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.

The Most Damning Lines in Jack Smith's Brutal Trump January 6 Report  —  Special counsel Jack Smith did not hold back in his final report on the investigation into Donald Trump's attempt to overturn the 2020 election.  —  While much of it contains information already made public …

Michelle Obama will skip Trump inauguration, but ex-Presidents Obama, Clinton and Bush will be there  —  Former first lady Michelle Obama will skip the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, the second time in two weeks that she is not attending a gathering of former U.S. leaders and their spouses …

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 …

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.

Israel and Hamas agree in principle to ceasefire and hostage deal, sources say  —  A draft deal for a ceasefire in Gaza and hostage release has been agreed to in principle and, if all goes well, will be finalized by Israel and Hamas this week, Arab, U.S. and Israeli officials told CBS News.

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 …

Trump and DeSantis golf, with Rubio replacement looming  —  President-elect Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis are meeting over a round of golf on Tuesday, as key decisions loom in the state they both call home.  The meetup is taking place as Trump backed DeSantis' recent call …

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.

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.

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.

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.

Republican Hard-Liners Already Have a Problem With the GOP's Reconciliation Strategy  —  Some Freedom Caucus members think a debt limit increase needs to be part of the reconciliation process.  GOP leaders are already signaling that it won't be.  — Copy

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.

Former Fox anchor Gretchen Carlson makes request ahead of hearing  —  Former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson and her nonprofit group sent a letter yesterday asking the Senate Armed Services Committee to allow an alleged victim of sexual assault to testify anonymously at Hegseth's confirmation hearing.

Food shoppers could see nutrition facts on the front, as FDA unveils proposed packaging rules  —  The Food and Drug Administration released on Tuesday its long-awaited proposal to require food manufacturers to put some nutrition facts on the front of packages, in a bid to nudge Americans …

Kaine clashes with Hegseth over infidelity, drinking, scandals  —  Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) clashed sharply with secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth over his infidelity and reports of public drunkenness and drunkenness on the job, repeatedly pressing Hegseth on his character and judgment.

How to Fix America's Two-Party Problem  —  Mr. Wegman is a member of the Times editorial board, where he writes about democracy, law and politics.  Mr. Drutman is a senior fellow at New America and the author of “Breaking the Two-Party Doom Loop: The Case for Multiparty Democracy in America.”

‘Days of thunder’: Steve Bannon on the second coming of the Trump administration  —  The former adviser sat for a wide-ranging interview with POLITICO this week.  —  Steve Bannon had some thoughts on what the next four years have in store for Donald Trump as he returns to the White House.

Puerto Rico asks Trump for help after Venezuela's Maduro threatens invasion  —  Puerto Rico's new Republican governor is drawing attention to Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro's military threats against the U.S. island in the wake of President-elect Trump's calls for U.S. territorial expansion.