The House Republicans who took a leading role defending President-elect Trump during his first impeachment trial in 2020 are reaping the benefits.  Of the eight GOP lawmakers who were part of Trump’s team to push back on allegations he withheld aid to Ukraine for political reasons, three are set to join his Cabinet; one is Speaker of the House and a staunch ally; and one became Trump’s chief of staff in his first administration. The political arc of the eight...

This piece is the eighth installment of a biweekly series written by David A. Foster (Center bias), based on his new book, Moderates of the World, Unite! Read the first post in the series.  As you cast your mind back over the past two years of political news—the rallies, the debates, the polls, the denunciations, the controversies—does it seem to you that it was valuable? It was often titillating, to be sure. Though I’m not sure I learned anything of...

I don’t possess even a smidgen of John Noonan’s national security expertise, but I nevertheless wish to agree with his post here on the Corner regarding the nomination of Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense. From my perspective, Hegseth is a fine pick. I hope the Senate will agree. As John notes, it’s rather churlish to describe Hegseth as merely “a guy on TV,” as so many commentators have. He went to Princeton and Harvard. He served in Iraq and Afghanistan, winning two bronze...

President-elect Donald Trump’s Tuesday night surprise pick of a conservative commentator and television host as his Pentagon chief shocked Washington, which had expected the nominee to be a seasoned lawmaker or someone with defense policy experience. National security officials and defense analysts had braced for surprises from Trump after experiencing his first four years in office. But even grading on that curve, they say the announcement of Fox News host and decorated Army veteran Pete...

US President-elect Donald Trump has named Pete Hegseth, a Fox News host, author and military veteran, as his pick for defence secretary. Hegseth, 44, who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, will be responsible for the world's most powerful military in his first political role. Announcing his choice on Tuesday, Trump described him as "tough, smart and a true believer in America First". The news came on the same day Trump announced another political newcomer, billionaire Elon Musk, would...

House Speaker Mike Johnson is seeking a smooth reelection to another term wielding the gavel, but a small group of discontent conservatives are again vying to shake things up at the top. House Republicans are set to vote for a slate of leadership positions behind closed doors on Wednesday. Mr. Johnson and most of his team hope to win reelection to their posts. Mr. Johnson has largely secured the support of the Republican conference. Republican lawmakers are...

Even before Donald Trump named Elise Stefanik the new U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, the New York representative had touted how the president-elect would return to a "maximum pressure" campaign on Iran. The Wall Street Journal said Trump would "drastically increase" sanctions to "choke off" Iran's oil income, which the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported last month reached $144 billion between 2021 and 2023 and $34 billion in 2024....

President-elect Donald Trump met his successor-turned-predecessor, President Biden, in the Oval Office Wednesday during the Republican’s first trip to Washington since his second election.

President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump are meeting in the Oval Office, resuming a tradition that Trump himself flouted in 2020. The two men, seated by a roaring fireplace, shook hands. Biden spoke first, calling for a "smooth transition" and telling Trump he will do "everything we can to make sure you're accommodated." Trump followed by thanking Biden.

John Ratcliffe, who served as President-elect Trump's principal intelligence advisor during his first presidential term, has been picked to serve as the director of the Central Intelligence Agency during Trump's second term. Ratcliffe is one of several appointees announced in the past week who will fill key positions during Trump's second term.  "From exposing fake Russian collusion to be a Clinton campaign operation, to catching the FBI’s abuse of Civil Liberties at the...