Politics

The Wall Street Journal reports: Lara Trump wants to be the next U.S. senator from Florida, and she has a powerful advocate in her corner: her father-in-law. President-elect Donald Trump recently spoke to Gov. Ron DeSantis about Lara Trump, according to people familiar with the discussion, putting in a good word with his former 2024 GOP presidential primary rival. DeSantis …

Haaretz reports: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is testifying in his criminal trial for the first time on Tuesday, eight years after the investigations into him were first opened. He faces charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust across three different corruption cases. Netanyahu’s testimony follows years of investigations, deliberations, legal proceedings, and delays. He becomes the first sitting prime …

Florida Politics reports: Rep. Joel Rudman has filed open carry legislation for consideration by the Florida House. The Navarre Republican put the legislation in the hopper as he runs in a Special Election to succeed former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz in Congress. “Today, we reaffirm Florida’s commitment to the Constitution, and once again, the Third District leads the way,” Rudman …

USA Today reports: Christopher Wilson had a loaded pistol in his waistband when the Maui Police Department in 2017 responded to a complaint that he was trespassing on private property. Wilson did not, though, have a permit to carry that gun. And in a case that put a spotlight on Hawaii’s strict gun regulations, as well as on its low …

“We all agree this is an unsustainable area that we’re in right now — almost $36 trillion in debt and we are spending more on the interest on our debt than we are going to spend on the National Defense Authorization Act this year. Over a trillion dollars. “And so we’ve got to right the ship and it’s going to …

Axios reports: The U.S. is working with several other countries in the Middle East to prevent chemical weapons possessed by the Assad regime from falling into the wrong hands, a U.S. official told reporters. The U.S. and its allies are concerned that the collapse of the Syrian army and other security forces — and the chaos engulfing the country — …

The Hill reports: Rep. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) was appointed to the Senate on Sunday following the resignation of interim Democratic Sen. George Helmy. In a statement, Gov. Phil Murphy (D-N.J.) announced the appointment, noting he is taking the step to allow Kim to “embark on the smoothest possible transition into his new role so he can hit the ground running.” …

West Palm Beach’s CBS affiliate reports: For three years, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office produced its own crack cocaine, so it could sell it to people that deputies would then arrest for buying crack cocaine. It was a practice the Florida state Supreme Court repeatedly described as “outrageous” in its 1993 ruling that such reverse-stings violated an individual’s right to …

Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger writes on Substack: Donald Trump’s latest threat to “jail” members of the January 6 Committee is nothing more than the desperate howl of a man who knows history will regard him with shame. Let me be clear: we did nothing wrong. The January 6 Committee’s work was driven by facts, the Constitution, and the pursuit of …

The Associated Press reports: Syrians poured into streets in celebration on Sunday after a stunning rebel advance reached the capital, ending the Assad family’s 50 years of iron rule. Russian state news agencies were reporting that President Bashar Assad and his family had arrived in Moscow and were given asylum. Russia said Assad left the country after negotiations with rebel …

The New York Times reports: Needing a pair of scissors, a 13-year-old girl went into the bedroom where her father was sleeping and reached for a fishing tackle box on a shelf above the bed. But in the darkened room, she accidentally knocked it over. “Something fell out of it and there was a loud noise,” she recounted to the …

The Associated Press reports: Sen. Joni Ernst made her most expansive comments yet on Pete Hegseth, telling a largely GOP audience at a California security conference Saturday that she needs to hear more from President-elect Donald Trump’s embattled defense secretary pick on key issues before she decides whether to support him. ”I am a survivor of sexual assault,” said Ernst …

“Within the party Ronald Reagan once led so capably, it is increasingly fashionable to suggest that the sort of global leadership he modeled is no longer America’s place. But let’s be absolutely clear: America will not be made great again by those who are content to manage our decline. “At both ends of our politics, a dangerous fiction is taking …

The New York Times reports: President Bashar al-Assad has resigned and left Syria, Russia’s foreign ministry said on Sunday, hours after rebels stormed the Syrian capital without encountering any significant resistance from government forces. It did not offer details on Mr. al-Assad’s exact whereabouts, saying only that he had held talks with “several parties of the armed conflict.” There was …

Via press release: The National Police Association proudly expresses our full support for Kash Patel’s nomination to serve as the next Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Kash Patel’s extensive career in national security, law enforcement, and public service has demonstrated his unwavering commitment to upholding the rule of law, defending justice, and protecting the American people. Throughout his …

The Guardian reports: Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he was nominating podcaster and former PayPal chief operating officer David Sacks to be his White House artificial intelligence and crypto czar, continuing a pattern of rewarding big donors with political power. Sacks, a venture capitalist and Silicon Valley insider, hosted big spenders at his San Francisco mansion in June to …

Florida Politics reports: Eleven candidates have already qualified to run in a Special Election to succeed former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz. More are expected to enter the running before a noon deadline on Friday. Jimmy Patronis [photo], Florida’s Chief Financial Officer, already landed a critical endorsement from President-elect Donald Trump, and now has qualified for the ballot. Patronis already resigned …

Florence, South Carolina’s CBS affiliate reports: Darlington Mayor Curtis Boyd used an anti-gay slur during the public comment portion of Tuesday’s city council meeting. During public comments, a man tells Boyd he should not be the mayor of Darlington because he does not live within city limits. Boyd responds to the man, saying he could come home with him and …

Politico reports: Sen. Joni Ernst isn’t ready to throw her weight behind Pete Hegseth’s bid to lead the Pentagon, she said Thursday on Fox News. Ernst (R-Iowa), who had a “frank and thorough” conversation with the Defense Department pick on Wednesday, was asked on “America’s Newsroom” if she’s not ready to vote yes on Hegseth amid allegations of sexual misconduct …

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 …