Allies of Speaker Mike Johnson are urging Donald Trump to reaffirm his support for the Republican leader of the House of Representatives in the hope of heading off a messy battle for the role in the new year.
Should other contenders for the speakership emerge with any significant support following last week’s spending bill battle, it could delay the certification of the president-elect’s own victory, according to some lawmakers.
Democrats have also said that they won’t step in and rescue Johnson this time.
The House Ethics Committee report into former Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida “determined there is substantial evidence” that the former congressman “violated House Rules and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favors or privileges, and obstruction of Congress.”
Gaetz sued the committee to block the release of the report that found that he paid thousands of dollars to more than a dozen women — including a 17-year-old girl — for sex, but on Monday, drafts had already been published in several news outlets.
Finally, there is continued international incredulity over Trump’s desire to see the US retake the Panama Canal and buy Greenland, with the latter’s prime minister saying his country will “never be for sale.”
Key Points
Speaker’s allies call for Trump to back him to avoid another round of Republican civil war
If Mike Johnson is hoping for help from Democrats, he might be disappointed…
Ethics committee report finds evidence Matt Gaetz paid 17-year-old-girl for sex
‘These claims would be destroyed in court,’ Gaetz says
Panama president slams back at Trump’s takeover threat
Greenland prime minister balks at Trump’s renewed play for territory
‘We are not for sale’: Greenland prime minister balks at Trump’s renewed play for territory
04:43 , Oliver O’Connell
The leader of Greenland has flat-out rejected President-elect Donald Trump’s renewed interest in purchasing the massive Arctic island from Denmark, insisting that the territory is not on the market.
“Greenland is ours,” the territory’s prime minister Múte Egede said in a statement on Monday. “We are not for sale and will never be for sale. We must not lose our long struggle for freedom.”
Justin Barangoa reports.
Greenland leader balks at Trump’s renewed play for territory: ‘We are not for sale’
Biden to decide on US Steel acquisition after no consensus on national security risks
04:20 , AP
A powerful government panel on Monday failed to reach consensus on the possible national security risks of a nearly $15 billion proposed deal for Nippon Steel of Japan to purchase U.S. Steel, leaving a decision to President Joe Biden, a longtime opponent of the deal.
Continue reading…
Biden will decide on US Steel acquisition after influential panel fails to reach consensus
Who is Matt Gaetz’s wife, Ginger? The woman proudly standing by her man amid sex allegations
04:00 , Rhian Lubin
Ginger Gaetz beams as she stands beside her husband in loved-up photos curated on her Instagram page.
The 30-year-old wife of the former Florida congressman and Donald Trump’s original pick for attorney general, Matt Gaetz, proudly describes herself as his “wifey” in her profile bio.
Her supportive posts about Gaetz, 42, signaled an intent to stand by him as he battled resurfaced sexual allegations from his past.
She also stood by him after he announced he was withdrawing from the process of becoming Trump’s next attorney general.
Read more:
Who is Matt Gaetz’s wife, Ginger? The woman standing by her man amid sex allegations
Biden signs defense bill despite objections to ban on transgender health care for military children
03:40 , AP
President Joe Biden on Monday signed into law a defense bill that authorizes significant pay raises for junior enlisted service members, aims to counter China‘s growing power and boosts overall military spending to $895 billion despite his objections to language stripping coverage of transgender medical treatments for children in military families.
Biden said his administration strongly opposes the provision because it targets a group based on gender identity and “interferes with parents’ roles to determine the best care for their children.” He said it also undermines the all-volunteer military’s ability to recruit and retain talent.
“No service member should have to decide between their family’s health care access and their call to serve our nation,” the president said in a statement.
Continue reading…
Biden signs defense bill despite objections to ban on transgender health care for military children
Eric Trump posts Amazon shopping cart of other countries
03:25 , Oliver O’Connell
Further adding fuel to the fire over his father’s comments about the US taking over the Panama Canal, adding Canada as a 51st state, and purchasing Greenland, Eric Trump posted the following to his X account this evening:
Who are the three federal death row inmates Biden chose not to save?
03:20 , Oliver O’Connell
Joe Biden made history on Monday and commuted the sentence of nearly everyone on federal death row to life in prison without parole, sparing 37 people from the execution chamber.
Biden, whose (in)famous 1994 crime bill expanded the list of crimes eligible for a death sentence, framed the decision as part of his wider commitment to criminal justice reform.
“I’ve dedicated my career to reducing violent crime and ensuring a fair and effective justice system,” Biden said in a statement. “Today, I am commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 individuals on federal death row to life sentences without the possibility of parole. These commutations are consistent with the moratorium my administration has imposed on federal executions, in cases other than terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder.”
The commutation decision falls short of Biden’s original, and unprecedented, broader 2020 campaign promise to seek to entirely eliminate federal capital punishment, and Monday’s announcement leaves in place three death sentences for some of the most notorious killers in recent U.S. history.
Josh Marcus looks at who they are.
The three federal death row inmates Biden chose not to save
Gaetz was Trump’s first choice to be attorney general
03:00 , Mike Bedigan, Alex Woodward
The former Republican representative was Donald Trump’s first choice for attorney general of the United States, the most powerful law enforcement official in the country.
He resigned from Congress after he received the nomination, then dropped his name from the running for the top job at the Department of Justice amid renewed scrutiny and imminent release of the report.
The committee had been set to release the findings of its years-long probe last month, two days after Trump nominated Gaetz on November 13. His resignation effectively killed the investigation.
But lawmakers ultimately voted to release the report after all. The former congressman, who has denied all misconduct allegations, raged that “the people investigating me hated me” and gave him “no chance to ever confront any accusers.”
Speaker’s allies call for Trump to back him to avoid another round of Republican civil war
02:30 , Oliver O’Connell
Allies of Speaker Mike Johnson are urging Donald Trump to reaffirm his support for the Republican leader of the House of Representatives in the hope of heading off a messy battle for the role in the new year.
Should other contenders for the speakership emerge with any significant support following last week’s spending bill battle it could delay the certification of the president-elect’s own victory.
So far, there has been silence on the matter from Mar-a-Lago since Friday night’s vote on a continuing resolution to fund the federal government through mid-March — a struggle that did not bode well for Johnson’s future.
Read on…
Speaker’s allies call for Trump to back him to avoid more Republican infighting
Watch: Johnson speakership math is ‘very bad’
02:10 , Oliver O’Connell
.@anniekarni on Johnson’s speakership: “I talked to Johnson people earlier tonight… The best version of his position right now is that only one Republican member has said, ‘I will not vote for Mike Johnson.’… He can’t lose more than two. The math is very bad for him.”… pic.twitter.com/a5UjHviYVb
— Inside with Jen Psaki (@InsideWithPsaki) December 24, 2024
Some women ‘cited a fear of retaliation from the congressman’
02:00 , Alex Woodward
The committee said there is evidence of Gaetz’s obstruction of the probe, pointing to his refusals to answer committee questions while publicly attacking the report and denying allegations that the committee was asking for information about.
The committee also was investigating allegations that “Gaetz may have sought to tamper with witness testimony in connection with its investigation or the DOJ’s investigation.”
Prosecutors “refused to provide a copy of an audio recording in which Representative Gaetz discussed the DOJ’s inquiry with one of the women he paid for sex,” according to the report.
