ABC slammed for settling Trump ‘rape’ defamation case as Romney admits MAGA has won Republican party: Live

ABC News on Saturday agreed to a $15 million settlement stemming from Trump’s defamation suit involving a broadcast about E. Jean Carroll, who herself had successfully sued the president-elect for defamatory statements.

According to court documents, anchor George Stephanopoulos and the network were sued after Stephanopoulos wrongly said that the ex-president was found liable for rape at civil trial; he was actually found liable for sexual “abuse” for the incident dating back to 1996.

The decision by the network to reach a settlement with Trump was met with accusations of cowardice online from critics who argued that the company should have fought the lawsuit at trial.

Meanwhile, one of Donald Trump’s last remaining opponents in the GOP seems to have come to terms with the future of the Republican Party as a Trumpified political movement.

“MAGA is the Republican Party and Donald Trump is the Republican Party today,” Mitt Romney says in a new interview.

This weekend the president-elect also named several more picks for his administration on Saturday, including Truth Social CEO Devin Nunes to run an intelligence board, and staunch loyalist foreign policy adviser Richard Grenell as a presidential envoy for special missions.

Key Points

• ABC agrees to pay $15 million to Trump in defamation lawsuit settlement

• Trump names Truth Social CEO Devin Nunes to Intelligence Advisory Board

• Trump wants to privatize U.S. Postal Service

Eric Adams’ chief political advisor resigns

18:27 , John Bowden

Ingrid Lewis-Martin is resigning from New York city hall, according to The New York Times. She was Eric Adams’ top advisor on government affairs, and had withstood weeks of critical coverage for the criminal allegations the mayor now faces.

Adams, a Democrat, has turned to Donald Trump and Magaworld for a positive embrace as he faces isolation and ridicule in his own party while facing five criminal counts related to alleged corruption.

Eric Adams’ arraignment was more of a circus than Trump’s sexual abuse trial

New York governor demands Biden action on mystery drones after airfield shut down: ‘This has gone too far’

18:08 , John Bowden

New York Governor Kathy Hochul is calling on Washington to do more about the mysterious drones spotted in recent weeks above the Northeast.

The governor said in a statement on Saturday on X that drone activity prompted officials to shut down Stewart Airfield in New Windsor for about an hour last night.

New York governor demands action on mystery drones after airfield shut down

Mitt Romney on CNN: Maga won

17:19 , John Bowden

CNN’s State of the Union interviewed retiring senator Mitt Romney on Sunday. The Republican senator has been one of Donald Trump’s last remaining opponents in the GOP, but bowed out of the Senate this year.

Romney seems to have come to terms with the future of the Republican Party as a Trumpified political movement.

“MAGA is the Republican Party and Donald Trump is the Republican Party today,” the Utah senator told Jake Tapper, adding: “Democrats have badly misread the direction of the country… and President Trump took advantage of that.”

Watch a clip here:

Devin Nunes and Ric Grenell — who are Trump’s latest administration picks?

16:40 , John Bowden

Donald Trump announced on Saturday that Truth Social CEO Devin Nunes and the president-elect’s Director of National Intelligence Ric Grenell have been selected to serve in his upcoming administration.

Nunes, as former California House Representative, was tapped for to serve as Chairman of Trump’s Intelligence Advisory Board, while Grenell was picked to serve as his Presiential Envoy for Special Missions.

While Nunes was in office he served on the House Intelligence Committee and consistently backed any move then-President Trump made. He also led the two-year investigation into US’s responde to the 2012 Benghazi attack, which ultimate found no evidence of wrongdoing on the part of the US State Department under Hillary Clinton.

Nunes also refused to back an investigation into Trump former national security adviser and Q-Anon conspiracy theorist Michael Flynn after it was revealed he had unreported discussions with Russian officials while serving under Trump.

“From everything that I can see, his conversations with the Russian ambassador—he was doing this country a favor, and he should be thanked for it,” Nunes said at the time.

Grenell formerly served as Trump’s ambassador to Germany and his Director of National Intelligence.

Prior to his involvement in Trump’s administration, Grenell was a consultant for an eastern European oligarch, Vladimir Plahotniuc. He faced criticism after he wrote articles defending the oligarch without making clear he was being paid to manage the man’s image.

Grenell is a former Fox News contributor and was named as a VP at the far-right media outlet Newsmax in 2021. He earned the ire of the media in 2020 when, during a Trump press conference, he refused to identify himself to reporters and publicly accused the state of covering up incidents of voter fraud in order to help the election prospects of then-Democratic challenger Joe Biden.

These claims were made without evidence, and Mr Grenell refused to answer questions from journalists who demanded he prove his assertions.

Mayorkas says federal authorities are addressing New Jersey drone sightings

16:00 , John Bowden

Joe Biden’s secretary of homeland security, Alejandro Mayorkas, on Sunday addressed the spotting of small drone aircraft in New Jersey in an interview Sunday on ABC’s This Week.

“There’s no question that people are seeing drones,” he said. “I want to assure the American public that we in the federal government have deployed additional resources, personnel, technology to assist the New Jersey State Police in addressing the drone sightings.”

Iran, drone or UFO: Mystery over bizarre lights spotted in skies over New Jersey

The woman behind Capitol bathroom protest says trans people can’t trust Democrats to protect them

15:39 , John Bowden

A transgender activist who staged a sit-in at the US Capitol to protest House Republicans’ new policy targeting a transgender incoming member of Congress tells The Independent that the 2024 election cycle shows that LGBTQ+ Americans really can’t trust Democrats to have their backs in a fight.

“Unfortunately, the signals coming from our government right now, under a Democratic president, are telling us that we’re essentially on our own,” the 33-year-old activist told our Io Dodds in an interview.

