Donald Trump has been named Time magazine’s “Person of the Year” in response to his winning the 2024 presidential election for the second time, according to Politico.
The annual cover – which highlights an individual who has greatly influenced the year, for good or ill – is set to be unveiled today, with sources suggesting in advance that the president-elect will grace the cover again.
The Republican was also named “Person of the Year” in 2016, the year he beat Hillary Clinton to win election to the White House for the first time, and is expected to celebrate the honor by ringing the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange this morning.
Trump has meanwhile been continuing to announce nominees to his new administration and gloating over the resignation of FBI Director Christopher Wray, whom he appointed to replace James Comey in 2017.
Writing on Truth Social, the president-elect called it “great day for America” that would “end the Weaponization of what has become known as the United States Department of Injustice.”
Trump went to accuse the bureau of having “illegally raided my home, without cause, worked diligently on illegally impeaching and indicting me.”
Key Points
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Donald Trump officially named Time’s ‘Person of the Year’
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President-elect gloats over resignation of FBI Director Christopher Wray
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Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta donates $1m to Trump’s inaugural fund in latest attempt to rebuild bridges
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Trump invites China’s Xi Jinping to attend his inauguration
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President-elect taps election-denier Kari Lake for Voice of America director
Donald Trump officially named Time’s ‘Person of the Year’
12:50 , Joe Sommerlad
Here’s the confirmation of the president-elect’s latest accolade.
And here’s the magazine’s editor Sam Jacobs to explain their thinking.
Ex-FBI Director James Comey issues warning to former colleagues ahead of Trump second term
12:40 , Joe Sommerlad
In a statement posted to Instagram a day before his successor Christopher Wray announced he’d be stepping down, Comey wrote: “I realize there is a great deal of anxiety in the Bureau now — produced by the rhetoric of those who have reason to fear honest investigators.
“But please know you will be ok in the long run.”
The former bureau director’s tenure at the department abruptly ended in 2017 when then-president Donald Trump fired him and Wray appears to be jumping before he is pushed in favor of Kash Patel.
Here’s more on Comey from Michelle Del Rey.
Ex-FBI Director James Comey issues warning to former colleagues
Trump seeks to dismiss Central Park Five defamation lawsuit
12:20 , Joe Sommerlad
The president-elect yesterday filed a petition with a federal judge seeking the dismissal of the lawsuit brought against him in October by the so-called Central Park Five – Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, Kevin Richardson, Antron Brown and Korey Wise – five Black New Yorkers who were falsely accused of the rape of a jogger in 1989 and who were exonerated in 2002.
Trump, then a New York City real estate kingpin with no particular political pull, took out full-page adverts in Big Apple newspapers calling for the reinstatement of the death penalty in the Empire State to execute the men.
He never apologized, even after the real culprit was caught and the Five were vindicated thanks to the emergence of DNA evidence.
Then, at a September presidential debate against Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump stated that the men had killed someone and pleaded guilty to the crime (see below), prompting the lawsuit that alleged Trump’s comments intentionally inflicted emotional distress and painted the men in a false light.
In court filings, Trump’s lawyers argued that his statements were protected under the First Amendment as expressions of opinion on public matters.
“The president-elect’s speech about matters of public concern is safeguarded by the Constitution,” his attorneys wrote.
Trump says he had ‘great conversation’ with the ‘very nice’ Jill Biden
12:00 , Joe Sommerlad
Days after using this shot of the first lady to shill his new line of “Fight, Fight, Fight” Christmas cologne, the president-elect is now back trying to be a bit more gallant about their meeting in Paris over the weekend for the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral.
The same picture inspired Fox host and former Trump economist Larry Kudlow to suggest, absurdly, that Dr Biden had been “flirting” with the new president because she “gravitates towards power”, on which Justin Baragona has more.
Fox News hosts suggest Jill Biden ‘flirted’ with Trump
Biden commutes 1,500 sentences and issues 39 pardons in biggest single-day act of clemency in history
11:40 , Joe Sommerlad
Joe Biden has issued the single largest act of clemency in modern history, commuting the sentences of roughly 1,500 people and issuing 39 presidential pardons.
With just 40 days left in the White House, the president announced on Thursday that he is lessening the sentences of thousands of prisoners who were released and placed on home confinement for at least one year during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Biden, who faced backlash after pardoning his own son Hunter from his federal crimes earlier this month, also issued pardons for US citizens convicted of non-violent crimes such as drug offenses, who have shown “successful rehabilitation”.