The committee “did not find documentary evidence that Representative Gaetz directly acted to prevent any woman from testifying” for either of those probes, but some women “cited a fear of retaliation from the congressman when declining to speak on the record with the Committee.”
Panama president hits back at Trump’s canal takeover threat
01:28 , Oliver O’Connell
Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino fired back Sunday after President-elect Donald Trump twice threatened to take control of the Panama Canal.
“As president, I want to express clearly that every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent zone belongs to Panama, and will continue to do so,” Mulino said in a strident video statement. “The sovereignty and independence of our country are not negotiable.”
He added: “The canal is not under direct or indirect control, neither by China, nor by the European community, nor by the United States, nor by any other power. As a Panamanian, I strongly reject any manifestation that distorts this reality.”
Panama “respects other nations and demands respect,” he insisted.
Mary Papenfuss reports.
Panama president slams back at Trump: Canal is ours, ‘not negotiable’
Why Trump can’t take back the Panama Canal on his own
01:20 , AP
Teddy Roosevelt once declared the Panama Canal “one of the feats to which the people of this republic will look back with the highest pride.” More than a century later, Donald Trump is threatening to take back the waterway for the same republic.
The president-elect is decrying increased fees Panama has imposed to use the waterway linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. He says if things don’t change after he takes office next month, “We will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States of America, in full, quickly and without question.”
Trump has long threatened allies with punitive action in hopes of winning concessions. But experts in both countries are clear: Unless he goes to war with Panama, Trump can’t reassert control over a canal the U.S. agreed to cede in the 1970s.
Here’s a look at how we got here:
A history of the Panama Canal — and why Trump can’t take it back on his own
‘There was a general expectation of sex’
01:00 , Gustaf Kilander
The House Ethics Committee report into Matt Gaetz states that “Many of the women interviewed by the Committee were clear that there was a general expectation of sex. One woman who was paid more than $5,000 by Rep. Gaetz between 2018 and 2019 told the Committee that ‘99 percent of the time that [Representative Gaetz and I] were hanging out, there was sex involved’.”
Gaetz has rejected the allegations.
“Text messages obtained by the Committee show that Representative Gaetz would also ask women to bring drugs to their rendezvous, in some instances requesting marijuana cartridges and repaying the women directly, but in other cases requesting ‘a full compliment [sic] of party favors,’ ‘vitamins,’ or ‘rolls’,” the report states.
Johnson allies hope Trump will ‘chime in’ with support ahead of possible speaker battle
00:37 , Oliver O’Connell
Allies of Speaker Mike Johnson are urging Donald Trump to reaffirm his support for the Republican leader of the House of Representatives in the hope of heading off a messy battle for the role in the new year.
Should other contenders for the speakership emerge with any significant support following last week’s spending bill battle it could delay the certification of the president-elect’s own victory.
Florida Republican congressman Carlos Gimenez unpacked a possible scenario for Fox News Digital, telling the outlet: “If we have some kind of protracted fight where we can’t elect a speaker — the speaker’s not elected; we’re not sworn in. And if we’re not sworn in, we can’t certify the election.”
He added: “I would hope that President Trump would chime in and talk to those who are maybe a little hesitant, and say, ‘We’ve got to get going. We don’t have time.”
Gimenez is not alone in hoping that Trump shores up support for Johnson.
Republican Rep. Pat Fallon of Texas told Fox News Digital that “it would be immensely helpful” if the incoming president said something publicly.
“Any time would be great, but right after Christmas if President Trump said, ‘You know, listen’ — it would even be really cool if somehow Mike Johnson ended up at Mar-a-Lago for Christmas… wherever the president is,” Fallon said. “I think it would be incredibly powerful.”
The timeline for electing is tight after the holidays, hence why Johnson allies are speaking up now.
Lawmakers return to Washington, D.C. in the new year for a vote to elect the speaker of the House on Friday, January 3, 2025.
On Monday, January 6, the House meets to certify the results of the 2024 election.
Republicans are doubtless concerned given the protracted battles to elect the past two speakers.
Kevin McCarthy faced 15 rounds of votes to be elected in early 2023 with lawmakers nearly coming to blows at one point.
When he was ousted in October of the same year following a motion to vacate by Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, the House was in limbo for the three weeks it took to elect Johnson.
During last week’s battle over the spending bill, one of Johnson’s biggest critics — Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky — said he would not vote for him as speaker in the new year.
Other lawmakers have also backed away from the speaker, and alternative names have been floated, including Tom Emmer, Byron Donalds, Jim Jordan, and even Elon Musk (the speaker does not need to be a member of Congress).
Johnson has a margin of three votes to retain his role as speaker, with Democrats saying they won’t rescue his speakership again, so Trump’s influence will be vital.
What is likely weighing on the speaker’s mind is that 38 Republican lawmakers voted against the president-elect’s preferred spending bill before a compromise was worked out.
Can they all be convinced to back him even with Trump’s support?
Gaetz report states some women said drug use at parties ‘impaired’ their ability to ‘fully consent’
00:15 , Gustaf Kilander
The House Ethics Committee report into Matt Gaetz states that “all of the women interviewed by the committee said their sexual relationship with Gaetz was consensual, but at least one woman said the use of drugs at the parties they attended with him may have ‘impair[ed their] ability to really know what was going on or fully consent.’”
“Indeed, nearly every woman that the Committee spoke with could not remember the details of at least one or more of the events they attended with Representative Gaetz and attributed that to drug or alcohol consumption,” according to the report.
Gaetz has rejected the allegations.
The women also discussed instances where Representative Gaetz would try to convince them to have sex with him or Mr. Greenberg: “[H]e would make me feel bad about not having sex with him or [] Joel Greenberg” and that he would say, “Why don’t you want to have sex with me” or “[Mr. Greenberg] looks very sad over there … Make him happy.”
Another woman said that their relationship at some point was a “loving friendship,” but over time came to feel like a “task.”
A third woman said, “[W]hen I look back on certain moments, I feel violated.”
One woman said, “I think about it all the time . . . . I still see him when I turn on the tv and there’s nothing anyone can do. It’s frustrating to know I lived a reality that he denies.”
House Ethics Committee report
Giuliani dresses up as Santa in odd coffee ad
Monday 23 December 2024 23:50 , Oliver O’Connell
As his financial woes look ever bleaker in light of the $150 million defamation ruling against him in favor of two Georgia election workers he falsely accused of interfering in the 2020 election, Rudy Giuliani appears to be resorting to more unusual efforts to raise cash.
Broke Rudy Giuliani dresses up as Santa in odd coffee ad
Monday 23 December 2024 23:38 , Oliver O’Connell
Report: Gaetz ‘made tens of thousands of dollars in payments to women’
Monday 23 December 2024 23:30 , Gustaf Kilander
The Ethics Committee states that “From 2017 to 2020, Rep. Gaetz made tens of thousands of dollars in payments to women that the Committee determined were likely in connection with sexual activity and/or drug use. Payments were made to these women using peer-to-peer payment platforms such as PayPal, Venmo, and CashApp; while Representative Gaetz had accounts in his name on each of those platforms.”
Gaetz has rejected the allegations.
“In one text exchange viewed by the Committee, Rep. Gaetz balked at a woman’s request that he send her money after he accused her of ‘ditching’ him on a night when she was feeling tired, claiming she only gave him a ‘drive by.’ The woman asserted to Rep. Gaetz that she was being ‘treated differently’ than other women he was paying for sex,” the report adds.
