Trump loyalist Pam Bondi dodges questions on election denial and Jan 6 pardons

Donald Trump’s nominees to be the next US attorney general and secretary of state, Pam Bondi and Marco Rubio, are among the latest batch of cabinet picks sitting for Senate confirmation hearings today.

Florida Attorney General Bondi has been accused of amplifying Trump’s false claims about the 2020 presidential election and represented him at his first impeachment trial in 2019. Senator Rubio was once a bitter rival to the president-elect for the Republican presidential nomination, trading insults in the 2016 primaries — something that will likely come up today.

Chris Wright (secretary of energy), John Ratcliffe (director of the CIA), Sean Duffy (secretary of transportation), and Russell Vought (director of the Office of Management and Budget) also have hearings scheduled today with the relevant committees.

They follow in the footsteps of Pete Hegseth, the president-elect’s choice for secretary of defense, who endured a fiery hearing on Tuesday in which he called for the return of “American warriors” at the Pentagon but faced aggressive questioning about his checkered personal history.

Meanwhile, California Governor Gavin Newsom has invited Trump to visit Los Angeles to witness the devastation wrought by January’s wildfires, rather than merely criticize the emergency response from social media.

Key Points

• More Donald Trump nominees facing Senate confirmation hearings today

• Gavin Newsom issues call for Trump to visit wildfire-ravaged Los Angeles

• Pete Hegseth endures torrid Senate confirmation hearing

• Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg to attend Trump’s inauguration together

• Russia open for Trump talks after diplomat praises his Nato attack

Rubio: ‘Post-war global order is not just obsolete… It is now a weapon being used against us’

15:47 , Oliver O’Connell

Senator Marco Rubio sums up his approach to foreign policy in his opening remarks: “The post-war global order is not just obsolete. It is now a weapon being used against us.”

He later says: “We will never be indifferent to the suffering of our fellow man. But ultimately, under President Trump, the top priority of the United States Department of State will be the United States.”

Here’s what he had to say about China:

Bondi asked about Kash Patel’s enemies list

15:42 , Alex Woodward

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse asks Bondi: “Would you have ever hired someone into the Florida attorney general’s office with an enemies list?”

Bondi responds: “I’ll cut to the chase — you’re clearly talking about Kash Patel. I don’t believe he has an enemies list. He made a quote … I know that Kash Patel has had 60 jury trials as a public defender, as a prosecutor, he has great intel experience … I have known Kash and I believe Kash is the right person in the right time for this job … There will never be an enemies list in the Department of Justice.”

Later, Whitehouse asks under what circumstances would Bondi prosecute journalists.

Bondi replies: “I believe in the freedom of speech … You find the facts of the case, you apply the law in good faith, and you treat everyone fairly.”

Rubio hearing interrupted by protesters

15:41 , Oliver O’Connell

At Senator Marco Rubio’s confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, protesters in Spanish and English interrupted his opening statement, demonstrating about issues in the Middle East and Latin America.

Rubio, who would be the first Latino secretary of state, joked: “I get bilingual protests which is kind of cool.”

Graham asks Bondi about designating Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations

15:35 , Oliver O’Connell

Senator Lindsey Graham wants to know if Bondi would support the designation of Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. If she does, the Justice Department gives Trump legal legitimacy for this:

Watch: Bondi asked about 2020 election

15:30 , Oliver O’Connell

Will Bondi support Trump’s pardons of Jan 6 defendants?

15:29 , Alex Woodward

Durbin asks Bondi if she would support Donald Trump if he pardons violent January 6 Capitol rioters.

“If asked to look at those cases, I would advise on a case-by-case basis just as I did my entire career as a prosecutor,” she said.

Should those convicted for violence against officers be pardoned?

“I have not seen any of those files, of course … I will look at each and every file. … I condemn any violence against a law enforcement officer,” she said.

Bondi evasive on 2020 election denialism

15:28 , Alex Woodward

Democratic Senator Dick Durbin asks whether she is prepared to say Donald Trump lost the 2020 election.

Pa,m Bondi doesn’t say yes or no: “President Biden is the president of the United States, he was duly sworn in, and he is the president of the United States.”

She notes that Trump “left office and he was overwhelmingly elected in 2024.”

“All I can tell you as a prosecutor is from my experience … I accept the results … but what I can tell you is firsthand what I saw in Pennsylvania,” she said.

