Donald Trump’s transition team is spending the final working week before Christmas sending some of his most controversial nominees for cabinet posts to meet with senators on Capitol Hill.
Robert F Kennedy Jr and Tulsi Gabbard, the president-elect’s choices for health secretary and director of national intelligence respectively, will seek to shore up support and attempt to dispel doubts over some of their controversial past statements, which, it is feared, could imperil their confirmation hearings come January.
Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son announced a $100 billion investment in the U.S. over the next four years during a Monday visit to Trump at Mar-a-Lago. The billionaire investor also promises to create 100,000 jobs focused on artificial intelligence and related infrastructure.
A similar announcement was made in 2016 after Trump was elected president for the first time.
Over the weekend, ABC News agreed to a $15 million settlement in response to Trump’s defamation lawsuit launched against the network after it erroneously claimed in a broadcast that the president-elect had been found “liable for rape” at the civil trial brought against him by the writer E Jean Carroll over an incident dating back to 1996.
Trump was actually found “liable for sexual abuse,” not rape.
Key Points
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RFK Jr and Tulsi Gabbard to lead Trump transition team’s latest DC charm offensive
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Softbank CEO to announce $100bn investment in US during Mar-a-Lago visit
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Trumps host widow of slain Japanese PM at Mar-a-Lago
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ABC agrees to pay $15m to Trump in defamation lawsuit settlement
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Trump adviser faints and falls while speaking at NYC Young Republican event
Watch: Trump says people who praise UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter have a ‘sicknes’
18:45 , Gustaf Kilander
ICYMI: Shocking moment Trump adviser collapses on stage at Young Republicans event
18:30 , Oliver O’Connell
Donald Trump’s campaign adviser Alex Bruesewitz collapsed on stage while speaking at a GOP black tie event.
The 27-year-old strategist, who was tasked with helping the Trump campaign court young voters during the 2024 election campaign, was introducing incoming White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino at the 112th New York Young Republicans Club Gala at the Cipriani Wall Street in Manhattan on Sunday evening.
Shocking footage shows Bruesewitz speaking at the podium before he begins to slur and stare blankly at the sea of Republicans sporting tuxedos, ballgowns and red MAGA hats.
James Liddell reports.
Shocking moment Trump adviser collapses on stage at Young Republicans event
Watch: Trump talks about privatization of US Postal Service
18:15 , Oliver O’Connell
Trump wants immigrants gone but has hired more than ever before this year
18:00 , Oliver O’Connell
President-elect Donald Trump has made it clear that he wants to crack down hard on immigration once he’s in office. But his own businesses keep employing foreign guest workers – hiring more of them this year than any other year on record, CNN reported.
Forbes first reported that Trump hired more foreign workers than ever before in 2024.
Firms connected to some of Trump’s top supporters and choices to serve in his administration have also hired foreign guest workers this year.
Gustaf Kilander reports.
Trump wants immigrants gone. He’s keeps hiring them for his businesses
Watch: Trump asked if Jan 6 defendants will get blanket pardon
17:45 , Oliver O’Connell
Watch: Trump says defamation cases can expand to individuals and newspapers
17:35 , Oliver O’Connell
Lindsey Graham breaks with Trump on jailing Jan 6 committee members
17:30 , Oliver O’Connell
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina explicitly said he disagrees with Donald Trump’s suggestion that the members of the House Select Committee to investigate January 6, 2021, should be jailed.
Graham, a staunch Trump supporter, told Kristen Welker of Meet the Press on Sunday that he disagrees with the presidency-elect.
Ariana Baio reports.
Lindsey Graham breaks with Trump on jailing Jan 6 committee members
Watch: Trump asked if Ukraine should cede territory to Russia
17:15 , Oliver O’Connell
Trump says ‘something strange going on’ with drones over New Jersey
17:10 , Oliver O’Connell
“Something strange is going on. For some reason they won’t tell the people,” says President-elect Donald Trump when asked about the New Jersey mystery drones, asserting President Joe Biden and the US military know who is flying them.
Trump jokes because of the drones he won’t travel to his golf property in New Jersey.
“They’re very, very close to Bedminster. I think maybe I won’t spend the weekend in Bedminster. I decided to cancel my trip,” he tells reporters at Mar-a-Lago.
“The government knows what is happening. Look, our military knows where they took off from,” he said. “And for some reason, they don’t want to comment.”
