Special Counsel Report Says Trump Would Have Been Convicted in Election Case  —  “But for Mr. Trump's election and imminent return to the presidency, the office assessed that the admissible evidence was sufficient to obtain and sustain a conviction at trial,” the report said.

The Pressure Campaign to Get Pete Hegseth Confirmed as Defense Secretary  —  Supporters of Donald Trump's nominee have intimidated potential witnesses and suppressed the F.B.I. background check of the former Fox News host in the run-up to his Senate hearing.

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 …

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 …

Trump says will create ‘External Revenue Service’ to collect revenue from foreign sources  —  U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said on Tuesday he will create a new department called the External Revenue Service “to collect tariffs, duties, and all revenue” from foreign sources.

Johnson announces flags will fly full-staff during Trump's inauguration  —  American flags will fly full-staff for President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration on Monday after all, House Speaker Mike Johnson announced Tuesday, “to celebrate our country coming together behind the inauguration of our 47th President.”

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.

Marco Rubio Isn't Likely to Last Long as Secretary of State  —  He's being undermined by fellow Republicans, and that's before he shows up to lead a workforce Trump distrusts.  —  Congratulations, Marco Rubio!  You'll soon be secretary of State.  —  Condolences, too.  You're not likely to last long in the job.

A Life Sentence of Disgrace  —  It goes without saying that the big historic event of last week—maybe of the year—is the catastrophic L.A. Fire, which I will write about in the weeks ahead.  But before we say farewell to Jimmy Carter's Long Goodbye, I wanted to tell you a bit about my experience …

Johnson backs away from go-it-alone debt ceiling plan  —  The speaker acknowledged the borrowing limit could be included in government funding talks — where he'll need Democratic votes.  —  Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday backed away from a plan to address the approaching federal debt cliff …

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.

Harris declines to invite Vance for courtesy visit to vice president's residence before inauguration  —  When JD Vance, his wife Usha and their three young children move into the Naval Observatory residence on Jan. 20, it will be their first time inside the white Queen Anne-style mansion …

The president who could not choose  —  “To govern is to choose, however difficult the choices may be.”  —Pierre Mendès France, prime minister of France 1954-'55  —  If you want to understand where Joe Biden's presidency went wrong, when his administration stopped looking …

Democratic Senators Say a Campaign Treasurer Stole Their Money  —  Tim Kaine and Mark Warner suspect their former treasurer misappropriated funds from their political committees  —  WASHINGTON — At least four Democratic political committees suspect their former campaign treasurer is behind the …

No One Wants A Biden Presidential Library  —  There is absolutely nothing commendable about Biden and his career, especially about his four years in the White House.  —  During the California leg of a year-long journey across America, I devoted a day to visiting two presidential libraries within a short distance of each other.

Top Democrat rejects any conditions on wildfire aid  —  House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) on Tuesday flatly rejected Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-La.) proposal for conditions to be put on federal aid for California wildfires, setting up a potential partisan fight …

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.

Ivanka Trump: Politics ‘a very dark, negative business’  —  Ivanka Trump says she has a hatred of politics, calling it a “very dark, negative business,” while opening up about her decision not to work in her father's second administration.  —  “I love policy and impact.  I hate politics.