Trump, Cruz, Rubio, Likely Targets In Debate, Ahead Of New Hampshire Primary

“Manhattan prosecutors face a Tuesday deadline to tell a judge how they want to proceed with Donald Trump’s 34-felony convictions hush money case now that he is the president-elect,” the Washington Post reports. “The expected court filing will help determine whether Trump returns to the White House after his inauguration Jan.

“To be as clear as I can be, the second Trump administration with Elon Musk embedded within it represents the most direct and sustained threat to the First Amendment and the freedom of the press any of us will ever experience.” — Nilay Patel, editor-in-chief of The Verge, in an interview with Status.

Associated Press: “The images from Johnson’s wild weekend with Trump provide a snapshot of his proximity to power, the former religious rights attorney just a year on the job as House speaker, now dining at Mar-a-Lago, flying on Trump Force One, appearing near-ringside in Manhattan — and riding shotgun to Trump’s second term in the White House.” “Taken together the photographs, which boomeranged around social media with stunning disbelief and mocking commentaries, put on vivid display Trump’s command of the Republican Party.

Brian Stelter: “According to two sources with direct knowledge of the matter, Scarborough and Brzezinski were credibly concerned that they could face governmental and legal harassment from the incoming Trump administration. Knowing that Trump has threatened retribution against his perceived political opponents, and that Trump has promoted lies about Scarborough and Brzezinski in the past, the MSNBC hosts decided to reach out to the president-elect.” “The two sources generally agreed with Joe and Mika’s impression of the situation at hand – namely, that the incoming Trump administration could use its wide-ranging powers to punish people deemed enemies.”

“Numerous Republican lawmakers told Donald Trump and his team that they believe his pick to be attorney general, controversial Rep. Matt Gaetz, has little chance of being confirmed,” Politico reports. “And they’re privately hoping Trump doesn’t make them walk the plank.” Washington Examiner: Trump looks for workarounds to install Gaetz without Senate.

NOTUS: “More than any other Senate Republican, the North Carolina lawmaker is stuck between the demands of a restive MAGA base and an expected reelection campaign in 2026 in which Democrats consider him a top electoral target.” “Vote against a cadre of Trump’s most controversial picks — including Rep. Matt Gaetz for attorney general, Robert F.