THE WAR ROOM: As many as 50,000 Russian and North Korean troops are reported to be massing in the country’s Kursk region in preparation for an attempt to take back hundreds of square miles of territory occupied by Ukrainian troops.

  In the meantime, the two countries have attacked each other with swarms of drones. Russia said it intercepted 84 Ukrainian drones over six regions, including some approaching Moscow. Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 145 drones on Saturday night.

  President-elect Donald Trump in a phone call last week advised Russian President Vladimir Putin not to escalate the war in Ukraine and expressed interest in follow-up conversations to discuss “the resolution of Ukraine’s war soon,” The Washington Post reports.

  Russia has been training the North Koreans in artillery fire, basic infantry tactics and, trench clearing, according to American officials, suggesting that some of the North Korean forces will be ordered into frontal assaults on Ukraine’s dug-in positions.

  Russia has also been making advances inside Ukraine as the defenders strain to replace ammunition, weapons, and soldiers at the front. Russia might be expected to try taking more territory in advance of Donald Trump returning to the White and House and attempting to force an armistice in which Ukraine would have to cede the territory it has lost. Trump has said he would be able to settle the conflict quickly, although he has never said how.

  Ukrainian officials say they expect the Kursk attack involving the North Korean troops to take place fairly soon. Russia has been able to staff the Kursk front without thinning out troops in the South but that’s not the case for Ukraine. The Kursk incursion has drawn their forces from other areas. 

IN TRANSITION: In an indication that he wants to circumvent the advice and consent of Congress, Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social website that he wants to be able to appoint members of his administration and federal judges without Senate approval.

  Writing on Truth Social, Trump said: “Any Republican Senator seeking the coveted LEADERSHIP position in the United States Senate must agree to Recess Appointments (in the Senate!), without which we will not be able to get people confirmed in a timely manner.”

  This is how Trump gets people to fall in line … offer them power. Florida Sen. Rick Scott, a candidate for Senate Majority Leader, quickly responded on Twitter/X, “100% agree. I will do whatever it takes to get your nominations through as quickly as possible.”

  Sen. John Thune of South Dakota told Fox News Digital that, “One thing is clear: We must act quickly and decisively to get the president’s Cabinet and other nominees in place as soon as possible to start delivering on the mandate we’ve been sent to execute, and all options are on the table to make that happen, including recess appointments.”

BY APPOINTMENT: Donald Trump has appointed Thomas Homan, a senior immigration official in his last administration, as his new “border czar” to carry out the president-elect’s campaign promise of mass deportation of illegal immigrants.

  “I’ve known Tom for a long time, and there is nobody better at policing and controlling our Borders,” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social website. “Likewise, Tom Homan will be in charge of all Deportation of Illegal Aliens back to their Country of Origin.”

  Homan has promised to conduct major workplace raids to round up undocumented immigrants.

  Trump is also reported to be naming New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, a staunch loyalist, to be his United Nations ambassador.

ELECTION ROUNDUP:

• The balance of seats in the undecided House of Representative this morning stands at 214 Republican, 203 Democrat, with 218 needed to control.
• The final Electoral College vote is 312 Trump, 226 Harris.

 THE OBIT PAGE: Bobby Allison, a three-time winner of the Daytona 500 and Hall of Fame NASCAR Driver, has died at age 86.

   Allison had 84 NASCR victories in a career that ended in a near fatal crash. In June of 1988 at age 50 Allison crashed on the first lap of the Miller High Life 500 at Pennsylvania’s Pocono track. His car struck the outside barrier and was hit on the driver’s side by another car. He was left with neurological damage, memory loss, and some limited mobility.

  Allison’s family life also was marred by tragedy. His younger son, Clifford, was killed in a crash practicing for a 1992 NASCAR race and his son Davey died when the helicopter he was flying crashed while trying to land at Talladega in 1993.

THE SPIN RACK: An employee of the Federal Emergency Management Agency has been fired for telling a team responding to hurricane survivors to skip homes with yard signs supporting Donald Trump. — Wildfires in New Jersey and southern New York have filled the Hudson River Valley with smoke, including New York City. An 18-year-old young man helping firefighters was killed by a falling tree. — The Kansas City Chiefs beat the Denver Broncos 16-14 to survive as the only unbeaten team this season in the NFL. They block a last-minute field goal attempt by the Broncos. — San Francisco 49ers rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall scored his first NFL touchdown just 10 weeks after being shot in the chest during an attempted robbery. — Only one of 43 escaped research monkeys in South Carolina has been recaptured.

BELOW THE FOLD: Someone else who got four more years out of last week’s election is James Austin Johnson, who does the Trump imitation for the show.

  In an effort to avoid the Trump enemies list, the cast of Saturday Night Live said over the weekend that they have unwavering support for Donald Trump in his return to the presidency. 

  Bowen Yang said the SNL team was “so excited for Trump 2.0” and “We have never wavered in our support for you, even when others doubted you.” 

  Sarah Sherman added: “Every single person on this stage believed in you.”

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