The president said his administration will continue reviewing clemency petitions to “advance equal justice” and “provide meaningful second chances,” before Donald Trump is inaugurated as his successor on January 20 .
“America was built on the promise of possibility and second chances,” Biden said.
James Liddell and Colleen Long have the full story.
Biden announces biggest single-day act of clemency in modern US history
Trump shares article linking MAGA ‘star’ Richard Grenell to top Iran post
11:20 , Joe Sommerlad
Linking to a Reuters story about Grenell, his former ambassador to Germany and acting director of national intelligence, being named new special envoy to Tehran, the president-elect called him “a fabulous person, A STAR” and promised he would be “someplace, high up!”
All of which suggests the appointment, or one like it, is likely to happen but why not just get on and announce it?
Trump taps election-denier Kari Lake for Voice of America director
11:00 , Joe Sommerlad
The president-elect announced more nominees to his new administration last night, finally finding work for Kari Lake, the ex-news journalist and serial election-loser who has been haunting Arizona politics for several years.
The following quartet was also announced by the transition team yesterday:
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Leandro Rizzuto, billionaire co-founder and chairman of Conair, as Ambassador to the Organization of American States.
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Dr Peter Lamelas, a physician who practices in Palm Beach, Florida, as United States Ambassador to Argentina.
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Daniel J Newlin, a personal injury attorney who funded much of Trump’s campaign advertising, as Ambassador to Colombia.
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Michael J Rigas, who served as Deputy Director of the Office of Personnel Management and Acting Deputy Director of Management, is to be Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources.
Here’s more on Lake from Alex Lang.
Trump picks vocal supporter Kari Lake to head the news outlet Voice of America
Trump invites China’s Xi Jinping to attend his inauguration
10:35 , Joe Sommerlad
The president-elect has invited his Chinese counterpart to watch his swearing in ceremony on Washington DC on January 20, CBS News reports.
Trump reportedly extended the invite last month but the Chinese embassy in Washington has yet to comment.
The Republican said in an interview with NBC conducted on Friday that he “got along with very well” with Xi and that they had “had communication as recently as this week”.
It would be unprecedented for a leader of China, a top US geopolitical rival, to attend an American presidential inauguration and Trump has risked poking the bear by naming numerous China hawks to key posts in his incoming administration, including Senator Marco Rubio as secretary of state.
Donald Trump and Xi Jinping (AFP/Getty)
Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta donates $1m to Trump’s inaugural fund in latest attempt to rebuild bridges
10:00 , Joe Sommerlad
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has reportedly donated $1m to Donald Trump’s inaugural fund, the latest twist in the complicated relationship between the tech boss and the Republican president-elect.
The donation has been confirmed by the Silicon Valley company, according to The Wall Street Journal, and comes despite Trump threatening the Facebook founder with prosecution if he attempted to influence the election against him during the campaign.
The move is the latest example of a tech CEO moving to make a conciliatory gesture towards Trump now that his return to the White House has been confirmed and his party have secured control over both houses of Congress, with the GOP commonly hitting out at the California tech sector, which is seen as predominantly left-leaning.
Here’s more.
Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta donates $1m to Trump’s inaugural fund
President-elect gloats over resignation of FBI Director Christopher Wray
09:40 , Joe Sommerlad
Trump has meanwhile been gloating over the resignation of FBI Director Christopher Wray, whom he appointed to replace James Comey in 2017 and who announced his departure on Wednesday, with nominee Kash Patel waiting in the wings.
Writing on Truth Social, the president-elect called it “great day for America” that would “end the Weaponization of what has become known as the United States Department of Injustice.”
Trump went to accuse the bureau of having “illegally raided my home, without cause, worked diligently on illegally impeaching and indicting me.”
Here’s Andrew Feinberg with a full report in the outgoing Wray.
FBI director Christopher Wray will resign ahead of Trump’s plan to replace him
Donald Trump expected to be named Time magazine’s ‘Person of the Year’ and ring New York Stock Exchange’s opening bell
09:20 , Joe Sommerlad
Good morning!
Donald Trump is expected to be named Time magazine’s “Person of the Year” on Thursday after winning the presidential election for the second time, according to Politico.
The annual cover – which highlights an individual who has greatly influenced the year, for good or ill – is set to be unveiled today, with sources suggesting in advance that the president-elect will grace the cover again.
The Republican was also named “Person of the Year” in 2016, the year he beat Hillary Clinton to win election to the White House for the first time, and is expected to celebrate the honor by ringing the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange this morning.
As the Truth Social post below suggests, he’s pretty excited about it.
We’ll bring you the cover as soon as it drops a little later on.
