Politics

The New York Times reports: A joint session of Congress is set to convene on Monday afternoon to certify President-elect Donald J. Trump’s victory in the 2024 election, a basic ritual of democracy that was brutally disrupted four years ago by a violent pro-Trump mob inflamed by his lie about a stolen election. There is no hint of a similar …

Canada’s CBC News reports: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will announce this morning that he’s stepping down as Liberal leader, sources tell CBC News. Those sources, who spoke on the condition they not be named, said Trudeau will stay on until his successor is chosen. The prime minister is expected to address Canadians at 10:45 a.m. ET from outside his home …

Politico Europe reports: Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said Monday he found it “worrying” that a billionaire social media owner like Elon Musk is inserting himself into the politics of other countries. Musk has been on a social media rampage over the holidays, endorsing the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, repeatedly denouncing the U.K.’s Labour Prime Minister Keir …

The New York Times reports: The far-right Freedom Party of Austria gained a realistic chance this weekend of leading the country’s next government, after talks between three mainstream parties collapsed. The Freedom Party’s ascent would put its firebrand leader, Herbert Kickl, into the position of chancellor and signal a new high-water mark for the rise of the far right in …

USA Today reports: Authorities in the nation’s capital are bracing for a series of high-profile events, implementing tighter security after the fatal vehicle attack in New Orleans this week. The events includ lawmakers counting Electoral College votes on Monday, the late President Jimmy Carter lying in state at the Capitol Tuesday through Thursday and President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan. …

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports: Since Donald Trump’s reelection in November, nontraditional gun groups across the city and country have seen a flood of interest. The national Liberal Gun Club said it has received thousands of training requests since the election, more than in all of 2023. A spokesperson for the group estimated that roughly a quarter were from LGBTQ people. …

CNN reports: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to announce as early as Monday that he will step down as leader of the ruling Liberal Party, Canadian media reports, ahead of a general election to be held later this year that he is widely expected to lose. Trudeau will likely announce his resignation before a key national caucus meeting …

Reuters reports: Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol are adopting “Stop the Steal” slogans popularised by President-elect Donald Trump supporters and said they hoped the incoming president would help their embattled leader. As Yoon supporters gathered outside his residence in the pre-dawn hours of Friday in an effort to prevent his arrest, some carried signs in English …

Axios reports: The House voted mostly along party lines Friday to adopt a rules package that protects newly reelected Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) from a potential ouster. The new rules make it so that a vote on removing the speaker can only be brought if at least nine Republicans support what is called a “motion to vacate.” That is a …

The Hill reports: Greenland Prime Minister Múte Egede announced a desire to obtain independence from Denmark in the wake of President-elect Trump’s comments about buying the island territory. “The Greenlandic people’s opportunity for independence has been adopted through the provisions of the Self-Government Act, thereby creating a legal basis for how independence can be achieved,” Egede said in a Wednesday …

Mediaite reports: The candid moment happened while Harris was swearing in the recently elected senators for their new terms. Harris began by greeting Gallego, his wife who was carrying their young daughter, and his son. Harris was asking Gallego’s young son about how their day was going when he said, “I’m sorry you didn’t win.” Harris and the boy then …

Axios reports: Apple CEO Tim Cook will personally donate $1 million to President-elect Trump’s inaugural committee, sources with knowledge of the donation tell Axios. The donation reflects a long, collaborative relationship between Trump and Cook that included many meetings during Trump’s first term, and dinner at Mar-a-Lago last month. Cook, a proud Alabama native, believes the inauguration is a great …

CBS News reports: The 119th Congress will convene on Capitol Hill on Friday, with Republicans in control of both the House and Senate for the first time since 2019. The House will meet at noon and hold its election for speaker, with current Speaker Mike Johnson hoping to hold onto his gavel. Johnson needs to win a majority of the …

NBC News reports: A judicial organization that sets national policy for federal courts has rejected a request from two Democratic lawmakers to refer Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to the Justice Department over free travel and gifts from wealthy benefactors that were largely omitted from his financial disclosure forms. The group, the Judicial Conference, sent identical letters Thursday to Sen. …

Rep. Tom Suozzi writes for the New York Times: President-elect Donald Trump and the Republicans have managed to sell themselves as the party of change. It worked: They will soon control the presidency, Congress and, in essence, the Supreme Court. But to change and fix America requires both parties to work together. As a Democratic member of Congress, I know …

“BREAKING: I just announced a statewide tour next week. I’ll be visiting individual state representative districts with incumbents who continue to obstruct a Speaker elected by a majority of Republicans. Texans expect a Republican-led majority to elect a Speaker by a majority of Republican state representatives. “Take this as a warning. If you’re making deals with Democrats to block a …

NBC News reports: Chief Justice John Roberts on Tuesday blasted what he called “illegitimate activity” aimed at undermining the independence of the judiciary. While facing criticism of contentious court rulings is part of the job for judges, some recent actions have crossed the line, Roberts said in his annual end-of-year report. He outlined four areas of concern: violence, intimidation, disinformation …

Bloomberg News reports: The world’s 500 richest people got vastly richer in 2024, with Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Jensen Huang leading the group of billionaires to a new milestone: A combined $10 trillion net worth. An indomitable rally in US technology stocks played a key role in turbocharging the trio’s wealth, as well as the fortunes of Larry Ellison, …

The New York Times reports: A sweeping blackout hit Puerto Rico early Tuesday morning, plunging nearly all of the island into darkness on New Year’s Eve. As of 10:20 a.m. Eastern, only 13 percent of Puerto Rico’s 1.4 million utility customers had power, according to the tracking page of Luma Energy, which supplies power to the U.S. territory. The company …

Politico Europe reports: Chancellor Olaf Scholz hit back at tech billionaire Elon Musk for attempting to influence the outcome of Germany’s snap election on Feb. 23 by endorsing the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD). “You, the citizens, decide what happens in Germany,” Scholz said in a New Year’s address to be broadcast Tuesday, according to a text circulated in …