NPR reports: President-elect Donald Trump announced “success” in coming up with a new plan to fund the government and lift the debt ceiling a day before a government shutdown, urging Congress to swiftly pass it in votes as soon as Thursday evening. Trump’s social media post landed as Republicans said they had narrowed in on a tentative accord after grueling …

Axios reports: House Democrats on Thursday coalesced around an operative phrase to describe their fervent opposition to Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) revised spending proposal: “Hell no.” It’s a term House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) used in a closed-door meeting of his caucus to describe his position. Jeffries initially termed the bill “laughable” when walking into the meeting. Johnson plans …

The Daily Beast reports: Mangione’s arrival was unusually circus-like, even for a high-profile suspect in a federal case, according to John Miller, CNN’s chief law enforcement analyst, who was once a deputy commissioner for the NYPD. Someone accused of a “particularly heinous” crime might receive some increased security measures, like a bullet-proof vest, for their own protection. “In this case, …

The New York Times reports: A fast-growing outbreak of avian flu has upended California’s dairy industry, the nation’s largest producer of milk, infecting most of the state’s herds and putting thousands of farmworkers at risk for contracting the virus. In just about four months, cows in 645 dairies in California have tested positive for H5N1, even as many ranchers have …

“The Academy Awards announced the shortlist for documentaries. These are their top 15 films in the genre that will be whittled down to 5 nominees. ‘Am I Racist?’ did not make the top 15 even though it is the highest grossing doc of the decade and easily the most talked about, most watched, and most influential documentary of this year. …

The Washington Post reports: Oklahoma Republican Reps. Stephanie Bice and Tom Cole, the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, just told reporters that Republicans have struck a funding deal. “There is a deal, and the details are forthcoming,” Bice told reporters as she left House Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-Louisiana) office. She said the vote is expected later Thursday. Neither Republican …

The Hill reports: President-elect Trump on Thursday encouraged Republicans in Texas to consider a primary challenge to Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) after he blamed the congressman for “getting in the way” of a push to raise the debt ceiling as part of government funding talks. “The very unpopular ‘Congressman’ from Texas, Chip Roy, is getting in the way, as usual, …

Politico reports: Sen. Joni Ernst is rolling out her next step on Thursday to overhaul the federal workforce as she embraces President-elect Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency. The bill from Ernst, known as the DRAIN THE SWAMP Act, would require each executive agency to relocate at least 30 percent of employees currently working at a Washington, D.C., headquarters to …

“Chris Murphy, the execrable senator from Connecticut, Democrat, he put out a statement, quote, ‘Remember what this is all about. Trump wants Democrats to agree to raise the debt ceiling so he can pass his massive corporate and billionaire tax cut without a problem. Shorter version, tax cut for billionaires or the government shuts down for Christmas.’ “So Democrats are …

New Orleans’ NBC affiliate reports: A former New Orleans priest who pleaded guilty to rape and kidnapping has been sentenced to life in prison. Lawrence Hecker, 93, was sentenced Wednesday, just weeks after he entered his plea moments before jury selection was slated to begin in his trial He does not have the eligibility for parole. District Attorney Jason Williams …

Raw Story reports: Fans of President-elect Donald Trump blasted House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) as a “coward” after he suddenly canceled his speech at a major weekend conference with other MAGA celebrities. Steve Bannon’s War Room first reported that Johnson had decided not to speak at AmFest, a conservative conference organized by Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA. The president-elect, his …

The Washington Post reports: President-elect Donald Trump had dinner Wednesday with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos (who owns The Washington Post) at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, and the two were joined by billionaire Elon Musk, a Trump transition team spokesperson confirmed.The meeting marks the latest trek by tech executives to Trump’s home in South Florida to appeal to the incoming …

“I’d be open to supporting Elon Musk for Speaker of the House. DOGE can only truly be accomplished by reigning in Congress to enact real government efficiency. The establishment needs to be shattered just like it was yesterday. This could be the way.” – Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, in an X post echoing a call by Sen. Rand Paul to …

Posted by hate group leader Mat Staver: Pornography use among Christians, including pastors, has now surpassed the national average for Americans in general and this rise is doing so largely unchecked. New data suggests a majority of Christian men and a rising percentage of Christian women view pornography occasionally, while a majority of pastors have struggled with porn use at …

Law & Crime reports: A federal judge in Georgia has ordered former defamation attorney L. Lin Wood to give the court $2 million in cash as well as two properties he owns to secure a bond as he appeals a multimillion dollar judgment levied against him for defaming his former law partners. A onetime pro-Donald Trump lawyer, long recognized as …

The New York Times reports: The suspect in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare’s chief executive on a Manhattan sidewalk this month will now face federal charges in addition to the state murder indictment brought against him, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. It was not immediately clear what charges the suspect, Luigi Mangione, would face in the …

Former Rep. Loony Louie Gohmert writes: From where have the drones come? What is their purpose? Is it possible the U.S. Government would lie to the American people? The answer to the first two questions is that we in the public cannot be sure, nor can Congress. The answer to the third is an unqualified “Yes!” Whether they come from …

“This is the same old, same old. This bill right here would add hundreds of billions of dollars to the deficit, and the worst part is, it is all for Dem priorities. Why would you saddle Donald Trump with this terrible spending bill before he even gets into office? “It is 1500 pages of pork barrel spending and worse than …

MSNBC reports: Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, waived extradition on Thursday, paving the way for him to be transported to New York to face the criminal charges against him. Mangione, 26, was indicted Tuesday by a New York City grand jury on 11 counts: one count of first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism; …

CBS News reports: The Georgia Court of Appeals on Thursday ruled that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis must be removed from the 2020 election case against President-elect Donald Trump, reversing a trial judge’s decision that allowed her to remain on the case. Trump and more than a dozen allies were charged last year by Fulton County prosecutors related to …