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Benjamin Wittes / Default:
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.
Discussion:
Townhall, Letters from an American, Forbes, Courthouse News Service and Wall Street Journal
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Karoun Demirjian / New York Times:
Joni Ernst Says She Will Vote to Confirm Pete Hegseth — The Iowa Republican's decision dramatically increases the likelihood that Mr. Hegseth will have enough votes to be confirmed as President-elect Donald J. Trump's defense secretary. — Senator Joni Ernst, Republican of Iowa …
Ben Johansen / Politico:
Joni Ernst says she'll vote to confirm Pete Hegseth — Pete Hegseth has won over Sen. Joni Ernst. The Iowa senator said Tuesday she will be voting to confirm Hegseth to the next Defense secretary, a crucial endorsement for a nomination that seemed to be on shaky ground a few weeks ago.
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Ernst will vote for Hegseth, handing Trump big win — Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), a key member of the Senate Armed Services Committee who has championed women serving in combat roles, announced Tuesday that she will vote for Pete Hegseth, President-elect Trump's choice to lead the Pentagon.
Discussion:
Raw Story, New York Post, Deseret News, Breitbart, Washington Times, Roll Call and PBS NewsHour
Anne Flaherty / ABC News:
Hegseth softens stance on women in combat, calls for policies already in place
Hegseth softens stance on women in combat, calls for policies already in place
Julia Johnson / Fox News:
GOP Sen. Joni Ernst officially backs Pete Hegseth for DOD after initial uncertainty
GOP Sen. Joni Ernst officially backs Pete Hegseth for DOD after initial uncertainty
Philip Bump / Washington Post:
Pete Hegseth seems open to ordering soldiers to shoot protesters
Pete Hegseth seems open to ordering soldiers to shoot protesters
Discussion:
The Guardian, Washington Times, USA Today, New Republic, TMZ.com, WPMT, Raw Story, CBS News, The Hill, Twitchy, ABC News, The Independent and New York Post
Elon R. Musk / US Securities and Exchange Commission:
Search SEC.gov & EDGAR — Securities and Exchange Commission v. Elon Musk, No. 1:25-cv-00105 (D.D.C. filed Jan. 14, 2025) — SEC Charges Elon Musk for Violating the Beneficial Ownership Reporting Requirements of the Federal Securities Laws — The Securities and Exchange Commission announced today …
Discussion:
UPI, IJR, Fortune, The Register and The Verge
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Nicola M White / Bloomberg:
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 …
Discussion:
CNBC, TechCrunch, The Information and Forbes, more at Mediagazer »
New York Times:
S.E.C. Sues Elon Musk Over Twitter-Related Securities Violations — Regulators filed a lawsuit in federal court stemming from Mr. Musk's $44 billion purchase of the social media company now called X. — U.S. securities regulators sued Elon Musk in federal court in Washington on Tuesday …
Discussion:
CNN
Julia Mueller / The Hill:
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.
Discussion:
The Texas Tribune, Associated Press, Washington Examiner, El Paso Matters, FOX 7 Austin and The Barbed Wire
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Juliegrace Brufke / The Daily Beast:
GOP Senator Flames Dems for ‘Cheating’ and Voting ‘Drunk’
GOP Senator Flames Dems for ‘Cheating’ and Voting ‘Drunk’
Discussion:
NPR, Mediaite, Washington Examiner, Associated Press and The Bulwark
Lisa Needham / Public Notice:
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.
Discussion:
Daring Fireball
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David Frum / The Atlantic:
Jack Smith Gives Up
Jack Smith Gives Up
Discussion:
New York Magazine, Raw Story and The American Spectator
Hafiz Rashid / New Republic:
The Most Damning Lines in Jack Smith's Brutal Trump January 6 Report
The Most Damning Lines in Jack Smith's Brutal Trump January 6 Report
Discussion:
The Hill, Washington Post, The Guardian, East Bay Times, CBS News, Daily Kos, The Floridian, NewsNation and The Times of Israel
Casey Newton / Platformer:
Meta just flipped the switch that prevents misinformation from spreading in the United States — I. — Last week, Meta announced a series of changes to its content moderation policies and enforcement strategies designed to curry favor with the incoming Trump administration.
Mark Lemley / Mark Lemley on LinkedIn:
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.
The White House:
The Biden-Harris Administration Record — Letter from President Biden — Four years ago, we stood in a winter of peril and a winter of possibilities. We were in the grip of the worst pandemic in a century, the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, and the worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War.
