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 …

Democrats Call On Merrick Garland To Preserve Records On Trump Prosecutions  —  The letter signed by 10 senators who sit on the upper chamber's Judiciary Committee comes a week ahead of Trump taking office.  —  LOADING  —  Democratic senators on the upper chamber's Judiciary Committee …

Biden Cites Threat From ‘Extreme Wealth’ in Farewell Address  — President sees ‘dangerous concentration of power’ in the US  — Biden offers direct critique of Trump and his allies  —  President Joe Biden warned Americans of a “dangerous concentration of power” in the hands of a …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Biden warns of the rise of a new American ‘oligarchy’  —  From the White House he will soon cede to Trump, Biden likens the current crop of tech moguls to the ‘robber barons’ of the 19th century.

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.

The First Domino  —  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, serious problems with alcohol abuse, and his complete lack of qualifications …

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 …

White House Reporters Fear a Return of Fire and Fury  —  Anxiety is running high in the press corps given the (soon-to-be) 47th president's history of demonizing, threatening, suing—and courting!—journalists.  “I don't think he intends to pack reporters off to Guantánamo,” says one cable news vet, “but who the hell knows.”

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).

Musk Said to Have Intervened to Help Free Italian Jailed in Iran  —  The Italian journalist was released soon after Elon Musk met with an Iranian ambassador, officials in Iran said.  So was an Iranian detained in Italy who was wanted by the U.S.  —  When an Italian journalist was arrested …

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?

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 …

Rep. Byron Donalds makes his move ahead of expected 2026 Florida gubernatorial bid  —  The Republican congressman has told donors and other Florida political players that he is running to replace Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is term-limited.  —  WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla. …

Biden Boosts AI Despite Energy Dept. Warning  —  Just before the president's executive order, his own administration sounded the alarm about data centers' energy consumption, water use, and emissions.  —  Just before President Joe Biden this week issued a last-minute order designed …

Bondi vows to stop ‘deliberate persecution’ of anti-abortion protesters  —  Attorney general nominee Pam Bondi made a string of promises to Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) on Wednesday after the senator zeroed in on the Biden administration's aggressive use of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act to prosecute anti-abortion advocates.

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 …

For LA water issues, misinformation spreads nearly as fast as the wildfires  —  A billionaire couple was accused of withholding water that could help stop Los Angeles' massive wildfires.  Democratic leadership was blamed for fire hydrants running dry and for an empty reservoir.