Katie Miller, wife of key Trump aide Stephen Miller, tapped for Musk’s DOGE panel
Monday 23 December 2024 23:05 , Oliver O’Connell
Katie Miller will join the Trump administration’s much-watched non-governmental Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative, the president-elect announced on Sunday, where she will join Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy in attempting to cut hundreds of millions of dollars from the federal budget.
“She has been a loyal supporter of mine for many years, and will bring her professional experience to Government Efficiency,” Trumpwrote on Truth Social. “Katie is a deeply experienced communications professional respected by all. Congratulations to Stephen and Katie!”
Josh Marcus reports.
Trump taps Katie Miller, wife of key aide Stephen Miller, for Musk’s DOGE panel
‘$400 is not a problem. Are you both enough to drink?’
Monday 23 December 2024 22:55 , Oliver O’Connell
An exchange from former Gaetz ally/associate Joel Greenberg and a 20-year-old woman, from the Gaetz ethics report: “$400 is not a problem. Are you both enough to drink?” pic.twitter.com/sQFqNoMsdw
— Grace Panetta (@grace_panetta) December 23, 2024
BREAKING: Bill Clinton admitted to hospital with fever
Monday 23 December 2024 22:45 , Oliver O’Connell
Former President Bill Clinton was admitted to a Washington-area hospital on Monday.
“President Clinton was admitted to Georgetown University Medical Center this afternoon for testing and observation after developing a fever,” Clinton’s deputy chief of staff Angel Ureña wrote on X.
Josh Marcus is monitoring this breaking story:
Bill Clinton admitted to hospital with fever
If Mike Johnson is hoping for help from Democrats, he might be disappointed…
Monday 23 December 2024 22:27 , Oliver O’Connell
House Democrats have made it clear to Speaker Mike Johnson that they won’t launch another rescue attempt to allow him to retain the speakership.
Johnson is set to have the narrowest of majorities in the next Congress and will have little room to maneuver with a caucus in which some members are angling to take him out.
Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky has said that he’ll vote against Johnson as speaker on January 3. A number of other members of the party have said that they’re undecided, according to Axios.
Gustaf Kilander reports.
Democrats tell Johnson they won’t rescue him from far-right members again
Almost half of Americans support Trump’s plan to pardon Jan 6 rioters
Monday 23 December 2024 22:20 , Oliver O’Connell
Though most Americans oppose Donald Trump’s plan to pardon January 6 rioters charged with a crime, more than 4 in 10 said they support the decision, according to a new poll.
President-elect Trump has promised to issue pardons for those charged or convicted of a crime related to their actions on January 6, 2021, on his first day in office — a move that would validate his narrative of the day.
Despite the images, videos and convictions that show the tragic results of the attack on the Capitol, 43 percent of Americans said they support Trump’s decision to pardon rioters, according to the CNBC All-America Economic Survey.
Ariana Baio has the details.
Many Americans support Trump’s plan to pardon Jan 6 rioters charged with crimes
Fetterman says he hopes Trump is successful as president
Monday 23 December 2024 22:00 , Gustaf Kilander
All the allegations against Matt Gaetz revealed in explosive report
Monday 23 December 2024 21:45 , Oliver O’Connell
Alex Woodward reports on the bombshell ethics investigation that alleges Matt Gaetz paid for sex with a high schooler, used cocaine and ecstasy, and abused the power of his office.
The former congressman denies wrongdoing.
All the allegations against Matt Gaetz revealed in explosive report
Political nepo baby Matt Gaetz rose quickly to power in the House. It ended with a damning ethics report
Monday 23 December 2024 21:30 , Mike Bedigan, Alex Woodward
There is “substantial evidence” that former congressman Matt Gaetz “regularly” paid women, including a high school student, for sex and spent tens of thousands of dollars on sex- and drug-fueled parties and travel, according to a damning report from members of Congress.
The long-anticipated report from a House Ethics committee investigation finds that Gaetz likely violated state laws against statutory rape and illicit drug use, as well as House rules against misconduct and abuse of office.
Between 2017 and 2020, Gaetz “regularly paid women for engaging in sexual activity with him,” including making payments to a 17-year-old girl, the report says.
Read more:
Charting Matt Gaetz’s swift rise to power — and spectacular fall from grace
Disney withdraws from ‘culture wars’ after battles with Trump and DeSantis
Monday 23 December 2024 21:15 , Oliver O’Connell
Disney’s recent decision to pull a transgender storyline from one of its upcoming movies appears to be its latest attempt to avoid generating political controversy after the company became the center of a debate over “wokeism” last year.
The company, run by Bob Iger, has found itself in the midst of several “culture wars” over the last few years after pledging to “further strengthen our commitment to diversity and inclusion everywhere” in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in 2020.
Disney chose to make its theme parks more inclusive, such as adopting more gender-neutral greetings, and has made a conscious effort to include more diverse characters, for example, introducing its first biracial gay character in Strange World.
Ariana Baio reports.
Disney withdraws from ‘culture wars’ amid bruising encounters with Trump and DeSantis
Trump considering attempting to boot Mike Johnson: report
Monday 23 December 2024 21:00 , Gustaf Kilander
President-elect Donald Trump is considering attempting to boot Speaker Mike Johnson from his post, according to Politico.
This comes after Congress narrowly averted a government shutdown on Friday night.
Trump is reportedly unhappy with the funding deal and that he didn’t get the debt ceiling hike he sought.
“The president is upset — he wanted the debt ceiling dealt with,” a person in Trump’s circle told the outlet.
“In the past couple weeks, we’ve questioned whether [Johnson has] been an honest broker,” another person said.
“I don’t see how Johnson survives,” yet another individual told Politico.
Victims and families react as Biden spares the lives of 37 federal death row inmates
Monday 23 December 2024 20:45 , Jeffrey Collins, Ali Swenson
Victims’ families and others affected by crimes that resulted in federal death row convictions shared a range of emotions on Monday, from relief to anger, after President Joe Biden commuted dozens of the sentences.
Biden converted the sentences of 37 federal death row inmates to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. The inmates include people who were convicted in the slayings of police, military officers and federal prisoners and guards. Others were involved in deadly robberies and drug deals.
Three inmates will remain on federal death row: Dylann Roof, convicted of the 2015 racist slayings of nine Black members of Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina; the 2013 Boston Marathon Bomber, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev; and Robert Bowers, who fatally shot 11 congregants at Pittsburgh’s Tree of life Synagogue in 2018, the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S history.
Read more:
Victims and families react as Biden spares the lives of 37 federal death row inmates
Team Trump releases statement on Biden’s ‘abhorrent’ pardon decisions
Monday 23 December 2024 20:40 , Ariana Baio
These are among the worst killers in the world and this abhorrent decision by Joe Biden is a slap in the face to the victims, their families, and their loved ones. President Trump stands for the rule of law, which will return when he is back in the White House after he was elected with a massive mandate from the American people.
Steven Cheung, Trump Communications Director
Matt Gaetz sues ethics committee to block ‘defamatory’ report
Monday 23 December 2024 20:30 , Alex Woodward
Matt Gaetz sued the House Ethics Committee in a last-ditch attempt to block the publication of a damning report into allegations he paid for sex with more than a dozen women, including a 17-year-old girl.
