How Right Wingers Rushed to DEI Hire Pete Hegseth  —  Pete Hegseth is wildly unqualified to run DOD.  He described yesterday the most people he had ever supervised was 100.  The non-profit budgets that went broke under his stewardship were in the $10 million range.

Live Updates: Israel and Hamas Agree to Gaza Cease-Fire Deal, Officials Say  —  The cease-fire would take effect immediately, a White House official said.  The first phase of the deal, including the start of hostage releases, would last six weeks, although it was not clear what day that would begin, the official said.

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).

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 …

Trump will begin his presidency in delicate position, poll finds  —  As Donald Trump prepares to once again assume the office of the presidency, a new NPR/PBS News/Marist poll finds that, despite his claims of an “unprecedented and powerful mandate,” Trump may have to be careful about how far he decides to go with what he wants to do.

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.

Poland's Tusk Says Russia Planned Terror Acts Against Airlines  —  Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk accused Russia of planning to carry out “acts of air terror” against airlines worldwide as he urged European partners to join forces in countering Moscow's alleged sabotage attempts.

Defending Michigan's Auto Industry, Whitmer Warns of Tariff Risks  —  Gov. Gretchen Whitmer addressed the Detroit Auto Show, saying that tariffs should not be used “to punish our closest trading partners,” like Canada.  —  Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, a leading Democrat …

Yoon becomes South Korea's first sitting president to be detained after martial law chaos  —  South Korea's impeached president, Yoon Suk Yeol, was detained in a major law enforcement operation at the presidential compound Wednesday, defiantly insisting the anti-corruption agency …

Faiz Shakir, Ex-Bernie Sanders Campaign Chief, Joins Race for D.N.C. Chair  —  Mr. Shakir said his mission, should he win the post, would be to redefine the Democratic Party as the party of the working class.  —  Faiz Shakir, a former campaign manager for Senator Bernie Sanders …

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 …

Paul Krugman Issues Dire Warning On How ‘A Lot’ Of Trump Voters Will Be ‘Brutally Scammed’  —  The economist also slammed one of the president-elect's policies as “terrible.”  —  LOADING  —  “A lot of people” who voted for Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election …

Why Greenland?  —  And Canada, Mexico, Panama...  In one way, Trump is utterly predictable.  He wants to die in bed rather than in prison, and he wants that bed to be in the White House.  That's what they all want, all of these supposedly strong men with their ostensibly national feeling: the eternal clean sheets.

Jack Smith reminds us of the futility of truth in the Trump era  —  Yesterday unfolded in a sort of perfectly stupid synchronicity, with the past crimes of Donald Trump, as detailed in the just-released Jack Smith report, being overshadowed by the confirmation hearing for Trump's secretary of defense nominee, Pete Hegseth.

Austin failed to tell Congress or the White House about his health problems as required, report says  —  Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin did not inform Congress or the White House as required when he was incapacitated due to treatment for prostate cancer or when complications worsened his condition last year …

Michelle Obama signals she's done with Trump  —  Michelle Obama is done with President-elect Trump, if her decision to skip next week's inauguration means anything.  —  The former first lady, who once called on Democrats to go high when Trump's Republican Party goes low …

Are We Sleepwalking Into Autocracy?  —  Since Donald Trump's election victory, we have witnessed striking accommodations to his narrow win and mandate, what has been called “anticipatory obedience.”  —  Are we sleepwalking into an autocracy?  We hope not, and would be glad if the threat does not materialize.

Toyota exposed as major funder of climate change deniers: Watchdog  —  Nearly three decades after its introduction, the hybrid Toyota Prius is still associated with environmental action and the scientific consensus that fossil fuel emissions, including those from vehicles, must be reduced to avoid the worst effects of planetary heating.

Trump Said He'd Solve Ukraine on Day One.  Republicans Say He Didn't Mean ‘Day One.’  —  “I don't think the media pressing Day One is specifically ‘Day One,’” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene told NOTUS.  — Copy  —  Early on in his latest campaign for president, Donald Trump unveiled a headline-grabbing campaign promise on Ukraine.

How a major bank cheated its customers out of $2 billion, according to a new federal lawsuit  —  An explosive new lawsuit filed by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) alleges that Capital One bank cheated its customers out of $2 billion.  According to the lawsuit …

Kamala Harris' potential next move: A book  —  The outgoing vice president has yet to tell the full story of her 107-day campaign for the presidency in her own words.  —  WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris has a lot of options for her next act — including possible runs for governor …

AG Nominee Pam Bondi Consulted for Group That Took Over Trump's D.C. Hotel  —  The company, which owes Bondi $1 million, defaulted and lost the leasing rights to Trump's D.C. hotel.  Now, Trump's family wants to buy it back … The president-elect's family weren't the only people in his orbit who profited from the hotel deal.