Most Americans approve of Trump transition
09:00 , Ariana Baio
A new poll from CNN and SSRS found that more than half of Americans believe Trump is doing a good job of transitioning the Biden administration to his.
Approximately 55 percent said they approve of how Trump is handling the presidential transition process and 54 percent said they believe the president-elect will do a good job when he returns to the White House.
Slightly more Americans have a positive outlook on Trump’s administration than a negative one.
CNN conservative pundit Scott Jennings scorched by colleague for trying to manufacture ‘clip for the internet’
08:00 , Justin Baragona
Accusing CNN political commentator Scott Jennings of attempting to create a viral moment during a heated exchange on the Daniel Penny trial, correspondent Audie Cornish told the right-wing pundit that he wanted “a clip for the internet” while mockingly posing for a picture.
During Tuesday night’s broadcast of CNN NewsNight, the panel debated over Penny being acquitted in the chokehold death of Jordan Neely, a homeless man with mental health issues who acted threateningly towards subway passengers. The verdict was met with both applause and anger, with conservatives saying “justice has prevailed” and calling Penny a “hero.”
Read more:
CNN’s Scott Jennings scorched by colleague for trying to manufacture a viral moment
Republican Senator signals he is unsure about Pete Hegseth
06:00 , Ariana Baio
Republican Senator Todd Young of Indiana did not give a definitive answer on whether or not he will support Trump’s defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth.
“I haven’t decided yet, as I’ve shared with him and happy to share with others,” Young told CNN on Wednesday. “We had a good meeting. It was an extensive conversation, and he answered the questions I asked.”
“I appreciated his candor as we discussed our readiness challenges, the China threat, auditing the Pentagon, his vision for DoD, and other important national security issues,” Young said in an X post.
WATCH: Jimmy Kimmel jokes about Trump sending Don Jr’s fiancee to Greece
05:00 , Gustaf Kilander
I asked Republicans about Tulsi Gabbard’s remarks on Syria. This is what they said
04:00 , Eric Garcia
The fall of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad immediately triggered conversation about Tulsi Gabbard, the former Democratic congressman and President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be Director of National Intelligence — and not just among everyday citizens. Adam Kinzinger, the former Republican congressman, joked on X/Twitter as news broke that Gabbard could offer the deposed Syrian president “safe harbor” in her home.
Gabbard met with the Syrian dictator in 2017, and she did so in her capacity as a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. In one particularly shocking moment, The Independent reported last month that when she met with young girls from Syria who had survived airstrikes from Assad’s military, she allegedly asked them how they knew it was Assad who bombed them. It was a question so insulting that the translator present said he refused to translate it.
Read more:
I asked Republicans about Tulsi Gabbard’s remarks on Syria. This is what they said
Trump’s border czar reveals which city is first for mass deportations
02:00 , Alex Woodward
Donald Trump’s incoming “border czar” wants officials in America’s third-largest city to “get the hell out of the way” of his plans for mass deportations or risk prosecution.
In remarks to a group of Chicago Republicans on Monday night, Tom Homan said the city and the state of Illinois are “in trouble” because “your mayor sucks and your governor sucks.”
Read more:
Trump’s border czar reveals which city is first for mass deportations
Ex-FBI Director James Comey issues warning to former colleagues ahead of Trump second term
01:30 , Michelle Del Rey
Former FBI Director James Comey has tried to reassure his former colleagues at the Bureau ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s second term.
In a statement posted to Instagram a day before FBI Director Christopher Wray announced he’d be stepping down, Comey wrote: “I realize there is a great deal of anxiety in the Bureau now — produced by the rhetoric of those who have reason to fear honest investigators.”
“But please know you will be ok in the long run.”
“The special burden of being in the FBI is that you lack friends in high places — by design,” Comey’s statement continued. “America has wanted you to be lonely since the searing lessons of Watergate. Once upon a time, the FBI director was a pal of presidents, sharing late-night drinks and using the Bureau to do favors for the powerful.
“But the country learned 50 years ago that it is not in the national interest for the FBI to be loyal to anything except the constitution and the law.”
The former FBI director’s tenure at the department abruptly ended in 2017 when then-President Trump fired him.
Kimberly Guilfoyle, Trump’s ambassador to Greece, once called Greeks ‘freeloaders’ who should be punished
01:00 , Justin Baragona
While late-night comics joke about the actual motive behind President-elect Donald Trump selecting his son’s (ex-?) fiancee Kimberly Guilfoyle as the U.S. ambassador to Greece, Greek citizens may not find her previous remarks about them very funny.
