Trump eying Fox News host Jeanine Pirro for top prosecutor in DC  —  Pirro, if chosen, would be interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia.  —  Judge Jeanine Pirro speaks following an exclusive interview with Daniel Penny for FOX Nation, Dec. 10, 2024, in New York.

Live updates: Robert Prevost of the United States is named Pope Leo XIV  —  EDITED BY CURTIS YEE, KATARINA KRATOVAC AND MICHAEL WARREN  —  Cardinal Robert Prevost has taken the name Leo XIV.  The Chicago-born missionary who spent his career ministering in Peru and took over the Vatican's powerful office …

President Trump fires Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden  —  President Donald Trump abruptly fired Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden on Thursday as the White House continues to purge the federal government of those perceived to oppose the president and his agenda.

Trump's tax cuts are set to shrink after GOP flinches at deep spending cuts  —  On the chopping block could be a litany of Trump demands, including a permanent extension of the tax cuts passed during his first term.  —  President Donald Trump wanted a “big, beautiful bill.”

New Pope Has Creole Roots in New Orleans  —  His ancestry, traced to a historic enclave of Afro-Caribbean culture, links Leo XIV to the rich and sometimes overlooked Black Catholic experience in America.  —  Robert Francis Prevost, the Chicago-born cardinal selected on Thursday as the new pope …

Venerable New York Firm That Struck a Deal With Trump Is Losing Lawyers  —  Cadwalader avoided a punitive executive order but the accord has left the firm in turmoil  —  Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft struck a deal with President Trump last month intended to secure the future of New York's oldest law firm.

Trump Officials Seek to Bring First White Afrikaner Refugees to U.S. Next Week  —  The rapid relocation of the Afrikaners, who President Trump says have been racially persecuted in South Africa, stands in stark contrast to the virtual shutdown of all other refugee admissions.

Fired FEMA chief threatened to quit weeks ago  —  Cameron Hamilton, the acting disaster chief, appeared to contradict Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem by defending the agency on Wednesday.  —  The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency was fired Thursday morning and replaced …

Trump's Justice Department launches criminal probe into Letitia James, multiple sources say  —  More than a year after New York Attorney General Letitia James won a half-billion dollar civil fraud case against President Trump, the Justice Department under Mr. Trump has launched …

SPJ views proposed VOA/OAN deal as affront to sidelined USAGM journalists  —  CONTACT:  —  Emily Bloch, SPJ National President, [email protected]  —  Dan Kubiske, SPJ International Community Co-Chair, [email protected]  —  Kim Tsuyuki, SPJ Communications Specialist, [email protected]

A Subpoena for the White House?  —  On April 16, I wrote to you about a hearing in the Kilmar Abrego Garcia case, which is before U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis in Maryland.  At that time, she characterized the steps the government had taken to facilitate his return to the U.S. following …

Jewish feud over Trump escalates with open letter in The New York Times  —  Dozens of former leaders say the organizations they once led are being ‘far too silent’  —  More than three dozen former leaders of major Jewish organizations published an open letter in The New York Times rebuking current leadership …

Wild: House bill would strip courts of contempt enforcement power  —  In the ongoing public discussion about whether the courts will try to rein in the Trump administration's lawlessness, or will prevail in a resulting showdown if they do, the story that follows has been simmering below the surface for a couple of weeks.

X restricts access to jailed Istanbul mayor's account under court order but challenges decision  —  The X social media platform has blocked access to jailed Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu's X social media account in Turkey, complying with a Turkish court order

Up to 1,000 transgender troops are being moved out of the military in new Pentagon order  —  The Supreme Court this week allowed President Donald Trump to implement his ban on transgender people serving in the military while a legal challenge against it continues.  —  / Source: The Associated Press

DHS Secretary Flouts SCOTUS Order, Says ‘No Scenario’ Where Abrego Garcia Comes Back  —  Kristi Noem said the deported Maryland man “will not be coming back” despite a court order, a claim that one Democratic senator called “incredibly chilling.”  —  WASHINGTON — Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem …

Robert Prevost was ‘the pride and joy of every priest and nun’ at St. Mary's on Chicago's South Side  —  Catholics across the region celebrated the historic announcement Thursday that the first American pope in the 2,000-year history of the church was born and raised in the Chicago area …

They don't need a warrant  —  (This piece will be sent out in the next edition of the newsletter tomorrow.)  —  Help pay for our independent reporting if you can.  —  Support independent media  —  I'm driving five miles across the city to check out a tip that there's an ICE rendition ongoing.

Playbook: The audacity of pope  —  With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine  —  Good morning.  It's Friday.  This is Zack Stanton, thrilled that the new pope likely also calls it “pop” rather than “soda.”  Get in touch.  —  YOUR MORNING LISTEN: Bret Baier is having a moment.

Even with DOGE cuts, the U.S. has spent $166 billion more than last year  —  Defense and immigration spending and continued strain on Social Security and Medicare have added $196 billion to the deficit in the fiscal year so far.  —  Even as President Donald Trump and the efficiency-geared …

Lee Bill Establishes Obscenity Definition Across States  —  WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced the Interstate Obscenity Definition Act today to clarify the legal definition of “obscenity” for all states, making the transmission of obscene content across state lines more easily prosecuted.

US Customs and Border Protection Quietly Revokes Protections for Pregnant Women and Infants  —  CBP's acting commissioner has rescinded four Biden-era policies that aimed to protect vulnerable people in the agency's custody, including mothers, infants, and the elderly.

Internal polling shows Fetterman's support is tanking with Democrats in his backyard  —  The survey indicates a potential “freak-out moment” for the Pennsylvania senator who has made Pittsburgh — his home region — core to his brand.  —  John Fetterman's popularity is sinking among Democratic voters …