The report follows a long-running investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use while he was a member of Congress, when he allegedly spent tens of thousands of dollars on sex- and drug-fueled parties and travel.
He is accused of paying more than $90,000 to at least 12 different women, including a high school student, according to the report, which was released Monday, after Gaetz filed his lawsuit.
Read more:
Matt Gaetz sues ethics committee to block ‘defamatory’ report
Leaked ethics committee report finds evidence Matt Gaetz paid 17-year-old-girl for sex
Monday 23 December 2024 20:15 , Alex Woodward, Gustaf Kilander
A leaked draft report from the House Ethics Committee reveals damning new details about the long-running investigation into Matt Gaetz’s alleged sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, according to multiple outlets.
The former Republican representative, who was Donald Trump’s first choice for attorney general of the United States, is accused of paying thousands of dollars to more than a dozen women — including a 17-year-old girl — for sex.
Gaetz is also accused of using illegal drugs, including in his office on Capitol Hill, according to the report, a final draft of which was obtained by CBS News and CNN.
He is accused of violating Florida’s statutory rape laws, among others, the report found.
“The Committee determined there is substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House Rules and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favors or privileges, and obstruction of Congress,” the report states.
Read more:
Ethics committee report finds evidence Matt Gaetz paid 17-year-old-girl for sex
Gaetz tried to obstruct committee’s investigation: Report
Monday 23 December 2024 20:00 , Gustaf.Kilander
• Gaetz knowingly and willfully sought to impede and obstruct the Committee’s investigation of his conduct.
• Gaetz has acted in a manner that reflects discreditably upon the House.
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) December 23, 2024
Ethics report appendix includes texts from Gaetz
Monday 23 December 2024 19:45 , Gustaf Kilander
Gaetz used cocaine and ecstasy on multiple occasions: Ethics report
Monday 23 December 2024 19:30 , Gustaf Kilander
• During the period 2017 to 2019, Gaetz used or possessed illegal drugs, including cocaine and ecstasy, on multiple occasions.
• Gaetz accepted gifts, including transportation and lodging inconnection with a 2018 trip to the Bahamas, in excess of permissible amounts.
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) December 23, 2024
Johnson slams Biden for commuting death sentences
Monday 23 December 2024 19:15 , Gustaf Kilander
It wasn’t BAD ENOUGH Joe Biden let in violent criminals and terrorists across our border ON PURPOSE. Now, he’s commuting the sentences of 37 of America’s OWN most dangerous criminals.
This is a slap in the face to the families who have suffered immeasurably at the hands of these… https://t.co/iYTLfwPfop
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) December 23, 2024
Biden cheered by Democrats and civil rights groups for commuting dozens of death row sentences
Monday 23 December 2024 19:00 , John Bowden
Civil rights groups who were anxiously preparing for the onset of Donald Trump’s presidency breathed a sigh of relief on Monday as President Joe Biden announced the largest single-day commutation of federal death row inmates in modern history.
The White House announced early Monday morning that the president would commute the sentences of 37 inmates awaiting execution in the federal prison system. Now, just three people will remain on death row following the commutations: mass murderers Dylann Roof, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, and Robert Bowers.
Read more:
Biden cheered by civil rights groups for commuting dozens of death row sentences
Trump declares Elon Musk is ‘not going to be president’ amid ongoing taunts over who’s really in charge
Monday 23 December 2024 18:30 , Justin Baragona
While Donald Trump still thinks his “first buddy” Elon Musk is a “great guy,” he wants to make it clear that only one man is calling the shots.
“No, he’s not taking the presidency,” Trump declared in a Sunday night speech. “That’s not happening.”
The president-elect’s snarky remark comes as Democrats have sought to drive a wedge between the world’s richest man and the notoriously thin-skinned Trump by highlighting Musk’s growing influence and describing him as the “real president.” The taunts have only grown following last week’s chaos on Capitol Hill after Musk raged against House Republicans’ original spending bill, prompting lawmakers to race against the clock to strike another deal to prevent the government from shutting down.
Read more:
Trump declares Elon Musk is ‘not going to be president’ amid ongoing taunts
Gaetz lawsuit assigned to judge who has handled Jan 6 cases
Monday 23 December 2024 18:00 , Gustaf Kilander and Alex Woodward
Before its release, Gaetz sued the committee to block the release of the report that found that he paid thousands of dollars to more than a dozen women — including a 17-year-old girl — for sex.
In a federal lawsuit filed in Washington, D.C., the Republican accused the committee of making an “unconstitutional” attempt to “exercise jurisdiction over a private citizen” by releasing a report “containing potentially defamatory allegations.”
He asked for a judge to issue an emergency order to block the report’s release, but drafts had already been published in several news outlets Monday morning.
Publishing the report would mark an “unprecedented overreach that threatens fundamental constitutional rights and established procedural protections,” attorneys for the former congressman wrote.
Gaetz’s lawsuit has been assigned to Amit Mehta, who has presided over several high-profile trials and cases involving January 6 defendants, including members of the Oath Keepers and its founder Stewart Rhodes.
Chair of Ethics Committee did not vote to release report
Monday 23 December 2024 17:45 , Gustaf Kilander
The chair of the Ethics Committee, Republican Rep. Michael Guest said that while he does “not challenge the Committee’s findings,” he did not vote to release the report.
I believe, have publicly stated, and remain steadfast in the position that the House Committee on Ethics lost jurisdiction to release to the public any substantive work product regarding Mr. Gaetz after his resignation from the House on November 14, 2024.
While I do not challenge the Committee’s findings, I did not vote to support the release of the report and I take great exception that the majority deviated from the Committee’s well-established standards and voted to release a report on an individual no longer under the Committee’s jurisdiction, an action the Committee has not taken since 2006.
Representative Gaetz resigned from Congress, withdrew from consideration to serve in the next administration, and declared that he would not seek to be seated in the 119th Congress. The decision to publish a report after his resignation breaks from the Committee’s long-standing practice and is a dangerous departure with potentially catastrophic consequences.
Michael Guest
Biden commutes most federal death row sentences. Here’s the full list
Monday 23 December 2024 17:30 , Ariana Baio
Thirty-seven people on death row had their sentences commutated by President Joe Biden on Monday morning and will now serve life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, rather than face execution.
Maintaining the tradition of offering clemency in the last few weeks of a presidency, Biden exercised his power to remove most inmates from federal death row. Only three people will remain.
It comes a little less than a month before President-elect Donald Trump takes office. Unlike Biden, Trump supports the death penalty and has suggested more people should be given death sentences – though he has not offered specifics on that. Trump restarted federal executions after a 17-year pause during his first term, with 13 being carried out.
Read more:
Biden commutes most federal death row sentences. Here’s the full list
‘Committee considered whether to establish an investigative subcommittee to consider sanctions’
Monday 23 December 2024 17:15 , Gustaf Kilander
The House Ethics Committee said in a statement that “While the Committee considered whether to establish an investigative subcommittee to consider sanctions against Matt Gaetz, the Committee ultimately determined that it would not risk the further victimization of the women involved in this matter.”
“Most of the women with whom the Committee spoke also gave statements to DOJ and urged the Committee to rely on those statements in lieu of requiring them to relive their experience,” the panel added.
