“Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who President-elect Donald Trump tapped to lead the newly coined Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE, are meeting with lawmakers Thursday as they seek to build support for the cost-cutting initiative,” CBS News reports.
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) “isn’t ready to throw her weight behind Pete Hegseth’s bid to lead the Pentagon,” Politico reports.
When asked if she’s not ready to vote yes on Hegseth amid allegations of sexual misconduct, she replied: “I think you are right.”
She added: “A number of our senators, they want to make sure that any allegations have been cleared and that’s why we have to have a very thorough vetting process.
Helen Lewis: “This October, in the closing days of the presidential election, the podcaster Joe Rogan said something extraordinary. He had just hosted Donald Trump for a three-hour conversation in his studio in Austin, Texas, and wanted to make clear that he had discussed a similar arrangement with Kamala Harris’s campaign.
“Signals from President-elect Trump’s team that a shake-up of the White House press briefing room could be coming are roiling journalists preparing to cover his second term,” The Hill reports.
“People close to Trump have said in recent days he should dramatically change who gets access to the president, suggesting podcasters, internet personalities and media deemed more friendly to him could replace outlets like the major television networks, The New York Times and The Washington Post in the room’s front rows.”
Donald Trump confirmed that Florida Sheriff Chad Chronister’s nomination for DEA administrator was scuttled over his enforcement of pandemic public health rules: “Besides, he didn’t pull out, I pulled him out, because I did not like what he said to my pastors and other supporters.”
Janan Ganesh: “Had Kamala Harris won the U. S. election last month — and it was close, remember, despite the tone of the coverage since then — would Donald Trump have conceded defeat within 24 brisk hours? Would Republicans in Congress be preparing to certify the result in the new year?