Activist says trans people can’t trust Democrats to protect them anymore

Chicago mayor vows to protect residents after Trump’s border czar singles out Windy City for mass deportations

15:02 , John Bowden

Donald Trump’s incoming “border czar” has suggested the president-elect’s plans for mass deportations will begin in Chicago, part of a plan that would deploy law enforcement officers into communities across the country for broad sweeps targeting people living in the country without legal permission.

The Windy City’s mayor is vowing to protect his city’s residents from Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents who could push into schools and workplaces, butting against so-called “sanctuary” policies barring federal forces from using local police for deportation enforcement.

“What the Trump administration has called for is for local police departments around the country to behave as ICE agents. In sanctuary cities, that is not permissible,” Chicago’s Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson told CNN.

READ MORE:

Chicago mayor vows to protect residents after Trump’s border czar singles out city

Polio survivor Mitch McConnell slams ‘dangerous’ push by RFK Jr lawyer to kill vaccine

14:00 , Graig Graziosi

Senate Republican leader and polio survivor Mitch McConnell on Friday condemned “dangerous” efforts to abolish the polio vaccine following news that Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s lawyer’s tried to do just that.

Attorney Aaron Siri in 2022 petitioned the Food and Drug Administration to revoke its approval for multiple critical childhood vaccines, including the polio vaccine. News of Siri’s action resurfaced just weeks after RFK Jr. was named by President-elect Donald Trump as his pick to be secretary of Health and Human Services. Siri is currently helping Kennedy vet officials to serve in the department.

Kennedy is known for his extreme anti-vaccine positions which are widely derided by the mainstream medical community. Siri’s petition claimed the vaccine was not properly tested to ensure it was safe, despite its decade-long use protecting millions of children from contracting the disease.

READ MORE:

Mitch McConnell slams ‘dangerous’ push by RFK Jr lawyer to kill vaccine

Even liberals like popular Barron Trump at New York University

13:00 , Graig Graziosi

Barron Trump has been described as a “ladies’ man” around the New York University (NYU) campus, where he is so popular that even his liberal classmates like him.

An insider at NYU’s Stern School of Business, where Barron enrolled this fall, told People magazine that Donald Trump’s only son with third wife Melania Trump has proven to be “popular with the ladies.”

“He’s tall and handsome,” the source said of the 18-year-old, who stands an astonishing six feet nine inches tall.

READ MORE:

Even liberals like popular Barron Trump at New York University

Trump set to scrap car-crash regulation Musk hates: Report

11:00 , Graig Graziosi

Donald Trump’s transition team is reportedly considering scrapping a car-crash reporting requirement that Tesla and X CEO Elon Musk stongly opposes, according to a new report.

According to Reuters, which viewed a document reportedly proposing the change, the removal of the requirement could hamstring the government’s ability to effectively investigate crashes and regulate the safety of vehicles with self-driving systems, like Musk’s Teslas and Cybertrucks.

Musk, who is the world’s richest man, used his vast wealth to pour a quarter of a billion dollars into Trump’s 2024 campaign. If Trump’s team does remove the accident reporting requirements, it would likely directly benefit Musk’s Tesla, which has reported the majority of crashes — more than 1,500 — to federal safety regulators under the program.

READ MORE:

Trump set to scrap car-crash regulation Musk hates: Report

ABC agrees to pay $15 million to Trump in defamation lawsuit settlement

09:00 , Graig Graziosi

ABC has agreed to pay $15 million as part of a settlement with Donald Trump after the president-elect sued the network and host George Stephanopoulos for defamation.

In March, Stephanopoulos pressed congresswoman Nancy Mace about her support for the former president despite a judge finding him “liable for rape by a jury,” he said.

“Donald Trump has been found liable for defaming the victim of that rape by a jury,” Stephonopoulos said on ABC’s This Week at the time. “It’s been affirmed by a judge.”

READ MORE:

ABC agrees to pay $15 million to Trump in defamation lawsuit settlement

Don Trump Jr didn’t like Kimberly Guilfoyle’s fashion sense and thought new beau would be more of a win with dad

07:00 , Graig Graziosi

Donald Trump Jr is dating a new woman who he thinks will “impress” his father, but has not publicly announced a split from Kimberly Guilfoyle, whose style he has criticized, according to a report.

Photos captured Trump Jr., 46 holding hands with socialite Bettina Anderson, 38, as they went for an evening stroll through Palm Beach, Florida this week.

While neither president-elect Donald Trump’s eldest son nor Guilfoyle, 55, have spoken publicly about their relationship status, insiders told People that after months of criticizing Guilfoyle’s style, he thinks he’s found someone who fits into the Trump family — someone comparable to his father’s wife, Melania. Trump met Melania at a party in 1998, when he was on a date with another woman, the former first lady said in a 2016 interview with Harper’s Bazaar.

READ MORE:

Don Trump Jr didn’t like Guilfoyle’s style and thought new beau would impress his dad

Devin Nunes and Ric Grenell — who are Trump’s latest administration picks?

06:00 , Graig Graziosi

Donald Trump announced on Saturday that Truth Social CEO Devin Nunes and the president-elect’s Director of National Intelligence Ric Grenell have been selected to serve in his upcoming administration.

Nunes, as former California House Representative, was tapped for to serve as Chairman of Trump’s Intelligence Advisory Board, while Grenell was picked to serve as his Presiential Envoy for Special Missions.

While Nunes was in office he served on the House Intelligence Committee and consistently backed any move then-President Trump made. He also led the two-year investigation into US’s responde to the 2012 Benghazi attack, which ultimate found no evidence of wrongdoing on the part of the US State Department under Hillary Clinton.