Watch: Trump says he’s a ‘big believer in the polio vaccine’
17:07 , Oliver O’Connell
Watch: Trump says he will consider pardoning New York mayor Eric Adams
17:05 , Oliver O’Connell
Ignoring the Constitution, Steve Bannon is pushing the idea that Trump can run in 2028
17:00 , Oliver O’Connell
MAGA acolyte Steve Bannon is currently floating the idea that Donald Trump could run for a third presidential term, even though the United States Constitution says otherwise.
During a speech at the New York Young Republican Club’s Gala on Sunday night, the former Trump chief strategist suggested that the 22nd Amendment – which states that presidents can not be elected more than twice – didn’t apply to Trump because the president-elect’s terms are non-consecutive.
Justin Barangoa reports from New York.
Steve Bannon pushes idea that Trump can run in ‘28 (despite what Constitution says)
Watch: Trump says US had ‘no problems’ when he left office in midst of pandemic
16:42 , Oliver O’Connell
Trump complains about two events during transition
16:39 , Oliver O’Connell
“My confidence level to the economy of the United States has tremendously increased because of his victory,” Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son, standing next to Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, says as he announces the $100 billion investment in the U.S. by his Japanese tech investment firm.
After the remarks at the top of the press conference, Trump brought up two further points.
“We’re talking about a friendly takeover, a friendly transition, as they like to say, this is a friendly transition, and it is, but there are two events that took place that I think are very terrible,” he said.
First, Trump says his administration will go to court to try and undo a five-year deal allowing certain work-from-home rights for some federal workers. He appears to be referring to the deal President Joe Biden’s administration made this month with tens of thousands of Social Security workers.
“If people don’t come back to work, come back into the office, they’re going to be dismissed,” Trump says of federal employees.
Second, he complained that materials for the border wall are being sold off at five cents on the dollar: “I’m asking today, Joe Biden, to please stop selling the wall.”
Report: Trump’s mass deportation plan could hurt US more than Great Recession
16:30 , Oliver O’Connell
President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign promise of sweeping deportations could result in “severe economic fallout,” devastating the economy even more than the Great Recession, according to a report by Democrats in the Congressional Joint Economic Committee.
Although Trump’s messaging about improving the economy for Americans during his second term appeared to strike a chord with voters, another one of his campaign fixtures — mass deportations — could have harmful economic consequences, the December 11 report warns. The 78-year-old Republican has suggested that would use the military to assist in mass deportations.
Kelly Rissman reports.
Trump’s mass deportation plan could hurt the country more than the Great Recession
Watch LIVE: Trump and SoftBank CEO announce $100bn US investment
16:20 , Oliver O’Connell
Republicans stoked fears of noncitizens voting. Cases in Ohio show how rhetoric and reality diverge
15:42 , Oliver O’Connell
Before the November presidential election, Ohio’s secretary of state and attorney general announced investigations into potential voter fraud that included people suspected of casting ballots even though they were not U.S. citizens.
It coincided with a national Republican messaging strategy warning that potentially thousands of ineligible voters would be voting.
Here’s what happened next…
The GOP stoked fears of noncitizens voting. Cases in Ohio show how rhetoric and reality diverge
Trump to announce $100bn SoftBank investment in US
15:22 , AP
President-elect Donald Trump will join SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son at his Florida home on Monday to announce that the company is planning to invest $100 billion in U.S. projects over the next four years.
That’s according to a person familiar with the plans who spoke on condition of anonymity before the planned announcement. Trump is set to speak at his Mar-a-Lago resort at 11 a.m., marking the first time he will address reporters since he won the election last month.
Trump in the past has announced deals with much fanfare but they have sometimes failed to deliver on promised investments.
But the announcement nonetheless is a win for Trump, who has used the weeks since he won the election to try to promote his policies, negotiate with foreign leaders, and try to strike deals.
Before even taking office, he has been threatening to levy steep tariffs on Mexico and Canada, which prompted a visit from Canada’s prime minister and a call with Mexico’s president.
In a post on his Truth Social site Tuesday, Trump said anyone making a $1 billion investment in the United States “will receive fully expedited approvals and permits, including, but in no way limited to, all Environmental approvals.”
“GET READY TO ROCK!!!” he added.
Japanese technology group SoftBank makes investments in a variety of companies that it groups together in a series of Vision Funds.
The company’s investment portfolio that includes search engine Yahoo, Chinese retailer Alibaba, and artificial intelligence company Nvidia. The announcement will come days after Trump vowed to expedite federal permits for energy projects and other construction worth more than $1 billion.
