Supporters of President-elect Donald Trump are bashing two of his top lieutenants, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy after they both defended a visa program for skilled workers.
Ramaswamy, who will lead the outside commission known as the Department of Government Efficiency alongside Musk, blamed a number of 1990s sitcoms for emphasizing the wrong values.
“A culture that celebrates the prom queen over the math olympiad champ, or the jock over the valedictorian, will not produce the best engineers,” he wrote in a post on X.
“There is a permanent shortage of excellent engineering talent,” Musk wrote on Wednesday on X. “It is the fundamental limiting factor in Silicon Valley.”
The “number of people who are super talented engineers AND super motivated in the USA is far too low,” he later added. “Think of this like a pro sports team: if you want your TEAM to win the championship, you need to recruit top talent wherever they may be. That enables the whole TEAM to win.”
That triggered pushback on social media from pro-Trump users.
Key Points
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Rift over H1-B visas escalates with Musk saying he will ‘go to war on this issue’
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Bannon calls Musk ‘toddler’, tells tech mogul to ‘bring it’ in war over H1-B visas
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Trump shares bizarre Truth Social post claiming Bill Gates asked to come to Mar-a-Lago
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Musk says ‘hateful unrepentant racists’ must be removed from GOP
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College campuses are calling international students back to campus before Trump’s presidency begins
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Greenland prime minister balks at Trump’s renewed play for territory
What’s in store for Trump and Putin in 2025? Here’s what Peruvian shamans believe…
15:40 , Oliver O’Connell
Peruvian shamans share bizarre Trump-Putin predictions for 2025
Bannon calls Musk ‘toddler’, tells tech mogul to ‘bring it’ in war over H1-B visas
15:31 , Oliver O’Connell
Steve Bannon has some thoughts on Elon Musk’s stance on H1-B visas. The War Room podcast host wrote on Gettr:
Someone please notify ‘Child Protective Services’— need to do a ‘wellness check’ on this toddler
In other posts, he wrote:
American Jobs for American Workers : H1B Visas are a TOOL of the Tech Oligarchs to Keep Wages Down While Destroying the Spirit of American Citizens ….
And:
American Citizens Have Never Bent the Knee—to the British Empire , the Bolsheviks, the Nazis —Ain’t About to Start with South Africa….
At one point, Musk wrote on Twitter:
America rose to greatness over the past 150 years, because it was a meritocracy more than anywhere else on Earth.
I will fight to my last drop of blood to ensure that it remains that land of freedom and opportunity.
Bannon replied: “Bring.It.Dude—All of It.”
Musk says ‘hateful unrepentant racists’ must be removed from GOP
15:20 , Oliver O’Connell
Elon Musk has declared that “hateful, unrepentant racists” should be removed from the Republican Party “root and stem” as the in-party feud over H-1B visas intensifies.
Conversations around H-1B visas have divided Donald Trump’s party, with his Department of Government Efficiency heads Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy on one side and other allies like Laura Loomer on the other. The Space X founder escalated the feud on Friday night when he called for some “contemptible fools” in the GOP to be removed.
Musk made the statement in response to a post on X by Neera Tanden, President Joe Biden’s director of the U.S. Domestic Policy Council.
Kelly Rissman reports.
Musk says ‘hateful unrepentant racists’ must be removed from GOP as visa feud deepens
Man accused of attacking TV reporter and yelling ‘This is Trump’s America now’
15:00 , AP
A Colorado man is facing possible bias-motivated charges for allegedly attacking a television news reporter after demanding to know whether he was a citizen, saying “This is Trump’s America now,” according to court documents.
Patrick Thomas Egan, 39, was arrested Dec. 18 in Grand Junction, Colorado, after police say he followed KKCO/KJCT reporter Ja’Ronn Alex’s vehicle for around 40 miles (64 kilometers) from the Delta area. Alex told police that he believed he had been followed and attacked because he is Pacific Islander.
Continue reading…
Man accused of attacking TV reporter and yelling ‘This is Trump’s America now’
Trump shares bizarre Truth Social post claiming Bill Gates asked to come to Mar-a-Lago
14:49 , Oliver O’Connell
As tensions flare between Elon Musk and Trump’s MAGA allies, President-elect Donald Trump posted what appeared to be a personal message to Musk on Truth Social, claiming that fellow billionaire Bill Gates asked to come to Mar-a-Lago.
In an early morning post on Friday, Trump suggested the Microsoft co-founder had asked to come to Mar-a-Lago. The 78-year-old Republican encouraged him to visit.
Kelly Rissman has the story.