In a 2015 segment of Fox News’ The Five unearthed by Media Matters senior fellow Matt Gertz, Guilfoyle once described the Greeks as “freeloaders” who should be punished after rejecting a bailout offer from the European Union.
Read more:
Kimberly Guilfoyle, Trump’s ambassador to Greece, once called Greeks ‘freeloaders’
Trump may revoke policy shielding migrants from deportation arrests in churches and schools
00:30 , Josh Marcus
As soon as its first day in office, the incoming Trump administration is reportedly planning on rescinding a 2011 immigration policy limiting deportation arrests in sensitive locations like schools, churches, and hospitals.
Instead, the administration plans to let Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents make arrests in these locations if they’re related to national security concerns, the arrest of a dangerous felon, or risks of imminent danger or the compromising of a criminal investigation, according to NBC News, which first reported on the alleged plan, citing three anonymous sources familiar with the new administration.
Read more here
Elon Musk’s net worth reaches historic peak. What is it?
00:00 , Kelly Rissman
Elon Musk now boasts a net worth of $400 billion, making him the first person in history to ever hit that milestone.
The world’s richest person became even richer Wednesday after SpaceX and its investors agreed to buy $1.25 billion of insider shares, valuing the company at $350 billion, Bloomberg reported. The move ballooned the founder’s net worth by $50 billion, meaning he is now worth $439 billion, according to Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
Read more:
Elon Musk’s net worth reaches historic peak. What is it?
Trump invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to inauguration: report
Wednesday 11 December 2024 23:30 , Ariana Baio
President-elect Trump reportedly invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to his inauguration on January 20th, sources familiar with the matter told CBS News on Wednesday.
While ambassadors and diplomats are typically invited to the inauguration, foreign leaders and usually not.
It is unclear if Xi accepted the invitation.
The Independent has asked Trump’s team for comment
A spokesperson for the Trump team, Karoline Leavitt, told CBS: “World leaders are lining up to meet with President Trump because they know he will soon return to power and restore peace through American strength around the globe.”
C-SPAN host fact-checks GOP lawmaker who thinks Pete Hegseth doesn’t know who’s accusing him of rape
Wednesday 11 December 2024 23:00 , Justin Baragona
C-SPAN host Mimi Geerges was forced to correct Republican Rep. Rich McCormick on Wednesday when he insisted that Pete Hegseth does not know the identity of the woman accusing him of sexual assault, only for the Georgia lawmaker to double down on his false claim.
McCormick, who was on Washington Journal to primarily talk about his heated clash with Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, was asked about the embattled Hegseth’s efforts to rally support for his nomination as secretary of defense amid a slew of accusations over sexual misconduct and excessive drinking.
Read more:
C-SPAN host fact-checks Republican who says Hegseth doesn’t know who his accuser is
Incoming FBI director Kash Patel responds to Wray resignation
Wednesday 11 December 2024 22:30 , Ariana Baio
When asked to respond to FBI Director Christopher Wray stepping down from his position, incoming director Kash Patel said he was “looking forward” to a smooth transition and will be prepared to take over.
No discussion with Trump on his ‘policy agenda’ during call, says Swinney
Wednesday 11 December 2024 22:00 , Craig Paton
John Swinney and Donald Trump did not discuss the US president-elect’s “policy agenda” during a call, the First Minister has said.
Mr Swinney spoke to the soon-to-be 47th president on Tuesday, with Mr Trump speaking of his admiration for Scotland, but discussions did not include a potential visit to Bute House when the Republican next comes to Scotland – expected to be some time next year.
Read more:
No discussion with Trump on his ‘policy agenda’ during call, says Swinney
Read Merrick Garland’s statement on Christopher Wray’s departure in full
Wednesday 11 December 2024 21:30 , Gustaf Kilander
Chris Wray has served our country honorably and with integrity for decades, including for seven years as the Director of the FBI under presidents of both parties.
In a heightened threat environment, Director Wray has worked tirelessly to protect the American people and to lead an agency of 38,000 dedicated public servants, many of whom put their lives on the line every day to serve their communities.
Under Director Wray’s principled leadership, the FBI has worked to fulfill the Justice Department’s mission to keep our country safe, protect civil rights, and uphold the rule of law.
He has led the FBI’s efforts to aggressively confront the broad range of threats facing our country — from nation-state adversaries and foreign and domestic terrorism to violent crime, cybercrime, and financial crime.
There are few leadership positions more central to keeping the American people safe than the Director of the FBI.
The Director of the FBI is responsible for leading employees located across the country and around the world who dedicate themselves each day to disrupting complex plots and preventing horrific tragedies before they can occur.