“Do I accept the results? Of course, I do. … I saw so much — no one from either side of the aisle should want there to be any issue with election integrity,” she said.

“I think that question deserved a yes or no,” Durbin said. “I think the length of your question means you weren’t prepared to say yes.”

Double duty for Rick Scott, introducing two Florida nominees

15:20 , Oliver O’Connell

Watch LIVE: Donald Trump’s secretary of state pick Marco Rubio grilled in confirmation hearing

15:18 , Oliver O’Connell

Bondi vows to ‘make America safe again’ and end ‘weaponization’ of DOJ

15:17 , Oliver O’Connell

In her opening statement, Pam Bondi says: “If confirmed, I will do everything in my power and it will be my great responsibility to make America safe again.”

Bondi stresses a “back to basics” role at the Justice Department in prosecuting violent crime and terrorism (an argument that suggests she doesn’t think federal prosecutors are doing this already), but she throws in at the end of her opening statement that the “partisanship” and “weaponization will be gone.”

There will be “one tier of justice for all,” echoing claims from Trump and his allies of a two-tier system of justice under Attorney General Merrick Garland and President Joe Biden.

Democrats won’t shy away from Bondi’s role in 2020 election denial

15:12 , Oliver O’Connell

Ranking Democrat Senator Dick Durbin, in his opening remarks, says: “Ms Bondi, you are one of four Trump personal lawyers that he has already selected for top positions in the DOJ. You joined Mr Trump in working to overturn the 2020 election. You repeatedly described investigations and prosecutions of Mr Trump as ‘witch hunts.’”

Read Pam Bondi’s responses to Judiciary Committee questionnaire

15:07 , Oliver O’Connell

As with all non-judicial nominees, Pam Bondi was required to fill in a questionnaire ahead of her hearing.

It reveals she owns 75,000 shares in DJT Media (the umbrella company for Truth Social), currently valued at approximately $3 million.

In her questionnaire, she notes that she has lobbied for Amazon, Qatar, the MLB, and the private prison company GEO Group, among many others.

Read the full questionnaire.

Speaker Johnson order Capitol flags to be raised to full height

15:05 , Joe Sommerlad

The House Speaker has ordered that flags at the US Capitol be raised to their full height on Inauguration Day, pausing a 30-day flag-lowering order following the death of former president Jimmy Carter.

The Republican leader’s decision means that Donald Trump will not take the oath of office for his second term under a half-staff flag, a prospect that he had previously complained about.

It mirrors actions taken in recent days by some Republican governors who have announced that flags in their states would be raised on Inauguration Day to mark Trump’s second term.

Meg Kinnard has more.

Johnson orders Capitol flags to be at full height for Trump’s inauguration

In pictures: Pam Bondi arrives for Senate confirmation hearing

14:59 , Oliver O’Connell

Watch: GOP senator wants Trump to force California to repeal climate rules for aid

14:47 , Oliver O’Connell

Nancy Mace threatens to ‘take it outside’ with Jasmine Crockett at hearing

14:45 , Joe Sommerlad

The attention-seeking South Carolina Representative appeared to challenge her Texas Democratic colleague to a fistfight on Tuesday during a contentious hearing about the shape of the incoming Congress.

Josh Marcus has more on another absurd performance from Mace.

Nancy Mace threatens to ‘take it outside’ during hearing clash with Jasmine Crockett

Bondi would be joined by other members of Trump’s legal team if confirmed

14:37 , Alex Woodward

If she’s confirmed, Pam Bondi — who represented Donald Trump during his impeachment — could end up overseeing a Justice Department led by other attorneys for the president. Her deputy managing the agency’s day to day could be Trump’s criminal defense attorney Todd Blanche, his deputy could be his law partner Emil Bove, and the deputy handling the civil rights division could be Harmeet Dhillon, who led more than a dozen election challenges on behalf of the Trump campaign.

Watch LIVE: Trump’s attorney general pick Pam Bondi grilled at Senate Judiciary Committee

14:29 , Oliver O’Connell

Watch: Hulk Hogan downs can of beer during live Fox News interview

14:20 , Joe Sommerlad

The aforementioned Fox News host Jesse Watters was interviewing the retired professional wrestler on Tuesday when talk soon turned to Donald Trump’s upcoming inauguration.

Hogan suddenly cracked open a can of his own brand of beer before telling Watters: “We got a real American president, brother.

“And we’re already celebrating the inauguration even before it happens because we know we’re getting our country back, brother.”

