in combat, calls for policies already in place
Hegseth softens stance on women in combat, calls for policies already in place
Tessa Stuart / Rolling Stone:
Joni Ernst Refused Meeting With Hegseth's Sex-Assault Accuser: Report
Joni Ernst Refused Meeting With Hegseth's Sex-Assault Accuser: Report
Discussion:
Mother Jones, Washington Examiner, Slate, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Time, New Jersey Online, The Hill and Washington Times
Elon R. Musk / US Securities and Exchange Commission:
Search SEC.gov & EDGAR — Securities and Exchange Commission v. Elon Musk, No. 1:25-cv-00105 (D.D.C. filed Jan. 14, 2025) — SEC Charges Elon Musk for Violating the Beneficial Ownership Reporting Requirements of the Federal Securities Laws — The Securities and Exchange Commission announced today …
Discussion:
UPI, IJR, Fortune, The Register and The Verge
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Nicola M White / Bloomberg:
SEC Sues Musk Over Securities Violation in Federal Court — The Securities and Exchange Commission sued Elon Musk in federal court over an alleged securities violation, according to a court docket. — The agency claimed Musk failed to timely disclose a major purchase of Twitter Inc. shares ahead …
Discussion:
CNBC, TechCrunch, The Information and Forbes, more at Mediagazer »
New York Times:
S.E.C. Sues Elon Musk Over Twitter-Related Securities Violations — Regulators filed a lawsuit in federal court stemming from Mr. Musk's $44 billion purchase of the social media company now called X. — U.S. securities regulators sued Elon Musk in federal court in Washington on Tuesday …
Discussion:
CNN
Casey Newton / Platformer:
Meta just flipped the switch that prevents misinformation from spreading in the United States — I. — Last week, Meta announced a series of changes to its content moderation policies and enforcement strategies designed to curry favor with the incoming Trump administration.
David Frum / The Atlantic:
Jack Smith Gives Up — The January 6 crime paid off for Trump. — Early this morning, the Department of Justice released the report of Special Counsel Jack Smith on his investigation of Donald Trump's attempt to overturn the result of the 2020 presidential election.
Discussion:
New York Magazine, Raw Story and The American Spectator
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Juliegrace Brufke / The Daily Beast:
GOP Senator Flames Dems for ‘Cheating’ and Voting ‘Drunk’ — “And don't tell me you haven't seen it, because I know you have,” the Republican senator said.
Discussion:
NPR, Mediaite, The Bulwark and Associated Press
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Jane C. Timm / NBC News:
Minnesota state House Democrats walk out in effort to block GOP speaker vote
Minnesota state House Democrats walk out in effort to block GOP speaker vote
Burgess Everett / Semafor:
Laken Riley immigration bill will cost $83B, Democrats project
Laken Riley immigration bill will cost $83B, Democrats project
Discussion:
Missouri Independent, Los Angeles Times and Washington Examiner
Mark Lemley / Mark Lemley on LinkedIn:
I have struggled with how to respond to Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook's descent into toxic masculinity and Neo-Nazi madness. While I have thought about quitting Facebook, I find great value in the connections and friends I have here, and it doesn't seem fair that I should lose that because Zuckerberg is having a mid-life crisis.
The White House:
The Biden-Harris Administration Record — Letter from President Biden — Four years ago, we stood in a winter of peril and a winter of possibilities. We were in the grip of the worst pandemic in a century, the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, and the worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War.
NBC News:
Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg to attend Trump's inauguration — The three will be seated together on the inauguration platform with other prominent guests. — Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg will attend President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration on Monday …
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New York Times:
Michelle Obama Will Skip Trump's Inauguration — Mrs. Obama also declined to attend the funeral of Jimmy Carter last week, which would have put her face-to-face with Mr. Trump. — Michelle Obama, the former first lady, will not attend the inauguration of President-elect Donald J. Trump, her office said in a statement on Tuesday.