Trump claims Bill Gates asked to come to Mar-a-Lago in bizarre Truth Social post
Trump attacks Democrats over Beyoncé, Oprah, Rev Al campaign appearances
14:44 , Oliver O’Connell
Perhaps in an attempt to change the subject as the MAGA visa rift continues, here’s what Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social this morning:
Are the Democrats allowed to pay $11,000,000, $2,000,000, and $500,000 to get the ENDORSEMENT of Beyoncé, Oprah, and Reverend Al? I don’t think so! Beyoncé didn’t sing, Oprah didn’t do much of anything (she called it “expenses”), and Al is just a third rate Con Man. So what is going on here??? Totally against the law, and I have heard there are many others!!!
Rift over H1-B visas escalates with Musk saying he will ‘go to war on this issue’
14:23 , Oliver O’Connell
The MAGA rift over H1-B visas continued apace overnight with this memorable retort from Elon Musk when criticized on X about his support for the skilled worker program.
The reason I’m in America along with so many critical people who built SpaceX, Tesla and hundreds of other companies that made America strong is because of H1B.
Take a big step back and F*** YOURSELF in the face. I will go to war on this issue the likes of which you cannot possibly comprehend.
It doesn’t sound like this issue is going away. Donald Trump takes office in 23 days.
U.S. homelessness crisis surges to record levels alongside rising rents and immigration
14:00 , Alex Woodward
More people experienced homelessness in the United States in 2024 than at any other point within the last two decades since the federal government began tracking the crisis.
Nearly 772,000 people were experiencing homelessness across the country on a single night, marking an increase of more than 18 percent from 2023, according to an annual point-in-time survey from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The crisis has been fueled by the compounded effects of a lack of affordable housing, inflation, stagnant wages, high costs of living, discrimination, natural disasters, public health crises and safety nets that fail to meet rising demands for support, according to the report.
Read more:
America’s homeless crisis surges to record levels
Shark Tank star says there’s ‘something great’ about Trump wanting to make Canada the 51st state
13:00 , Justin Baragona
Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary praised President-elect Donald Trump’s continued fascination with annexing Canada as an American state, saying there was “something great” about it because it would form “the most powerful country on earth.”
Having spent the past few weeks taunting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau by offering to make him a “governor” of “the 51st state,” the incoming president upped the ante with a Christmas message to the United States’ neighbor to the north. Besides recommending that hockey great Wayne Gretzky run to be “the Governor of Canada,” Trump also claimed that Canadians’ taxes would massively drop if they joined the American union.
“But if Canada was to become our 51st state, their taxes would be cut by more than 60 percent,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. “Their businesses would immediately double in size and they would be militarily protected like no other country anywhere in the world.”
Read more:
Shark Tank star says there’s ‘something great’ about making Canada the 51st state
Joe Rogan convinced that Trump knows ‘something’ about UFOs – but won’t say what
12:00 , Ariana Baio
Podcast host Joe Rogan said he believes that current and past presidents, such as President-elect Donald Trump, know “something” about extraterrestrial life but won’t reveal what it it.
Rogan told filmmaker James Fox, whose documentaries often focus on unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), that he caught that feeling after asking Trump about it.
“When I confronted Mr. Trump, he was very cagey,” Rogan said on Tuesday’s episode of The Joe Rogan Experience. “Very cagey.”
Read more:
Joe Rogan convinced Trump knows ‘something’ about UFOs but won’t say what
MAGA civil war ramps up as Trump ally Laura Loomer lays into Elon Musk — and loses her blue check
11:00 , Gustaf.Kilander
Another volley has been fired in the ongoing MAGA civil war that’s been playing out online between hardcore “America First” acolytes and Trump-backing Silicon Valley oligarchs over an immigrant worker visa program — and now Elon Musk is being accused of personally punishing his critics.
Laura Loomer and other far-right activists who have railed against the X (formerly Twitter) owner and his DOGE co-chair Vivek Ramaswamy for supporting H-1B visas and criticizing American work culture allege that Musk removed their X verification badges and ability to monetize their accounts in an act of retribution.
“[Musk] has removed my blue check mark on X because I dared to question his support for H1B visas, the replacement of American tech workers by Indian immigrants, and I questioned his relationship with China,” Loomer posted on Thursday night.
Read more:
MAGA civil war ramps up as Laura Loomer lays into Musk — and loses her blue check
‘Indications’ Russia took down airliner, White House says
10:00 , Gustaf Kilander
There are “indications” that Russia took down the Azerbaijan Airlines flight that crashed in Kazakhstan on Christmas Day, the White House has said.