After Trump won the White House the first time in 2016, he met with Son before taking office. Son then announced plans to create 50,000 jobs and invest $50 billion in U.S. startups, which Trump celebrated on social media, saying it never would have happened if he hadn’t won the election.
Monday’s announcement was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.
Coming up: Trump and Softbank CEO to hold press conference
15:07 , Oliver O’Connell
Amid Trump criticism, UK PM says ‘big mistake’ to withdraw support for Ukraine
15:00 , Oliver O’Connell
It would be a “big mistake” if Ukraine’s allies did not continue to give it the “strongest” support, Sir Keir Starmer said after Donald Trump criticised Kyiv’s use of US missiles for strikes deep into Russian territory.
The Prime Minister urged Western allies of the war-torn nation not to “take our eye off the ball” as Ukraine enters its third winter since the invasion.
David Lynch reports.
‘Big mistake’ to withdraw support for Ukraine, Starmer says amid Trump criticism
McConnell warns Trump against ‘right-wing isolationism’
14:30 , Oliver O’Connell
Mitch McConnell, the retiring Senate minority leader, has warned Donald Trump against embracing “right-wing isolationism” when he returns to the White House in January.
In an essay for Foreign Affairs magazine, the veteran Kentucky lawmaker, 82, warned the president-elect that he is set to encounter “a world far more hostile to US interests than the one he left behind four years ago” – citing the ever-growing challenges posed by China, Russia and Iran.
“These three US adversaries, along with North Korea, are now working together more closely than ever to undermine the US-led order that has underpinned Western peace and prosperity for nearly a century,” McConnell wrote.
Joe Sommerlad reports.
Mitch McConnell warns Trump against four years of ‘right-wing isolationism’
Trump called out for ‘fat-shaming’ Chris Christie with drone post
14:00 , Oliver O’Connell
Donald Trump is facing backlash for trolling Chris Christie with a bizarre AI-generated image showing the former New Jersey governor eating McDonald’s while surrounded by drones.
James Liddell reports.
Trump called out for AI image of Christie eating McDonald’s surrounded by drones
Biden to sign proclamation establishing national monument honoring first US female Cabinet secretary
13:30 , AP
President Joe Biden will sign a proclamation Monday establishing a national monument honoring the late FDR-era Labor Secretary Frances Perkins, the first woman appointed to serve in a presidential Cabinet and a driving force behind the New Deal, according to the White House.
Biden is expected to visit the Labor Department on Monday to formally make the announcement and sign the proclamation that will establish the monument in Newcastle, Maine, the White House said.
As labor secretary, Perkins helped President Franklin D. Roosevelt formulate policies behind the 1930s New Deal and create safeguards in the national economy following the Great Depression.
Read on…
Biden to sign proclamation establishing national monument honoring first US female Cabinet secretary
Mother of missing journalist Austin Tice says American freed in Syria like ‘rehearsal’ of finding son
13:00 , John Bowden
The scores of prisoners freed after the downfall of the Bashar Assad regime in Syria are giving hope to Debra Tice, mother of the American journalist Austin Tice, who has been missing since being detained in 2012.
She’s been closely following reports out of the country, where another missing American, religious pilgrim Travis Timmerman, was found in the town of Dhiyabiya, after being held for seven months. Initial reports wrongly identified him as Tice.
On Sunday, she sat down for an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press.
Mother of missing journalist Austin Tice reacts to American freed in Syria
Mike Lee says FBI watchdog report shows Jan 6 conspiracy theories ‘weren’t so crazy’
12:40 , Oliver O’Connell
Utah Senator Mike Lee’s latest conspiratorial rant on Fox News suggested that his Democratic foes “destroyed” key evidence surrounding January 6 which would have implicated the FBI or other federal agencies in instigating the throngs of Trump supporters to attack the Capitol.
The Republican lawmaker is hoping to keep the dream of January 6 nonsense alive after a Department of Justice review found no evidence of federal agents instigating violence in the crowd.
Mike Lee says FBI watchdog report shows Jan 6 conspiracy theories ‘weren’t so crazy’
Softbank CEO to announce $100bn investment in US during Mar-a-Lago visit
12:28 , Oliver O’Connell
CNBC reports that Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son will announce a $100 billion investment in the U.S. over the next four years during a Monday visit to President-elect Donald Trump’s residence Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.
The billionaire investor and founder of the Japanese tech-investing firm will also promise in the joint announcement with Trump to create 100,000 jobs focused on artificial intelligence and related infrastructure, sources told the network. The money will be deployed before the end of Trump’s term in office in 2029.