Discussion:
CNN, Daily Kos, The Hill, One America News Network, Townhall, Fox News, UPI, Washington Times, New York Post, Deadline, The Independent, New Jersey Online, Scripps News and USA Today
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Associated Press:
Cuba — Biden moves to lift state sponsor of terrorism designation for Cuba, part of deal to free prisoners — President Joe Biden has notified Congress of his intent to lift the U.S. designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism, the White House announced, as part of a deal facilitated …
Discussion:
El País, Reuters, Associated Press, UPI, Townhall, Washington Times, The Daily Register, Politico, Al Jazeera, CBS News, Fox News, Bloomberg, Washington Examiner and LewRockwell
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Associated Press:
Biden moves to lift state sponsor of terrorism designation for Cuba, part of deal to free prisoners
Biden moves to lift state sponsor of terrorism designation for Cuba, part of deal to free prisoners
Discussion:
Axios, CNN, Associated Press, The Hill, The White House, New York Times, Mediaite, Daily Caller News Foundation, Los Angeles Times, Metro.co.uk, One America News Network, Florida Phoenix, Florida Politics, Raw Story, The Independent, El País, The American Conservative, Breitbart, Semafor, The Gateway Pundit, Fox News, USA Today, The Post Millennial, New York Post and Hartford Courant
Julia Mueller / The Hill:
Texas House elects new Speaker in blow to far-right wing — The Texas House on Tuesday elected state Rep. Dustin Burrows (R) to lead the chamber in a blow to the rising far-right wing of the party, defeating a candidate supported by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) and other top state figures.
Discussion:
The Texas Tribune, FOX 7 Austin, Associated Press, Washington Examiner, El Paso Matters and The Barbed Wire
Caitlin Yilek / CBS News:
House passes ban on transgender students in girls sports — Washington — The House on Tuesday passed a Republican measure banning transgender girls and women from competing on school sports teams that match their gender identity after the party leaned into the issue during the 2024 campaign.
Discussion:
Law Dork, Washington Post, The 19th, Politico, UPI, Washington Times, NBC News, Lawyers, Guns & Money, NOTUS, Deseret News, Front Office Sports, New York Times, The Hill, The Texas Tribune, USA Today, New York Post, Florida Politics, Washington Examiner, freebeacon.com and The Gateway Pundit
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Politico:
A Biden-Trump Gaza deal? — With help from Connor O'Brien, John Sakellariadis, Maggie Miller and Daniel Lippman, — An Israel-Gaza cease-fire deal appears closer than ever, and both JOE BIDEN and DONALD TRUMP's camps are scrambling for credit. — Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN …
Discussion:
Raw Story, The American Conservative and Drop Site News
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Associated Press:
Hamas OKs draft agreement of a Gaza ceasefire and the release of some hostages, officials say
Hamas OKs draft agreement of a Gaza ceasefire and the release of some hostages, officials say
Discussion:
Bloomberg, CBS News, New York Times, The National, Reuters, Atlantic Council, Deseret News, The Japan Times, Commentary Magazine, The Times of Israel, Breitbart, Washington Examiner, The Sun, Algemeiner.com, Associated Press, HotAir, Fox News, Al Jazeera, NPR, Channel 4 News, Just Security, Los Angeles Times, New York Post and Power Line
Sahil Kapur / NBC News:
Mike Johnson eyes April deadline to pass one big MAGA bill through the House, but GOP senators are skeptical — House and Senate Republicans still disagree on the best strategy to advance Trump's policy priorities on the border, energy and taxes. A recent Trump-GOP meeting failed to resolve it.
Discussion:
The Guardian, The Post Millennial, Semafor and Politico
Jonathan V. Last / The Bulwark:
Vice Is a Moat — 1. Secretary Pete — Here is the thing about Pete Hegseth: — Imagine that his character was sterling. That he was a fine, upstanding man, admired by all who know him. That he had dedicated his life to service and been judged to be as good a human being as Mister Rogers or Dolly Parton.
Discussion:
Digby's Hullabaloo and RedState
Stephanie Nolen / New York Times:
Estimated Gaza Toll May Have Missed 25,000 Deaths, Study Says — Analysis found that more than 64,000 Palestinians may have been killed by traumatic injury in the first nine months of the war. — Deaths from bombs and other traumatic injuries during the first nine months of the war in Gaza …
Charlie Spiering / Daily Mail:
I was fully indoctrinated into the Democrat ‘cult.’ Here's why I left my liberal influencer life behind to raise money for Trump — A former high energy Democratic fundraiser, failed congressional candidate and social media influencer is now raising money for President-elect Donald Trump's inaugural committee.
Discussion:
The Hill