The tech right pivots left  —  With help from Eli Okun, Ali Bianco and Irie Sentner  —  Good Wednesday morning — and a special note of gratitude and thanks to all the vets on Veterans Day.  Get in touch.  —  In today's Playbook ...  — Palantir's Alex Karp softens on Dems as they prepare to retake Congress.

White House Threatens Congress, Saying Aggressive Investigations Could Be Crime  —  As Democrats prepared to begin oversight inquiries, it was not clear what legal basis could support the threat.  The Constitution grants lawmakers immunity for legislative acts.

Somali Bodyguard Was Indicted in a Bid to Incriminate Ilhan Omar  —  Prosecutors used statements made during a green card interview to pressure a former bodyguard to provide evidence against the Minnesota congresswoman, his lawyer said.  —  Federal prosecutors filed a felony charge earlier …

Video shows soldier reprimanding Hegseth and advisers at Tomb of the Unknown Soldier  —  A US Army sentinel guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier reprimanded Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and a group of his senior advisers Wednesday after some in the group laughed and talked near …

ICE Officer Involved in Maine Shooting Expressed Hatred of Immigrants  —  The agent talked of foreign bloodlines, denounced noncitizens and more, according to emails obtained by The Times.  His fatal shooting of a Colombian-born motorist in July remains under investigation.

Peltola surpasses combined Dan Sullivan votes after latest drop  —  Former Rep. Mary Peltola (D-Alaska) on Tuesday surpassed the combined vote total of Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and independent Dan J. Sullivan following the latest ballot drop in the to-be-determined Senate race.

Flying by pricey military jet, Rubio rarely misses a Florida football game  —  The secretary of state, who is required to travel by government plane, defended his trips to his alma mater to see his son play.  —  SummaryLoading...  GAINESVILLE, Fla. — College football here comes with its rituals …

“We Have No One”: How Trump's Dismantling of the VA Left a Veterans Hospital in Crisis  —  John Falchetto was a survivor.  In Vietnam, his river gunboat came under devastating rocket fire.  He was the only one to make it out alive.  But this February, Falchetto, who had just turned 80, began to have piercing stomach pains.

Scoop: Bessent confronts Lutnick over China inaction  —  Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confronted Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick over a failure to place Nvidia customer Megaspeed on a list of companies that pose national security concerns, sources familiar told Axios.

Russian ambassador to US dies suddenly, foreign ministry says  —  Russia's ambassador to the United States, Alexander Darchiev, died in Moscow aged 66, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.  —  Darchiev “passed away suddenly,” the ministry said in a statement, describing him as an “exceptional professional.”

The Democratic leadership revolt has a glaring problem  —  The Republican leadership fights are over. … - Senate Republicans demanded more time and deeper conversations about their leadership, but no one stepped forward to challenge John Thune, who won by acclamation.

State Dept. official took Mediterranean trip paid for by tech billionaire  —  Stripe's Patrick Collison paid an estimated $11,900 for Sarah B. Rogers's portion of an international vacation last year, according to a new disclosure.  —  Loading...  Sarah B. Rogers, a top official at the State Department …

Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed dangles ‘Trumpcare’ pitch to get president on board with ‘Medicare for All’  —  Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed is making President Trump an offer he hopes the commander-in-chief can't refuse — put his name on the sweeping government health care plan meant to cover all Americans.

United Airlines Is Banning AI Bots From Booking Flights  —  The carrier says automated assistants present data-privacy risks; 'I don't want to create another middleman'  —  United Airlines doesn't want to deal with your AI agent.  —  The airline said Wednesday that it will prevent personal …

Scoop — Stephen Miller's post-midterm focus: MAGA and men  —  Stephen Miller wants to use his new role as White House chief of staff to win back young and minority men who helped elect President Trump in 2024 but swung toward Democrats in the midterms, two people familiar with the administration's plans tell Axios.

The View From Space the U.S. Government Doesn't Want You to See  —  The U.S. government is trying to censor your view from space.  —  Ollie Ballinger, an open-source researcher and lecturer, uses satellite imagery to monitor conflicts around the world.  But he says pressure from the government …

The Left's Election Denial  —  The Democrats' most impressive victories in 2026 came from mainstream or moderate candidates.  —  Bernie sanders and his acolytes have spent the past decade insisting that Democrats would command national majorities if only they embraced his left-wing policies.

Hawley backs nationwide data center moratorium  —  Sen. Josh Hawley endorsed a temporary pause on data center construction Wednesday, becoming the highest-ranking Republican to back a nationwide moratorium.  The Missouri Republican posted on X Wednesday listing priorities for Senate Republicans …

House members force new vote on Epstein files  —  The House is set to vote in the coming weeks on a new effort to disgorge Justice Department files related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after lawmakers completed a petition forcing the legislation to the floor.

Nikki Haley Rules Out 2028 Run After GOP Midterm Repudiation  —  Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley ruled out a 2028 presidential run, even as she criticized the Trump administration for November's midterm rout that handed Democrats decisive congressional majorities.

Pro-Palestinian protesters pelt objects at Biden outside Irish university  —  Videos show protesters, some waving Palestinian flags, chanting “Blood on your hands” and pelting objects at the former president outside Trinity College Dublin. … Three men have been arrested after protesters pelted objects …

Look Who Has a Southern Strategy  —  You need only glance at the recent political history of the states of the Deep South to get a sense of the magnitude of the political earthquake that shook the region in last week's elections.  —  South Carolina, which elected a Democrat, Annie Andrews …

Trump's Chipghazi  —  Don't look now, but Fed Chair Kevin Warsh is about to be back in the hot seat.  With inflation numbers coming in hotter than expected yesterday, the Fed is surer than ever that it will need to authorize more rate hikes in the weeks ahead—an unfortunate prospect for Warsh …

As Jim Jordan prepares to lead House Republicans, his Jan. 6 record is relevant anew  —  In an era in which political rhetoric can get quite heated, it's still unusual to hear prominent American leaders use words like “terrorist” to criticize other officials.

A Tool Built by Election Deniers Said These Voters Were Dead.  We Found Them Alive.  —  Ahead of the midterms, conservative election activists discussed plans to wield a powerful new weapon in the war against fraud: a data tool built by one of their own that could identify suspicious voters and help with contesting their ballots.

How a Misquote by a Supreme Court Justice Imperils Gun Restrictions  —  When the Supreme Court begins weighing the constitutionality of assault-weapons bans next month, the justices will be guided by the court's own precedent: a landmark ruling that such restrictions are allowed only if a firearm is both “dangerous and unusual.”