Latest Headlines

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is still the favorite to hold the speaker's gavel when the new Congress is sworn in on Friday. But he faces a significant roadblock as one member of his conference is vowing to not give him his vote.

The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) is firm in his opposition to Johnson, which could complicate the Louisiana Republican's hopes of winning the speakership on the first ballot. Massie remains the only House Republican who has said he would unconditionally oppose Johnson's bid, though Republicans' extremely slim majority (currently 219-215) means that there is little room for other defections assuming full Democratic attendance and unified Democratic support for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY).

Democrats need to look to how former Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) approached politics to find their voice against President-elect Donald Trump, columnist Ryan Teague Beckwith wrote for MSNBC.

"McConnell played American politics like a cutthroat game in which the only goal was to win the next election," wrote Beckwith Thursday.

Far-right pro-Trump influencer and failed Florida congressional candidate Laura Loomer is continuing her weekslong feud with tech billionaire Elon Musk, accusing him of twisting his own platform's rules to censor and punish her — but in her haste to try to gather evidence, she earned a swift fact-check from a reporter she claimed did the same as her.

Loomer, a self-described "proud Islamophobe" who has spoken favorably about white nationalism, has repeatedly attacked Musk over his support of the H1-B visa program, accusing him of infiltrating the MAGA movement and corrupting Trump's inner circle with his money. As she did this, the platform revoked her premium features and demonetized her account.

Texas has seen an increase in newborn babies placed in dumpsters after the state passed a restrictive anti-abortion law, a Salon writer noted Thursday. This adds to a startling rise in maternal mortality, while many states are trying to hide the information.

Amanda Marcotte pointed to data showing a dramatic increase in infant mortality after Texas banned abortion in the state. The Washington Post also documented that babies are dying after being abandoned.

In less than three weeks, President-elect Donald Trump will be serving his second term and he will be joined in Washington by small GOP majorities in both chambers of Congress.

Trump, during his first term, often clashed with the more traditional conservatives in his administration — from former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to ex-White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly. But this time, he is hoping to avoid that by nominating a lot of far-right MAGA loyalists, including Kash Patel for FBI director, former Fox News host Pete Hegseth for defense secretary, and former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi for U.S. attorney general.

The Wisconsin Elections Commission unanimously authorized an investigation Thursday into Madison’s mishandling of nearly 200 absentee ballots that were never counted from the November 2024 election.

It’s the first such investigation that the bipartisan commission has authorized since becoming an agency in 2016. The review will allow the agency to probe whether Madison Clerk Maribeth Witzel-Behl violated the law or abused her discretion.

The House Ethics Committee is mulling over whether to investigate Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN), according to a report.

Ogles's 2022 loan to his campaign committee could have violated House ethics rules. The Office of Congressional Ethics, a separate investigator body, recommended the probe.

Fox News host Sandra Smith pushed incoming border czar Tom Homan into admitting he had no proof after he claimed that recent attacks in New Orleans and Las Vegas were connected.

During a Thursday interview on Fox News, Smith told Homan that authorities had "no evidence" to connect a truck explosion in Las Vegas to a truck driver who killed at least 15 people in New Orleans.

Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani said he missed a deadline in a civil judgment against him because he didn't check his email.

Business Insider's legal correspondent Jacob Shamsian posted a recent electronic submission to the judge from Giuliani on X showing the excuse.

The suspect behind the Cybertruck explosion at the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas was a self-described "super soldier" with a sophisticated knowledge of explosives — and he "loved Trump," according to an uncle who spoke to The Independent.

Matthew Livelsberger, a Green Beret from Colorado Springs, reportedly rented the Cybertruck and drove it to Las Vegas. Police identified his burned remains from tattoos — and confirmed he had a fatal gunshot wound that occured before the truck exploded.

Vice President-elect J.D. Vance defended a far-right, anti-immigrant German political party after billionaire Elon Musk revealed plans to use his social media platform to promote the group.

A spokesperson for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party confirmed this week that Musk planned to host a discussion with AfD's chancellor candidate Alice Weidel.