Trump threats, U.S. troop build-up raise specter of battle for Hormuz  —  Israelis said securing the strait for energy shipments could become the war's main goal now that regime change and ending Iran's ability to obtain a nuclear weapon seem out of reach.  —  TEL AVIV — A surge …

ICE agents arrive at U.S. airports amid TSA staff shortages, funding fight  —  President Donald Trump has suggested the agents would be arresting undocumented immigrants at airports.  —  U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have arrived at several airports Monday to assist …

“A California sheriff seized 650,000 ballots.  Election experts say it's a big deal”  —  SF Chronicle:  —  Election security expert Gowri Ramachandran said the seizure by Bianco, a Republican candidate for governor investigating a group's disputed claim of a 45,000-vote miscount …

Trump places statue of Christopher Columbus near the White House  —  A statue of Christopher Columbus has been placed on the grounds of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building adjacent to the White House, the latest effort by President Donald Trump's administration to recognize the controversial explorer.

How Epstein Helped Solve a Billionaire's Problems With Women … In October 2017, a yoga instructor emailed Jeffrey Epstein with a delicate question: When might she receive the tens of thousands of dollars she'd been promised by the billionaire Leon Black?  —  She and Mr. Black …

Voice of America staffers sue, alleging Kari Lake put on propaganda  —  In the latest battle over the future of Voice of America, a fresh group of veteran Voice of America journalists are suing Trump administration official Kari Lake, alleging that she is promoting pro-Trump propaganda on air.

Trump Has Detained the Parents of More Than 11,000 U.S. Citizen Kids  —  The baby needed somewhere to go.  So in the frantic hours before officers took her parents away to immigration detention, her mom turned to their pastor and his wife.  As squad cars waited outside the family's Lakeland …

Federal government employees are not ok  —  A new survey shows collapsing morale amidst ineffective leadership  —  Imagine you inherited a large, complex business.  You don't have time to run it yourself, but you recognize its importance.  So you hire a management team.

Morning Digest: Trump issues his most bizarre endorsement yet  —  Leading Off  —  Donald Trump executed a bizarre reverse-reversal on Friday when he re-endorsed Rep. Jeff Hurd just four weeks after urging primary voters to deny the Colorado Republican a second term.

Inside the Turmoil at Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s C.D.C.  —  Forty-three current and former C.D.C. employees on the changes they say are replacing science with ideology — and making Americans more vulnerable.  —  Almost as soon as he recaptured the White House, President-elect Trump announced …

Pete Hegseth is promoting a nihilist cult of death  —  The Trump administration is embracing violence for the sake of violence  —  It appears that members of Trump's cabinet get chosen not despite their endorsements of violence, but because of them.  Pete Hegseth was primarily known as a dapper TV host willing to defend war crimes.

Republicans fear this Democrat in Georgia Senate race: 'This guy's no slouch'  —  Behind closed doors, Republicans have tamped down their hopes of unseating Jon Ossoff, a 39-year-old powerhouse fundraiser, as he seeks another term.  —  Rep. Buddy Carter warned a crowd of Republicans in Roberta …

The SAVE America Act could backfire bigly on MAGA  —  Public Notice is supported by paid subscribers.  Become one ⬇️  —  💬 Subscribe to PN 💬  —  This weekend, the Republicans thrashed about in the Senate like rotting, mildly electrocuted trout as they attempted …

MAHA's political power tested as surgeon general pick stalls  —  Casey Means faces pushback from some Republicans over her refusal to forcefully recommend vaccines.  —  The nascent Make America Healthy Again movement got one of its biggest wins last spring: Casey Means was selected to be the nation's top doctor.

Trump Is Digging Up Washington.  Can Lawsuits Stop the Bulldozers?  —  As the president develops plans to fundamentally alter the White House, the Kennedy Center and other sites, federal lawsuits are beginning to catch up.  —  It took an act of Congress to create the John F. Kennedy Performing Arts Center.