Greenland prime minister balks at Trump’s renewed play for territory: ‘We are not for sale’
Monday 23 December 2024 17:00 , Justin Baragona
The leader of Greenland has flat-out rejected President-elect Donald Trump’s renewed interest in purchasing the massive Arctic island from Denmark, insisting that the territory is not on the market.
“Greenland is ours,” Greenland Prime Minister Múte Egede said in a statement on Monday. “We are not for sale and will never be for sale. We must not lose our long struggle for freedom.”
Egede’s comment comes after the incoming president announced that he wanted to revisit the idea of buying the semi-autonomous land from Denmark. During his first term in the White House, Trump expressed a desire to make a “large real estate deal” because “strategically” it would be “very nice.”
Read more:
Greenland leader balks at Trump’s renewed play for territory: ‘We are not for sale’
Report: Gaetz set up set up email in Capitol to buy marijuana
Monday 23 December 2024 16:45 , Gustaf Kilander
The House Ethics Committee report into Matt Gaetz states that there’s “ample evidence that Representative Gaetz purchased and used marijuana; he appears to have set up a pseudonymous e-mail account from his House office in the Capitol complex for the purpose of purchasing marijuana.”
Lord Mandelson ‘open to working with Farage to win over Trump’
Monday 23 December 2024 16:30 , Millie Cooke
Lord Mandelson is reportedly set to call on Nigel Farage to help him win over Donald Trump in his new role as UK ambassador to the US.
He is said to be ready to work with the Reform UK leader, as part of an attempt to persuade the president-elect not to target Britain with tariffs.
Experts have warned of a looming trade war after Mr Trump himself said: “Tariff is my favourite word”, and promised to implement 10 to 20 per cent tariffs on all goods coming into the country – a figure that rises to 60 per cent for those from China.
Read more:
Lord Mandelson ‘open to working with Farage to win over Trump’
Joe Biden commutes sentences of 37 out of 40 federal death row inmates before Trump takes office
Monday 23 December 2024 16:00 , Will Weissert, Darlene Superville
Joe Biden announced on Monday that he is commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row, converting their punishments to life imprisonment just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump, an outspoken proponent of expanding capital punishment, takes office.
The move spares the lives of people convicted in killings, including the slayings of police and military officers, people on federal land and those involved in deadly bank robberies or drug deals, as well as the killings of guards or prisoners in federal facilities.
It means just three federal inmates are still facing execution. They are Dylann Roof, who carried out the 2015 racist slayings of nine Black members of Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina; 2013 Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev; and Robert Bowers, who fatally shot 11 congregants at Pittsburgh’s Tree of life Synagogue in 2018, the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S history.
Read more:
Joe Biden commutes sentences of 37 out of 40 federal death row inmates
Ethics Committee issues statement on release of ethics report
Monday 23 December 2024 15:55 , Gustaf Kilander
The Committee previously noted that there has been a significant and unusual amount of reporting on its activities during its review of the matter of Representative Gaetz, and much of that reporting has been inaccurate. The Committee’s investigations are conducted confidentially, but the Committee’s confidentiality rules do not prohibit witnesses from disclosing information about the Committee’s requests or conversations with Committee investigators. To the extent that any of the public reporting on this matter came from unauthorized disclosures of confidential Committee information, we strongly condemn such unauthorized disclosures, which are damaging and harmful to the Committee’s work.
House Ethics Committee
Read the full House Ethics Committee report into Matt Gaetz
Monday 23 December 2024 15:45 , Gustaf Kilander
The House Ethics Committee has released the report into Matt Gaetz.
Read it in full below:
Congress is looking to ban Chinese drones that are widely used in US. What to know about the debate
Monday 23 December 2024 15:30 , Didi Tang
The economic and technological rivalry between the United States and China has come to the drone market, where Chinese-made flying devices are a dominant player.
Lawmakers in Washington are seeking to ban new sales of drones from two dominant Chinese manufacturers, arguing they could be used to spy on Americans and that the low-cost models are hurting the U.S. drone industry.
A defense bill that passed Congress last week would bar new Chinese drones from DJI Technology and Autel Robotics should a review find them to pose an “unacceptable” risk to U.S. national security.
But American users, from police officers to farmers, mappers and filmmakers, have come to rely on Chinese-made drones, especially those by DJI.
Here are things to know about the debate.
Congress is looking to ban Chinese drones that are widely used in US. What to know about the debate
Gaetz takes to X to defend himself amid sexual misconduct allegations
Monday 23 December 2024 15:28 , Gustaf Kilander
ANOTHER ONE of the ethics witnesses who was an alleged “prostitute” claims she was indeed NOT when actually pressed in a deposition.
This won’t be in the “ethics” report because of course. pic.twitter.com/SpZDPitbRp
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) December 23, 2024
‘There is a reason they did this to me in a Christmas Eve-Eve report and not in a courtroom,’ Gaetz says
Monday 23 December 2024 15:26 , Gustaf Kilander
Matt Gaetz wrote in a post on X: “Giving funds to someone you are dating – that they didn’t ask for – and that isn’t ‘charged’ for sex is now prostitution?!?”
He added: “There is a reason they did this to me in a Christmas Eve-Eve report and not in a courtroom of any kind where I could present evidence and challenge witnesses. This is testimony from one of the alleged ‘prostitutes’ that you won’t see in the report!”
Giving funds to someone you are dating – that they didn’t ask for – and that isn’t “charged” for sex is now prostitution?!?
There is a reason they did this to me in a Christmas Eve-Eve report and not in a courtroom of any kind where I could present evidence and challenge… pic.twitter.com/HzWODpBBB9
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) December 23, 2024
‘There is a reason they did this to me in a Christmas Eve-Eve report and not in a courtroom,’ Gaetz says
Monday 23 December 2024 15:25 , Gustaf Kilander
Matt Gaetz wrote in a post on X: “Giving funds to someone you are dating – that they didn’t ask for – and that isn’t ‘charged’ for sex is now prostitution?!?”
He added: “There is a reason they did this to me in a Christmas Eve-Eve report and not in a courtroom of any kind where I could present evidence and challenge witnesses. This is testimony from one of the alleged ‘prostitutes’ that you won’t see in the report!”
Giving funds to someone you are dating – that they didn’t ask for – and that isn’t “charged” for sex is now prostitution?!?
There is a reason they did this to me in a Christmas Eve-Eve report and not in a courtroom of any kind where I could present evidence and challenge… pic.twitter.com/HzWODpBBB9
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) December 23, 2024
Matt Gaetz sues ethics committee to block ‘defamatory’ report
Monday 23 December 2024 15:21 , Alex Woodward
Matt Gaetz is suing the House Ethics Committee to block the publication of a damning report into allegations he paid for sex with more than a dozen women, including a 17-year-old girl.
The report follows a long-running investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use while he was a member of Congress, when he allegedly spent tens of thousands of dollars on sex- and drug-fueled parties and travel.
He is accused of paying more than $90,000 to at least 12 different women, including a high school student, according to leaks of a draft of the report, which is expected to be released as early as Monday.
Read more:
Matt Gaetz sues ethics committee to block ‘defamatory’ report
An analyst looks ahead to how the US economy might fare under Trump
Monday 23 December 2024 15:00 , Paul Wiseman
President-elect Donald Trump won a return to the White House in part by promising big changes in economic policy — more tax cuts, huge tariffs on imports, mass deportations of immigrants working in the United States illegally.
