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Cease-Fire Deal Brings Hope and Painful Reminder for Villages Overrun by Hamas — The Israeli cabinet still has to ratify the deal, and some details remained unresolved. President Biden said hostages were to be released over 42 days. — Here are the latest developments.
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Live updates: Multiple officials tout Gaza ceasefire deal; Israel says details are still in flux — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office says ceasefire deal with Hamas has still not been reached and that the final details were still being sorted out.
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New York Times, NPR, The Times of Israel, Associated Press, Rolling Stone, The Daily Caller, Washington Examiner, Foreign Policy, The Hill, The Hollywood Reporter, Crikey, The Sun, JURIST, NewsNation, The Daily Register, HotAir, Reuters, Politico, The Daily Sceptic, Deadline, MeidasTouch News, One America News Network and Semafor


The Israeli Right May Soon Be Disenchanted With Trump — The most interesting detail of the hostage-cease fire deal that Israeli and Hamas officials agreed to on Wednesday lies neither in its terms, which mainly resemble what's been on the table for months, nor in the fact that Benjamin Netanyahu …
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Daily Mail, Diplomatic,, Twitchy, Fox Business, Townhall, DNyuz, Fortune and New York Post


Israel and Hamas agree to ceasefire deal, including hostage release, Biden says — Qatar announces Gaza ceasefire — A hostage and ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel has been reached Wednesday following more than 15 months of extraordinary bloodshed and violence in Gaza, President Joe Biden said Wednesday.
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Associated Press, Axios, New York Times, Washington Examiner, The Hill, Reuters, Vox, New York Post, New Yorker, Middle East Eye, DNyuz, Mediaite, Jerusalem Post, CNN, The Independent, Washington Times, New Republic, Breitbart, Foreign Policy, Metro.co.uk, PoliticusUSA, Forbes, The Forward, Daily Mail, Mother Jones, Raw Story and NewsNation


Biden on if Trump will get credit over him for ceasefire deal: ‘Is that a joke?’ — President Biden brushed off a question about who would get the credit for the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal struck on Wednesday. — “Is that a joke?” Biden responded, when asked by a reporter whether …
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ABC News, Associated Press, Reuters, Breitbart, CBS News, DNyuz, Raw Story, Fox News, RedState, New York Daily News, RADAR, Mediaite, Twitchy and The Forward

Statement from President Joe Biden — Today, after many months of intensive diplomacy by the United States, along with Egypt and Qatar, Israel and Hamas have reached a ceasefire and hostage deal. This deal will halt the fighting in Gaza, surge much needed-humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, NewsNation, The Independent, UPI and Mediaite

A Year of Empty Threats and a “Smokescreen” Policy: How the State Department Let Israel Get Away With Horrors in Gaza
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Reuters

Biden says Americans will be among Gaza hostages released, snarkily refuses to credit Trump in sealing deal: ‘Is that a joke?’
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Axios, The Hill, RedState, Fox News, PJ Media, Zionist Organization …, The Atlantic, DNyuz, abc7NY, The Gateway Pundit and The Forward


Zuckerberg Will Host a Party for Trump's Inauguration — Mark Zuckerberg, the Meta chief executive, is one of several tech leaders expected to play a high-profile role in celebrating the new administration next week. — Mark Zuckerberg, the Meta chief executive who has tried to keep …
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Apple's Tim Cook Plans to Join Tech CEOs at Trump's Inauguration
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Business Insider and 9to5Mac

Michelle Obama signals she's done with Trump
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Megyn Kelly, acecomments.mu.nu, Breitbart, Plain Dealer, Page Six, New Jersey Online, People and Daily Mail


AG nominee Pam Bondi won't say Trump lost 2020 election — Attorney general nominee Pam Bondi dodged a question from Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) on Wednesday about whether President-elect Trump lost the 2020 election. — Bondi echoed other Republicans in stating President Biden is now the president …
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Washington Post, Washington Examiner, HuffPost, New York Times, Twitchy, Forbes, The Atlantic, CNBC, Jewish Insider, PBS NewsHour, Florida's Voice, Raw Story, Courthouse News Service, Hollywood Life, Louder With Crowder, UPI, The Guardian, New Jersey Online, The Independent and Twin Cities
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Schiff and Bondi reignite old grudges at confirmation hearing: ‘You were censured’

Bondi Vows to Keep Politics Out of Justice Department if Confirmed
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Breitbart


Nonprofit Founded by Stacey Abrams Admits Secretly Aiding Her 2018 Campaign — The New Georgia Project, whose leaders also included Raphael Warnock, now a senator, admitted violating campaign finance laws. It agreed to a $300,000 penalty. — A nonprofit founded by Stacey Abrams …
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NBC News, Washington Examiner, The Hill, HotAir, Associated Press, Daily Caller News Foundation and Instapundit
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Johnson removes Mike Turner as House Intelligence chair — The Ohio Republican has been an outspoken advocate for Ukraine funding and other hawkish national security stances. — Speaker Mike Johnson has removed Rep. Mike Turner as chair of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence …
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Associated Press, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, The Hill, NBC News, Scripps News, Fox News, Washington Examiner, Axios, Mediaite and The Gateway Pundit


Exclusive: Trump team asks three US senior career diplomats to resign, sources say — Aides to President-elect Donald Trump have asked three senior career diplomats who oversee the U.S. State Department's workforce and internal coordination to step down from their roles …


