Nearly A Year After Stroke, Kirk Returns To Senate

Peter Hamby: “I can report confidently, from multiple sources here on the ground, that most Angelenos would like the social media brigade to shut the fuck up.”

“When JD Vance, his wife Usha and their three young children move into the Naval Observatory residence on Jan. 20, it will be their first time inside the white Queen Anne-style mansion that has been home to vice presidents since the 1970s,” CBS News reports. “Vice President Kamala Harris has not extended an invitation for a formal sit-down or tour.”

“Democrats are rejecting a tentative pitch by House Republicans to attach wildfire aid to a federal debt limit increase,” Politico reports. “GOP lawmakers began floating the idea in meetings this weekend with incoming President Donald Trump. The thinking behind the plan, according to House Republicans, is that they’ll need bipartisan support to raise the cap on federal borrowing authority in the coming months and that including assistance for fire-stricken Southern California would be an incentive for Democrats to help solve one of Trump’s most pressing economic problems this year.” “But Democrats are refusing to entertain the deal.” USA Today: Speaker Mike Johnson says “conditions” should be placed on California wildfire aid.

“The dollar fell against almost every major currency after Bloomberg News reported that Donald Trump’s incoming economic team is considering gradual hikes in tariffs,” Bloomberg reports.

“Elon Musk is expected to use office space in the White House complex as he launches the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, which aims to slash government spending in the Trump administration,“ the New York Times reports. “The space will be in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which is adjacent to the White House.

“Traffic on New York City’s busiest streets dropped by 7.5% and morning travel times fell on most major crossings into Manhattan during the first work week of the city’s congestion pricing plan, signaling that some motorists changed their driving patterns to avoid the new toll,” Bloomberg reports.