Abbreviated Pundit Round-up: Happy Birthday, America.

Fox News host Howard Kurtz suggested there were "no actual inaccuracies" in reporting by The New York Times and The Washington Post after President-elect Donald Trump sued the Pulitzer Prize Board for awarding the news organizations for work done to expose Russia's interference in the 2016 election. "Trump has openly said, he doesn't make any secret of it, that if he loses these lawsuits, he's still satisfied because it puts the journalists or media organization through an ordeal and forces them to hire expensive lawyers," Kurtz explained to Fox News contributor Jason Chaffetz on Sunday. Chaffetz, a former Republican lawmaker, argued Trump's lawsuits against news organizations and the Pulitzer Prize Board had "some very valid points." "The Pulitzer Prize to hand out awards for people that were perpetuating what was proven to be an outright lie," Chaffetz argued. "Wait, what's the outright lie?" Kurtz challenged.

Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) attacked Hunter Biden when asked about billionaire Elon Musk's outsized role in influencing President-elect Donald Trump and the Republican Party. During an interview on Fox News Sunday, Mullin touted Musk as the solution to government spending after the billionaire temporarily derailed a bill to prevent a government shutdown. "We're going to bring in Elon Musk and allow him to help us see what we aren't being able to see," Mullin told host Shannon Bream, referring to the unofficial Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Donald Trump's RNC daughter-in-law removed her name from being considered as a replacement in the Senate for Marco Rubio's impending move as Sec of State. It appears Ron DeSantis was not going to appoint her so she pivoted and now claims she has a big announcement coming in January. Oh, goodie. After an incredible amount of thought, contemplation, and encouragement from so many, I have decided to remove my name from consideration for the United States Senate.

By BILL BARROW and WILL WEISSERT PHOENIX (AP) — Donald Trump suggested Sunday that his new administration could try to regain control of the Panama Canal that the United States “foolishly” ceded to its Central American ally, contending that shippers are charged “ridiculous” fees to pass through the vital transportation channel linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Panama’s conservative president José Raúl Mulino, who was elected in May on a pro-business platform, roundly rejected that notion as an affront to his country’s sovereignty. The Republican president-elect’s comment came during his first major rally since winning the White House on Nov.

President-elect Donald Trump used a speech to MAGA supporters to strongly push back on claims that billionaire Elon Musk had effectively taken over his presidency. While speaking to Turning Point USA's AmFest conference attendees on Sunday, Trump argued that "big companies" wanted him to cut regulations more than slashing taxes. "And we will create the new Department of Government Efficiency headed by Elon Musk," he said.

President Joe Biden warned that Republicans would attack our safety nets, specifically Social Security. Republicans booed Biden, but after Donald somehow won the election, his party was eager to gut Social Security, and three Republicans voted to raise the retirement age to 70 to receive benefits. Twenty Republican senators voted against legislation bolstering Social Security benefits for over 2 million American citizens working in various occupations.