The Director of the FBI is responsible for leading the federal law enforcement agency that serves as the connective tissue among the intelligence community, state and local law enforcement agencies across the country, and our international law enforcement partners.
And the Director of the FBI is responsible for protecting the independence of the FBI from inappropriate influence in its criminal investigations. That independence is central to preserving the rule of law and to protecting the freedoms we as Americans hold dear.
Director Wray has done that job with integrity and skill. He has my gratitude, the gratitude of the FBI agents and employees whose respect and admiration he has earned, and the gratitude of the American people.
Attorney General Merrick Garland
Donald Trump to be named person of the year by Time magazine
Wednesday 11 December 2024 21:00 , Gustaf Kilander
Donald Trump is set to be named “Person of the Year” by Time magazine and he’ll celebrate the moment and the new cover by ringing the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday, according to Politico.
When Taylor Swift was on the cover last year, the CEO of Time, Jessica Sibley, rang the opening bell.
Trump was also selected in 2016. Thirteen other presidents have also been chosen by the magazine, including current President Joe Biden.
Only 2 in 10 Americans actually approve of Biden’s sweeping pardon for son Hunter
Wednesday 11 December 2024 20:30 , Will Weissert, Amelia Thomson Deveaux
Only about 2 in 10 Americans approve of Joe Biden’s decision to pardon his son Hunter after earlier promising he would do no such thing, according to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
That displeasure tracks with the bipartisan uproar in Washington that ignited over the president’s about-face. The survey found that a relatively small share of Americans “strongly” or “somewhat” approve of the pardon, which came after the younger Biden was convicted on gun and tax charges. About half said they “strongly” or “somewhat” disapprove, and about 2 in 10 neither approve nor disapprove.
Read more:
Only 2 in 10 Americans actually approve of Biden’s sweeping pardon for son Hunter
Trump says his remarks about Central Park Five were ‘substantially true’ in demand to dismiss defamation lawsuit
Wednesday 11 December 2024 20:00 , Alex Woodward
Trump is asking a judge to dismiss a defamation lawsuit from the now-exonerated Central Park Five, who accused Trump of repeating “false and defamatory” statements about them during his debate with Kamala Harris.
At the debate, Trump misstated facts of the case and falsely claimed that they had at one point “pled guilty” to having “killed a person, ultimately.”
In 1989, the men were falsely accused of raping and beating a jogger and were coerced into confessing to the crime. They later recanted, pled not guilty and were convicted. Those convictions were vacated in 2002 when another person confessed.
“They admitted, they said they pled guilty and I said, ’well, if they pled guilty they badly hurt a person, killed a person ultimately,” Trump said at the debate. “And they pled guilty, then they pled not guilty.”
Trump had taken out a full-page ad in 1989 for the death penalty.
An attorney for Trump claims that the men are now trying to “recast political rhetoric and debate about criminal justice and public safety as ‘defamation.‘”
“This ignores well-settled First Amendment jurisprudence that protects the President-elect’s speech about matters of public concern,” wrote Karin M. Sweigar, an attorney with Dhillon Law Group, which is owned by Harmeet Dhillon, whom Trump has nominated to lead the Justice Department’s civil rights division.
Trump’s statements, “taken in context, were protected opinions based on true disclosed fact, lacked any defamatory sting, and were substantially true,” according to Sweigar. “Plaintiffs’ remaining claims for false light and intentional infliction of emotional distress fail for the same reasons, and because Plaintiffs fail to meet the additional required elements of those claims.”
Joe Biden names the one thing Trump did that he was ‘stupid’ for not copying
Wednesday 11 December 2024 19:30 , Gustaf Kilander
President Joe Biden said he was “stupid” for not doing what president-elect Donald Trump did during his first term — signing the checks sent to the public during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I signed the American Rescue Plan, the most significant economic recovery package in our history, and also learned something from Donald Trump,” Biden noted during his economic speech at the Brookings Institution Tuesday.
Biden said that Trump “signed checks for people for 7,400 bucks…and I didn’t,” adding that it was “stupid,” drawing laughter from the crowd.
Read more:
Joe Biden names the one thing Trump did that he was ‘stupid’ for not copying
FBI director Christopher Wray will resign ahead of Trump’s plan to replace him with Kash Patel
Wednesday 11 December 2024 19:18 , Andrew Feinberg
FBI Director Christopher Wray has signaled his intention to quit his post next month ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration as president, creating a vacancy that Trump intends to fill with loyalist Kash Patel.
