The Associated Press reports: Senate hearings are scheduled this coming week for several of Trump’s picks for the Cabinet. Many have met with senators individually. Now, they will go before the committees overseeing the agencies that Trump wants them to run. Here’s a look at the schedule for Senate hearings set so far, in Eastern time. Tuesday 9 a.m.: Doug …

The New York Times reports: After Inauguration Day, the group of Silicon Valley-inflected, wide-eyed recruits will be deployed to Washington’s alphabet soup of agencies. The goal is for most major agencies to eventually have two DOGE representatives as they seek to cut costs. On the eve of Mr. Trump’s presidency, the structure of DOGE is still amorphous and closely held. …

Bloomberg News reports: Vice President-elect JD Vance tempered his boss’s promise to pardon all the protesters involved in the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, saying those who behaved violently should “obviously” not receive pardons. Five people died as a result of the violence and the hundreds injured included 174 police officers. “If you protested peacefully on January 6, …

Axios reports: Meta did this with a methodical striptease over nine days, capturing massive public and MAGA attention. Sources tell us Meta deliberately packaged them all up for detonation over nine days to maximize the pop for Trump. Here’s the Meta formula: Put a Trump friend on your board (UFC CEO Dana White). Promote a prominent Republican as your chief …

Just in via press release: The story of Elijah’s prayer for rain in the Bible serves as a reminder of the power of united, faith-filled prayer during times of national crisis. In James 5:17-18, we are told: “Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain… Again …

“I will have Elon Musk run out of here by Inauguration Day. He will not have a blue pass to the White House, he will not have full access to the White House, he will be like any other person. He is a truly evil guy, a very bad guy. I made it my personal thing to take this guy …

Via press release from GOP Rep. Cory Mills: Today, Congressman Cory Mills (FL-07) sent a letter to congressional leaders in both chambers, urging them to exercise their authority and raise the U.S. flags at the Capitol to full-staff on the morning of January 20, 2025, in honor of the 60th Presidential Inauguration. This gesture would recognize the historic occasion while …

Washington DC’s NBC affiliate reports: A D.C. man says he was taking a Metrobus to the Anacostia Metro Station when a stranger set his shirt on fire. “Crazy, you know,” Eric Walton said. “Like, I never even spoke to that guy.” Walton says he was on the way to the library with friends on the A4 bus around noon Nov. …

The Daily Beast reports: Fans of Saturday Night Live are outraged that controversial comedian Dave Chappelle has been named as the first host of its latest season. The episode is set to air Jan. 18, with Chappelle at the helm, and rapper Glorilla as the musical guest. But many have questioned why the embattled comedian has continued to be invited …

Via press release from the White House: Today, President Biden spoke with His Holiness Pope Francis and named him as a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction. The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the Nation’s highest civilian honor, presented to individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world …

The Roys Report reports: Jeremiah Johnson, who wrongly prophesied that Donald Trump would win in 2020, is being sued for defamation by his brother and sister-in-law, Josiah and Jennifer Johnson. Josiah, who publicly accused Jeremiah last year of manipulating people with false prophecies, told The Roys Report (TRR) he hopes a jury trial will also expose other charismatic Christian leaders …

Politico reports: Special counsel Jack Smith has completed his work on two criminal investigations of President-elect Donald Trump and resigned Friday from the Justice Department. Word of Smith’s departure came in a court filing Justice Department officials submitted to U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon Saturday afternoon, urging her not to extend a court order she issued last week blocking release …

The Washington Post reports: The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will take the lead in determining the origin and cause of the Pacific Palisades fire, the agency said Saturday. “Certified fire investigators have been on scene and will continue to work in conjunction with state and local investigators to determine the cause of this tragic event,” ATF said …

Florida Politics reports: U.S. Rep. Cory Mills intends to run for U.S. Senate in 2026 — even if he is not named to the post by Gov. Ron DeSantis. The New Smyrna Beach Republican told the press on Saturday he doesn’t know when DeSantis will appoint a successor to U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of …

Politico Europe reports: Thousands of demonstrators gathered in the East German town of Riesa on Saturday in a bid to blockade the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party congress. Protesters chanting “no to Nazis” blocked roads in the town, preventing many of the party’s 600 delegates from reaching the convention venue and ultimately delaying the kick-off of the proceedings. Police …

Panama City’s NBC affiliate reports: A church leader in Okaloosa County, Florida has been arrested and is facing several counts of possession of child pornography after a months-long investigation. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received a tip back in May 2024. Information obtained from the tip and other findings ultimately led law enforcement to a home …

Axios reports: They say it’s hard to turn a battleship around, but Mark Zuckerberg just about-faced his globe-spanning, $1.5 trillion-value, 3 billion-user company — transforming Meta from a bastion of Silicon Valley’s socially progressive neoliberalism into a full-on MAGA hive. After Zuckerberg’s embrace of Trump and Trumpism, Silicon Valley is holding its breath to see whether a whole row of …

The Associated Press reports: The Justice Department has asked a federal appeals court to move swiftly in reversing a judge’s order that had blocked the agency from releasing any part of special counsel Jack Smith’s investigative report on President-elect Donald Trump. The emergency motion late Friday is the latest back and forth in a court dispute over whether any portion …

“I know they were messing with the water, letting reserves go for one reason or another. They’ve been doing that a while. California has a lot of problems that sort of baffle the mind as far as why they do things. “And then in the events like this, you sort of look, well, is it on purpose? Which, it’s an …

Politico reports: House Republicans are passing around a “menu” of more than $5 trillion in cuts they could use to bankroll President-elect Donald Trump’s top priorities this year, including tax cuts and border security. The early list of potential spending offsets obtained by POLITICO includes changes to Medicare and ending Biden administration climate programs, along with slashing welfare and “reimagining” …