The funding could come from various sources controlled by Softbank, including the Vision Fund, capital projects or chipmaker Arm Holdings, where the firm is the majority owner. The money could include some funding already announced — such as Softbank’s recent $1.5 billion investment in OpenAI, the firm behind chatbot ChatGPT.
A similar announcement was made in 2016 after Trump was elected president for the first time, with the Japanese firm agreeing to invest $50 billion in the U.S.
Mystery drones are not Iranian, Chinese – or Martian – says intelligence committee member
12:20 , Oliver O’Connell
A lawmaker on the House committee overseeing the US intelligence community on Sunday batted down rumors being leveled about mysterious sightings of drones in New Jersey and possibly elsewhere along the US east coast.
The commitee is due for a classified briefing on the matter this week.
Federal agencies put out a joint statement on Thursday declaring that the spotted drones in New Jersey did not represent a foreign threat or any danger to public safety, but did not provide an explanation for what worried New Jerseyans were seeing from their homes.
Watch Jim Hines on CNN’s State of the Union here:
Mystery drones are not foreign – or alien – says intel panel member
Coming up today in Congress
12:08 , Oliver O’Connell
The House of Representatives will today consider bills under suspension of the rules including barring members of Congress convicted of a felony for public corruption from keeping their federal pensions, designating the bald eagle as the national bird, and creating a 250th anniversary congressional time capsule.
Over in the Senate, lawmakers will vote today at 5:30 p.m. ET on whether to advance the final version of the 2025 defense programs and policy bill (NDAA). 60 votes will be needed. The House passed the bill 281-140 last week.
MTG claims Biden admin ‘in control of drones’ as MAGAworld pushes wild theories about mystery sightings
11:58 , Oliver O’Connell
MAGA Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has claimed that the US government is “in control of the drones” that have been spotted over New Jersey and New York in recent weeks, which officials have so far been unable or unwilling to account for.
Greene, who is well known for amplifying online conspiracy theories, wrote on X late on Saturday night: “The government is in control of the drones and refuses to tell the American people what is going on. It really is that bad.”
Joe Sommerlad has the story.
Marjorie Taylor Greene claims Biden administration is ‘in control’ of mystery drones
Eric Adams’ chief political advisor resigns
11:30 , 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.
Reports indicate that she is under intense scrutiny from prosecutors as well, and may be charged criminally as soon as this week.
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.
More here about his legal escapades:
Eric Adams’ arraignment was more of a circus than Trump’s sexual abuse trial
Romney gives his 2024 post-mortem on CNN
11:00 , John Bowden
Mitt Romney said in his interview on Sunday that Republicans won the 2024 election due to their successful effort to peel off working-class voters from the Democratic Party’s voting coalition.
“The Democrat Party is the one in trouble. I mean, I don’t know how they recover,” said the senator. “Union guys, and gals … have left the Democratic Party.”
He went on to blame that trend on the Democrats’ embrace of transgender rights and a focus on cultural issues while the party ignored economic issues.
Romney admits Trump’s MAGA agenda now dominates Republican Party
Chris Rock makes crowd groan with Elon Musk joke on Saturday Night Live
10:30 , John Bowden
Rock made the crowd groan during his Saturday Night Live monologue with a joke about Twitter CEO Elon Musk.
The 59-year-old stand-up comedian and actor hosted the sketch comedy show over the weekend.
During his monologue, Rock made reference to Trump’s successful year, noting that he’d survived an assassination attempt, been re-elected to the US presidency and been named Time’s Person of the Year.
Chris Rock makes crowd groan with Elon Musk joke on Saturday Night Live
Trump adviser faints and falls while speaking at NYC Young Republican event
10:00 , Joe Sommerlad
The president-elect’s campaign adviser Alex Bruesewitz passed out and fell from his lectern as he addressed a New York Young Republican Club gala on Sunday night, a shocking moment caught on video below.
Bruesewitz had reportedly been about to introduce Trump insider Dan Scavino to his audience before slurring his words, freezing briefly and then toppling over, inspiring gasps in the auditorium.
Master of ceremonies Raheem Kassam subsequently revealed that the stricken aide had received medical support backstage and was up and talking.
“I talked to our friend Alex Bruesewitz and you know what he said to me? He goes ‘Did I at least look cool?’”, Kassam said, according to The New York Post.
“I said Alex you used gravity like I’ve seen nobody use gravity before in their lives. But he’s recuperating back there so give him a big cheer so he’ll hear you.”
