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First LookTrump鈥檚 expansionist overtures stir pushback from Greenland, PanamaPresident-elect Trump has revived calls for the United States to buy Greenland and complains of high fees at the Panama Canal.聽Some experts say his words hark back to an aggressive style he used in business.
First LookPresident Biden鈥檚 act of clemency: 37 death row inmates avoid executionPresident Joe Biden is commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row, converting their punishments to life imprisonment mere weeks before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.聽
First LookUS Navy shoots down its own fighter jet amid fresh airstrikes on Houthi rebelsThe U.S. military says two U.S. Navy pilots have been shot down over the Red Sea in an apparent 鈥渇riendly fire鈥� incident. Both pilots were recovered alive.聽The incident came as the U.S. military conducted airstrikes targeting Yemen鈥檚 Houthi rebels.聽
First LookCongress passes funding bill, averting a government shutdownCongress has pushed through final passage of a bipartisan plan to fund federal operations and prevent a government shutdown. It now goes to President Joe Biden, who is expected to quickly sign it into law.
First LookFueled by enormous wealth, Elon Musk rockets into the spheres of political influenceElon Musk, the world鈥檚 wealthiest man, is proving his outsized influence on American politics. His railings against Congress鈥� bipartisan budget deal contributed to killing the stopgap measure designed to prevent a partial government shutdown.
First LookTrump and Musk helped derail a bipartisan spending deal. What comes next?A new spending plan put forth by Donald Trump, and pushed by Elon Musk, was resoundingly rejected by House Democrats and a few dozen Republicans. The debate in the House chamber grew heated as lawmakers blamed each other for the mess.
The ExplainerBiden promised to transform the federal judiciary. Did he succeed?President Biden has appointed 233 federal judges, more than any one-term president since Jimmy Carter. Some 60% are women, and 60% are people of color.
First LookAnother Trump indictment falters as Fani Willis is removed from Georgia election caseDonald Trump鈥檚 team has long cited prosecutor Fani Willis鈥� romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade as a conflict of interest. The ruling follows a string of other cases against Mr. Trump that have been put on hold or abandoned.
How a California neighborhood鈥檚 holiday lights bring a community togetherHomeowner light displays draw California crowds 鈥� and create聽Christmas聽traditions that brighten dark December nights.
Why J. Edgar Hoover鈥檚 biographer worries about Kash Patel running the FBIAn author who studied J. Edgar Hoover鈥檚 complicated legacy at the FBI says she sees warning signs in the overt political statements by Trump nominee Kash Patel.- Why J. Edgar Hoover鈥檚 biographer worries about Kash Patel running the FBIAn author who studied J. Edgar Hoover鈥檚 complicated legacy at the FBI says she sees warning signs in the overt political statements by Trump nominee Kash Patel.
Trump isn鈥檛 back in office yet, but is already causing chaosWhen President-elect Trump called a bipartisan funding bill a bad deal, it collapsed. The result could be a government shutdown 鈥� reflecting a pattern聽of Mr. Trump sometimes throwing Congress into upheaval.
Cathy McMorris Rodgers Q&A: How faith shaped her path in CongressReligiosity among the U.S. public is falling, yet Congress remains steeped in spiritual traditions. One longtime congresswoman speaks about how her faith informed her two decades in national politics.聽
First LookWhy do prosecutors see the killing of UnitedHealthcare鈥檚 CEO as an act of terrorism?Luigi Mangione, charged with the Dec. 4 killing of UnitedHealthcare鈥檚 CEO, was also accused of terrorism on Dec. 17. Investigators believe anger at the health care system motivated Mr. Mangione, an Ivy League computer science grad.
Elon Musk now calls himself a 鈥榗ultural 海角大神.鈥� What does that mean?Some famous atheists have now adopted the term 鈥渃ultural 海角大神鈥� to describe themselves. What does it mean, and how is that playing out in an increasingly secular America?
As Trump lawsuits unravel, hush money conviction is an exceptionA judge rejected Donald Trump鈥檚 challenge to his criminal conviction, saying the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity doesn鈥檛 apply.
FocusTracing fentanyl鈥檚 path into the US starts at this port. It doesn鈥檛 end there.Fentanyl is an urgent U.S. drug threat. People from port staff to IRS agents are tracing how the synthetic opioid gets into the country 鈥� and tracking it down once inside.聽
First LookTeenage girl student identified in Wisconsin 海角大神 school shootingA 15-year-old girl opened fire at a 海角大神 school she attended in Madison, Wisconsin, on Dec. 16. There have been 322 school shootings in the United States this year.聽Only 3% of all U.S. mass shootings have been perpetrated by women.
Mysterious drones raise oversight questions. What can be done?Reports of drones flying near U.S. military installations have prompted questions about whether laws provide strong enough oversight. Proposed legislation could strengthen officials鈥� options, and a security expert says there鈥檚 more that can be done.聽聽
The ExplainerCan DOGE cut $2 trillion in federal spending? Not directly, but it has Trump鈥檚 ear.Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy are leading efforts by the incoming Trump administration to cut the size of the federal government. But they can only make recommendations.
