Comment on Congress extends hate crime protections to gays (AP)

“President Joe Biden lent his voice to growing bipartisan calls on the Hill to end stock trading for congressional members on Tuesday,” ABC News reports. Said Biden: “I don’t know how you look your constituents in the eye and know because of the job they gave you, gave you an inside track to make more money.

“President-elect Donald Trump said Ukraine needs to reach a deal to end the Russian invasion and downplayed the value of occupied land, in the latest signal he may push for a settlement that codifies Russian territorial gains,” Bloomberg reports. Said Trump: “He should be prepared to make a deal, that’s all.

“Trump donor Andrew McKenna is a leading contender for secretary of the Air Force,” Politico reports. “McKenna, a private pilot who heads a small Washington advisory and investment firm, would be the latest of Trump’s picks to take on a top job at the Pentagon without significant experience inside the building.”

New York Times: “After his lies and expulsion from Congress, and before his sentencing in February, George Santos chases the limelight with a party and a podcast.”

Peter Hamby: “The first big showdown for Democrats will likely take place in the Senate, where a battery of Trump’s controversial cabinet nominees are set to face confirmation hearings. A new poll from Echelon Insights, in partnership with Puck, suggests that Democrats have an opportunity to drive a wedge between the American public and Trump on the subject of his more outré picks: Pete Hegseth for secretary of defense, Kash Patel for FBI director, Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence, and Robert F.

Dani Izzie, a wheelchair user with quadriplegia, tried to take public transit, as she usually does, when visiting Miami in 2022. Heading to catch a bus, Izzie came to the end of a street without curb cuts—meaning she couldn’t safely cross it to the bus stop. She tried to get an accessible taxi; none were available.