Pete Hegseth Is Seriously Testing Trump's ‘No Scalps’ Rule  —  Lawmakers are finally waking up to the problems the defense secretary has created.  —  The suspected drug traffickers, the lone survivors of a U.S. airstrike, were sprawled on a table-size piece of floating wreckage in the Caribbean for more than 40 minutes.

Exclusive: Woman detained by feds in Keys says she was following agents' orders  —  The woman in medical scrubs who was forcibly yanked from her car while on her way to work in Key Largo, screaming she was a U.S. citizen, said Friday she had obeyed the federal agents' commands to roll …

Trump struggles to persuade Americans to ignore affordability issues  —  A president who has often seemed to float above the laws of politics confronts a new political reality.  —  Just now … President Donald Trump has said drug prices are falling by as much as 1,500 percent, a mathematical impossibility.

Trump orders overhaul of U.S. vaccine schedules  —  President Trump ordered his top health officials Friday night to review all U.S. childhood vaccination recommendations and align them with the “best practices” from other developed countries. … - The Centers for Disease Control panel …

The Supreme Court weighs another step in favor of broad presidential power sought by Trump  —  Chief Justice John Roberts has led the Supreme Court 's conservative majority on a steady march of increasing the power of the presidency, starting well before Donald Trump's time in the White House.

Top US official says EU regulation ‘undermines’ NATO ties  —  U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said Europe's policy agenda was hurting its credibility in Washington.  —  The EU's pursuit of its green agenda and enforcement of tech rules against U.S. firms is undermining …

Trump's Security Strategy Focuses on Profit, Not Spreading Democracy  —  President Trump's new National Security Strategy describes a country that is focused on doing business and reducing migration while avoiding passing judgment on authoritarians.  —  Latin American countries must grant no-bid contracts to U.S. companies.

Trump follows through on an especially ugly campaign promise  —  This special Saturday edition of PN is free thanks to paid subscribers.  Become one ⬇️  —  🛥️ Subscribe to PN 🛥️  —  For years, Donald Trump has fantasized about lawlessly executing drug dealers.

Trump administration alters national parks' free-entry days, cutting MLK Day and Juneteenth  —  The change is part of a broader shift in the National Park Service's free-entry day schedule, which includes adding President Donald Trump's birthday.  —  The Trump administration has changed …

How Trump flipped America's race conversation  —  President Trump's Cabinet applauded him this week after he described Somali immigrants as “garbage” who “contribute nothing.  He unapologetically condemned an entire community, with no fear of political backlash.

Turning Point tests its potency in Indiana  —  With help from Eli Okun, Bethany Irvine, Ali Bianco and Rachel Umansky-Castro  —  Happy Saturday morning — and college football conference championship weekend.  This is Adam Wren, writing from Indianapolis, where the top two teams in the country …

HHS changed the name of transgender health leader on her official portrait  —  As you walk down a particular hallway on the seventh floor of the Humphrey Building in Washington, D.C., you'll find a line of photographic portraits of all the people from years past who have led the Public Health Corps …

Immigrants kept from Faneuil Hall citizenship ceremony as feds crackdown nationwide  —  Becoming a U.S. citizen takes years and involves immigrants acquiring a green card, extensive interviews, background checks, classes and a citizenship test.  The naturalization ceremony is the final step to the process …

White House faces pressure to crack down further on asylum after National Guard shooting … An administration official said to “expect a full overhaul of all adjudications,” adding: “We are at a critical moment of vetting foreign nationals, not just those from typical countries of concern.”

Republicans have a mess on their hands over health care subsidies  —  Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson are both considering votes on GOP health care priorities next week — if they can figure out what those priorities are. … Republicans are still divided and debating their counter offers.

Pardoned Democrat Henry Cuellar wants GOP to probe his prosecutors … The investigation Cuellar referred to appears to be an ongoing probe of DOJ “weaponization” led by House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).  —  Cuellar ran into Jordan shortly after Trump announced the pardon of Cuellar …

Hey, Does Anyone Want to Talk About Donald Trump's Infirmities?  —  In case you missed it, President Donald Trump fell asleep on television this week.  There he was, in the middle of a meeting with the members of his Cabinet, completely set adrift on memory bliss as the pool cameras rolled, locked on his dozy face.

FDA in turmoil after exit of veteran cancer researcher  —  Federal agencies Vaccines Donald Trump Prescription drugs  —  Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary is under renewed scrutiny by Trump officials amid continued turmoil at the agency, including a series …

Biden Slams Republicans for Using L.G.B.T.Q. Identity as ‘Political Football’  —  The former president defended his support for transgender rights, a stance that has provoked second-guessing among some Democrats.  —  Former President Joseph R. Biden Jr. on Friday offered a defense of his support …

Trump's Top 10 Worst Criminal Prosecutions  —  Publisher's Roundup 46  —  The Contrarian, Norman Eisen, and Gabriel Lezra  —  This is the time of year when we are regaled with lists of the best books, movies, music, and much more.  Because here at The Contrarian, we track the doings …