“We have seen some early indications that would certainly point to the possibility that this jet was brought down by Russian air defense systems,” John Kirby, the National Security Council spokesman, told reporters, according to The Washington Post.
He added that the evidence goes beyond the images shared online.
The investigations’ preliminary findings revealed that the plane crashed “due to external physical and technical interference.”
Azerbaijani Minister of Digital Development and Transport Rashad Nabiyev told his country’s media, “This is evidenced by the appearance of the plane’s wreckage on the ground and eyewitness testimony.”
“The type of weapon used for the interference will be established by the investigation,” Nabiyev said.
In states that ban abortion, social safety net programs often fail families
09:00 , Laura Ungar, Kimberlee Kruesi
Taylor Cagnacci moved from California to Tennessee with hopes of starting a new chapter in a state that touts a low cost of living and natural beauty.
But she’s infuriated by Tennessee’s meager social services, which leave her and many other moms struggling in a state where abortion is banned with limited exceptions.
“I was going to have my child no matter what, but for other women, that’s kind of a crappy situation that they put you in,” said Cagnacci, a 29-year-old Kingsport mom who relies on Medicaid and a federally funded nutrition program. “You have to have your child. But where’s the assistance afterward?”
Read more:
In states that ban abortion, social safety net programs often fail families
Former Freedom Caucus chair says he wants to keep ‘options open’ on speaker fight
08:00 , Gustaf Kilander
Former Freedom Caucus chair Rep. Scott Perry has said that he wants to keep his “options open” before committing to voting for Rep. Mike Johnson for speaker for another term in the House.
“I think that Mike has done an admirable job under tough conditions, but I’m going to keep my options open,” Perry said during a Friday morning appearance on Fox Business. “I want to have a conversation with Mike.”
This comes after the current chair of the Freedom Caucus, Rep. Andy Harris, said Thursday that the GOP has to consider if the leadership in place is “what we need.”
He added that he’s “undecided” on who should lead the Republicans in the coming year, according to Politico.
“We’ve just got to make sure that we get the best person for the job under the circumstances,” Perry added. “And I’ll tell you the one that might be able to make the difference is, quite honestly, President Trump. Whoever the president backs is likely to be the speaker, regardless.”
As Trump returns to the White House, and Putin’s forces advance – what next for Ukraine in 2025?
07:00 , Tom Watling
After nearly three years of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the future of the country’s fight against Vladimir Putin’s forces is more uncertain than ever.
Donald Trump’s sweeping victory in the US presidential race, off the back of promises to end the war in eastern Europe in 24 hours, seemingly even if that means forcing Kyiv to cede territory to Russia, seems to spell the end of the West’s long-held policy of helping Ukraine defeat Vladimir Putin’s forces entirely. Negotiations with Russia, after years of silence, are back on the agenda.
This is causing significant stress in Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada. As Kira Rudik, a Ukrainian opposition leader, puts it: “The world needs to understand how crucial it is not to end the war on any idea of negotiating with Russia.”
Read more:
As Trump returns to the White House – what next for Ukraine in 2025?
How Elon Musk’s influence has grown both online and offline in 2024
06:00 , Martyn Landi
Elon Musk started 2024 as the controversial owner of a social media platform, but ends it as one of the most powerful individuals in the world and a key adviser to the incoming US president.
The debate around the billionaire has moved on dramatically over the last 12 months, from whether the way he was running X, formerly Twitter, would be viable or sustainable in the long-term, to whether Mr Musk’s own influence over global politics through his wealth and social media megaphone made him a threat to democracy.
The biggest story of 2024 around Mr Musk has been has dramatic swing behind the US President-elect Donald Trump ahead of the November election and how Mr Musk effectively reconfigured X into a vehicle to support the Republican candidate, alongside his personal fortune.
Read more:
How Elon Musk’s influence has grown both online and offline in 2024
Russia warns ‘radical’ Donald Trump against resuming nuclear testing
05:00 , Barney Davis
Russia has warned it “rules out nothing” regarding nuclear testing in response to Donald Trump’s “radical” position on the issue during his first term as president.
Deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov, who oversees arms control, warned the United States that its nuclear arsenal is intended to “sober up” countries on the “brink of direct armed conflict” with Russia.
Russia, the US and China are all undertaking major modernisations of their nuclear weapons just as the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) of the Cold War era between the Soviet Union and the US is starting to fall apart.
