Republicans

Axios reports: Chemistry with Trump is a huge factor in the most controversial picks. “These are people that get him and understand him,” a longtime Trump confidant told us. “Last time, there were lots of people who didn’t understand the vision or buy into the vision.” Another transition source tells us Patel was close to being named deputy FBI director, …

The Hill reports: Former Rep. Matt Gaetz’s (R-Fla.) time in Congress may be over, but the saga over the House Ethics Committee’s report on its years-long investigation into him is in its final act. Two Democrats who moved to force votes requiring the Ethics panel to release its report have signaled they will continue that push, which could tee up …

Axios reports: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Saturday condemned a series of bomb threats targeting House and Senate Democrats from New England over the Thanksgiving recess. The incidents left members of Congress feeling shaken and beleaguered by the increasingly relentless cycle of violence facing American political figures. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ (D-N.Y.) office said each threat was “signed …

The Wall Street Journal reports: Donald Trump’s campaign-trail vow to end President Biden’s signature climate law is running into a cold reality: Too many Republican lawmakers want to keep it. The Inflation Reduction Act has channeled billions of dollars to renewable-energy projects across the country, with Republican-led states getting the lion’s share of the funding. Even though not a single …

The Guardian reports: Musk has long been a critic of the Biden administration’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (Bead) Program, which provides $42.45 billion through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill to expand high-speed internet access in rural communities. Starlink, the satellite internet services subsidiary of SpaceX, has largely been shut out of this funding after government agencies deemed it too slow …

Axios reports: President-elect Trump wants to see a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza before he assumes office on Jan. 20, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told Axios in an interview. Israeli officials believe the Trump administration might take a different approach to Gaza, specifically on what the “day after” the war would look like. But Graham — who speaks with …

The Kentucky Lantern reports: A federal judge in Kentucky has blocked the Biden administration’s expanded protections for farmworkers who come to work in the United States under H-2A visas. The injunction issued Monday by U.S. District Judge Danny Reeves applies in Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia and Alabama. Plaintiffs in the case — Kentucky farmers and Republican attorneys general from the …

Mediaite reports: X/Twitter users were stunned by Vice President JD Vance’s Thanksgiving post — a parody of Norman Rockwell’s “Free From Want” depicting President-elect Donald Trump as the husband, Vance as the wife, and a county-level electoral map as the turkey. In a Thanksgiving twist that has set social media ablaze, Trump and Vance are depicted in a parody image …

“This year, there was not just one but TWO assassination attempts on President Trump. Now some of his Cabinet nominees and their families are facing bomb threats. This is dangerous and unhinged. It is not who we are in America. Joe Biden and all Democrat leaders have an obligation to speak up and condemn this now.” – House Speaker Mike …

“Here’s what’s really been inflationary, the last four years of the radical out-of-control Biden spending with this Inflation Reduction Act, that’s what has caused inflation. And if it means that I have to pay more for guacamole but fentanyl poisoning does not come across the Canadian and Mexican border, and our mothers and sisters and brothers and daughters aren’t poisoned …

Nashville’s NPR affiliate reports: Goodlettsville police say they responded this morning to a bomb threat at the home of Pete Hegseth, president-elect Donald Trump’s pick for Secretary of Defense. The heavy police presence led to the closure of portions of Patton Branch and Madison Creek roads in the Sumner County portion of Goodlettsville Wednesday. This is one of a number …

“Mexico has been aiding the drug cartels and helping our enemies. They must pay the price. Mexico’s socialist President, Claudia Sheinbaum, is sending 400,000 barrels of oil to the murderous Communist Castro regime in Cuba. “I applaud President Donald Trump’s decision to implement a 25% tariff on all products coming into the United States until the drug and border crisis …

The Cincinnati Enquirer reports: Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is appealing a decision that permanently struck down Ohio’s most restrictive abortion ban and other abortion regulations. In October, Hamilton County Common Pleas Court Judge Christian Jenkins permanently struck down an Ohio law that required doctors to check for cardiac activity before performing an abortion. Those who didn’t follow this protocol …

Courthouse News reports: Lancaster County District Court Judge Susan I. Strong said in an opinion Tuesday that medical marijuana opponents lacked evidence that the number of problematic petition signatures would have affected the outcome of the successful petition drive. Nebraska voters approved medical marijuana on Nov. 5. One of the initiatives, Initiative Measure 437, was approved by 71% of voters. …

From the Heritage Foundation’s Daily Signal blog: The head of the U.S. Census Bureau is set to face questions from Congress on Dec. 5 regarding its overcounting of residents of blue states and undercounting of those in red states. Such errors could aid Democrats politically by giving blue states a larger share of Electoral College votes as well as more …

Politico Playbook reports: Newly counted ballots last night put Democrat Adam Gray 182 votes ahead of GOP Rep. John Duarte in California’s 13th Congressional District, Gray’s first lead. It’s now the closest of three uncalled House races, with Democrat Derek Tran leading by 613 votes in California’s 45th and GOP Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks up by 800 in Iowa’s 1st. The …

The Ohio Capital Journal reports: Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has signed a bill into law banning transgender students from using school bathrooms and locker rooms that match up with their gender identity. The law requires people at Ohio K-12 schools and universities use the restroom that aligns with their gender assigned at birth. It also bans students from sharing overnight …

The Washington Post reports: President-elect Donald Trump’s advisers are discussing how to unilaterally strip federal resources from Chicago and other Democratic-run cities if they refuse to participate in deportations of undocumented immigrants next year. Advisers to Trump have pushed for using federal pressure — such as withholding federal funds — against municipalities that don’t cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs …

Courthouse News reports: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking to shut down an Austin, Texas, homeless center, calling the charity a public nuisance. The Sunrise Homeless Navigation Center says it’s the largest provider of homeless services in Travis County. According to its website, the center provides a number of services, including physical and mental health care, …

Mediaite reports: Florida state Sen. Randy Fine is running in Florida’s Sixth Congressional District, which is currently represented by Mike Waltz. Fine, who is Jewish, touted the endorsement of the Republican Jewish Coalition on Tuesday by referring to himself as the “Hebrew Hammer” while tagging Omar and Tlaib in a tweet. “The “Hebrew Hammer” is coming,” he wrote. “@RashidaTlaib and …