ISRAEL BALKS: Israel is already backing away from an agreement with Hamas for a 42-day cease fire in Gaza ,saying the militants have reneged on parts of the deal that would exchange 33 hostages for Palestinians held prisoner in Israel.    The …

CONFIRMATION CLASS: Donald Trump’s controversial pick for secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, appeared closer to winning confirmation after Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa said she would vote for him following yesterday’s hearing before the Senate Amed Services Committee.   Ernst’s approval …

CONVICTIONS: Jack Smith, the special counsel who drove the indictment of Donald Trump on charges of illegally attempting to overturn the 2020 election, said in his final report released overnight that Trump would have been convicted at trial but his election …

THE FIRE LINE: Fire crews made progress containing the Los Angeles area wildfires over the weekend even as more acreage burned. Twenty-four people have been confirmed dead and 16 more reported missing now in the eighth day of wildfires.   Hot desert …

THE FIRST FELON:  Donald Trump officially became a convicted felon yesterday after sentencing on his conviction for falsifying business records to pay off porn star Stormy Daniels for her silence about their little fling. On January 20th he will be the …

WINTER ON FIRE: At least 10 people are confirmed dead and 9,000 homes, buildings, and structures are damaged or destroyed as wildfires continue to burn through the greater Los Angeles area. What’s called “Red Flag” weather … extreme fire danger … …

APOCALYPSE NOW: An urban wildfire has reduced entire Los Angeles area homes and business districts to blackened rubble inland from Altadena and Pasadena all the way to Malibu and the Pacific Palisades on the ocean. Last night a new fire started …

THE FIRES OF WINTER:  Raging wildfires driven by winds up to 80 mph ripped through the Los Angeles area overnight including the Pacific Palisades, Altadena, Pasadena, and Sylmar. As many as 30,000 people had to flee leaving their homes to burn. …

IN TRANSITION: Vice President Kamala Harris gracefully did yesterday what Donald Trump tried to prevent four years ago, presiding over certification of the presidential vote and paving the way for Trump to return to the White House.   Walking through the Capitol …

CERTIFIABLE: Congress meets today to certify the election of Donald Trump to the presidency, four years to the day after Trump incited an angry mob to storm the Capitol in an attempt to block certification of Joe Biden and the peaceful …