A Loophole For Discrimination? Jeff Sessions Expands Religious Freedom Protections

One person was dead and at least seven people were injured after a Tesla Cybertruck exploded and caught fire outside of the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, the New York Times reports. Videos posted to social media showed a vehicle engulfed in flames outside the lobby’s entrance.

“Detractors and skeptics of House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) appear to be only digging in ahead of the House speaker election on Jan. 3,” Axios reports. “House GOP hardliners’ continued hesitance to coalesce around Johnson suggests that President-elect Trump’s endorsement of the incumbent speaker has had little effect so far.” “Johnson’s right flank is incensed at him reaching across the aisle to Democrats on government spending and foreign aid.

“Donald Trump has appointed Justin Caporale, the man credited with some of his most eye-catching campaign gambits on the path to his second presidential election victory, to a White House role, signalling that high-profile publicity stunts are likely to be a key feature of his second presidential term,” The Guardian reports.

“Pro-Palestinian groups in the U. S. are staring down a new challenge: Donald Trump and Republicans,” Politico reports. “The movement has tended to focus its efforts on who controls the White House and Democrats, whom its leaders view as more persuadable to soften support for Israel. But 15 months into the war in the Middle East, as the GOP trifecta prepares to control the White House and Congress, leaders in the movement find themselves with far less leverage — and much more to lose.”

“House Republicans on Wednesday released their proposed rules package for the 119th Congress, which includes several notable changes to the rules that governed the lower chamber for the last two years,” Axios reports. “The most crucial alteration raises the threshold to introduce a motion to vacate — a measure to force a vote on ousting the House speaker.” “Instead of any single House Republican being able to force such a vote, now the motion will have to have eight additional GOP co-sponsors.” Politico: House rules would make it harder to oust speaker in next Congress.

“A 42-year-old Texas man with the flag of the Islamic State on his pickup rammed the vehicle into celebrating crowds on Bourbon Street in the early hours of New Year’s Day, officials said. The attack killed at least 10 people and injured about 35 others,” the New York Times reports. “The suspect, who died in a shootout with police officers, was identified by the F.