Read more:
Russia warns ‘radical’ Donald Trump against resuming nuclear testing
Elon Musk reveals he’s taking drug for weight loss in bizarre ‘Ozempic Santa’ post
04:00 , Justin Baragona
Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and President-elect Donald Trump’s“first buddy,” revealed on Christmas night that he was using the medication Mounjaro for weight loss while dubbing himself “Ozempic Santa” in a holiday-themed social media post.
The revelation also comes just a couple of weeks after he clashed with Trump’s designated Health and Human Services chief Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over the widespread use and long-term benefits of GLP-1 inhibitors in battling obesity.
Posting to his social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Musk shared an image of himself dressed as Santa Claus next to a Christmas tree alongside the caption “Ozempic Santa.” The post quickly went viral, gathering over 200,000 likes and 26 million views.
“Like Cocaine Bear, but Santa and Ozempic!” Musk added in a separate tweet.
Read more:
Elon Musk reveals he’s taking drug for weight loss in bizarre ‘Ozempic Santa’ post
Musk says ‘hateful unrepentant racists’ must be removed from Republican Party as visa feud deepens
03:30 , Kelly Rissman
Elon Musk has declared that “hateful, unrepentant racists” should be removed from the Republican Party “root and stem” as the in-party feud over H-1B visas intensifies.
Conversations around H-1B visas have divided Donald Trump’s party, with his Department of Government Efficiency heads Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy on one side and other allies like Laura Loomer on the other. The Space X founder escalated the feud on Friday night when he called for some “contemptible fools” in the GOP to be removed.
Read the full story.
Musk says ‘hateful unrepentant racists’ must be removed from GOP as visa feud deepens
Watch: Shark Tank star says there’s ‘something great’ about Trump wanting to make Canada a state
03:00 , Gustaf Kilander
Canadian cabinet ministers meet Trump team amid threat of tariffs and jibes about ‘51st state’
02:33 , Kelly Rissman
Two Canadian Cabinet ministers met with President-elect Donald Trump‘s nominee for commerce secretary at Mar-a-Lago on Friday as Canada tries to avoid sweeping tariffs when Trump takes office.
Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly met with Howard Lutnick, Trump’s nominee for commerce secretary, as well as North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, Trump’s pick to lead the Interior Department.
Trump has threatened to impose 25% tariffs on all Canadian products if Canada does not stem what he calls a flow of migrants and fentanyl into the United States — even though far fewer of each cross into the U.S. from Canada than from Mexico, which Trump has also threatened.
Read the full story.
Canadian cabinet ministers meet Trump team amid threat of tariffs
Who is Ainsley Earhardt, the Fox News host tying the knot with Sean Hannity?
02:00 , Ariana Baio
Fox News hosts Sean Hannity and Ainsley Earhardt announced their engagement after privately dating for several years, the latest Fox News couple to take their relationship to the next level.
In an official statement from the network, the two said they got engaged at their home church over Christmas with the blessing and support of their families – including their children from previous marriages.
Hannity, 62, and Earhardt, 48, have become well-known conservative commentators due to their longtime careers on Fox News. Hannity hosts his own primetime show, Hannity, while Earhardt co-hosts the morning show, Fox & Friends.
Read more:
Who is Ainsley Earhardt, the Fox News host engaged to Sean Hannity?
Family detention, raids and ‘no price tag’: Trump’s mass deportation plan comes into focus
01:00 , Alex Woodward
The man charged with implementing Donald Trump’s ambitions for what he calls the “largest deportation operation in American history” is previewing his agenda.
Trump and his “border czar” Tom Homan are likely to face a volley of lawsuits and legal obstacles from city and state officials. Homan, in turn, has threatened to prosecute them if they don’t “get the hell out of the way.”
Throughout his 2024 campaign, Trump pledged to arrest, detain and deport people living in the country without legal permission as part of his “day one” agenda. The president-elect promises to deploy federal, state and local law enforcement into immigrant communities he says are “poisoning the blood of the country,” relying on stories of violent crime to support a brutal crackdown that could impact millions of families.
Read more:
Family detention, raids and ‘no price tag’: Trump’s deportation plan comes into focus
US to send $1.25 billion in weapons to Ukraine, in push to get aid out before leaving office
00:15 , Lolita C. Baldor, Matthew Lee
The United States is expected to announce that it will send $1.25 billion in military assistance to Ukraine, U.S. officials said Friday, as the Biden administration pushes to get as much aid to Kyiv as possible before leaving office on Jan. 20.
The large package of aid includes a significant amount of munitions, including for the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems and the HAWK air defense system. It also will provide Stinger missiles and 155 mm- and 105 mm artillery rounds, officials said.