Hulk Hogan downs can of beer during live Fox News interview

What can we expect to hear from Pam Bondi, Trump’s pick for AG?

14:08 , Oliver O’Connell

Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general, Pam Bondi, formerly attorney general of Florida, will tell the Senate today that “most importantly,” if confirmed, “the partisan weaponization of the Department of Justice will end–America must have one tier of justice for all.”

Bondi, who was part of Trump’s defense team at his first impeachment, will also pledge a “new golden age” at the DOJ and will tell senators that as attorney general, she would get back to basics like prosecuting violent crime, child predators and drug traffickers while addressing issues at the southern border.

She will also focus on defending “free speech, free exercise of religion, and the right to bear arms.”

NY Republicans say they met with Trump to help end congestion pricing

13:55 , Joe Sommerlad

A group of Republican lawmakers from New York say they met with the president-elect over the weekend to recruit his assistance in ending congestion pricing in the Empire State.

Less than a week into the newly implemented congestion pricing plan, Representatives Nicole Malliotakis, Mike Lawler, Nick LaLota, Andrew Garbarino, Nick Langworthy and Claudia Tenney took a trip to Mar-a-Lago to speak with the incoming president about it.

Trump has already signaled his support for ending congestion pricing – though he did not explain how he would go about doing so.

Ariana Baio reports.

New York Republicans say they met with Trump to help end congestion pricing

Puerto Rico calls on Trump to respond after Maduro threatens to invade

13:35 , Joe Sommerlad

Governor Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon has called on the president-elect to respond after Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro threatened to invade the US territory.

Gonzalez-Colon called on Trump’s administration to “swiftly respond and make clear to the Maduro narco-regime that the US will protect American lives and sovereignty and won’t bow down to petty, murderous thugs” in a letter addressed to him on Monday.

She called Maduro’s threat “an open threat to the United States, our national security and stability in the region.”

Puerto Rico calls on Trump to respond after Maduro threatens to invade

Trump continuing to name nominees to his new administration

13:15 , Joe Sommerlad

The president-elect is already up and posting on Truth Social this morning, albeit so far only Fox News clips of conservative lawyer David Shoen attacking Jack Smith and the FBI on his behalf.

This was his last substantial post, announcing his latest new hire:

It is also being reported that the incoming leader has appointed himself a new head speechwriter:

Two House Democrats join Republicans to ban trans athletes from women’s sports

12:55 , Joe Sommerlad

Republicans in the House of Representatives voted to restrict transgender youth from participating in women’s sports on Tuesday, with two Democrats – Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez of Texas – joining them.

The legislation amends Title IX, the law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in education programs if they receive federal money.

The bill would amend the term “sex” so that it is “recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth”.

Eric Garcia has this report.

Two House Democrats join Republicans to ban trans athletes from women’s sports

Fox host Jesse Watters slams Michelle Obama for snubbing Trump inauguration

12:35 , Joe Sommerlad

He forgot one detail, however, as this gentleman points out.

Republican senator says California ‘doesn’t deserve funding’ for wildfires

12:15 , Joe Sommerlad

Alabama GOP Senator Tommy Tuberville, a staunch Trump ally, said he didn’t object to sending the state “some money” but not unless state leaders “change their ways”, his comments following on from House Speaker Mike Johnson saying their should be “strings attached” to any federal disaster relief funding heading west.

This is what House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries had to say about that:

Here’s more from Rhian Lubin.

GOP senator says California ‘doesn’t deserve funding’ after devastating wildfires

Trump announces ‘External Revenue Service’ to collect tariffs

11:55 , Joe Sommerlad

The president-elect has announced he is creating a new “External Revenue Service” to collect tariffs and other foreign income from America’s overseas allies and trading partners.

Trump announced the new agency in a Truth Social post on Tuesday morning, contending that the US has “relied on taxing our Great People using the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)” for “far too long.”

“I am today announcing that I will create the EXTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE to collect our Tariffs, Duties, and all Revenue that come from Foreign sources,” he wrote.

“We will begin charging those that make money off of us with Trade, and they will start paying, FINALLY, their fair share.”

Trump said the service will begin operations on Monday, when he will officially take office after an inauguration ceremony at the US Capitol.

Here’s Katie Hawkinson’s report.

