Yahoo News reports: Police are said to have searched a hostel as they continue to hone in on the identity of the suspect who fatally shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on Wednesday, according to a report. Officers searched a hostel on the Upper West Side of Manhattan where they believe the suspect may have been staying, according to CNN. It …

The Hill reports: House Republicans will have zero room for error in the 119th Congress — literally. That slim edge is already one of the closest in history. And it is set to narrow even more — and quickly — putting Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and his leadership team in a bind as they chart lofty goals for the next …

The New York Times reports: More than once during his early years at the network, Mr. Hegseth’s heavy drinking and raucous behavior at Fox News-related events escalated into episodes that were addressed by company officials or co-workers. Those incidents underscore concerns about his behavior that have imperiled his prospects to lead the Pentagon. At Fox News, the network’s human resources …

“I’ve heard everything about all of these people, none of it counts, no rumors, no innuendo. I’ve known Pete Hegseth for a long time. I served with him in Afghanistan. The people over there said nothing but great things about him. The allegations against Pete are all anonymous sources. I am not going to make ANY decision based on anonymous sources. …

The Syracuse Post-Standard reports: A Syracuse City Court judge recently refused to perform a wedding ceremony for a same-sex couple. Judge Felicia Pitts Davis was the assigned judge for arraignments on Saturday, Nov. 16, and two weddings were scheduled, according to the members of the legal community familiar with what happened. Pitts Davis performed the first wedding — a heterosexual …

NBC News reports: Rep. Sean Casten, D-Ill., is forcing a floor vote this week to require the House Ethics Committee to release a report on its yearslong investigation into former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla. Casten introduced a resolution that would force the bipartisan ethics panel to act. Because the resolution is “privileged,” it must be brought to the floor within …

ABC News reports: Since becoming President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard’s rosy posture toward Moscow has prompted some Democratic critics to suggest that she could be “compromised,” or perhaps even a “Russian asset” — claims the ex-Hawaii representative and Army officer has forcefully denied. But former advisers to Gabbard suggest that her views on Russia …

The Huffington Post reports: CNN’s Jake Tapper pointed out that the woman who accused Hegseth of sexual assault signed a non-disclosure agreement and is not allowed to speak publicly, even though police have confirmed Hegseth was involved in their investigation into the assault. “Do you think Pete should release her from the NDA so that I can ask her the …

The New York Post reports: A Tennessee state senator has been arrested on a DUI charge after he was filmed allegedly failing a sobriety test following a drunken hit-and-run crash in Georgia. Rep. Ken Yager, 77, was caught on camera stumbling around as troopers tried to make him walk in a straight line on Jekyll Island at about 5 p.m. …

New York City’s ABC affiliate reports: The words “deny,” “defend” and “depose” were discovered by detectives on the shell casings found at the scene where Brian Thompson, the CEO of major insurance group UnitedHealthcare, was gunned down, police sources told ABC News. They are also investigating whether the alleged shooter prepositioned an e-bike close to the scene of the incident …

The Hill reports: The hardline conservative House Freedom Caucus came out against “unpaid” disaster aid legislation in an official statement on Wednesday, urging “not one more cent to the Biden administration.” In the statement on Wednesday evening, the caucus urged their colleagues against passing “a whopping $100 billion unpaid disaster supplemental funding bill,” accusing Democrats of using the measure “to …

“Many of the people who have been serving in prison – even the violent Jan. 6 defendants – they’ve been in prison, I think they’ve served their time. “None of them raped anyone. None of them murdered anyone. None of them committed horrific acts that illegal immigrants get let off for all the time in the country. “I think he …

The Daily Beast reports: President-elect Donald Trump named Monica Crowley, a former Fox News contributor, as his nominee for chief of protocol at the State Department — marking the latest network personality to land a job in the incoming administration. Trump, an avid viewer of the right-leaning cable network, seems to be using the network as a farm team for …

USA Today reports: Pete Hegseth said Wednesday he won’t drink “a drop of alcohol” if confirmed by the Senate to lead the Pentagon as President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary and vowed to fight through a tumultuous nomination process amid allegations of sexual assault and alcohol abuse. In an interview with Megyn Kelly on her SiriusXM show, Hegseth ‒ …

Axios reports: Vivek Ramaswamy told Axios’ Mike Allen at the Aspen Security Forum on Wednesday that he’s “hopeful” that slashing the federal workforce could be “good for many of the individuals who make a transition from government service back to the private sector.” Ramaswamy believes that cutting the workforce will improve the “productivity” of the U.S. economy, “because I don’t …

Variety reports: The Spotify Wrapped 2024 year-end data dive is out — and Taylor Swift is again at the top. Swift ranked as the No. 1 most-streamed artist globally in 2024 on Spotify, nabbing the crown for the second year in a row. That’s largely on the strength of her latest album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” which was the most-streamed …

Politico reports: President Joe Biden’s senior aides are conducting a vigorous internal debate over whether to issue preemptive pardons to a range of current and former public officials who could be targeted with President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House, according to senior Democrats familiar with the discussions. Biden’s aides are deeply concerned about a range of current and …

CNN reports: President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday announced former Sen. Kelly Loeffler as his pick to lead the Small Business Administration. Loeffler, who briefly represented Georgia in the Senate, had fundraised for Trump during the 2024 race and raised several million dollars for his campaign over the summer when she hosted a debate watch party with Republican National Committee Chair …

“Pete Hegseth is a great man. Pete Hegseth has honorably served his country. And Pete Hegseth right now is victim to a media smear job to try to destroy his character and try to remove him from the nomination for secretary of defense. “Now some people say, but Charlie, he doesn’t have the experience, you know, running a big organization. …

“Not only do we have tourists here but we recently found out in the last day or so that we have 58,000 known criminals who have crossed our border illegally. Not that there would be any connection naturally with this, but it makes the work harder for NYPD because they’re already dealing with rampant crime uptick from those individuals who …