In some ways, his victory marked a repudiation of President Joe Biden’s economic stewardship and a protest against inflation. It came despite low unemployment and steady growth under the Biden administration.
What lies ahead for the economy under Trump? Paul Ashworth of Capital Economics spoke recently to The Associated Press. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Read more:
An analyst looks ahead to how the US economy might fare under Trump
Mandelson an ‘asset’ to UK-US ties, No 10 says after Trump ally jibe
Monday 23 December 2024 14:40 , Nina Lloyd
Downing Street has rejected suggestions that Lord Mandelson becoming the UK’s ambassador to the US will cause more problems than benefits for the UK after he was insulted by a Donald Trump adviser.
Number 10 defended the Labour grandee as a “significant asset” to the transatlantic relationship after Chris LaCivita, an architect of the president-elect’s 2024 campaign, called him an “absolute moron”.
Asked whether the remark indicated that his appointment would be more problematic than beneficial for the UK, Sir Keir Starmer’s official spokesman said: “No… his appointment shows just how seriously we’re taking this relationship.
Read more:
Mandelson an ‘asset’ to UK-US ties, No 10 says after Trump ally jibe
Who is Matt Gaetz’s wife, Ginger? The woman proudly standing by her man amid sex allegations
Monday 23 December 2024 14:20 , Rhian Lubin
Ginger Gaetz beams as she stands beside her husband in loved-up photos curated on her Instagram page.
The 30-year-old wife of the former Florida congressman and Donald Trump’s original pick for attorney general, Matt Gaetz, proudly describes herself as his “wifey” in her profile bio.
Her supportive posts about Gaetz, 42, signaled an intent to stand by him as he battled resurfaced sexual allegations from his past.
Read more:
Who is Matt Gaetz’s wife, Ginger? The woman standing by her man amid sex allegations
‘These claims would be destroyed in court,’ Gaetz says
Monday 23 December 2024 14:17 , Gustaf Kilander
News: A House Ethics Committee investigation into former Rep. Matt Gaetz found “substantial evidence” that the Florida Republican committed statutory rape, solicited prostitutes and used illegal drugs, and more.
The report’s most explosive allegation, which Gaetz has long…
— Olivia Beavers (@Olivia_Beavers) December 23, 2024
“These claims would be destroyed in court — which is why they were never made in any court against me,” Gaetz told Politico.
Matt Gaetz sues ethics committee to block release of report
Monday 23 December 2024 14:12 , Gustaf Kilander
Matt Gaetz has sued the House Ethics Committee in an attempt to block the release of a report that found that he paid thousands of dollars to more than a dozen women for sex.
“The Committee determined there is substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House Rules and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favors or privileges, and obstruction of Congress,” the report states. A draft of the report was initially obtained by CBS News and CNN.
Gaetz is now suing in the hopes of getting an order to block the public release of the report.
“Upon information and belief, Defendants’ intention to release reports and/or investigatory information related to Plaintiff contains untruthful and defamatory information concerning Plaintiff, which, if publicly released, would significantly damage Plaintiff’s standing and reputation in the community,” the suit states. “Once released, the damage to Plaintiff’s reputation and professional standing would be immediate, severe and irreversible, particularly because: a. The Committee’s findings would carry the imprimatur of official Congressional action; b. Media coverage would be immediate and widespread; c. The allegations would permanently remain in the public record; d. No adequate remedy exists to retract or correct information once released; e. Sovereign immunity would likely bar any subsequent damages action.”
Ethics committee report finds evidence Matt Gaetz paid 17-year-old-girl for sex
Monday 23 December 2024 13:59 , Alex Woodward
A bombshell report from the House Ethics Committee reveals damning news details about the long-running investigation into Matt Gaetz’s alleged sexual misconduct and illicit drug use.
The report found that the former House representative from Florida paid thousands of dollars to more than a dozen women — including a 17-year-old girl — for sex.
He is also accused of buying and using illegal drugs, including from his office on Capitol Hill, according to the report, a draft of which was first obtained by CBS News and CNN.
Gaetz is accused of violating Florida’s statutory rape laws, among others, the report found.
“The Committee determined there is substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House Rules and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favors or privileges, and obstruction of Congress,” the report states.
Read more:
Ethics committee report finds evidence Matt Gaetz paid 17-year-old-girl for sex
WATCH: Trump says Elon Musk is ‘not taking the presidency’
Monday 23 December 2024 13:30 , Kelly Rissman
US announces deportations in 2024 hit a 10-year high. Trump wants to increase it tenfold
Monday 23 December 2024 13:00 , Kelly Rissman
Immigration and Customs Enforcement has revealed deportations hit a 10-year high in 2024 as President-elect Donald Trump promises to increase that figure dramatically when he takes office in a month.
ICE deported 271,484 people this year, the highest since 2014 when the agency deported more than 300,000 people, according to their fiscal year 2024 report.
During Trump’s first term, his administration hit a high of 267,258 deportations in 2019. This report comes after Trump spent much of his time on the campaign trail criticizing President Joe Biden’s administration on immigration.
This year’s number of deportations is still not high enough, Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for the president-elect and soon-to-be White House press secretary, said in a statement to The Independent.
“This number pales in comparison to the tens of millions of illegal criminals, including thousands of murderers, rapists, and drug dealers, who Joe Biden allowed to illegally enter our country and continue to roam freely in our communities to this very day,” Leavitt said.
Katie Hawkinson has the details.
US announces deportations in 2024 hit a 10-year high. Trump wants them even higher
WATCH: Peter Mandelson denies interest in US ambassador role in resurfaced Newsnight interview
Monday 23 December 2024 12:00 , Kelly Rissman
Trump threatens EU with tariffs unless it makes ‘large scale’ purchase of US gas and oil
Monday 23 December 2024 11:00 , Kelly Rissman
President-elect Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on the European Union unless it purchases more oil and gas from the United States – an intimidation tactic that Trump has wielded against other countries as well.
After announcing a 25 percent tariff on the U.S. largest trading partners, Canada and Mexico, and threatening to increase tariffs on China, Trump has now targeted the E.U.
“I told the European Union that they must make up their tremendous deficit with the United States by the large scale purchase of our oil and gas. Otherwise, it is TARIFFS all the way!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social around 1 a.m. Friday.
Ariana Baio has the full story.
Trump threatens EU with tariffs unless it makes ‘large scale’ purchase of US energy
Trump voters are confident he will turn the economy around, new poll says
Monday 23 December 2024 10:00 , Kelly Rissman
One-third of Americans who voted for President-elect Donald Trump said they chose him because of his business acumen or economic vision, a new poll reveals.
Thirty-three percent of Trump voters said, in their own words, they voted for him because of the “economy” or because “he is a good businessman,” a Washington Post-Schar School poll released Friday reveals.
“He is a good businessman and doesn’t let anyone take advantage of him,” one Trump voter from Wisconsin told pollsters.
Katie Hawkinson has the story.
Trump voters confident he will turn the economy around, new poll says
Biden admin looks to lock in legacy on immigration and death penalty
Monday 23 December 2024 09:00 , Kelly Rissman
The Biden administration is using its waning days in office to make a final mark ahead of the incoming Trump White House.
It announced Friday it would forgive another $4.28 billion in student debt for 54,900 borrowers who pursued careers in public service, bringing Biden’s total to some $180 billion of forgiveness overall, the largest sum of debt forgiveness from any president in U.S. history.