Trump announces puzzling new ‘External Revenue Service’ for tariffs

Russia open for Trump talks after diplomat praises his Nato attack

11:35 , Joe Sommerlad

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that Moscow is open for talks with Trump and praised him for attacking Nato’s plan to embrace Ukraine.

Any prospective peace talks should involve broader arrangements for security in Europe, Lavrov said at his annual news conference on Tuesday.

He specifically praised Trump’s comments earlier this month in which he said that Nato’s plans to open its doors to Ukraine had led to Russia’s invasion.

Russia open for talks with Trump after Putin’s diplomat praises his attack on Nato

Joe Biden declares nation is ‘stronger, more prosperous and more secure’ ahead of farewell address

11:15 , Joe Sommerlad

As he prepares to deliver an Oval Office address for the last time after a single term in the White House and a full half-century of service in the federal government, President Joe Biden declared on Tuesday that America now stands “stronger, more prosperous, and more secure” than it was when he entered office amid the tumult of the Covid-19 pandemic four years ago.

In a letter released by the White House ahead of his farewell address to the nation on Wednesday, Biden described the circumstances under which he was sworn in as president as “a winter of peril and a winter of possibilities.”

“We were in the grip of the worst pandemic in a century, the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, and the worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War,” noted Biden, who added that in response, Americans “came together… and we braved through it.”

Here’s Andrew Feinberg’s preview of Biden’s adieu.

Ahead of farewell address, Biden declares nation ‘stronger, more secure’

Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos and Musk jockey for position at Trump’s inauguration

10:55 , Joe Sommerlad

For years, the biggest tech giants have battled amongst themselves (remember when Zuckberg and Musk were going to have a cage match?).

Now they are coming together in support of the president – and their own interests, Io Dodds writes.

Tech bro foes Zuckerberg, Bezos and Musk jockey for position at Trump’s inauguration

US government sues Elon Musk over Twitter stock

10:35 , Joe Sommerlad

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has sued the Big Tech billionaire, saying he failed to disclose his ownership of Twitter stock in a timely manner in early 2022 before buying the social media site.

As a result, the SEC alleges, Musk, now a close confidant of one Donald J Trump, was able to underpay “by at least $150 million” for shares he bought after he should have disclosed his ownership of more than 5 percent of Twitter’s shares.

Here’s more.

US government sues Elon Musk over Twitter stock

Pete Hegseth endures torrid Senate confirmation hearing

13:33 , Joe Sommerlad

The president-elect’s choice for secretary of defense endured a fiery hearing on Tuesday in which he called for the return of “American warriors” at the Pentagon but faced aggressive questioning about his checkered personal history and was heckled by spectators.

Here’s Andrew Feinberg and Eric Garcia on an extraordinary day at the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Republicans blustered for months on Hegseth nomination. Then they did Trump’s bidding

Gavin Newsom issues call for Trump to visit wildfire-ravaged Los Angeles

09:35 , Joe Sommerlad

California Governor Gavin Newsom has invited Trump to visit Los Angeles to witness the devastation wrought by January’s wildfires, rather than merely criticize the emergency response from social media.

“I want the president-elect to meet with the communities impacted by the Los Angeles wildfires and understand the magnitude of the devastation,” Newsom wrote on X.

“I urge him to meet with the brave firefighters and first responders on the ground and see firsthand how they’ve saved lives.”

The above clip of Newsom was taken from his latest interview with MSNBC’s Jen Psaki in which he also told her that Trump’s childish nickname for him meant little and that he should follow Joe Biden’s example and make a real difference on the ground by consoling the brave souls who have been out there battling the blazes for more than a week now.

More Trump nominees facing Senate confirmation hearings today

09:05 , Joe Sommerlad

Good morning!

Following yesterday’s Pete Hegseth drama on Capitol Hill, a number of other people nominated by the president-elect for top cabinet position will face the senators on Wednesday.

Here’s who’s on the menu:

• Pam Bondi, attorney general nominee – Senate Judiciary Committee 9.30am (all times ET)

• Chris Wright, secretary of energy – Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee 10am

• Marco Rubio, secretary of state – Senate Foreign Relations Committee 10am

• John Ratcliffe, director of the Central Intelligence Agency – Senate Intelligence Committee 10am

• Sean Duffy, secretary of transportation – Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee 10am

• Russell Vought, director of Office of Management and Budget – Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, 1pm

Bondi and Rubio are the most intriguing names in that lineup, with the Florida Attorney General (who replaced the ill-fated Matt Gaetz) accused of amplifing Trump’s false claims about the 2020 presidential election and known for representing him at his first impeachment trial in 2019 while Rubio was once a bitter rival to the president-elect for the Republican presidential nomination, trading bitter insults in 2016.

