Americans are expressing their outrage as Covid-era mask rules slowly take hold across California. Sonoma County, in San Francisco, is the latest region to reinstate its mask mandate in all medical settings for staff but not visitors. There are more than 20 hospitals and clinics in the area treating over 480,000 residents and visitors, with the largest being the Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.

John Oliver ranted at the Democratic Party for sidelining trans issues during Kamala Harris’ campaign, contrasting this with the GOP’s aggressive spending on anti-trans attack ads. On the latest episode of Last Week Tonight, Oliver discussed Harris’ defeat, criticizing self-proclaimed progressives who’ve turned against transgender people and blamed ‘woke’ politics for Donald Trump’s success. He bluntly critiqued Harris’s campaign and how it largely ignored trans rights while Republicans poured over $215 million into anti-trans advertising – amounting to roughly $134 for every trans person in the U.S.

Britain’s ‘most controversial policeman’ was secretly found guilty of misconduct after an appalling security blunder which jeopardised police operations against serious organised crime, the Mail can reveal. Steve Rodhouse, Director General (Operations) at the National Crime Agency, ‘recklessly’ left his work laptop, containing classified intelligence files and information about highly sensitive police investigations, in the back seat of his parked car while attending the theatre with his wife. The device, and other classified documents, were stolen by a thief in the summer of 2021 and never recovered.

A member of Kamala Harris’ campaign is finally speaking out amid accusations by critics that celebrities were paid millions to endorse the vice president during her failed presidential campaign. Adrienne Elrod, who served as a senior spokesperson for the campaign, told Deadline they do not pay celebrities. ‘We have never paid any artist and performer. We have never paid a fee to that person,’ she said.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz did not commit to backing Matt Gaetz for attorney general when asked Thursday. Cruz demurring on the matter is the latest incident highlighting Congress’ hesitancy to get behind Donald Trump’s nominee. Both Republicans and Democrats have bristled at the idea Gaetz could be the top law enforcement official in the U.S.

The Republican president-elect improved his share of support in New York City including in AOC’s district in 2024, leaving some scratching their heads over how someone could vote for him and a progressive member of ‘The Squad.’ After the election, the Democratic congresswoman put out on social media that she wanted to hear from such voters about their thinking. The responses came flooding in. She shared her takeaways in an interview with the liberal news network. ‘When it comes to people who split their ticket, I think a lot of people cited several different things,’ Ocasio-Cortez told Reid.

President-elect Donald Trump has decided to bring his barefisted advisor Steven Cheung to the White House as his communications director. Cheung, who made his bones in communications at the Ultimate Fighting Championship, previously served in the White House during Trump’s first term as director of strategic response. He was responsible for delivering tart responses to the press as comms director for the Trump campaign, which modelled the candidate in taking a sledgehammer to political rivals.

Vice President-elect J.D. Vance is preparing for government. But meetings to plan policy rollouts and announce appointments at MAGA HQ sometimes have to wait until after family time and a chance to frolic with the children on the grounds of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. These pictures show Trump’s top lieutenant dressed casually in polo shirt and shorts playing with Ewan, seven, Vivek, four, and Mirabel, two, on the sweeping lawn that leads down to the water.

Democratic lawmakers are enraged at Donald Trump’s recent picks for Cabinet and West Wing, saying his selections are downright ‘dangerous.’ The president-elect has stirred controversy after nominating a rash of hardline conservatives and MAGA loyalists, some with questionable qualifications, to top positions in the executive branch. Two of the most polarizing nominations have been Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Health and Human Services Secretary and ex-Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz for attorney general.