Nunes also refused to back an investigation into Trump former national security adviser and Q-Anon conspiracy theorist Michael Flynn after it was revealed he had unreported discussions with Russian officials while serving under Trump.

“From everything that I can see, his conversations with the Russian ambassador—he was doing this country a favor, and he should be thanked for it,” Nunes said at the time.

Grenell formerly served as Trump’s ambassador to Germany and his Director of National Intelligence.

Prior to his involvement in Trump’s administration, Grenell was a consultant for an eastern European oligarch, Vladimir Plahotniuc. He faced criticism after he wrote articles defending the oligarch without making clear he was being paid to manage the man’s image.

Grenell is a former Fox News contributor and was named as a VP at the far-right media outlet Newsmax in 2021. He earned the ire of the media in 2020 when, during a Trump press conference, he refused to identify himself to reporters and publicly accused the state of covering up incidents of voter fraud in order to help the election prospects of then-Democratic challenger Joe Biden.

These claims were made without evidence, and Mr Grenell refused to answer questions from journalists who demanded he prove his assertions.

Elon Musk shares photo of himself with Trump and Vance at Army-Navy game

04:38 , Graig Graziosi

Tesla, SpaceX, and X CEO Elon Musk was at Saturday’s Army-Navy game alongside President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance. The image shows the three men on a stadium Jumbotron and is yet another example of Musk — the world’s richest man and presumably a very busy person leading three massive companies — spending a significant amount of time hanging around with Trump.

Vivek Ramaswamy poses with Daniel Penny, recalls donation to his legal defense

04:20 , Graig Graziosi

Failed Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy posted a photo of himself posing with Daniel Penny, who was recently acquitted for the death of Jordan Neely, a Black street performer who struggled with homelessness and schizophrenia, and recalled that he donated to Penny’s legal defense fund. Neely died after Penny held him in a chokehold for more than six minuted on a New York City subway train.

Neely was allegedly yelling threatening things at the other passengers, but witnesses said he never touched anyone.

“Our family contributed to this man’s legal defense fund last year because he was wronged. We don’t regret it. Hope Daniel Penny has a bright future & good life ahead,” Ramaswamy wrote. According to reports at the time, Ramaswamy donated $10,000 to Penny’s defense.

CNN contributor Bakari Sellers calls Daniel Penny praise ‘identity politics of the right’

04:10 , Graig Graziosi

CNN contributor and former South Carolina Representative Bakari Sellers lamented that Daniel Penny, who was recently acquitted for the death of Jordan Neely, a Black street performer who struggled with homelessness and schizophrenia, was invited to the Army-Navy football game to hobnob with President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance.

“The prism through which this country views race is fascinating. Look at conservative avatars….Daniel Penny kills a black man has no accountability, chills with the POTUS. Caitlin Clark acknowledges black women’s professional contributions and gets crucified,” he wrote on X. “Watching the identity politics of the right…”

ABC News staff allegedly furious at $15m Trump settlement

03:56 , Graig Graziosi

ABC News staff are allegedly upset that the broadcaster agreed to pay $15 million to Donald Trump to settle a defamation suit he brought against veteran anchor George Stephanopoulos.Trump claimed the anchor defamed him when he said the president-elect had been found liable for rape by a jury in the E Jean Carroll defamation trial.According to reporter Yashar Ali, staff ABC News have expressed their frustration that the company found money to pay off Trump, but not for salary increases or staving off layoffs. “Their anger primarily stems from the fact that they have faced repeated budget and compensation cuts in recent years, experienced layoffs, and yet the network — even if insurance paid it — has paid this huge sum of money to settle this matter,” Ali wrote.

Democratic Party attorney says ABC News bent the knee to Trump in defamation settlement

03:41 , Graig Graziosi

Democratic Party attorney and Democracy Docket founded Marc Elias said ABC News “kissed the ring” by agreeing to settle a defamation lawsuit brought by Donald Trump.

On Saturday ABC News agreed to pay Trump $15 million after he sued the broadcaster for defamation in respose to a comment George Stephanopoulos made claiming the president-elect had been found liable for rape by a jury in the E Jean Carroll defamation trial. Elias criticized the broadcaster for the move. “Knee bent. Ring kissed. Another legacy news outlet chooses obedience,” he wrote on Saturday.

ABC agrees to pay $15 million to Trump in defamation lawsuit settlement

03:33 , Graig Graziosi

ABC has agreed to pay $15 million as part of a settlement with Donald Trump after the president-elect sued the network and host George Stephanopoulos for defamation.

In March, Stephanopoulos pressed congresswoman Nancy Mace about her support for the former president despite a judge finding him “liable for rape by a jury,” he said.

“Donald Trump has been found liable for defaming the victim of that rape by a jury,” Stephonopoulos said on ABC’s This Week at the time. “It’s been affirmed by a judge.”

READ MORE:

ABC agrees to pay $15 million to Trump in defamation lawsuit settlement

Video surfaces of George Santos being hit with coffee in Times Square

03:20 , Graig Graziosi

Former New York congressman George Santos was hit with a cup of coffee as he walked through Times Square, according to a video making the rounds on social media.

The clip begins with an unnamed man wearing sunglasses speaking into camera, saying, “This guy has got [the] audacity to show his face,” as he follows Santos.

After getting the former congressman’s attention, the man throws a drink on Santos, and asks, “How do you like that?”

READ MORE:

Video surfaces of George Santos being hit with coffee in Times Square

Daniel Penny meets Donald Trump days after his acquittal in Jordan Neely’s subway death

03:01 , Graig Graziosi

Daniel Penny, the former US Marine who was recently acquitted of the killing of New York City subway rider Jordan Neely, spent Saturday rubbing elbows with President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance at the annual Army-Navy football game in Maryland.

