Paterson Says He’ll Lay Off Workers Before Jan. 1

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi on Saturday strongly denied a reported meeting between Tehran’s United Nations envoy and U. S. billionaire Elon Musk, Reuters reports.

Wall Street Journal: “While European leaders have started discussions to see whether they could fill any funding gap for Kyiv if the incoming Trump administration cuts off support, officials in many capitals recognize that an off-ramp to the conflict appears increasingly necessary.” “It’s a sharp turnaround from even six months ago….

“Donald Trump rewarded the tycoons behind the shale boom, among his most ardent supporters, with the selection Saturday of Chris Wright as his nominee for Energy Secretary,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “Wright was front-and-center for the fracking revolution that reshaped the country as a band of scrappy wildcatters that reinvigorated U.

“President-elect Trump has set a modern record for staffing his government, with 12 Cabinet-level appointments in the 12 days since the election,” Axios reports. “That’s five times faster than President Biden made the same number of picks for his administration — and four times faster than Trump’s pick for his first administration.”

“They’re donning MAGA hats in cafes, celebrating on social media and flying Trump flags: Supporters of President-elect Trump in deep blue cities and states are no longer keeping it to themselves,” Axios reports. “Trump improved on his 2016 and 2020 margins in almost every state, including in most big, blue cities like New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.” “Many Trump voters in those cities saw his victory as validation, and are acting accordingly.”