The officials, who said they expect the announcement to be made on Monday, spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details not yet made public.
Read more:
US to send $1.25 billion in weapons to Ukraine, in push to get aid out before leaving office
Trump claims Bill Gates asked to come to Mar-a-Lago in bizarre Truth Social post
00:00 , Kelly Rissman
As tensions flare between Elon Musk and Trump’s MAGA allies, President-elect Donald Trump posted what appeared to be a personal message to Musk on Truth Social, claiming that fellow billionaire Bill Gates asked to come to Mar-a-Lago.
In an early morning post on Friday, Trump suggested the Microsoft co-founder had asked to come to Mar-a-Lago. The 78-year-old Republican encouraged him to visit.
“Where are you? When are you coming to the ‘Center of the Universe,’ Mar-a-Lago. Bill Gates asked to come, tonight. We miss you and x! New Year’s Eve is going to be AMAZING!!!” Trump wrote. He signed it “DJT.”
Read the full story.
Trump claims Bill Gates asked to come to Mar-a-Lago in bizarre Truth Social post
A 9th telecoms firm has been hit by a massive Chinese espionage campaign, the White House says
Friday 27 December 2024 23:30 , Eric Tucker
A ninth U.S. telecoms firm has been confirmed to have been hacked as part of a sprawling Chinese espionage campaign that gave officials in Beijing access to private texts and phone conversations of an unknown number of Americans, a top White House official said Friday.
Biden administration officials said this month that at least eight telecommunications companies, as well as dozens of nations, had been affected by the Chinese hacking blitz known as Salt Typhoon.
But Anne Neuberger, the deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technologies, told reporters Friday that a ninth victim had been identified after the administration released guidance to companies about how to hunt for Chinese culprits in their networks.
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A 9th telecoms firm has been hit by a massive Chinese espionage campaign, the White House says
Trump asks Supreme Court to block TikTok ban as he considers ‘political resolution’
Friday 27 December 2024 23:00 , Kelly Rissman
Donald Trump is asking the Supreme Court to block a federal law’s imminent ban on TikTok in the United States if the popular app’s Chinese parent company doesn’t sell it by next month’s deadline.
The nation’s highest court will hear arguments in the case on January 10.
Trump’s attorney D. John Sauer — who is also Trump’s nominee for U.S. solicitor general — said the president-elect doesn’t take any position on the challenge, but he is asking the justices to pause the law to allow his incoming administration “the opportunity to pursue a political resolution of the questions at issue in the case.”
Alex Woodward has the story.
Trump asks Supreme Court to block TikTok ban as he considers ‘political resolution’
US teacher jailed in Russia is formally designated as wrongfully detained
Friday 27 December 2024 22:45 , AP
An American schoolteacher arrested in Russia on drug charges more than four years ago has been designated by the U.S. government as wrongfully detained, the State Department said Friday.
Marc Fogel, a history teacher from Pennsylvania, is serving a 14-year prison sentence after being arrested in August 2021 at a Russian airport and possessing what his family and supporters said was medically prescribed marijuana.
After Fogel was omitted from a massive prisoner swap last August that resulted in the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and corporate security executive Paul Whelan, among others, his family’s lawyers made another push for the Biden administration to secure his freedom, including by designating him as wrongfully detained.
Read more:
US teacher jailed in Russia is formally designated as wrongfully detained
U.S. homelessness crisis surges to record levels alongside rising rents and immigration
Friday 27 December 2024 22:00 , Alex Woodward
More people experienced homelessness in the United States in 2024 than at any other point within the last two decades since the federal government began tracking the crisis.
Nearly 772,000 people were experiencing homelessness across the country on a single night, marking an increase of more than 18 percent from 2023, according to an annual point-in-time survey from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The crisis has been fueled by the compounded effects of a lack of affordable housing, inflation, stagnant wages, high costs of living, discrimination, natural disasters, public health crises and safety nets that fail to meet rising demands for support, according to the report.
Read more:
America’s homeless crisis surges to record levels
Republican representative calls for prosecution of anti-Trump members of Congress
Friday 27 December 2024 21:47 , Gustaf Kilander
Shark Tank star says there’s ‘something great’ about Trump wanting to make Canada the 51st state
Friday 27 December 2024 21:30 , Justin Baragona
Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary praised President-elect Donald Trump’s continued fascination with annexing Canada as an American state, saying there was “something great” about it because it would form “the most powerful country on earth.”