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem had been due to have her confirmation hearing on becoming secretary of the Department of Homeland Security but that has now been postponed until Friday, we understand, with Congress waiting on a little outstanding paperwork from the FBI.

Whoopi Goldberg defends Carrie Underwood’s decision to perform at Trump’s inauguration: ‘I won’t be watching’

07:00 , Amber Raiken

Whoopi Goldberg has defended Carrie Underwood’s decision to perform at U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.

The 69-year-old TV host addressed Underwood’s expected performance during Tuesday’s (January 14) episode of The View. She also discussed the backlash the country singer — who’s previously been private about her political stance — received for announcing the gig.

While Goldberg often hits back at Trump’s policies on the talk show, she said that she wasn’t going to criticize Underwood for performing at the inauguration on January 20.

Read more:

Whoopi Goldberg defends Carrie Underwood’s decision to perform at Trump inauguration

WATCH: Antony Blinken heckled by protesters during Gaza ceasefire news conference

05:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Speaker Johnson orders Capitol flags raised for Trump’s inauguration despite Jimmy Carter mourning period

04:00 , Meg Kinnard

House Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday ordered that flags at the U.S. Capitol be raised to their full height on Inauguration Day, pausing a 30-day flag-lowering order following the death of former President Jimmy Carter.

The Republican leader’s decision means that President-elect Donald Trump will not take the oath of office for his second term under a half-staff flag, a prospect that he had previously complained about.

It mirrors actions taken in recent days by some Republican governors who have announced that flags in their states would be raised on Inauguration Day to mark Trump’s second term.

Read more:

Johnson orders Capitol flags to be at full height for Trump’s inauguration

Nancy Mace asks Jasmine Crockett if she wants to ‘take it outside’ during House hearing

03:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Zuckerberg to host inaugural ball for Trump

02:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Zuckerberg warns he will cut ‘low performers’ as he looks to fire up to 5 percent of Meta staff: Report

01:00 , Martyn Landi, Ariana Baio

Mark Zuckerberg, the co-founder of Facebook and CEO of its parent company Meta, told staff on Tuesday that it plans to cut its “low performers” sooner than expected, which could amount to five percent of staff, according to a new report.

In an internal memo, obtained by Bloomberg, Zuckerberg told staff he “decided to raise the bar on performance management” in order to “move out low-performers faster”.

According to the memo, Zuckerberg said the company typically “manage out people who aren’t meeting expectations over the course of a year” but was now planning on “more extensive performance-based cuts” sooner.

Read more:

Meta plans to cut 5% of lowest performing staff as Zuckerberg ‘raises the bar’

While his party fumes over November, Biden concocts a positive image for his legacy

00:20 , Oliver O’Connell

President Joe Biden is in the final stretch. Less than one week remains between him and his departure from the White House, Washington, and, in all likelihood, the American political stage as a whole.

He is working overtime to protect and define — on his terms — a legacy he once thought he’d have another four years to build. But his party and the broader American political world doesn’t seem to be on board with a vision that more and more are now saying is a delusion.

John Bowden reports from Washington, D.C.

Joe Biden concocts a positive image for his legacy while his party fumes over Trump

New York GOP lawmakers say they met with Trump to help end congestion pricing

Tuesday 14 January 2025 23:50 , Oliver O’Connell

A group of Republican lawmakers from New York say they met with President-elect Donald Trump over the weekend to recruit his assistance in ending congestion pricing in the Empire State.

Less than a week into the newly implemented congestion pricing plan, Representatives Nicole Malliotakis, Mike Lawler, Nick LaLota, Andrew Garbarino, Nick Langworthy and Claudia Tenney took a trip to Mar-a-Lago to speak with the incoming president about it.

Ariana Baio has the story.

Russian state TV floats splitting Greenland with Trump

Tuesday 14 January 2025 23:20 , Oliver O’Connell

Russian state media pundits have mulled the possibility of splitting Greenland with Donald Trump, as the President-elect continues to posture about acquiring the Danish territory.

Andrey Gurulyov, a member of the state Duma – the Russian assembly – said on Sunday that “basically, the war in the Arctic has started” and that Russia should look to strengthen its resources in the north, according to The Daily Beast.

