Trump has pulled Fauci's security detail, source says  —  President Donald Trump has terminated Dr. Anthony Fauci's security detail that was being provided and paid for by the National Institutes of Health, a source familiar with the situation tells CNN.  It was pulled on Thursday night.

Experts saw Samoa's plunging vaccination rates as a crisis.  RFK Jr. saw an opportunity.  —  New details show how Robert F. Kennedy Jr., then chair of an anti-vaccine group and now Trump's pick for health secretary, sought to exploit a deadly vaccine accident.

Musk Tells a ‘Joke’  —  The board and shareholders of Costco overwhelmingly rejected a proposal for the big-box giant to revise its diversity, equity, and inclusion practices.  You might call it the first act of wholesale resistance.  —  Happy Friday.  —  Stick to Rockets  —  by William Kristol

Newark mayor: ICE raided business without a warrant, detained U.S. citizens  —  U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents carried out a raid on a Newark business Thursday, detaining non-citizens and citizens alike, according to Mayor Ras J. Baraka.  —  The incident, which could not immediately …

Trump's Plan to Crush the Academic Left  —  Last year, Chris Rufo, the influential right-wing strategist who spearheaded the campaign against diversity, equity and inclusion, or D.E.I., initiatives, told me about his ambitions for a second Trump presidency.  He hoped, he said …

The Border Debate Is Over.  Dems Lost.  —  ONE OF MY FAVORITE nuggets about immigration (yes, I have favorite immigration trivia) is about the timeline for the creation of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Paul Krugman on Leaving the New York Times  —  The paper wanted to take away his newsletter or make him write less frequently, he says.  —  For two and a half decades, Paul Krugman's columns in the New York Times were beacons of intelligence and common sense.

Trump Says States Should Manage Disasters.  Former FEMA Leaders Agree.  —  “I'd rather see the states take care of their own problems,” the president said.  Federal emergency managers from both parties have made the same argument.  —  President Trump plans to tour damage on Friday …

New GOP bill would let Trump (but not Obama) run for a third term  —  Rep. Andy Ogles' bill to amend the Constitution and empower Donald Trump to seek a third term will inevitably fail.  That doesn't mean it's irrelevant.  —  About a week after Donald Trump was elected to a second term …

Former Secret Service agent: Trump put Bolton, Pompeo ‘at significant risk’  —  A former Secret Service agent said President Trump's decision to terminate protection for former national security adviser John Bolton and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will put them at “significant risk.”

White House says migrant deportation flights with military aircraft have begun  —  The Trump administration has started flying immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally out of the country using military aircraft, a White House spokesperson said Friday.  —  White House press secretary Karoline …

Dems Worry Sen. Whitehouse Considering Vote for RFK Jr  —  Wanted to share some information on the RFK Jr. nomination before the Senate.  —  It probably won't surprise you that RFK Jr., along with Tulsi Gabbard, are among the few Trump nominees who might actually not get confirmed.

There Is No Resistance  —  To see how far the lines of normal have moved since President Donald Trump freed the January 6ers, briefly return to the closing days of the 2024 presidential campaign.  At the time, a hot issue was whether Trump harbored fascist tendencies, as some of his former aides alleged.

Donald Trump in fiery call with Denmark's prime minister over Greenland  —  US president insisted he wants to take over Arctic island  —  Donald Trump insisted he was serious in his determination to take over Greenland in a fiery telephone call with Denmark's prime minister, according to senior European officials.

Judge bars Rhodes, other Oath Keepers from entering DC without court permission  —  A federal judge on Friday barred Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and seven other members of the right-wing extremist group from entering Washington, D.C., without the court's permission …

Two Words and a World of Trouble  —  Let me tell you a story about clowns evolving into velociraptors.  —  ∙ Paid  —  Bill Kristol sat in for Sarah on the Secret Pod today and it was dark.  Just a warning.  If you're not in good head-space to begin with today, maybe skip this episode?

Trump enlists attorney general to investigate Biden administration  —  President has thrown weight of justice department behind two politically charged reviews into his personal grievances  —  Donald Trump has tasked the attorney general in two executive orders to conduct far-reaching investigations …

Lutnick Lists 800 Firms in Complex Billionaire Ethics Filing  — Cantor CEO says he'll divest a swath of business stakes  — He faces a US Senate confirmation hearing on Jan. 29  —  Howard Lutnick, President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Commerce Department …

“A pact with the devil”  —  Donald Trump now has many of the country's richest and most powerful executives explicitly on his side.  That was evident this week as Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, TikTiok CEO Shou Chew, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman all had prime spots …

LA Times owner on spiking Harris endorsement: 'I knew I'd get pushback'  —  The billionaire owner of the Los Angeles Times in a new interview defended a decision not to endorse a presidential candidate in last year's election between President Trump and former Vice President Kamala Harris.