Hegseth, with White House help, tries to distance himself from boat strike fallout  —  As Congress vows accountability, the Trump administration emphasized it was a top military commander — not the defense secretary — who directed the engagement. … Officials in Congress and the Pentagon …

Costco sues the Trump administration, seeking a refund of tariffs  —  The wholesaler is the latest company to file a lawsuit against a federal agency over the president's signature economic policy.  —  Costco Wholesale has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration …

Can Democrats Flip a Deep-Red Seat?  Special Elections Often See Big Swings.  —  Tennessee's Seventh District was created to be safely Republican, but in recent special elections across the country Democrats have done significantly better than they did in 2024.

Mike Johnson's red alert on members quitting Congress  —  Members of the House of Representatives are quitting Congress at a record rate, with Republican retirements and resignations outpacing Democrats by a nearly 2-to-1 ratio in the first 11 months of the year. … - Call it the congressional JOLTS rate.

Mandela Barnes jumps into crowded race for Wisconsin governor … But Barnes' entrance is not expected to clear the primary field, like it did in his 2022 Senate primary, several Wisconsin Democrats said.  A half-dozen Democrats are already vying to replace Evers, including Milwaukee County …

Trump wields pardons as purest form of power  —  President Trump has embraced clemency as an expression of raw political power, seizing on a unique authority designed to go unchecked by Congress, the Constitution or the courts. … And no president has wielded it more openly as a tool …

Trump Administration Fires 8 Immigration Judges in New York  —  The firings, part of a nationwide effort, felt “like a Monday afternoon massacre,” said one judge who lost her job last month.  —  The Trump administration fired eight immigration judges in New York City on Monday, according to two people with knowledge of the matter.

US air travelers without REAL IDs will be charged a $45 fee  —  Air travelers in the U.S. without a REAL ID will be charged a $45 fee beginning in February, the Transportation Security Administration announced Monday.  —  The updated ID has been required since May, but passengers without …

FEMA reinstates workers put on leave for criticizing the White House  —  The 14 FEMA employees who signed the so-called Katrina declaration went back to work for a little while Monday — but the Department of Homeland Security now says that should never have happened.

Thousands of U.S. trucking schools could lose accreditation under DOT crackdown  —  WASHINGTON — The Department of Transportation is threatening to shut down thousands of truck driving schools as part of the Trump administration's widening crackdown on the U.S. trucking industry.

The American Revolution I Didn't Know  —  We all heard in school about the Boston Tea Party, the Declaration of Independence, the grit that created our nation.  But The American Revolution, the latest and hopefully not last PBS production from Ken Burns, is provocative in unexpected ways.

At least 9 Indiana Republicans were targeted in swatting attacks amid redistricting pressure from Trump  —  The threats came after Trump publicly called on state lawmakers to pass new congressional maps that would benefit Republicans.  —  At least nine elected Republicans in Indiana …