Wray reportedly told FBI employees at an agency town hall that he would step down in January, nearly two and a half years before the expiration of the ten-year term he was sworn in for in August 2017.
Read more:
FBI director Christopher Wray will resign ahead of Trump’s plan to replace him
CNN conservative pundit Scott Jennings scorched by colleague for trying to manufacture ‘clip for the internet’
Wednesday 11 December 2024 19:00 , Justin Baragona
Accusing CNN political commentator Scott Jennings of attempting to create a viral moment during a heated exchange on the Daniel Penny trial, correspondent Audie Cornish told the right-wing pundit that he wanted “a clip for the internet” while mockingly posing for a picture.
During Tuesday night’s broadcast of CNN NewsNight, the panel debated over Penny being acquitted in the chokehold death of Jordan Neely, a homeless man with mental health issues who acted threateningly towards subway passengers. The verdict was met with both applause and anger, with conservatives saying “justice has prevailed” and calling Penny a “hero.”
Read more:
CNN’s Scott Jennings scorched by colleague for trying to manufacture a viral moment
An Alabama couple were ardent Trump supporters. Then their trans son told them he wanted to die
Wednesday 11 December 2024 18:30 , Michelle Del Rey
Carolyn Fisher will never forget the moment her son told her he wanted to die.
It was November 3, two days before the presidential election. Fisher’s 16-year-old non-binary son, who uses he/they pronouns, was part of an online suicide pact with three other transgender and non-binary teens in Florida, Alabama and Tennessee. The friends who’d met on Discord had agreed to die by suicide if former president Donald Trump won the 2024 election.
Read more:
For one Alabama family, Trump’s anti-trans rhetoric nearly cost them their son’s life
Trump’s latest DOJ nominee is taking aim at trans rights and elections
Wednesday 11 December 2024 18:00 , Joe Sommerlad
The president-elect’s nominee to oversee the federal government’s enforcement of civil rights has spent the last year leading a legal crusade against transgender Americans, signaling where Trump could start with his “day one” pledge to roll back discrimination protections.
Harmeet Dhillon, founder of the Center for American Liberty, has filed a barrage of attention-grabbing lawsuits on behalf of right-wing activists against gender-affirming healthcare and school policies and state and local laws designed to protect LGBT+ people across the country.
Dhillon also supported efforts to reverse election results in states Trump lost in 2020, and she steered the Trump campaign’s 2024 “election integrity” team in Arizona, a hotbed for bogus election conspiracy theories in the wake of Trump’s loss.
Here’s more from Alex Woodward.
Trump’s pick for DOJ deputy is taking aim at trans rights and elections
Matt Gaetz is heading to OAN. Will anybody even watch him there?
Wednesday 11 December 2024 17:30 , Joe Sommerlad
The self-described MAGA “firebrand”, who dropped out last month as Trump’s choice for attorney general amid ongoing sexual misconduct allegations, has finally secured another full-time job now that he’s no longer in Congress.
After news leaked on Monday night that he had agreed to host a primetime show for the little-watched right-wing conspiracy channel One America News (OAN), the network made it official on Tuesday with a press release and promotional video.
Gaetz taking the plunge and becoming a conservative talking head is hardly a surprise but will anybody be watching?
Justin Baragona considers the question.
Matt Gaetz is now officially heading to OAN. Will anybody even watch him there?
John Fetterman joins Truth Social
Wednesday 11 December 2024 17:00 , Joe Sommerlad
The Pennsylvania Democratic Senator has not only joined Trump’s social media platform but opens with a very MAGA-friendly dismissal of the hush money case against the president-elect as “bulls***”, perhaps thinking ahead about his own electoral future.
‘Freeloaders’: Guilfoyle’s past criticism of Greece emerges after she is nominated as new US ambassador
Wednesday 11 December 2024 16:40 , Joe Sommerlad
Will be fun watching her explain this one in Athens.
Republican senator warns Hegseth his confirmation hearing will be ‘unpleasant’
Wednesday 11 December 2024 16:20 , Joe Sommerlad
How’s it all looking for Trump’s pick for defense secretary?
Not good, according to Texas Republican John Cornyn, who had this to say after meeting with him on Capitol Hill.
“I just told him and his wife, I said this is going to be a very difficult process on all of you,” Cornyn told reporters this week, according to The Hill.
“I’ve been through a lot of Supreme Court nomination fights, including Brett Kavanaugh, and that may pale in comparison to what may be thrown at Pete.”
Hegseth is likely to receive a brutal grilling from Democrats over allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman in 2017, has a drinking problem and has mismanaged not one but two veterans’ associations, all of which the nominee denies.
