CBS News reports: A Southwest Airlines pilot was removed from the cockpit ahead of a Wednesday flight from Georgia to Chicago and was booked on a charge of driving under the influence, a source familiar with the incident told CBS News. David Paul Allsop allegedly smelled of alcohol and may have shown other signs of intoxication, the source said. Airport …

The Florida Phoenix reports: Former Donald Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn has filed an appeal with the Florida Supreme Court to hear his defamation case against Rick Wilson, the former Florida Republican strategist and prominent Trump critic. Flynn sued Wilson in Sarasota County for defamation after Wilson referred to Flynn in a 2022 tweet as “Putin employee Michael Flynn” …

Semafor reports: President-elect Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance had lunch with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella Wednesday, along with Elon Musk, according to people briefed on the meeting. Microsoft President Brad Smith also attended the gathering at Mar-a-Lago, the latest example of the tech industry’s increasingly close relationship with Trump following his victory in the November election. Microsoft …

The Associated Press reports: Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani is set to be the first witness at a trial over whether he can keep his Florida condominium and three World Series rings or must turn them over to satisfy a $148 million defamation judgment awarded to two Georgia election workers. The trial, heard without a jury, begins Thursday morning …

Politico reports: Google CEO Sundar Pichai will join the growing list of tech executives sitting on the dais as President-elect Donald Trump is sworn into office on Monday, according to a person familiar with the company’s plans who was not authorized to speak publicly. Tesla CEO Elon Musk, a close confidant of the incoming president, is expected to attend the …

NPR reports: Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said a cabinet meeting that was scheduled to vote Thursday on the peace deal between Israel and Hamas has been delayed, in a blow to hopes that a ceasefire after 15 months of fighting would take effect Sunday. Netanyahu said that the meeting will only happen once Hamas pulls back on demands …

Mediaite reports: An unknown voice declared, “Oh shit” as Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was introduced to Fox News’ The Ingraham Angle on Wednesday. “Joining me now, someone who knows a little bit about this, Charlie Kirk, Turning Point USA founder,” introduced host Laura Ingraham, as an unknown person could be heard loudly saying, “Oh shit.” The loud expletive …

CBS News reports: Locking up store merchandise can deter shoplifters and paying customers alike, according to Walgreens.  The pharmacy chain’s CEO Tim Wentworth said in Walgreens Boots Alliance’s first-quarter earnings call Tuesday that “When you lock things up … you don’t sell as many of them. We’ve kind of proven that pretty conclusively.” Keeping retail products under lock and key …

The New York Times reports: The chief executive of TikTok plans to attend President-elect Donald J. Trump’s inauguration and has been invited to sit in a position of honor on the dais, where former presidents, family members and other important guests traditionally are seated, two people familiar with the plans said Wednesday. The invitation to the executive, Shou Chew, went …

The Guardian reports: Pakistan’s prime minister has ordered an investigation after the country’s national airline released an advert that drew accusations that it evoked imagery of the 9/11 attacks. The advert was released by Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) last week to celebrate the resumption of flights to Paris, which had been suspended for four years over safety concerns about its …

NBC News reports: Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., has been telling potential donors and Florida political players that he is running for governor in 2026, the clearest signal yet that his much-expected bid is moving forward. Donalds, who represents southwest Florida, has long been rumored to be considering a campaign to replace term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis, but those rumors have ramped …

Axios reports: Hundreds of staffers at The Washington Post sent a letter to the newspaper’s owner, Jeff Bezos, on Wednesday urging him to meet with newsroom leaders amid a confidence crisis with the leadership. It’s the most drastic step staffers have taken to address the myriad challenges facing The Post over the past year. “We are deeply alarmed by recent …

The Huffington Post reports: Donald Trump posted online a list of people he said are not welcome to serve in his second administration, many of whom he also referred to with derogatory nicknames. Critics called it a “blacklist” and said it proves the president-elect wants total loyalty from government workers when he returns to office on Monday. They included his …

Variety reports: Although Drake withdrew his legal petition against his label, Universal Music Group, on Tuesday, he doubled down Wednesday, suing the company for defamation and harassment, spreading the “false and malicious narrative” that he is a pedophile via Kendrick Lamar’s brutal diss track, “Not Like Us,” according to the lawsuit. In the documents, Drake claims that UMG knew that …

The New York Times reports: President Biden plans to deliver a prime-time farewell address to the nation on Wednesday, putting a capstone on his five-decade political career just days before he leaves an office he has long revered and is leaving only reluctantly. The White House would not disclose what Mr. Biden plans to say in his speech, set for …

Salon reports: Trump tapped Gabbard to serve as the Director of National Intelligence in his second term. In a new report from the Wall Street Journal, however, several insiders claimed Gabbard demonstrated little understanding of what the DNI actually does. She flubbed at least one interview with Republican senators ahead of her confirmation hearing. While meeting with Sen. James Lankford, …

Axios reports: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has ousted Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) as the chair of the House Intelligence Committee, multiple GOP sources familiar with the matter confirmed to Axios. Turner, who was tapped to lead Republicans on the panel by former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in 2022, has at times broken with party leadership in a way …

The Washington Post reports: President-elect Donald Trump is considering issuing an executive order once in office that would suspend enforcement of the TikTok ban-or-sale law for 60 to 90 days, hoping a brief reprieve for the Chinese-owned app will net him an early victory. Trump has expressed a keen interest in being seen as rescuing a platform on which he’s …

The Washington Post reports: Trump has encouraged billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy to consider filling Ohio’s vacant Senate seat. Ramaswamy publicly withdrew his name from consideration for the post in November, after Trump chose him to lead the DOGE panel along with billionaire executive Elon Musk. But the Ohio native has reemerged in recent days as one of the leading contenders for …

Mother Jones reports: At her confirmation hearing Wednesday, Pam Bondi probably assured she will become attorney general. She did that, however, by pretending to be an idiot. The former Florida attorney general and lobbyist refused to confirm or deny that Trump lost the 2020 election, declined to oppose pardons for violent January 6 attackers, would not say if she would …