Trump says he’ll pull vaccines if he finds they’re unsafe

President-elect Donald Trump said he’s open to getting rid of vaccines depending on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s review of their safety. Trump’s comments to Time magazine contradict promises previously made by Kennedy, who is Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services and has long been skeptical of vaccines widely considered to […]

House Dems broadly denounce UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting after Warren remarks

Congressional Democrats broadly denounced the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson Friday morning, after Republicans started accusing Sen. Elizabeth Warren of excusing violence. “No one’s condoning this,” said Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.). “Violence never is the right answer for anything. And it was a horrible murder, a tragic loss for his family.” Warren this week […]

Musk weighs in on Meta after Zuckerberg’s company donates $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund

The tech billionaires are fighting for Donald Trump’s attention. At least, that’s what it looks like. Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, donated $1 million to the president-elect’s inaugural fund, the company confirmed to POLITICO on Thursday. And this morning, it seemed like fellow billionaire Elon Musk has taken issue with its CEO, […]

Murkowski: ‘I’m not attached to’ Republican label

Sen. Lisa Murkowski said Thursday she felt “more comfortable” with no party label than with “an identity as a Republican,” an escalation of the Alaska senator’s occasional bucking of her party as the chamber readies itself for a slew of confirmation battles over Trump administration nominees. “I’m not attached to a label, I’d rather be […]

What we’re watching: Dems get closer to Musk

Here’s what we’re watching in transition world today:  🗓️ What we’re watching Some Democrats are cozying up to Elon Musk as President-elect Donald Trump has unleashed him to cut government spending.  Some of Trump’s top Cabinet picks are billionaires, and they may run into skepticism in the Senate because of potential conflicts of interest from […]

Biden judicial nominations endgame comes into focus

The judicial branch will be top of mind in the legislative branch on Thursday. Senate Democrats are nearing the judicial confirmations total that President-elect Donald Trump achieved in his first term. Meanwhile, the Biden White House is poised to block an expansion of the federal judiciary once it passes the House. First up: The House […]

SBA staff at Washington headquarters would shrink under Ernst bill

Sen. Joni Ernst wants to make restructuring the Small Business Administration one of her first legislative acts as chair of the Senate caucus carrying out Donald Trump’s “Department of Government Efficiency” agenda. The Iowa Republican‘s bill that she will announce Thursday would require the SBA administrator to relocate at least 30 percent of workers at […]

Some Democrats want to thaw their frosty relationship with Elon Musk

Ro Khanna is trading texts with Elon Musk. Josh Shapiro took a call from him. And John Fetterman has compared him to the superhero Tony Stark. As President-elect Donald Trump prepares to install Musk as the federal government’s cutter-in-chief, some ambitious Democrats are taking a warmer approach to the billionaire businessman than their party leaders […]