Mike Bedigan reports.

Russian state TV floats splitting Greenland with Trump

Will Trump’s crowd size boasts put National Park Service back in middle again?

Tuesday 14 January 2025 22:50 , Oliver O’Connell

Officials at the National Park Service are concerned they may become caught up in President-elect Donald Trump’s claims about crowd sizes in connection to his January 20 inauguration.

The last time around, in 2017, acting National Park Service Director Mike Reynolds got a call from Trump the day after the inauguration. Trump made clear that he was displeased with the photos published by the press indicating that the crowd attending his inauguration was smaller than that of former President Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration, two people aware of the call told Reuters.

Gustaf Kilander reports.

National Park Service fear they will be stuck in middle of Trump’s crowd size boasts

Trump gets the band back together again with 18 Fox News alumni tapped for administration

Tuesday 14 January 2025 22:30 , Oliver O’Connell

Justin Barangoa writes:

Just as we saw during his previous tenure in the White House, Donald Trump has created a revolving door between Fox News and his administration.

Besides offering him fawning coverage throughout his first term, the conservative cable giant helped stock the White House after Trump won in 2016. According to Media Matters, at least 20 people who worked for the network eventually found their way into the administration at some point.

Read on…

Trump gets the Fox News band back together for his second administration

Hegseth skewered over his ‘denigrating’ views on women in the military

Tuesday 14 January 2025 22:10 , Oliver O’Connell

Democratic senators skewered Pete Hegseth over his views on women in the military, warning that he would “have to change” if he is confirmed as defense secretary.

President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Pentagon was grilled by the Senate’s Committee on Armed Services on Tuesday and was challenged over his “denigrating” comments about women in the military by members Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire.

Rhian Lubin watched the hearings.

Dem senators skewer Pete Hegseth over his views on women in the military

Conservatives fume over release of Jack Smith report on Trump’s 2020 election plot

Tuesday 14 January 2025 21:50 , Oliver O’Connell

Conservative media has reacted with scorn to the decision by US Attorney General Merrick Garland to release Justice Department Special Counsel Jack Smith’s final report into Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn Joe Biden’s win in the 2020 presidential election.

Smith, who announced his resignation on Friday, was forced to wrap up his investigation into the president-elect after Trump beat Vice President Kamala Harris in November’s race for the White House.

But he left behind a detailed 174-page report into his findings that concluded Trump would have been convicted, given the weight of the evidence against him, had he not been saved from jail by the American electorate.

Joe Sommerlad has the story.

Conservative pundits fume over release of Jack Smith’s Trump report

Michelle Obama to skip Trump’s inauguration

Tuesday 14 January 2025 21:30 , Oliver O’Connell

Former First Lady Michelle Obama will skip the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, the second time in two weeks that she is not attending a gathering of former U.S. leaders and their spouses, but former Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush will be there.

Laura Bush and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will join their husbands for the January 20 swearing-in ceremony at the Capitol, representatives said.

Gustaf Kilander has the story.

Michelle Obama to skip Trump’s inauguration

Kaine rips GOP for misspelling ‘military’

Tuesday 14 January 2025 21:20 , Oliver O’Connell

Trump stock soars just days before inauguration

Tuesday 14 January 2025 21:10 , Oliver O’Connell

Shares of President-elect Donald Trump’s media stock experienced its largest jump since October on Monday, exactly one week before inauguration.

Trump Media & Technology Group Corp., whose stock ticker is the incoming president’s initials DJT, saw a more than 21 percent jump from opening to closing – a potential sign of positive anticipation for Trump to retake the White House.

It was the largest single-day jump since October 28 after Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Ariana Baio has the story.

Trump stock soars just days before president-elect retakes White House

Watch: Blinken heckled during Gaza ceasefire news conference

Tuesday 14 January 2025 21:00 , Oliver O’Connell

Musk will have office space in the White House complex

Tuesday 14 January 2025 20:50 , Oliver O’Connell

Elon Musk will have office space in the White House complex as he begins work on the Department of Government Efficiency, which is hoping to cut government spending, according to The New York Times.

The office space set aside for Musk is in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which is located right next to the White House. This would mean that Musk is likely to continue to have prominent access to President-elect Donald Trump after he takes office once again.

Gustaf Kilander reports.