Having spent the past few weeks taunting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau by offering to make him a “governor” of “the 51st state,” the incoming president upped the ante with a Christmas message to the United States’ neighbor to the north. Besides recommending that hockey great Wayne Gretzky run to be “the Governor of Canada,” Trump also claimed that Canadians’ taxes would massively drop if they joined the American union.
“But if Canada was to become our 51st state, their taxes would be cut by more than 60 percent,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. “Their businesses would immediately double in size and they would be militarily protected like no other country anywhere in the world.”
Read more:
Shark Tank star says there’s ‘something great’ about making Canada the 51st state
An online debate over foreign workers in tech shows tensions in Trump’s political coalition
Friday 27 December 2024 21:00 , Michelle L. Price
An online spat between factions of Donald Trump‘s supporters over immigration and the tech industry has thrown internal divisions in his political movement into public display, previewing the fissures and contradictory views his coalition could bring to the White House.
The rift laid bare the tensions between the newest flank of Trump’s movement — wealthy members of the tech world including billionaire Elon Musk and fellow entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and their call for more highly skilled workers in their industry — and people in Trump’s Make America Great Again base who championed his hardline immigration policies.
The debate touched off this week when Laura Loomer, a right-wing provocateur with a history of racist and conspiratorial comments, criticized Trump’s selection of Sriram Krishnan as an adviser on artificial intelligence policy in his coming administration. Krishnan favors the ability to bring more skilled immigrants into the U.S.
Read more:
An online debate over foreign workers in tech shows tensions in Trump’s political coalition
China sanctions 7 companies over US military assistance to Taiwan
Friday 27 December 2024 20:30 , AP
The Chinese government placed sanctions on seven companies on Friday in response to recent U.S. announcements of military sales and aid to Taiwan, the self-governing island that China claims as part of its territory.
The sanctions also come in response to the recent approval of the U.S. government’s annual defense spending bill, which a Chinese Foreign Ministry statement said “includes multiple negative sections on China.”
China objects to American military assistance for Taiwan and often imposes sanctions on related companies after a sale or aid package is announced. The sanctions generally have a limited impact, because American defense companies don’t sell arms or other military goods to China. The U.S. is the main supplier of weapons to Taiwan for its defense.
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China sanctions 7 companies over US military assistance to Taiwan
Mexico tests cellphone app allowing migrants to send alert if they are about to be detained in US
Friday 27 December 2024 20:00 , AP
Mexico is developing a cellphone app that will allow migrants to warn relatives and local consulates if they think they are about to be detained by the U.S. immigration department, a senior official said Friday.
The move is in response to President-elect Donald Trump’s threats to carry out mass deportations after he takes office on Jan. 20.
The app has been rolled out for small-scale testing and “appears to be working very well,” said Juan Ramón de la Fuente, Mexico’s secretary of foreign affairs.
Read more:
Mexico tests cellphone app allowing migrants to send alert if they are about to be detained in US
Marjorie Taylor Greene enters MAGA immigration fight
Friday 27 December 2024 19:30 , Gustaf Kilander
Judge rules Georgia Republican can subpoena Fani Willis
Friday 27 December 2024 19:15 , Gustaf Kilander
Georgia Republicans will be allowed to subpoena Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis regarding her relationship with Nathan Wade, a judge has ruled.
Wade is an attorney she hired to take charge of the 2020 election interference case against President-elect Donald Trump and his associates.
Judge Shukura Ingram released the ruling on Monday, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Joe Rogan convinced that Trump knows ‘something’ about UFOs – but won’t say what
Friday 27 December 2024 19:00 , Ariana Baio
Podcast host Joe Rogan said he believes that current and past presidents, such as President-elect Donald Trump, know “something” about extraterrestrial life but won’t reveal what it it.
Rogan told filmmaker James Fox, whose documentaries often focus on unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), that he caught that feeling after asking Trump about it.
“When I confronted Mr. Trump, he was very cagey,” Rogan said on Tuesday’s episode of The Joe Rogan Experience. “Very cagey.”
Read more:
Joe Rogan convinced that Trump knows ‘something’ about UFOs but won’t say what
MAGA civil war ramps up as Trump ally Laura Loomer lays into Elon Musk — and loses her blue check
Friday 27 December 2024 18:30 , Justin Baragona
Another volley has been fired in the ongoing MAGA civil war that’s been playing out online between hardcore “America First” acolytes and Trump-backing Silicon Valley oligarchs over an immigrant worker visa program — and now Elon Musk is being accused of personally punishing his critics.