The death of the homeless Black street performer sparked outrage and demands for justice for homeless New Yorkers, while Penny — and some witnesses aboard the train — argued he was a danger to others onboard. The former Marine held Neely in a lethal chokehold for more than six minutes.

“He was just threatening to kill people,” Penny told Fox News host Jeanine Pirro. “He was threatening to go to jail forever, to go to jail for the rest of his life.”

READ MORE:

Daniel Penny meets Donald Trump days after his acquittal in Jordan Neely subway death

Elon Musk wants to turn SpaceX site in Texas into his own city

02:36 , Graig Graziosi

In the decade since SpaceX arrived on the Texas coast, billionaire Elon Musk‘s company has created thousands of jobs near the Mexico border, launched rockets and sprung up new homes — all around an area dubbed Starbase.

Now SpaceX wants to make Starbase a recognized city.

Nearby residents are asking for an election to incorporate the area, which sits on the southern tip of Texas at Boca Chica Beach. Musk posted on his social platform X on Thursday that “SpaceX HQ will now officially be in the city of Starbase, Texas!”

READ MORE:

Elon Musk wants to turn SpaceX site in Texas into his own city

Devin Nunes and Ric Grenell — who are Trump’s latest administration picks?

01:50 , Graig Graziosi

Donald Trump announced on Saturday that Truth Social CEO Devin Nunes and the president-elect’s Director of National Intelligence Ric Grenell have been selected to serve in his upcoming administration.

Nunes, as former California House Representative, was tapped for to serve as Chairman of Trump’s Intelligence Advisory Board, while Grenell was picked to serve as his Presiential Envoy for Special Missions.

While Nunes was in office he served on the House Intelligence Committee and consistently backed any move then-President Trump made. He also led the two-year investigation into US’s responde to the 2012 Benghazi attack, which ultimate found no evidence of wrongdoing on the part of the US State Department under Hillary Clinton.

Nunes also refused to back an investigation into Trump former national security adviser and Q-Anon conspiracy theorist Michael Flynn after it was revealed he had unreported discussions with Russian officials while serving under Trump.

“From everything that I can see, his conversations with the Russian ambassador—he was doing this country a favor, and he should be thanked for it,” Nunes said at the time.

Grenell formerly served as Trump’s ambassador to Germany and his Director of National Intelligence.

Prior to his involvement in Trump’s administration, Grenell was a consultant for an eastern European oligarch, Vladimir Plahotniuc. He faced criticism after he wrote articles defending the oligarch without making clear he was being paid to manage the man’s image.

Grenell is a former Fox News contributor and was named as a VP at the far-right media outlet Newsmax in 2021. He earned the ire of the media in 2020 when, during a Trump press conference, he refused to identify himself to reporters and publicly accused the state of covering up incidents of voter fraud in order to help the election prospects of then-Democratic challenger Joe Biden.

These claims were made without evidence, and Mr Grenell refused to answer questions from journalists who demanded he prove his assertions.

Daniel Penny meets Donald Trump days after his acquittal in Jordan Neely’s subway death

00:53 , Graig Graziosi

Daniel Penny, the former US Marine who was recently acquitted of the killing of New York City subway rider Jordan Neely, spent Saturday rubbing elbows with President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance at the annual Army-Navy football game in Maryland.

The death of the homeless Black street performer sparked outrage and demands for justice for homeless New Yorkers, while Penny — and some witnesses aboard the train — argued he was a danger to others onboard. The former Marine held Neely in a lethal chokehold for more than six minutes.

“He was just threatening to kill people,” Penny told Fox News host Jeanine Pirro. “He was threatening to go to jail forever, to go to jail for the rest of his life.”READ MORE:

Daniel Penny meets Donald Trump days after his acquittal in Jordan Neely subway death

Trump names Ric Grenell as Presidential Envoy for Special Missions

00:30 , Graig Graziosi

Donald Trump has named Ric Grenell, his former acting Director for National Intelligence, to Presidential Envoy for Special Missions in his upcoming term. “In my First Term, Ric was the United States Ambassador to Germany, Acting Director of National Intelligence, and Presidential Envoy for Kosovo-Serbia Negotiations. Previously, he spent eight years inside the United Nations Security Council, working with North Korea, and developments in numerous other Countries,” Trump’s account wrote on Truth Social.

D.C. restaurant server fired for saying she would refuse to serve some Trump officials

00:15 , Graig Graziosi

A server in Washington, D.C. has been fired after she said she would refuse to serve certain officials in Donald Trump‘s incoming administration who have been accused of sexual misconduct.

The server was working at Beuchert’s Saloon on Capitol Hill when she made the comments to Washingtonian magazine for a story about D.C. preparing for the influx of Trump officials to the city’s dining spots.

After the story ran, Fox News ran its own story following up on her comments and learned she had been fired for what her employer called her “base prejudice.”

READ MORE:

D.C. server fired for saying she would refuse to serve some Trump officials

Chicago mayor vows to protect residents after Trump’s border czar singles out Windy City for mass deportations

Saturday 14 December 2024 23:50 , Graig Graziosi

Donald Trump’s incoming “border czar” has suggested the president-elect’s plans for mass deportations will begin in Chicago, part of a plan that would deploy law enforcement officers into communities across the country for broad sweeps targeting people living in the country without legal permission.

The Windy City’s mayor is vowing to protect his city’s residents from Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents who could push into schools and workplaces, butting against so-called “sanctuary” policies barring federal forces from using local police for deportation enforcement.

“What the Trump administration has called for is for local police departments around the country to behave as ICE agents. In sanctuary cities, that is not permissible,” Chicago’s Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson told CNN.

