WaPo: “When 43 monkeys escaped from a South Carolina research facility on Nov. 6, countless human cousins around the country cheered them on. Indeed, the Freedom Monkeys provided a reprieve from the malaise at least half the country was feeling after Donald Trump was elected president the day before. Yes, of course, I cheered. I’m wearing my pompoms as…

The Daily Beast: “House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer’s impeachment probe into President Joe Biden may have fizzled, but at least he might get some cash out of it by launching a tell-all book. The Kentucky Republican was co-chair of a two year GOP effort that spent millions of dollars to produce a 291-page report that did not recommend moving forward…

Axios: “House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) reaffirmed his view that the possibly damaging House Ethics Committee report on former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) should remain sealed. Why it matters: Gaetz, President-elect Trump‘s controversial pick for attorney general, resigned from the House Wednesday — making him a “private citizen,” Johnson argued. But senators tasked with confirming the president-elect’s pick have made bipartisan calls to…

NBC News: “A woman in Kentucky who is seeking an abortion filed a lawsuit Tuesday that seeks to strike down the state’s near-total ban. The suit, filed by a woman referred to in the documents as Mary Poe, alleges that two Kentucky abortion laws violate the state constitution’s rights to privacy and self-determination. The lawsuit…

North State Journal: “Amazon workers in Alabama will decide for the third time in three years whether to unionize after a federal judge ruled that the retail giant improperly influenced the most recent vote in which employees rejected a union. Administrative law judge Michael Silverstein ordered the third vote for Amazon warehouse workers in Bessemer,…

AR Times: “Child labor violations in Arkansas more than tripled over the last few years, according to a new study by Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families — but a new law passed by the state Legislature in 2023 may have made it harder to track the exploitation of children in the workforce.  The AACF report, released Monday,…

AL Political Reporter: “A significant shift is coming to the Alabama Senate, with President Pro Tempore Greg Reed reportedly preparing to step down from his leadership role, according to Yellowhammer News. Sources tell APR that Reed is expected to transition into a new role as secretary of workforce, leading the newly established Alabama Department of Workforce, which was formerly…

the 19th: “Amanda Zurawski — who sued the state of Texas over its abortion ban and emerged as a top surrogate for Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign — is contemplating whether her abortion rights advocacy could involve a 2026 run for office, she told The 19th. “I’m considering how I can continue fighting in…

WaPo: “The House Ethics Committee was set to vote this week on releasing a report about Matt Gaetz (R-Florida), who resigned from Congress on Wednesday after being picked as President-elect Donald Trump’s attorney general, according to four people familiar with the matter. The Ethics Committee is still expected to meet and could release the report as…

WaPo: “Florida school districts axed about 700 books from school libraries in the 2023-2024 school year, according to a Florida Department of Education list. PEN America, a free speech advocacy group, estimates that 4,561 books have been removed from Florida school libraries since July 2021. …The book removals follow a law that allows parents or local residents to…