Laura Loomer and other far-right activists who have railed against the X (formerly Twitter) owner and his DOGE co-chair Vivek Ramaswamy for supporting H-1B visas and criticizing American work culture allege that Musk removed their X verification badges and ability to monetize their accounts in an act of retribution.
“[Musk] has removed my blue check mark on X because I dared to question his support for H1B visas, the replacement of American tech workers by Indian immigrants, and I questioned his relationship with China,” Loomer posted on Thursday night.
Read more:
MAGA civil war ramps up as Laura Loomer lays into Musk — and loses her blue check
‘Indications’ Russia took down airliner, White House says
Friday 27 December 2024 18:10 , Gustaf Kilander
There are “indications” that Russia took down the Azerbaijan Airlines flight that crashed in Kazakhstan on Christmas Day, the White House has said.
“We have seen some early indications that would certainly point to the possibility that this jet was brought down by Russian air defense systems,” John Kirby, the National Security Council spokesman, told reporters, according to The Washington Post.
He added that the evidence goes beyond the images shared online.
The investigations’ preliminary findings revealed that the plane crashed “due to external physical and technical interference.”
Azerbaijani Minister of Digital Development and Transport Rashad Nabiyev told his country’s media, “This is evidenced by the appearance of the plane’s wreckage on the ground and eyewitness testimony.”
“The type of weapon used for the interference will be established by the investigation,” Nabiyev said.
In states that ban abortion, social safety net programs often fail families
Friday 27 December 2024 18:00 , Laura Ungar, Kimberlee Kruesi
Taylor Cagnacci moved from California to Tennessee with hopes of starting a new chapter in a state that touts a low cost of living and natural beauty.
But she’s infuriated by Tennessee’s meager social services, which leave her and many other moms struggling in a state where abortion is banned with limited exceptions.
“I was going to have my child no matter what, but for other women, that’s kind of a crappy situation that they put you in,” said Cagnacci, a 29-year-old Kingsport mom who relies on Medicaid and a federally funded nutrition program. “You have to have your child. But where’s the assistance afterward?”
Read more:
In states that ban abortion, social safety net programs often fail families
Kash Patel ‘is the leader America needs at the FBI,’ Mike Johnson says
Friday 27 December 2024 17:30 , Gustaf Kilander
Former Freedom Caucus chair says he wants to keep ‘options open’ on speaker fight
Friday 27 December 2024 17:00 , Gustaf Kilander
Former Freedom Caucus chair Rep. Scott Perry has said that he wants to keep his “options open” before committing to voting for Rep. Mike Johnson for speaker for another term in the House.
“I think that Mike has done an admirable job under tough conditions, but I’m going to keep my options open,” Perry said during a Friday morning appearance on Fox Business. “I want to have a conversation with Mike.”
This comes after the current chair of the Freedom Caucus, Rep. Andy Harris, said Thursday that the GOP has to consider if the leadership in place is “what we need.”
He added that he’s “undecided” on who should lead the Republicans in the coming year, according to Politico.
“We’ve just got to make sure that we get the best person for the job under the circumstances,” Perry added. “And I’ll tell you the one that might be able to make the difference is, quite honestly, President Trump. Whoever the president backs is likely to be the speaker, regardless.”
Trump congratulates Fox News couple on engagement
Friday 27 December 2024 16:30 , Gustaf Kilander
President-elect Donald Trump congratulated Fox News hosts Sean Hannity and Ainsley Earhardt on their engagement in a post on Truth Social.
“Great news about Sean and Ainsley. They are officially engaged to be married! There are no finer people than these, and there will be no finer couple. Congratulations to both – A deal made in HEAVEN!!!” Trump wrote on Friday morning.
Read more:
Fox News hosts Sean Hannity and Ainsley Earhardt reveal they’re engaged
As Trump returns to the White House, and Putin’s forces advance – what next for Ukraine in 2025?
Friday 27 December 2024 16:00 , Tom Watling
After nearly three years of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the future of the country’s fight against Vladimir Putin’s forces is more uncertain than ever.
Donald Trump’s sweeping victory in the US presidential race, off the back of promises to end the war in eastern Europe in 24 hours, seemingly even if that means forcing Kyiv to cede territory to Russia, seems to spell the end of the West’s long-held policy of helping Ukraine defeat Vladimir Putin’s forces entirely. Negotiations with Russia, after years of silence, are back on the agenda.
This is causing significant stress in Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada. As Kira Rudik, a Ukrainian opposition leader, puts it: “The world needs to understand how crucial it is not to end the war on any idea of negotiating with Russia.”
Read more:
As Trump returns to the White House – what next for Ukraine in 2025?