READ MORE:

Chicago mayor vows to protect residents after Trump’s border czar singles out city

Defense Secretary conducts coin toss at Army-Navy game

Saturday 14 December 2024 23:20 , Josh Marcus

Why the right loves Daniel Penny

Saturday 14 December 2024 23:00 , Josh Marcus

Daniel Penny was a guest of Donald Trump and company on Saturday at the Army-Navy football game in Maryland.

The invite, on its face, would seem a strange one: Penny was facing a homicide charge in a New York court last week, for which he was ultimately acquitted.

Last year, we had this look at how Penny became a celebrity on the right for choking a homeless man on the subway, in what the 26-year-old said was an act to defend his fellow passengers.

How Republicans and right-wing media turned Jordan Neely’s killer into a hero

ICYMI: Trump set to scrap car-crash regulation Musk hates

Saturday 14 December 2024 22:40 , Josh Marcus

Donald Trump’s transition team is reportedly considering scrapping a car-crash reporting requirement that Tesla and X CEO Elon Musk stongly opposes, according to a new report.

According to Reuters, which viewed a document reportedly proposing the change, the removal of the requirement could hamstring the government’s ability to effectively investigate crashes and regulate the safety of vehicles with self-driving systems, like Musk’s Teslas and Cybertrucks.

Musk, who is the world’s richest man, used his vast wealth to pour a quarter of a billion dollars into Trump’s 2024 campaign. If Trump’s team does remove the accident reporting requirements, it would likely directly benefit Musk’s Tesla, which has reported the majority of crashes — more than 1,500 — to federal safety regulators under the program.

Tesla’s crashes have sparked three major National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigations, according to federal data. According to the agency’s data, Teslas have accounted for 40 out of 45 fatal crashes reported to the agency through October 15.

Graig Graziosi has the details.

Trump set to scrap car-crash regulation Musk hates: Report

Acquitted Daniel Penny meets with Trump and Vance at Army-Navy game

Saturday 14 December 2024 22:30 , Graig Graziosi

Daniel Penny, who was recently acquitted for the killing of Jordan Neely on a New York City subway train, met with Donald Trump and JD Vance during the Army-Navy football game on Saturday.

Big Tech goes Big Trump

Saturday 14 December 2024 22:20 , Josh Marcus

This week, the leaders of the tech industry made a concerted push too woo Donald Trump, who has long been a critic, accusing platforms of unfairly silencing him and going after Amazon founder Jeff Bezos for his ownership of the Washington Post.

Here’s how it all went down.

Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta donates $1m to Trump’s inaugural fund

First Zuckerberg, now Bezos: Amazon to donate $1m to Trump’s inaugural fund

Trump hosts Apple CEO at Mar-a-Lago as big tech leaders continue outreach to president-elect

More Trump nominees announced

Saturday 14 December 2024 22:00 , Josh Marcus

Donald Trump has announced two new additions to his administration, naming Bill White as ambassador to Belgium and nominating Troy Edgar to be deputy Homeland Security secretary.

Washington restaurant server fired for comments on refusing to serve Trump officials

Saturday 14 December 2024 21:40 , Josh Marcus

A Washington, D.C.-area restaurant worker has reportedly been fired for saying she might refuse to serve Trump administration officials, according to Fox News.

The decision comes after the server spoke out about the influx of new Trump admininistration officials soon to be dining out around the Capitol.

“I personally would refuse to serve any person in office who I know of as being a sex trafficker or trying to deport millions of people,” Suzannah Van Rooy, a server at Beuchert’s Saloon on Capitol Hill, told the Washingtonian. “It’s not, ‘Oh, we hate Republicans.’ It’s that this person has moral convictions that are strongly opposed to mine, and I don’t feel comfortable serving them.”

BREAKING: ABC agrees to pay $15 million to Trump in defamation lawsuit settlement

Saturday 14 December 2024 21:09 , Josh Marcus

ABC has agreed to pay $15 million as part of a settlement with Donald Trump after the president-electsued the network and host George Stephanopoulos for defamation.

In March, Stephanopoulos pressed congresswoman Nancy Mace about her support for the former president despite a judge finding him “liable for rape by a jury,” he said.

“Donald Trump has been found liable for defaming the victim of that rape by a jury,” Stephonopoulos. “It’s been affirmed by a judge.”

Juries in New York found Trump liable for defaming and sexually abusing E Jean Carroll after he repeatedly called her a liar for speaking publicly about allegations that he assaulted her in the 1990s. Trump has appealed the nearly $90 million in judgments against him.

Alex Woodward reports.

ABC agrees to pay $15 million to Trump in defamation lawsuit settlement

WATCH: Trump salutes instead of putting his hand over heart during national anthem

Saturday 14 December 2024 21:03 , Josh Marcus

Pharma ceo says there’s ‘more common ground’ after Mar-a-Lago meeting with RFK

Saturday 14 December 2024 21:00 , Josh Marcus

Big Pharma executives reportedly had a series of surprisingly cordial meeting in recent days with Donald Trump and Health and Human Services secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr., at Mar-a-Lago, despite Kennedy being an outspoken critic of the industry.

During the December confab, which reportedly included the CEOs of Pfizer, Eli Lilly and the trade group PhRMA, Trump reportedly talked about lowering drug costs and increasing U.S. manufacturing of medicines.

The president-elect also steered things back on course when Kennedy began discussing his opinions on the potential link between vaccines and autism, a theory that’s been widely discreditted. Trump reportedly suggested more study would help reduce vaccine hesitancy, according to The Washington Post.