Washington Post:
Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg to attend Trump's inauguration — They will be sitting on the dais during the swearing-in as Silicon Valley leaders aim to make inroads with Trump, who attacked Big Tech during his first presidency. — Tech moguls Jeff Bezos …
Discussion:
The Hill, Raw Story, ABC News, The Independent and CBS News
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Judd Legum / Popular Information:
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 …
Discussion:
Quartz, New York Times, NPR, Consumer Financial …, Courthouse News Service, CBS News, Associated Press, KFMB, UPI and Forbes
Alan Rappeport / New York Times:
Russell Vought Poised to Expand Power of White House Budget Office — If confirmed, Mr. Vought will be at the center of President-elect Donald Trump's plans to upend the federal bureaucracy. — While leading the Office of Management and Budget during the first Trump administration …
Associated Press:
Cuba — Biden moves to lift state sponsor of terrorism designation for Cuba, part of deal to free prisoners — President Joe Biden has notified Congress of his intent to lift the U.S. designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism, the White House announced, as part of a deal facilitated …
Discussion:
El País, Reuters, Associated Press, UPI, Townhall, Washington Times, The Daily Register, Politico, Al Jazeera, CBS News, Fox News, Washington Examiner, Bloomberg and LewRockwell
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Associated Press:
Biden moves to lift state sponsor of terrorism designation for Cuba, part of deal to free prisoners
Biden moves to lift state sponsor of terrorism designation for Cuba, part of deal to free prisoners
Discussion:
Axios, CNN, Associated Press, The Floridian, The Hill, The White House, New York Times, Mediaite, One America News Network, Metro.co.uk, Los Angeles Times, Daily Caller News Foundation, Florida Politics, Florida Phoenix, Raw Story, The Independent, El País, The American Conservative, Breitbart, Semafor, The Gateway Pundit, Fox News, USA Today, The Post Millennial, New York Post, Hartford Courant and Politico
Caitlin Yilek / CBS News:
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.
Discussion:
Law Dork, The 19th, Washington Post, Politico, UPI, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Washington Times, Deseret News, NBC News, Front Office Sports, NOTUS, The Hill, The Texas Tribune, USA Today, New York Times, New York Post, Florida Politics, Washington Examiner, freebeacon.com and The Gateway Pundit
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Sahil Kapur / NBC News:
Mike Johnson eyes April deadline to pass one big MAGA bill through the House, but GOP senators are skeptical — House and Senate Republicans still disagree on the best strategy to advance Trump's policy priorities on the border, energy and taxes. A recent Trump-GOP meeting failed to resolve it.
Discussion:
The Guardian, The Post Millennial, Semafor and Politico
Politico:
A Biden-Trump Gaza deal? — With help from Connor O'Brien, John Sakellariadis, Maggie Miller and Daniel Lippman, — An Israel-Gaza cease-fire deal appears closer than ever, and both JOE BIDEN and DONALD TRUMP's camps are scrambling for credit. — Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN …
Discussion:
The American Conservative, Raw Story and Drop Site News
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Associated Press:
Hamas OKs draft agreement of a Gaza ceasefire and the release of some hostages, officials say
Hamas OKs draft agreement of a Gaza ceasefire and the release of some hostages, officials say
Discussion:
Bloomberg, CBS News, New York Times, The National, Reuters, Atlantic Council, Deseret News, The Japan Times, Commentary Magazine, The Times of Israel, Breitbart, Washington Examiner, The Sun, Algemeiner.com, Associated Press, HotAir, Fox News, Al Jazeera, Channel 4 News, NPR, Just Security, Los Angeles Times, New York Post, Power Line and Washington Post
Lauren Irwin / The Hill:
Crockett, Mace get into heated exchange over trans rights: ‘If you want to take it outside’ — Reps. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) and Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) got into a heated exchange during a Tuesday Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing and discussion about civil rights and transgender rights …
Jonathan V. Last / The Bulwark:
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.
Discussion:
RedState and Digby's Hullabaloo
New York Times:
Michelle Obama Will Skip Trump's Inauguration — Mrs. Obama also declined to attend the funeral of Jimmy Carter last week, which would have put her face-to-face with Mr. Trump. — Michelle Obama, the former first lady, will not attend the inauguration of President-elect Donald J. Trump, her office said in a statement on Tuesday.
Discussion:
CNN, Forbes, Chicago Sun Times, Raw Story, USA Today, Axios, Daily Kos, Washington Post, NBC News, The Hill, The Gateway Pundit, CBS News, One America News Network, New York Magazine, Townhall, Fox News, UPI, RedState, Associated Press, Washington Times, Deadline, New York Post, The Independent, New Jersey Online, Washington Examiner, Scripps News, The Guardian, ABC News, The Post Millennial and Vibe
Stephanie Nolen / New York Times:
Estimated Gaza Toll May Have Missed 25,000 Deaths, Study Says — Analysis found that more than 64,000 Palestinians may have been killed by traumatic injury in the first nine months of the war. — Deaths from bombs and other traumatic injuries during the first nine months of the war in Gaza …
Brianna Tucker / Washington Post:
Rep. Mace challenges Rep. Crockett to ‘take it outside’ at House hearing — The two firebrands for their respective parties got into a heated exchange Tuesday at a House Oversight Committee hearing.
Discussion:
HuffPost