Trump speaks with Justice Alito amid push to halt criminal sentencing  —  Alito spoke to Trump to recommend an ex-clerk for a job in his administration.  —  President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, Jan. 7, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla.

Taking Trump's imperialist trolling seriously (for a moment)  —  We've come a long way from bringing down egg prices.  —  ∙ Paid  —  Speaking as someone who's been covering Trump for nine years now, paying attention to what he's doing instead of obsessing over what he's saying is generally a good rule of thumb.

Biden postpones Italy trip amid raging Los Angeles fires  —  President Biden will no longer travel to Italy this weekend as fires rage in Los Angeles County, the White House said Wednesday.  —  “After returning this evening from Los Angeles, where earlier today he had met with police …

Mayor's Absence Is Considered a Sign L.A. Underestimated Fire Risks  —  Some residents said Mayor Karen Bass should have canceled her trip to Ghana when weather warnings in Los Angeles grew increasingly dire.  —  When a series of dangerous, wind-driven fires broke out on Tuesday in the Los Angeles area …

Live updates Jimmy Carter's funeral to be held at Washington National Cathedral  —  Jimmy Carter will be honored in Washington one last time Thursday, with a state funeral for the former president before a flight back home to be buried.  Public visitation at the U.S. Capitol ended Wednesday morning.

Republicans on North Carolina Supreme Court block certification of Democratic justice's election victory  —  On Monday, Congress certified the results of the 2024 presidential election in routine fashion.  Some concluded that, due to Trump's victory, there would be no attacks on the democratic process this year.

Elon Musk says DOGE probably won't find $2 trillion in federal budget cuts  —  Musk previously said his Department of Government Efficiency would be able to recommend cuts to the federal budget of “at least $2 trillion.”  —  Tech billionaire Elon Musk said Wednesday that his budget-cutting effort …

Poking Fun at Trump, Mexico's President Suggests Renaming the U.S.  —  President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico also said Donald Trump was ill-informed when he said Mexico was “essentially run by the cartels.”  —  Mexico's president rejected several of President-elect Donald J. Trump's assertions …

Prepare to Be Shocked: Los Angeles' Fire Chief Is a DEI-Obsessed ‘LGBTQ’ Woman Who Wasted Millions  —  In perhaps the most unexpected, shocking revelation to come out of the devastating Los Angeles wildfires, it turns out their Fire Chief is an “LGBTQ+” woman who is obsessed with DEI.

AG Merrick Garland intends to release special counsel report on Trump's Jan. 6 case, DOJ says  —  The portion of the report about the classified documents case is being withheld pending litigation in Florida federal courts.  —  WASHINGTON — Special counsel Jack Smith has turned …

Zelenskiy Warns Allies Not to ‘Drop the Ball’ on War Support  — Ahead of Trump inauguration, Ukrainian leader presses case  — Austin, at last Ramstein meeting, confirms $500 million in aid  —  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy made a plea to press on with support …

Trump transition considering D.C.-area showcase immigration raid in first days of administration  —  The raid under consideration would target immigrants allegedly living in the U.S. illegally at a workplace in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.  —  The incoming Trump administration …

Disgraced former US Rep. George Santos granted 3-month delay in sentencing for fraud and ID theft  —  Disgraced former congressman George Santos, facing a federal prison sentence, has won a few months' freedom to come up with more than half a million dollars in court fines — including from work on his new podcast.

Trump urges Republican senators to stick together on his Cabinet picks  —  President-elect Donald Trump, during a meeting Wednesday night on Capitol Hill, urged Senate Republicans to stick together during the confirmation process for his Cabinet picks.  Hearings begin next week …

Hawaii Gov: RFK Jr.'s Anti-Vax Misinformation Left Dozens Of Kids Dead In Samoa  —  The Senate is poised to make “an absolute life-or-death decision” in confirming Kennedy as HHS secretary, warned Gov. Josh Green, who is also a physician.  —  LOADING  —  WASHINGTON — Hawaii Gov. Josh Green …

Scoop: Trump's 100 executive orders … - Senators were given previews of some of what they were told would be 100 executive orders, two sources who were in the room told Axios.  — Stephen Miller, Trump's longtime immigration adviser, dove into how they intend to use executive power …

Is this AOC's moment?  —  Democrats are split on Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York), but some say they'll need her cooperation to help take back the House.  —  When Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) met with key Democrats last month to make her case to lead a committee …