“Probably shouldn’t say too much about it, but it was all you can imagine, and a little bit more,” Eli Lilly CEO David Ricks told the Economic Club of Washington this week of the meeting. “There’s often more common ground than you’d think just reading the newspapers.”

Photos: Crowd cheers Trump and his allies at Army-Navy game

Saturday 14 December 2024 20:45 , Josh Marcus

‘How do you like that?’: Man hurls coffee at George Santos in Time Square

Saturday 14 December 2024 20:29 , Josh Marcus

Former congressman George Santos reportedly had a cup of coffee thrown on him as he walked through Times Square in New York City recently, according to a viral video.

In the clip, the former congressman, who pleaded guilty in August to identity theft and wire fraud charges, reacts with a mix of shock and anger, saying, “What the f*** is wrong with you?”

It’s unclear who threw the coffee at Santos, though the video begins with an unnamed man speaking into camera saying, “This guy has got [the] audacity to show his face?”

Watch live: Trump attends Army-Navy game in Maryland

Saturday 14 December 2024 20:11 , Josh Marcus

JD Vance, Daniel Penny spotted at Army-Navy game

Saturday 14 December 2024 20:10 , Josh Marcus

Vice president-elect JD Vance and Daniel Penny were among the notable figures spotted on Saturday in Donald Trump’s box at the Army-Navy football game.

The president-elect is reportedly en route.

Jets fly over Washington ahead of Army-Navy game

Saturday 14 December 2024 20:05 , Josh Marcus

Trump names Devin Nunes to Intelligence Advisory Board

Saturday 14 December 2024 19:57 , Josh Marcus

Donald Trump has named Devin Nunes, CEO of his Truth Social platform, to lead the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board, an independent body that advises the executive branch.

In a Truth Social post on Saturday, Trump said Nunes, a former California congressman, “will draw on his experience as former Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, and his key role in exposing the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, to provide me with independent assessments of the effectiveness and propriety of the U.S. Intelligence Community’s activities.”

Chicago mayor responds to Trump administration threats of arrest over immigration policies

Saturday 14 December 2024 19:45 , Josh Marcus

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson defended his city’s immigration “sanctuary” policies on Saturday and responded to threats from the Trump administration to prosecute him.

“What the Trump administration has called for is for local police departments around the country to behave as ICE agents. In sanctuary cities, that is not permissible,” the mayor told CNN.

The city’s sanctuary policies bar local police from assisting in deportations and don’t ask people their citizenship status when they use city services.

Johnson added that these provisions still allow immigration authorities to go after migrants accused of criminal offenses.

“Once they are arrested and they are in custody, then the law, of course, is fully prepared to prosecute,” he said, adding, “Look, no one is going to harbor or protect criminals, whether you have come here as an immigrant or undocumented or otherwise.”

The comments came after Trump border czar Tom Homan threatened to prosecute Johnson if he gets in the way of the administration’s plans to carry out an unprecedented national deportation operation upon taking office.

“If your Chicago mayor doesn’t want to help, he can step aside,” Homan said this week during an event in Chicago. “But if he impedes us — if he knowingly harbors or conceals an illegal alien — I will prosecute him.”

Trump’s border czar reveals which city is first for mass deportations

Trump mocks Chris Christie with bizarre drone-themed post

Saturday 14 December 2024 19:30 , Josh Marcus

Donald Trump continued his long-running public animosity towards former New Jersey Governor and Republican presidential rival Chris Christie, posting a mocked up photo on Saturday showing Christie eating McDonalds being delivered by drones.

The crude post appeared to be a reference to the spate of drone sightings above New Jersey in recent weeks.

New York officials outraged over drone sightings call for new powers

Saturday 14 December 2024 19:14 , Josh Marcus

New York Governor Kathy Hochul is calling on Washington to do more about the mysterious drones spotted in recent weeks above the Northeast.

The governor said in a statement on Saturday on X that drone activity prompted officials to shut down Stewart Airfield in New Windsor for about an hour last night.

“This has gone too far,” Hochul said in the statement, calling on Congress to pass the Counter-UAS Authority Security, Safety, and Reauthorization Act, a bill that would reform drone policy and hand more authority over to states.

More details in our full story.

New York governor demands action on mystery drones after airfield shut down

Don Jr. offers ‘endorsement’ to Democrats planning to skip Trump’s inauguration

Saturday 14 December 2024 18:56 , Josh Marcus

Donald Trump Jr. doesn’t seem too concerned more than a dozen Democrats are reportedly planning to skip Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration in January.

“Apparently a large group of Democrat legislators plan to boycott my father’s inauguration, which is great as it will make room for a lot more actual patriots to attend,” the president-elect’s son wrote on X on Saturday. “They have my complete and total endorsement to stay at home.”

Nancy Pelosi hospitalized after ‘hard fall’

Saturday 14 December 2024 18:05 , Josh Marcus

Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has undergone a hip replacement procedure after being hospitalized in Luxembourg on Friday following a fall.

Pelosi, 84, was traveling with the congressional delegation for the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge – the last major German offensive during the Second World War – when she fell.

Her spokesperson, Ian Krager, said in a statement:“Earlier this morning, Speaker Emerita Pelosi underwent a successful hip replacement and is well on the mend.

“Speaker Pelosi is grateful to U.S. military staff at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center at Landstuhl Army Base and medical staff at Hospital Kirchberg in Luxembourg for their excellent care and kindness.

Ariana Baio has the details.

Nancy Pelosi undergoes hip replacement after fall during trip to Europe

Trump wants to privatize U.S. Postal Service

Saturday 14 December 2024 18:01 , Josh Marcus

Donald Trump is seeking to potentially privatize the U.S. Postal Service once he takes office, according to The Washington Post, with the president-elect reportedly dismayed over the carrier’s financial losses.