Yes, Elon Musk will have office space in the White House complex

Republicans blustered for months on Hegseth’s questionable nomination… and then did Trump’s bidding

Tuesday 14 January 2025 20:35 , Oliver O’Connell

Eric Garcia and Andrew Feinberg write:

Roger Wicker is hardly anyone’s idea of a far-right bomb thrower. When he opened the Senate Armed Services Committee’s confirmation hearing for Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Defense, he wore a lapel pin with the Ukrainian and U.S. flag on it.

But the white-haired Mississippian began his questioning with his Southern drawl by bringing up allegations that Hegseth had sexually assaulted a woman — but pointedly noted the claims all came “from liberal media publications.”

That would set the tone for the rest of the extraordinary hearing, as multiple Republicans angled to defend Hegseth against damning misconduct claims and his past comments about women serving in the military.

Read on…

Republicans blustered for months on Hegseth nomination. Then they did Trump’s bidding

Watch: Hegseth then vs Hegseth now

Tuesday 14 January 2025 20:30 , Oliver O’Connell

Why didn’t Jack Smith charge Trump with insurrection?

Tuesday 14 January 2025 20:25 , Oliver O’Connell

Why wasn’t Donald Trump ever charged with the crime of insurrection?

It’s a question that has been looming over the federal prosecution of the president-elect, with his allies and supporters using the fact that he wasn’t to downplay the charges against him as well as the January 6 attack itself.

Alex Woodward reports.

Why didn’t Jack Smith charge Trump with insurrection?

Why did Trump pick Hegseth as his nominee for defense?

Tuesday 14 January 2025 20:10 , Oliver O’Connell

Alex Woodward reports.

Why Trump nominated a ‘wholly unqualified’ Fox News host for defense secretary

Watch: Thune says Hegseth ‘acquitted himself extremely well’

Tuesday 14 January 2025 20:00 , Oliver O’Connell

Watch: Hegseth challenged over waterboarding

Tuesday 14 January 2025 19:50 , Oliver O’Connell

Musk, Bezos and Zuckerberg to attend Trump’s inauguration together

Tuesday 14 January 2025 19:30 , Oliver O’Connell

Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jeff Bezos will sit together with President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet nominees and elected officials at his Monday inauguration, an official involved in the planning told NBC News.

All three have been trying to get into Trump’s good books within the past year, with Musk donating hundreds of millions of dollars to help Trump win the 2024 election.

Gustaf Kilander reports.

Musk, Bezos and Zuckerberg to attend Trump’s inauguration together

COMMENT: Teflon Trump has dodged justice – it’s time for the rest of us to get on board

Tuesday 14 January 2025 19:10 , Oliver O’Connell

Jon Sopel writes:

Who doesn’t love a proper bombshell report? And the report from the special counsel, Jack Smith, into Donald Trump’s attempt to illegally steal the 2020 election is utterly devastating – and will surely land with a thud.

Except it won’t. There will barely be a murmur. There will be the faintest of ripples. It will create a crater no bigger than a measly British pothole.

Read on…

Teflon Don has dodged justice – it’s time for the rest of us to get on board

Squirmy Pete Hegseth shredded by Senator Tim Kaine for cheating on the ‘mother’ of his child

Tuesday 14 January 2025 19:02 , Oliver O’Connell

During a wild and tense exchange on Tuesday, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) spent nearly 10 minutes hammering an evasive Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth for cheating on his past wives and engaging in drunken behavior on the job.

Tuesday’s chaotic confirmation hearing came amid allegations that Hegseth sexually assaulted a woman in 2017. The former Fox News star has repeatedly denied the accusations and claimed he’s been “completely cleared,” insisting at the top of the hearing that the allegations were part of a “coordinated smear campaign” by the “left-wing media” who wants to “destroy” him.

Justin Barangoa reports.

Squirmy Pete Hegseth shredded by Tim Kaine for cheating on ‘mother’ of his child

Watch: Gillibrand says she doesn’t believe Hegseth can change how he sees women

Tuesday 14 January 2025 18:50 , Oliver O’Connell

Hegseth confirmation hearing adjourns

Tuesday 14 January 2025 18:47 , Oliver O’Connell

Pete Hegseth’s confirmation hearing adjourns after four hours and fifteen minutes.

Slotkin and Hegseth clash over illegal orders

Tuesday 14 January 2025 18:42 , Oliver O’Connell

Hegseth refuses to answer questions from Senator Elissa Slotkin as to whether he would or would not follow orders from Donald Trump that violate the U.S. Constitution.