Trump encourages Vivek Ramaswamy to seek Ohio's open Senate seat — The co-leader of the “Department of Government Efficiency” may move to replace JD Vance, though other contenders remain. — President-elect Donald Trump has encouraged billionaire biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy …
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No, Merrick Garland Did Not Let Donald Trump Skate — Some time in the next five days, Merrick Garland will step down as the nation's eighty-sixth attorney general, bringing to a close one of the most distinguished careers in public service in the last century.
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FDA to Revoke Authorization for the Use of Red No. 3 in Food and Ingested Drugs — Constituent Update — The FDA is revoking the authorization for the use of FD&C Red No. 3 as a matter of law, based on the Delaney Clause of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act).
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The Hill, Associated Press, Metro.co.uk, CNN, Roll Call, New York Times, IJR, Los Angeles Times, New York Daily News, Forbes, STAT, DNyuz, Fox Business, Deseret News, USA Today and Hollywood Life
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Trump's pick for energy secretary rejects linking climate change and wildfires — Chris Wright's arguments drew scrutiny from Senate Democrats during his confirmation hearing for the Energy Department post. — Oil executive Chris Wright, President-elect Donald Trump's pick to lead the Energy Department …
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ABC News, Associated Press, The Guardian, Digby's Hullabaloo, Breitbart, Energy and Policy Institute, USA Today, Democrats, Raw Story, Fox News, The Federalist and DNyuz
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Energy secretary nominee Chris Wright gets friendly confirmation hearing
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Senator Steve Daines, HuffPost, Twitchy, Roll Call, Heatmap News, RedState and E&E News


The Supreme Court seems eager to curb First Amendment protections for porn — On Wednesday, the Supreme Court heard the first major First Amendment case involving pornography — or, for that matter, sexual speech of any kind — in more than two decades. It's also the first such case since …
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Slate, Los Angeles Times, SCOTUSblog and The Independent
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UnitedHealth, employer of slain exec Brian Thompson, found to have overcharged some cancer patients for drugs by over 1,000% — OptumRx, the group's pharmacy benefit manager, along with its two main peers, Express Scripts and CVS Caremark Rx, have pocketed an extra $7.3 billion over cost thanks …
Discussion:
Axios


The First Domino — Democratic women lead the fight, all Republicans fail us — In the weeks immediately after Pete Hegseth's nomination to be Secretary of Defense was announced, and in the wake of the revelations about an alleged sexual assault allegations, business improprieties …
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Washington Monthly, The Status Kuo, Power Line, Raw Story, LGBTQ Nation, Hollywood Life, Daily Kos, The Federalist, New York Magazine and Fortune
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CNN Poll: Biden leaves office with his approval rating matching the lowest of his term — President Joe Biden will leave office with his approval rating remaining at the lowest level of his term and his favorability rating close to his personal low, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS.
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Daily Mail, New York Post, Twitchy, The Independent, Fox News, New Jersey Online and Mediaite
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Trump will begin his presidency in delicate position, poll finds
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Fox News, Daily Kos, Marist Poll and The Hill

Jewish Voice for Peace Committed Fraud To Obtain Six-Figure COVID Relief Loan, DOJ Says — Jewish Voice for Peace, the prominent anti-Israel group that's organized illegal protests attacking the Jewish state, committed federal loan fraud to obtain a six-figure COVID relief check, the Department of Justice announced.
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Scoop: Trump's $500 million post-election windfall … - “The money is just pouring in at Mar-a-Lago. … - “We're looking at half a billion [dollars] by June, and we're on track,” this adviser said. … - They include the president-elect's inauguration account, the MAGA Inc. super PAC …
Discussion:
New Republic, The Dispatch and New York Post


Jill Biden still hopes for a good ending — The first lady, after a half-century in public life, reflects on the past year — and looks to the future. — The first lady says she's at peace with this ending. But. — “Let's just say I was disappointed with how it unfolded.” — Why?
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Breitbart, USA Today, The Hill, Mediaite, RedState, New York Post, IJR, New Jersey Online, The Independent and Washington Examiner


Will Lewis's first year at ‘Washington Post’: Cancellations, red ink and an exodus — One debacle after another has engulfed The Washington Post since veteran newspaper executive Will Lewis became CEO and publisher a year ago this month, with the charge from owner Jeff Bezos to make the storied newspaper financially sustainable.
Discussion:
HotAir, New Republic and Fox News, more at Mediagazer »


Trump transition puts up guardrails around RFK Jr. — The transition team hired trusted conservatives to key HHS positions. — Just months after Donald Trump promised to let Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “go wild” on health care as a member of his Cabinet, some of the president-elect's advisers are quietly trying to box him in.
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The Hill, The Daily Wire, The Gateway Pundit, Talking Points Memo, Fox News, Washington Examiner and Raw Story


Good news for the open social web and open government data — Good evening from Washington, where I'm feeling cautious optimism about a ceasefire in Gaza, followed by a surge in humanitarian aid and return of hostages to their families. — Thanks to everyone who has subscribed to CivicTexts since …
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Data Foundation

Notice to the Congress on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to the Widespread Humanitarian Crisis in Afghanistan and the Potential for Deepening Economic Collapse in Afghanistan. — On February 11, 2022, by Executive Order 14064, I declared a national emergency pursuant …


Meta's pivot to the right sparks boycotts and a user exodus — Some users are fleeing Meta platforms to alternatives like Bluesky. — After Meta and its CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced a series of changes that shifted the company and its policies to the right ahead of President-elect Donald …
Discussion:
The Hill