How Elon Musk’s influence has grown both online and offline in 2024
Friday 27 December 2024 15:30 , Martyn Landi
Elon Musk started 2024 as the controversial owner of a social media platform, but ends it as one of the most powerful individuals in the world and a key adviser to the incoming US president.
The debate around the billionaire has moved on dramatically over the last 12 months, from whether the way he was running X, formerly Twitter, would be viable or sustainable in the long-term, to whether Mr Musk’s own influence over global politics through his wealth and social media megaphone made him a threat to democracy.
The biggest story of 2024 around Mr Musk has been has dramatic swing behind the US President-elect Donald Trump ahead of the November election and how Mr Musk effectively reconfigured X into a vehicle to support the Republican candidate, alongside his personal fortune.
Read more:
How Elon Musk’s influence has grown both online and offline in 2024
Russia warns ‘radical’ Donald Trump against resuming nuclear testing
Friday 27 December 2024 15:00 , Barney Davis
Russia has warned it “rules out nothing” regarding nuclear testing in response to Donald Trump’s “radical” position on the issue during his first term as president.
Deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov, who oversees arms control, warned the United States that its nuclear arsenal is intended to “sober up” countries on the “brink of direct armed conflict” with Russia.
Russia, the US and China are all undertaking major modernisations of their nuclear weapons just as the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) of the Cold War era between the Soviet Union and the US is starting to fall apart.
Read more:
Russia warns ‘radical’ Donald Trump against resuming nuclear testing
Elon Musk reveals he’s taking drug for weight loss in bizarre ‘Ozempic Santa’ post
Friday 27 December 2024 14:30 , Justin Baragona
Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and President-elect Donald Trump’s“first buddy,” revealed on Christmas night that he was using the medication Mounjaro for weight loss while dubbing himself “Ozempic Santa” in a holiday-themed social media post.
The revelation also comes just a couple of weeks after he clashed with Trump’s designated Health and Human Services chief Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over the widespread use and long-term benefits of GLP-1 inhibitors in battling obesity.
Posting to his social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Musk shared an image of himself dressed as Santa Claus next to a Christmas tree alongside the caption “Ozempic Santa.” The post quickly went viral, gathering over 200,000 likes and 26 million views.
“Like Cocaine Bear, but Santa and Ozempic!” Musk added in a separate tweet.
Read more:
Elon Musk reveals he’s taking drug for weight loss in bizarre ‘Ozempic Santa’ post
Trump’s ‘border czar’ says migrant families will be put in detention centers once again
Friday 27 December 2024 14:00 , Alex Woodward
The Trump administration is planning to jail immigrant families together in detention centers before they are removed from the country.
“We’re going to need to construct family facilities,” Tom Homan told The Washington Post in a recent interview. “How many beds we’re going to need will depend on what the data says.”
Trump and Homan have repeatedly said that even U.S. citizen children of non-citizen parents are expected to be deported along with their families.
“Here’s the issue,” Homan told The Post. “You knew you were in the country illegally and chose to have a child. So you put your family in that position.”
Trump’s border czar wants ‘family’ detention centers for deportation plans
ICYMI: Trump names nominee for Panama ambassador after suggesting U.S. would seize control of canal
Friday 27 December 2024 13:30 , Alex Woodward
Trump has nominated Miami-Dade Commissioner Kevin Marino Cabrera for U.S. ambassador to Panama, “a Country that is ripping us off on the Panama Canal, far beyond their wildest dreams,” the president-elect Trump announced on Christmas Eve.
“Few understand Latin American politics as well as Kevin,” Trump said.
Cabrera also served as state director for Florida in Trump’s 2020 campaign and is vice chair of Miami-Dade’s International Trade Consortium.
His nomination follows a seemingly random attack suggesting that the U.S. would seize control of the Panama Canal, part of a series of statements aimed at other countries in a signal that his administration is threatening U.S. territorial expansion to bully sovereign nations to his economic demands.
Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino fired back, emphasizing the canal would remain under Panama’s control.
“The sovereignty and independence of our country is non-negotiable,” he said.
(AFP via Getty Images)
Donald Trump’s return to the White House has some critics worried. Others are ready for a fight
Friday 27 December 2024 13:00 , Alex Woodward
Some of Donald Trump’s most prominent critics are bracing for impact.
“By going after me they’re just going to give me a platform,” George Conway told The Independent.
More from The Independent’s White House correspondent Andrew Feinberg on the critics preparing for a fight:
Donald Trump critics ready for his White House return and possible retribution
