Lean and mean
Even Elon Musk Can’t Believe His Government-Slashing Task Force Is Real
The Tesla executive and his fellow billionaire and DOGE leader, Vivek Ramaswamy, have begun interviewing staff, targeting federal programs and employees, and planning a podcast.
By Caitlin Dewey
"Funemployed"
$500 Can Now Buy You a Cameo Clip of Disgraced Former AG Pick Matt Gaetz
“Now listen,” Gaetz said, in one recent video. “I may not be the attorney general … [but] I can order you to have as much fun as possible.”
By Caitlin Dewey
Musk's media musings
Elon Musk Muses About Buying MSNBC: “How Much Does It Cost?”
The billionaire and buddy to the president-elect jokes about buying the liberal network. At least we think he's joking.
By Katie Herchenroeder
FRIDAY NIGHT NEWS DUMP
President-Elect Donald Trump Went On An Appointing Spree Friday Night
Russell Vought, a key figure in Project 2025, was one of several people Trump tapped before the weekend. He’s poised to lead the Office of Management and Budget.
By Katie Herchenroeder
The Trump Trials
Donald Trump’s Hush Money Sentencing Has Been Indefinitely Postponed
The president-elect’s motion to dismiss the case will be filed just weeks before his January inauguration.
By Dan Adler
Clash of titans
Elon Musk And Jeff Bezos Are Fighting Again, But Now Musk Has The Upper Hand
Bezos’s companies do billions of dollars of business with the federal government. The rise of Musk, his long-time rival, could jeopardize that.
By Caitlin Dewey
Donald Trump Doesn't Have a Mandate to Radically Remake America
He won decisively in the Electoral College, leaving Democrats with much to reflect upon. But the near-final popular vote tally is much narrower than originally thought, with less than half of voters backing the Trump agenda.
By Eric Lutz
Plan B
Donald Trump Turns to Another Loyalist After the Matt Gaetz Mess: Pam Bondi
The former Florida attorney general has a much better shot at senate confirmation, while Gaetz shouldn’t be counted out for “a different post” in the administration or, potentially, filling Marco Rubio’s seat.
By Caitlin Dewey
Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy’s Cutting Edge Idea for Shrinking the Budget: Fire Everyone Who Doesn’t Want to Work in the Office Five Days a Week
The proposal could potentially affect more than have the federal workforce.
By Bess Levin
About-face
RFK Jr. Compared Trump to Hitler Before He Was Promised a Cabinet Spot
In 2016, Kennedy said of Trump, according to newly uncovered recordings: “He’s not like Hitler. Hitler had like a plan, you know, Hitler was interested in policy."
By Caitlin Dewey
Sports
The “Trump Dance” Craze Signals a MAGA Shift in the NFL
The social-justice protests and public spats that typified Trump’s first term have given way to a flurry of fist pumps and hip shimmies. Players who support the president-elect are “starting to come out of the woodwork,” says one former football star.
By Tom Kludt
Inside the Hive
Why Did Joe and Mika Really Visit Mar-a-Lago?
And what does their meeting suggest about Donald Trump’s influence on the media industry?
By Brian Stelter
Matt Gaetz Withdraws From Attorney General Consideration Over “Distraction” of Sexual Misconduct Accusations
He says he remains “committed to see that Donald J. Trump is the most successful president in history.”
By Bess Levin
Levin Report
Trump Continues to Troll America, Nominates Wrestling Executive to Lead Department of Education
Linda McMahon, come on down.
By Bess Levin
Uncertainty Ahead
MSNBC Anxiously Enters a New Trump Era
Network executives addressed staff Wednesday on Comcast’s plans to spin off the cable channel from NBC News, a proposed shake-up that comes amid postelection ratings woes and concerns about what a Joe and Mika trip to Mar-a-Lago portends for covering Donald Trump.
By Natalie Korach
Matt Gaetz Allegedly Paid Two Women More Than $10,000 for Sex and Other Things, House Ethics Panel Was Told
The panel has voted against releasing its Gaetz report, despite calls to do so.
By Bess Levin
Off the rails
Donald Trump’s Transition Team Skips Ethics Pledges and FBI Background Checks
The president-elect is giving the Biden administration the middle finger by making the changeover as difficult as humanly possible.
By Caitlin Dewey
Nancy Mace’s Capitol Bathroom Bill Is a Reprise of 2024 Election Fearmongering
The South Carolina Republican said her resolution is "absolutely" targeting her incoming colleague Sarah McBride—the first openly transgender person elected to the United States Congress.
By Eric Lutz
Herding Matts
JD Vance Is Trying to Warm Senators Up to Matt Gaetz and Pete Hegseth
The vice president-elect, previously dispatched to clean up Trump’s ugliest campaign rhetoric, now has the unenviable task of shepherding his worst cabinet picks through the confirmation process.
By Caitlin Dewey
Trump’s Executive Power Grab—and His Choice of Matt Gaetz—Is Just the Latest Round in a 52-Year Battle
The long-fought movement to expand presidential authority goes back to Richard Nixon—and William Barr.
By James Robenalt
The Trump Trials
Michael Cohen, the Prosecution’s Star Witness, Calls for Trump Criminal-Case Dismissal
“The American people have spoken and reelected Donald Trump,” the former and future president’s onetime fixer said. “Accordingly, I believe we must all acknowledge and respect the office of the presidency and dismiss the case forthwith.”
By Dan Adler