Here’s a full report from James Liddell.
Shocking moment Trump adviser collapses on stage at Young Republicans event
ABC agrees to pay $15m to Trump in defamation lawsuit settlement
09:30 , Joe Sommerlad
Over the weekend, ABC News agreed to a $15 million settlement in response to Trump’s defamation lawsuit launched against the network after it erroneously claimed in a broadcast that the president-elect had been found “liable for rape” at the civil trial brought against him by the writer E Jean Carroll over an incident dating back to 1996.
Trump was actually found liable for “sexual abuse”, not rape.
The network’s costly settlement has alarmed legal analysts and drawn criticism that the network and its Disney parent company gave up without a fight.
Here’s why.
Why legal analysts are surprised ABC settled Trump’s ‘rape’ defamation suit for $15m
RFK Jr and Tulsi Gabbard to lead Trump transition team’s latest DC charm offensive
09:00 , Joe Sommerlad
The Trump transition team is kicking into a new gear, as time runs out to secure support for their most important nominees.
Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s pick for director of national intelligence, is reportedly slated to meet with Senators Ron Johnson and Jerry Moran this week while other parts of the transition team are going to begin engaging with the Pentagon.
On the non-defense side of things, Robert F Kennedy Jr has plans to meet over two dozen senators this week, likely in an effort to ease concerns about how his anti-vax views might imperil his confirmation.
Robert F Kennedy Jr (Reuters)
Trumps host widow of slain Japanese PM at Mar-a-Lago
08:32 , Joe Sommerlad
Good morning!
The incoming president and first lady hosted the widow of late Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe at Mar-a-Lago on Sunday, paying their respects to Akie Abe following the murder of her husband in July 2022.
Trump worked with PM Abe during his first term in the White House.
D.C. restaurant server fired for saying she would refuse to serve some Trump officials
08:00 , John Bowden
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
Daniel Penny meets Donald Trump days after his acquittal in Jordan Neely’s subway death
06:00 , John Bowden
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
Mitt Romney on CNN: Maga won
05:00 , 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:
Romney admits Trump’s MAGA agenda now dominates Republican Party
Devin Nunes and Ric Grenell — who are Trump’s latest administration picks?
04:00 , 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.
The woman behind Capitol bathroom protest says trans people can’t trust Democrats to protect them
03:00 , 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
Don Trump Jr didn’t like Kimberly Guilfoyle’s fashion sense and thought new beau would be more of a win with dad
02:00 , John Bowden
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
RFK planning meetings blitz across Capitol Hill
01:40 , Josh Marcus
With the year coming to a close, the Trump transition team is planning a busy week of meetings at the Capitol for Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the incoming administration’s controversial pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.
He’s set to meet with numerous GOP senators in the coming days, according to the transition team.
Health experts warn Kennedy is skeptical of mainstream public health interventions like vaccines and flouride in water.
RFK Jr picked for health role. Doctors warned it could trigger disease outbreaks
Stephen A. Smith ‘sick’ after report on FBI presence amid January 6
01:25 , Josh Marcus
Sports and culture commentator Stephen A. Smith joined conservative lawmakers in criticizing the findings of a Justice Department inspector general report on the extent of the FBI presence at the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Smith said he was “sick” and felt like Democrats had lied about the insurrection based on the report, which found “no evidence” undercover FBI employees joined in the riot, but noted the presence of 26 confidential agency sources in the wider area around the Capitol.
Senator Mike Lee of Utah made a similar criticism on Sunday, arguing Democrats had wrongly dismissed questions about the insurrection as conspiracy theories.
Mike Lee says FBI watchdog report shows Jan 6 conspiracy theories ‘weren’t so crazy’
Polio survivor Mitch McConnell slams ‘dangerous’ push by RFK Jr lawyer
01:00 , John Bowden
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
Senator calls on Biden to pass Equal Rights Amendment
00:54 , Josh Marcus
Democrats are pushing Biden to continue using his final days in office to seal liberal priorities before Trump takes office.
That includes enrishing the Equal Rights Amendment, which would constitutionally ban gender discrimination.
“With Republicans set to take unified control of government, Americans are facing the further degradation of reproductive freedom,” Senator Kirsten Gillibrand wrote today on Sunday in The New York Times. “Fortunately, Mr. Biden has the power to enshrine reproductive rights in the Constitution right now.”
Gillibrand argued that because two-thirds of Congress ratified the proposed amendment in 1972 and three-quarters of states ratified it in 2020, the ERA has met the constitutional requirements for certification.