Cornyn, who said he intends to back Hegseth despite it all, has since repeated his warnings to Rob Schmitt on Newsmax, declaring that the candidate is in for “a very unpleasant process for him and his family.”
The Texan continued: “It’s important for all of these nominees to come around and answer questions. I told Pete this is gonna be a very unpleasant process for him and his family, having been involved in the Kavanaugh hearings.
“I know there will be unnamed accusations and some things that are going to be hurtful, not only to him and his family, but he’s ready for that, his wife is ready for that, and I’m confident he will be confirmed.”
John Cornyn (AP)
The power broker North Carolina senator caught in the middle of Trump’s confirmations fight
Wednesday 11 December 2024 16:00 , Joe Sommerlad
A Republican trifecta in Washington should be a good sign for a bipartisan dealmaker like Thom Tillis.
Instead, Eric Garcia reports, he’s getting squeezed by all sides as he faces re-election.
The Republican Senator stuck in the middle of Trump’s confirmations fight
Fox pundit pitches herself as next US ambassador to Italy in light of Guilfoyle appointment
Wednesday 11 December 2024 15:40 , Joe Sommerlad
Can you blame her?
Jan 6 ‘fighter’ asks for court’s permission to attend Trump inauguration
Wednesday 11 December 2024 15:25 , Joe Sommerlad
Russell Taylor is just the latest Capitol rioter to start making demands in anticipation of receiving the promised pardon from the president-elect after he is inaugurated next month (although Trump has specified he will not be issuing a blanket clemency order and, instead, reviewing cases one-by-one).
Report on attempts to kill Trump urges Secret Service to limit protection of foreign leaders
Wednesday 11 December 2024 15:10 , Joe Sommerlad
A congressional task force investigating the attempts to kill Trump during his presidential campaign is recommending changes to the Secret Service, including protecting fewer foreign leaders during the height of election season and considering moving the agency out of the Homeland Security Department.
The 180-page report by the bipartisan task force released on Tuesday is one of the most detailed looks so far into the July assassination attempt against Trump during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania and a second attempt in Florida two months later.
Like the series of other investigations and reports, the task force railed at the agency tasked with protecting the top echelon of America‘s democratic leaders.
Here’s more.
Report on attempts to kill Trump urges Secret Service to limit protection of foreign leaders
Schiff warns Trump against threatening his political enemies
Wednesday 11 December 2024 14:50 , Joe Sommerlad
The California Democrat, particularly loathed for his “pencil-neck” by the president-elect, has been pointing out that calling for the jailing of your rivals is a pretty dictatorial look, advice that Trump is pretty unlikely to heed.
DOGE about ‘dismantling the deep state’, says House speaker
Wednesday 11 December 2024 14:30 , Joe Sommerlad
Mike Johnson managed to sound pretty paranoid talking to Bret Baier on Fox News last night about Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy’s new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), insisting it is necessary to root out supposed operational bias within the workings of the federal government, a conservative obsession that may or may not be a real problem.
Fox News floats Trump could expand America through a land purchase
Wednesday 11 December 2024 14:10 , Joe Sommerlad
The Trump-iana purchase!
A prominent Fox News host has floated that President-elect Donald Trump could be looking to make a major land purchase during his second term.
Her prediction comes as Trump continues to taunt Canada and its officials and has reportedly suggested the northern neighbor should be America’s 51st state.
“I actually think that the United States might make some sort of purchase. I don’t know, not Canada, but there might be some sort of like big real estate purchase in the next four years,” Dana Perino said on Tuesday’s episode of The Five on Fox.
Co-host Jessica Travlov then suggested Greenland as a potential purchase, given Trump’s interest in it in 2019, which sparked a memorable diplomatic beef with Denmark.
Alex Lang has more.
Fox News host floats idea Trump could expand America through a land purchase
Republican senator blocks federal protection for journalists
Wednesday 11 December 2024 13:50 , Joe Sommerlad
Tom Cotton of Arkansas has blocked a federal shield law that would have protected reporters from revealing their sources and material to the government.
In the Senate on Tuesday, Oregon Democrat Ron Wyden called for the unanimous consent of the chamber to pass the Protect Reporters from Exploitative State Spying (or PRESS) Act, only for Cotton to object, arguing that the “liberal media” does not “deserve” further protections.
“The press badge doesn’t make you better than the rest of America or put you above the law,” he said on the Senate floor.