At the same time, the administration said it would scrap further forgiveness proposals from the U.S. Department of Education, noting “uncertainty around the implementation” given Trump’s impending inauguration.
Read the full story.
Biden admin wants to lock in migration and death penalty policies as it drops others
Marjorie Taylor Greene, Rand Paul back Elon Musk as House speaker
Monday 23 December 2024 08:00 , Kelly Rissman
Republicans are calling for Elon Musk to be the new speaker of the House amid contentious negotiations over a spending deal to avoid a government shutdown.
“The Speaker of the House need not be a member of Congress . . . Nothing would disrupt the swamp more than electing Elon Musk,” Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky wrote on X on Thursday. “Think about it . . . nothing’s impossible (not to mention the joy at seeing the collective establishment, aka ‘uniparty,’ lose their ever-lovin’ minds).”
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia also piped in on X: “DOGE can only truly be accomplished by reigning in Congress to enact real government efficiency. The establishment needs to be shattered just like it was yesterday. This could be the way.”
Josh Marcus has the details.
Marjorie Taylor Greene, Rand Paul back Elon Musk as House speaker
“They better be careful”: Trump repeats tariff threats on EU
Monday 23 December 2024 07:00 , Kelly Rissman
Justice Thomas failed to disclose two additional luxury trips funded by billionaire patron
Monday 23 December 2024 06:00 , Kelly Rissman
Justice Clarence Thomas failed to disclose two trips — which hadn’t been publicly reported — paid for by a billionaire Republican donor, a new Congressional report reveals.
In the wake of ProPublica’s explosive 2023 report into Thomas’ failures to disclose his ties to wealthy donor Harlan Crow, Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee conducted a 20-month investigation into the ethics challenges at the Supreme Court.
The report — spanning 97 pages plus 824 pages of supporting documents — was released Saturday, detailing two additional trips paid for by Crow that Thomas hadn’t previously disclosed. More broadly, the report also captured an array of conflicts of interest and undisclosed gifts by justices, prompting the panel to recommend the nation’s highest court establish an enforceable code of conduct.
Read the full story.
Justice Clarence Thomas did not disclose 2 luxury trips funded by billionaire patron
Congressman floats theory that Musk has promised Trump a ‘windfall’ if he does billionaire’s bidding
Monday 23 December 2024 05:00 , Kelly Rissman
Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman of New York suggested Thursday night that Elon Musk would provide President-elect Donald Trump with a “windfall” if the incoming commander-in-chief does the bidding of the X owner.
The Tesla CEO was successful in his efforts to take down a continuing resolution that was set to allow the government to remain funded through Christmas, forcing Speaker Mike Johnson back to the drawing board.
Musk tweeted against the bill Wednesday before Trump did the same, pushing for it to be voted down. Speaker Mike Johnson then withdrew the bill before introducing a shorter version Thursday which was rejected even as it was backed by both Musk and Trump.
Gustaf Kilander has the story.
Congressman floats theory that Musk has promised Trump a ‘windfall’
In photos: Trump and prominent Republicans speak in Phoenix
Monday 23 December 2024 04:00 , Kelly Rissman
President-elect Donald Trump arrives to speak during Turning Point’s annual AmericaFest 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona, on December 22, 2024. (AFP via Getty Images)
U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) speaks ahead of a visit by President-elect Donald Trump during the AmericaFest 2024 conference sponsored by conservative group Turning Point in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. December 22, 2024. REUTERS/Cheney Orr (REUTERS)
Tom Homan, President-elect Donald Trump’s appointee for
US President-elect Donald Trump speaks during Turning Point’s annual AmericaFest 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona, on December 22, 2024. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP) (Photo by JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images) (AFP via Getty Images)
Donald Trump picks Apprentice producer to be special envoy to UK
Monday 23 December 2024 02:00 , Kelly Rissman
Donald Trump has named the British producer behind The Apprentice reality TV series as his special envoy to the UK.
The president-elect said Mark Burnett would bring “a unique blend of diplomatic acumen and international recognition” to the role.
Mr Burnett, 64, was instrumental in significantly raising the profile of Mr Trump in the US when he was appointed as the main host in the north American version of The Apprentice.
Here’s the full story.
Donald Trump picks Apprentice producer to be special envoy to UK
WATCH: Donald Trump Threatens To Retake Panama Canal
Monday 23 December 2024 01:00 , Kelly Rissman
The Palestinian-Americans suing the State Department over Gaza
Monday 23 December 2024 00:00 , Kelly Rissman
Ahmed Moor thinks about his family in Gaza every day. His uncle has been seeking shelter from the relentless Israeli airstrikes for more than a year, and finding none. He has lost cousins and extended family to sniper fire and bombing.
Now, the Palestinian-American father of three is suing Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and the State Department for their role in the carnage, accusing them of violating U.S. law by providing the weapons and support for Israel’s devastating onslaught.
Moor joined a group of Palestinians and their families in filing the lawsuit against the State Department for failing to adhere to a 1997 law. The Leahy Law prohibits U.S. assistance to foreign security forces that are credibly implicated in gross human rights violations.
Richard Hall has the story.
‘They are complicit’: Why Palestinian-Americans are suing the State Dept over Gaza
GOP congresswoman living in care facility after she was found wandering ‘confused’
Sunday 22 December 2024 23:00 , Kelly Rissman
A Texas congresswoman is living in a care facility for senior citizens after being found wandering and confused in her old neighborhood, despite being a current elected representative, a Dallas-area news outlet has reported.
The Dallas Express reports that Kay Granger, a retiring congresswoman representing Tarrant County in the House of Representatives, now lives full-time at an assisted living facility. A spokesperson denied that Granger was “in memory care” in a statement to NBC News on Sunday, but did not dispute the Express’s reporting indicating that Granger relocated to the facility after she was “found wandering lost and confused in her former Cultural District/West 7th neighborhood” in Fort Worth.
Nor did the spokesperson dispute a claim from the facility’s executive director that Granger lives there. Tradition Senior Living’s Taylor Manziel told the Express: “This is her home.”
Granger, according to Fort Worth Magazine and other outlets, was present in the Capitol as recently as November for the unveiling of her congressional portrait. But she did not participate in votes last week as the single-digit Republican majority in the House of Representatives fought to pass several funding bills aimed at preventing a government shutdown at the end of Friday.
Catch up on the saga here.
Republican congresswoman living in care facility after found wandering ‘confused’
Elon Musk will not become the president, Trump reassures Arizona crowd
Sunday 22 December 2024 22:30 , Kelly Rissman
Speaking at AmericaFest on Sunday, Trump dismissed a rumor that he might “cede the presidency” to his “best buddy” Elon Musk.
“No, he’s not going to be president, that I can tell you,” Trump said. “And I’m safe. You know why he can’t be? He wasn’t born in this country.”
The president-elect’s reassurance comes after The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board eviscerated Trump and Musk in an op-ed after the spending bill “fiasco,” in which legislation meant to keep the government open was effectively thwarted by the 78-year-old Republican and the tech billionaire this week.
Trump “on the advice of Elon Musk blew up the end-of-session budget bill without a plan for getting another one passed,” the board wrote.
“There are bad omens here for 2025 and the ability of Republicans to govern,” the board said. “The immediate result has been a fiasco by any measure.”
