Karl Rove Defends Waterboarding

George Stephanopoulos deleted his X account in the wake of ABC News’ settlement with President-elect Donald Trump, Variety reports. Margaret Sullivan: “Why did ABC News throw in the towel? It‘s hard to know for sure, but gets easier if you are aware that the news organizations is owned by Disney, a huge corporation with a lot of turf to protect.” Parker Molloy: “Disney apparently decided that legal principle wasn’t worth the risk to its broader business interests.

Tara Palmeri: “With five weeks until his return to the White House, Donald Trump is already delivering on his promise to wage legal vendettas against political enemies and journalists, alike. On Monday night, less than 48 hours after securing a $15 million settlement from ABC News, Trump filed a lawsuit in Iowa District Court accusing the venerated pollster Ann Selzer and her polling company—as well as The Des Moines Register and its parent company, Gannett—of ‘brazen election interference’ and consumer fraud over her November 2 poll showing Kamala Harris winning by three points in Iowa.” “Whether that polling error constitutes an ‘election-interfering fiction,’ as the suit alleges, is now the question before a Polk County court.

“Americans are more confident in the country’s election system than they have been at any time since the 2020 election, according to a new study — a shift owed to a sea change in Republican sentiment since Donald J. Trump’s election,” the New York Times reports. “The findings, which echo other post-election polling, underscore the role Mr.

“President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, justified the January 6, 2021, US Capitol attack and spread baseless conspiracy theories claiming the initial break-in was a false flag operation carried out by leftist groups disguised as Trump supporters,” CNN reports. “In comments made immediately after the riot and in the days and weeks leading up to it, Hegseth also amplified false claims that the 2020 election was stolen, a narrative that fueled the violence at the Capitol that day.”

“At state capitols across the U. S. Tuesday, the presidential electors will be gathering to cast their electoral votes, formalizing President-elect Donald Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election,” CBS News reports.

“Donald Trump is still a month out from taking office as president, but his tariff threats are already wreaking havoc with US neighbors,” Bloomberg reports. “Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is reeling from a potentially fatal political blow after his finance minister quit in spectacular fashion, accusing him of not preparing seriously enough to face down Trump.”