“The government is slow, slow, slow — decades slow on adopting new ways of doing things, and there’s a lot of [other] carrier services that became legal in the ’70s that are doing things so much better with increased volumes and reduced costs,” said Casey Mulligan, a former top economist in the first Trump administration, told the paper. “We didn’t finish the job in the first term, but we should finish it now.”

During his previous term, the president publicly feuded with the postal carrier over rates and labor questions and repeatedly raised questions over the sanctity of mail-in ballots.

U.S. in contact with Syrian rebels who overthrew Assad

Saturday 14 December 2024 17:40 , Josh Marcus

The U.S. has been in direct contact with the Syrian rebel group that overthrew the regime of dictator Bashar Assad, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed on Saturday.

The group, former al-Qaida affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), has been designated a foreign terror group by the U.S. since 2018.

“Yes, we have been in contact with HTS and with other parties,” Blinken said in Jordan on Saturday, adding, “our message to the Syrian people is this: We want them to succeed and we’re prepared to help them do so.”

New York governor hammers Biden on drones: ‘This has gone too far’

Saturday 14 December 2024 17:21 , Josh Marcus

New York Governor Kathy Hochul is calling on Washington to do more about the mysterious drones and aircraft spotted in recent weeks above the Northeast.

The governor said in a statement on Saturday on X drone activity prompted officials to shut down Stewart Airfield in New Windsor for about an hour.

“This has gone too far,” Hochul said in the statement, calling on Congress to pass the Counter-UAS Authority Security, Safety, and Reauthorization Act, a bill that would reform drone policy and hand more authority over to states.

“Until those powers are granted to state and local officials, the Biden Administration must step in by directing additional federal law enforcement to New York and the surrounding region to ensure the safety of our criitcal infrastructure and our people,” Hochul added.

Trump immigration plans could cut 3.3m workers from temporary authorization

Saturday 14 December 2024 17:05 , Josh Marcus

Employers are worried Donald Trump’s immigration agenda could cut the workforce by millions of people if he follows through on slashing programs offering temporary work approval to immigrants in the country illegally or whose visas have expired.

The programs cover as many as 3.3 million people, according to the Migration Policy Institute.

“Though the numbers are small, these individuals play a key role in the success of a company like ours,” Nate Koetje, chief executive of an electrical contractor based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, told the Wall Street Journal on Saturday.

Elon Musk to join Trump at Army-Navy game

Saturday 14 December 2024 16:45 , Josh Marcus

Elon Musk and Trump have been nearly inseparable since the election, and that looks set to continue at today’s Army-Navy football game.

Musk said on X he would be joining the president-elect in Maryland to take in the matchup.

Here’s more on the Trump-Musk friendship:

Nearly three dozen Trump donors picked to serve in administration

Saturday 14 December 2024 16:30 , Josh Marcus

In Washington, a well-placed donation goes a long way.

The incoming Trump administration is set to be staffed with nearly three dozen individuals who donated to the Trump campaign or groups working to re-elect the Republican, according to a new CNN analysis.

Those donors include more well-known ones like Elon Musk, who spent hundreds of millions of dollars on the Trump effort, to others like Congress members Elise Stefanik and Mike Waltz, who transferred money from their campaigns to support Trump.

Elon Musk spent over $250 million to help Trump get elected, new filings show

Trump’s Time person of the year comes with a unique fact-check

Saturday 14 December 2024 16:10 , Josh Marcus

Donald Trump’s recent designation as Time magazine’s Person of the Year came with a unique addition: a lengthy post-interview fact-check.

The magazine said Friday no other Person of the Year has prompted a similar fact-check over the nearly 100 year history of the annual honor.

The fact-check probes 15 different statements made by the president-elect about immigration, vaccines, and crime.

Why Trump may not want DeSantis as Defense Secretary

Saturday 14 December 2024 15:50 , Josh Marcus

Donald Trump is reportedly cooling on the idea of replacing his pick to lead the Pentagon, former Fox News anchor Pete Hegseth, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

DeSantis’s name entered the picture as Hegseth faced a number of serious misconduct allegations, including rape and alcohol abuse, both of which he denies.

But Trump’s potential embrace of DeSantis for the position appears to have stalled, according to political reporter Maggie Haberman.

“What changed was a couple of things. One was… Trump could not find a single person in his orbit, or even really outside of it, who liked this idea of making Ron DeSantis — the governor of Florida — the Defense secretary choice,” she told CNN’s “AC360.”

Here’s more on the potential DeSantis nod:

Trump considers ally-turned-rival DeSantis to replace Hegseth as Pentagon chief

Pressure builds to address mystery lights over Northeast

Saturday 14 December 2024 15:32 , Josh Marcus

Officials are ratcheting up the pressure to respond to a series of mysterious lights spotted over New Jersey.

“Mystery Drone sightings all over the Country,” Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on Saturday. “Can this really be happening without our government’s knowledge. I don’t think so! Let the public know, and now. Otherwise, shoot them down!!! DJT”

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan said Friday he had “personally witnessed” the lights.

Officials have said they are investigating the phenomenon, but have been unable to corroborate reports of unauthorized drones over New Jersey.

“Upon review of available imagery, it appears that many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft that are being operated lawfully,” National Security Council John Kirby said earlier this week.

The Pentagon has said it doesn’t believe the lights are “coming from a foreign entity or adversary.”

More than a dozen Democrats to skip Trump inauguration

Saturday 14 December 2024 15:08 , Josh Marcus

More than a dozen Democrats are reportedly planning to skip Donald Trump’s January 20 inauguration.

Lawmakers told Axios their reasons ranged from anger over the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol to feeling unsafe around a mass of Trump supporters.