Read more here.
Wall Street Journal flames Trump and Musk over ‘budget fiasco’
Trump nominates Stephen Alexander Vaden as deputy secretary of the department of agriculture
Sunday 22 December 2024 22:00 , Kelly Rissman
The president-elected named Judge Stephen Alexander Vaden as his deputy secretary of agriculture in a Truth Social Post on Sunday shortly after he gave a rally-style speech in Arizona. “In my First Term, Stephen was the General Counsel of the Department of Agriculture, and a Member of the Board of the Commodity Credit Corporation, where he won two cases before the United States Supreme Court, relocated and reorganized the Agencies that comprise the Department to better serve Rural America, and engaged in substantial regulatory reform,” Trump wrote.
“Stephen joined the USDA on Day One of my First Term, and left in December 2020 after I nominated him, and the U.S. Senate confirmed him, to continue to serve the American People as an Article III Judge on the Court of International Trade,” he said.
Texas Republican Rep. Kay Granger found in retirement facility after months out of the public eye
Sunday 22 December 2024 21:30 , Kelly Rissman
The discovery by a local newspaper of “confused” Texas Republican Representative Kay Granger, 81, in an assisted care facility on Saturday after she dropped out of sight last month has retriggered concerns about aging lawmakers clinging to their powerful roles in the face of fears about diminishing competence.
Age became a political issue in 2024 as in no other election cycle in the modern era of American politics, touching on former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Peloisi, the late California Representative Dianne Feinstein, President Joe Biden, President-elect Donald Trump and other aging leaders.
With the presidential election now in the rear-view mirror, a troubling picture is increasingly emerging of Washington.
John Bowden has the full story.
Aging DC in the spotlight after ‘confused’ lawmaker found living in a nursing home
WATCH: “They better be careful,” Trump says, repeating tariff threats against EU
Sunday 22 December 2024 21:00 , Kelly Rissman
Biden admin looks to lock in legacy on immigration and death penalty
Sunday 22 December 2024 20:45 , Kelly Rissman
The Biden administration is using its waning days in office to make a final mark ahead of the incoming Trump White House.
It announced Friday it would forgive another $4.28 billion in student debt for 54,900 borrowers who pursued careers in public service, bringing Biden’s total to some $180 billion of forgiveness overall, the largest sum of debt forgiveness from any president in U.S. history.
At the same time, the administration said it would scrap further forgiveness proposals from the U.S. Department of Education, noting “uncertainty around the implementation” given Trump’s impending inauguration.
“The Department at this time intends to commit its limited operational resources to helping at-risk borrowers return to repayment successfully,” Education Secretary Migual Cardona wrote in official notices.
Josh Marcus has the full story.
Biden admin wants to lock in migration and death penalty policies as it drops others
ICYMI: Lara Trump will not run for the Senate
Sunday 22 December 2024 20:15 , Kelly Rissman
Lara Trump dropped out of the running for the Senate on Saturday evening, teasing a “big announcement” to come in January.
Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law was floated as a possible replacement for Marco Rubio, the president-elect’s choice for secretary of state.
Two weeks ago Trump announced she was also stepping down from her role as co-chair of the Republican National Committee.
Rhian Lubin has the full story.
Lara Trump drops out of running for the Senate, teases ‘big announcement’
Fascism is ‘not a word that regular people use:’ Sen. John Fetterman, when discussing Trump’s election win
Sunday 22 December 2024 19:15 , Kelly Rissman
Fetterman says Trump has “political talent that’s undeniable” and adds, “I never believed that it was about fascism … that’s not a word that regular people use.” pic.twitter.com/jhSKLaC2eN
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 22, 2024
The president-elect welcomes a ‘commonsense revolution’
Sunday 22 December 2024 18:40 , Kelly Rissman
Donald Trump said a “commonsense revolution” is coming soon to America.
“Woke has to stop. It’s destroying our country. Woke is bulls***,” Trump said, citing the renaming of ships and military bases that were named after Confederate figures. “We will get critical race theory and transgender insanity out of our schools,” he said.
In his second term, Trump promised taxes will be slashed, wages will be increased, violent crime will end and America’s “once-great cities” will be rebuilt.
“We are finally going to build up our country, defend our land and protect our citizens,” the president-elect promised.
“Together we will fight, fight, fight, and together we will win, win, win!” Trump said at the conclusion of his speech.
Before walking off the stage, he did his signature “Trump dance” as the Village People’s “YMCA” played.
Trump lays out anti-trans policies that he will sign on ‘day one’
Sunday 22 December 2024 18:22 , Kelly Rissman
“With the stroke of my pen, on day one I will stop the transgender lunacy,” Donald Trump told the Phoenix crowd.
He said he plans to stop “gender mutilation,” keep transgender Americans out of the military and “keep men out of women’s sports,” he said.
WATCH: Donald Trump Threatens To Retake Panama Canal
Sunday 22 December 2024 18:15 , Kelly Rissman
Former GOP chair suggests Musk is steamrolling ‘too old’ Trump
Sunday 22 December 2024 18:00 , Kelly Rissman
The former chairman of the Republican Party turned the tables on Donald Trump’s long-running criticism of Joe Biden and suggested it’s now the president-elect who may be “too old” to hold his own — especially against his new “best buddy” Elon Musk.
Michael Steele hit out amid lawmakers’ harsh rebukes of Trump after the tech billionaire appeared to play a major role earlier this week via X to kill the first bipartisan stopgap government funding deal floated by Republican House speaker Mike Johnson.
Trump issued a statement agreeing with his billionaire backer only after Musk launched the initial attacks, leading some to mock Trump as Musk’s obsequious vice president.
Read the full story.
Former GOP chair suggests Musk is steamrolling ‘too old’ Trump
Trump’s threats to retake the Panama Canal continue
Sunday 22 December 2024 17:53 , Kelly Rissman
Donald Trump also once again threatened to reclaim the Panama Canal.
“We’re being ripped off at the Panama Canal like we’re being ripped off everywhere else,” he said.
The canal would help with “rapid deployment” of the Navy, he said, adding that the fees being charged by Panama are “ridiculous, highly unfair.”
He repeated the same claim that he wrote in a Truth Social post on Saturday: former President Jimmy Carter “foolishly gave it away for one dollar.”
Read more about Trump’s threats to retake the Panama Canal here:
Trump threatens to retake Panama Canal in Truth Social post
Trump repeats tariff threats during AmericaFest speech
Sunday 22 December 2024 17:45 , Kelly Rissman
“The golden age of America is upon us!” Trump declared.
He praised the post-election stock market, “small business optimism,” and a surge in bitcoin.
Trump also said he informed Mexico and Canada that they have to “stop pouring illegal drugs and aliens into our country,” he said. The president-elect has threatened to impose hefty tariffs on the neighboring countries if they don’t stop the flow of drugs and migrants into the U.S.
Trump then said the European Union has “treated us very badly,” saying they don’t take our agricultural products or cars but “we take ours.”
We’re not going to let the E.U. turn the U.S. into a “dumping ground,” the president-elect continued.
Earlier this week, threatened to levy tariffs against the E.U. in a Truth Social post: “I told the European Union that they must make up their tremendous deficit with the United States by the large scale purchase of our oil and gas. Otherwise, it is TARIFFS all the way.”
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/trump-picks-project-2025-co-131441909.html
