
GOP majority begins 119th Congress with lengthy list of legislative priorities
CBSN
Washington — A new Congress is kicking off on Friday as Republicans take control of the House and Senate ahead of President-elect Donald Trump's return to the White House later this month. And with their newfound control of both chambers, Republican leaders are touting a list of priorities that they aim to quickly address, notably immigration and taxes.
How exactly Republicans will proceed remains to be seen. Earlier this week, House Speaker Mike Johnson outlined plans to move the GOP agenda through the budget reconciliation process, which allows them to fast-track certain types of legislation and avoid the 60-vote threshold typically required in the Senate. But reconciliation is a complicated maneuver that comes with its own limitations on what can be included.
Johnson, who faces his own dicey speaker's election on Friday, said a reconciliation package will be "the key of the first 100 days," but he noted that it will require "a lot of coordination, planning and executing those plans with precision."

Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency say they're using their access to the Social Security Administration data not only to investigate claims of waste and fraud, but also to examine claims that immigrants are abusing the system — even though undocumented immigrants contribute more to Social Security than they take.

Washington — A federal judge on Friday rejected an effort by the Justice Department to throw out a Tufts University Ph.D. student's challenge to her detention after she was taken into custody by immigration authorities or have her case moved to Louisiana, finding instead that her case should be transferred to Vermont.

SpaceX Fram2 crew splashes down off California coast to close out historic trip around Earth's poles
A wealthy space tourist and three fellow adventurers plunged back to Earth aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule Friday, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of southern California to close out the first crewed flight around Earth's poles.