“For somebody who he said he’s going to lock me up, I don’t see the excitement in going to see his inauguration,” former Jan. 6 committee chair Bennie Thompson of Mississippi said.

Trump made a controversial promise about the Middle East. But it might not be so far-fetched

Saturday 14 December 2024 14:00 , John Bowden

What does the Middle East look like under Trump 2.0?

The president-elect is due to take office in just a few weeks, having frequently attacked Joe Biden — and later Kamala Harris — for supposedly having failed to stop the two bloody conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza from breaking out under their watch. On top of that, he also made two lofty promises while campaigning: that he would end the conflict in Ukraine quickly upon taking office; and that he would bring a “lasting peace” to the Middle East.

The latter promise was made during an interview with a Saudi news channel, Al-Arabiya, in October.

Read more:

Trump made a promise about the Middle East. It might not be so far-fetched

Nevada ‘fake electors’ hit with fresh charges months after case was dismissed

Saturday 14 December 2024 13:00 , Katie Hawkinson

The Nevada attorney general has charged six Republicans with submitting falsified documents to Congress declaring President-elect Donald Trump the winner of the key swing state in 2020.

Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford argues the defendants signed off on false Electoral College votes for Trump in 2020 even though he lost Nevada by more than 30,000 votes. There was no evidence of widespread voter fraud in Nevada during the 2020 election, Republican Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske said at the time.

Read more:

Nevada ‘fake electors’ hit with fresh charges months after case was dismissed

Trump vows to scrap daylight savings time and looks to axe car crash regulation that highlights Tesla

Saturday 14 December 2024 12:02 , Tara Cobham

US President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to scrap Daylight Saving Time (DST) and is reportedly considering scrapping a car crash reporting requirement that Tesla and X CEO Elon Musk stongly opposes.

Calling DST “inconvenient” and “costly” in a post on Truth Social on Friday, Trump said: “The Republican Party will use its best efforts to eliminate DST, which has a small but strong constituency, but shouldn’t!”

Meanwhile, axing the car crash regulation could hamstring the government’s ability to effectively investigate collisions and regulate the safety of vehicles with self-driving systems, such as Musk’s Teslas and Cybertrucks, according to Reuters, which viewed a new document reportedly proposing the removal. It would likely directly benefit Tesla, which has reported the majority of crashes – more than 1,500 – to federal safety regulators under the program.

Inspector general’s Jan. 6 report misrepresented as proof of FBI setup

Saturday 14 December 2024 12:00 , Melissa Goldin

Social media users are misrepresenting a report released Thursday by the Justice Department inspector general’s office, falsely claiming that it’s proof the FBI orchestrated the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.

The watchdog report examined a number of areas, including whether major intelligence failures preceded the riot and whether the FBI in some way provoked the violence. Claims spreading online focus on the report’s finding that 26 FBI informants were in Washington for election-related protests on Jan. 6, including three who had been tasked with traveling to the city to report on others who were potentially planning to attend the events.

Although 17 of those informants either entered the Capitol or a restricted area around the building during the riot, none of the 26 total informants were authorized to do so by the bureau, according to the report. Nor were they authorized to otherwise break the law or encourage others to do so.

Here’s a closer look at the facts.

FACT FOCUS: Inspector general’s Jan. 6 report misrepresented as proof of FBI setup

LA Times billionaire owner killed op-ed that was critical of Trump’s cabinet picks, report says

Saturday 14 December 2024 11:00 , Justin Baragona

Los Angeles Times owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong killed an opinion column that was critical of President-elect Donald Trump’s recent Cabinet picks, telling his paper’s editorial board that it could only publish the piece if it also ran an editorial with an opposing view, according to The New York Times.

The spiked column was set to be published in the outlet’s Sunday newspaper and website on November 24. Soon-Shiong intervened just hours before the op-ed was scheduled to be sent to the printer, prompting the editors to pull the piece as the deadline approached.

Read more:

LA Times owner reportedly killed op-ed that was critical of Trump’s cabinet picks

WATCH: Larry Kudlow awkwardly does the Trump dance

Saturday 14 December 2024 10:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Only 17 percent of Americans approve of Hegseth as defense secretary, poll reveals

Saturday 14 December 2024 09:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Less than 20 percent of American adults approve of President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary, former Army National Guard soldier and Fox & Friends weekend host Pete Hegseth, according to a new poll.

The results of the AP-NORC poll come as Republican senators appear to be warming up to his nomination in the face of allegations of sexual misconduct, excessive drinking, and financial mismanagement.

Only 17 percent in the poll conducted between 5 and 9 December said they strongly or somewhat approve of Hegseth, while 36 percent said they strongly or somewhat disapprove.

Thirty-seven percent said they didn’t know enough to share a view and 11 percent said they neither approved nor disapproved.

The results were the lowest of the four Trump nominees the poll asked about.

First Zuckerberg, now Bezos: Amazon to donate $1m to Trump’s inaugural fund

Saturday 14 December 2024 08:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Amazon’s executive chair Jeff Bezos is reportedly set to donate $1m to Donald Trump’s inaugural fund – following in the footsteps of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who did the same earlier this week.

Bezos’s gesture was first reported by The Wall Street Journal and dwarfs the $57,746 the company donated to Trump’s first inauguration in 2017.

Amazon will also make a second in-kind donation worth $1m by streaming the inauguration on its Prime Video platform, a source told the paper.

Read more:

First Zuckerberg, now Bezos: Amazon to donate $1m to Trump’s inaugural fund

Trump border czar threatens mayors with prosecution if they don’t cooperate with mass deportations

Saturday 14 December 2024 07:00 , Gustaf Kilander