Cotton subsequently posted this on social media:
Nancy Mace says she was ‘accosted’ over trans rights dispute as man arrested
Wednesday 11 December 2024 13:30 , Joe Sommerlad
The South Carolina Republican Representative has said she was “physically accosted” on Capitol grounds on Tuesday evening, seemingly in relation to her recent string of anti-trans rhetoric.
“I was physically accosted tonight on Capitol grounds over my fight to protect women,” Mace wrote on X. “Capitol police have arrested him. All the violence and threats keep proving our point. Women deserve to be safe. Your threats will not stop my fight for women!”
In another post, Mace said she was hurt by a “pro-tr*ns man”.
Capitol Police have arrested the person accused of assaulting Mace, a Capitol Police spokesperson said in a statement.
Mace said the physical assault resulted in her being treated with a “new brace” on her wrists and ice on her arm.
Here’s Gustaf Kilander’s report.
Suspect arrested after Rep. Nancy Mace claims she was assaulted
House Intelligence Committee chair slams Trump DOJ for spying on lawmakers
Wednesday 11 December 2024 13:10 , Joe Sommerlad
Republican Representative Mike Turner, who chairs the House Intelligence Committee, said the Department of Justice (DOJ) under the first Trump administration committed a “grave constitutional violation” when it secretly obtained phone records and emails belonging to Congressional members and staffers.
Turner attacked Trump’s DOJ for collecting communication logs from 43 congressional staffers and two House Democrats , which was revealed in a report from Inspector General Michael Horowitz.
“This report lays out outrageous behavior by the Department of Justice,” Turner told CNN on Tuesday.
“This is a grave constitutional violation.”
Between 2017 and 2018, prosecutors utilized subpoenas to demand that Apple and Google collect and hand over data, without approval from a court or from then-attorney general Bill Barr.
They then issued gag orders to prevent the companies from informing those targeted.
Federal investigators targeted two unnamed House members, congressional staffers and journalists as part of its investigation into the source of leaked sensitive information.
Ariana Baio reports.
House intel committee chair slams Trump DOJ for spying on lawmakers
Joe Biden says Trump dismantling ‘strongest economy in modern history’ would be a ‘major mistake’
Wednesday 11 December 2024 12:50 , Joe Sommerlad
The president said yesterday he is bequeathing President-elect Donald Trump what he described as “the strongest economy in modern history” and “the envy of the world” while warning that efforts by the next administration to roll back his economic policies would result in great harm to Americans’ pocketbooks.
Speaking at the Brookings Institution think-tank at what was billed as a major address on the economic legacy he is leaving behind after just a single four-year term, Biden recounted how he had come into office with a “fundamentally different theory” from the “trickle-down” beliefs that have dominated economic policy since the rise of Ronald Reagan and modern conservatism in the 1980s.
Using a playbook of working to grow the US economy “from the middle out and the bottom up, not the top down,” Biden explained how he had pushed Congress to enact the American Rescue Plan Act shortly after he took office, along with the bipartisan infrastructure law he signed, the CHIPS and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act clean energy and climate spending package that capped his first two years in the White House.
Those record investments, he said, have resulted in a record number of applications to start new small businesses, record-low unemployment and a “soft landing” for the economy that has seen inflation retreat to pre-pandemic levels at or below two percent.
There was plenty of Trump-bashing in amongst it.
Here’s a full report from Andrew Feinberg.
Biden sends warning to Trump over ‘dismantling’ economy
Conservatives still flooding right-wing media to make excuses for Pete Hegseth
Wednesday 11 December 2024 12:30 , Joe Sommerlad
Trump’s embattled nominee for defense secretary is expected to meet with more Republican senators today as he works to earn their support ahead of confirmation hearings, CNN reports.
Those senators include Idaho Senator Mike Crapo and Montana Senator-elect Tim Sheehy, with also reportedly making courtesy calls to Maine Senator Susan Collins, Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy and Indiana Senator Todd Young.
On conservative media, you can get away from Republicans falling over themselves to absolve him of his alleged sins.
RFK Jr urges Trump to pick his daughter-in-law for top CIA post
Wednesday 11 December 2024 12:10 , Joe Sommerlad
The president-elect’s health czar is pushing for his former campaign manager and daughter-in-law Amaryllis Fox Kennedy to be the next deputy director of the CIA under John Ratcliffe, according to Axios.
RFK Jr has reportedly been putting in calls on her behalf for the position in the agency she spent a decade working in and wrote a memoir about, entitled Life Undercover (2019).
The role does not require Senate confirmation.
Gustaf Kilander reports.
RFK Jr pushes for CIA spy daughter-in-law to join Trump administration
