Donald Trump is continuing to circulate articles from conservative media on his Truth Social feed hinting at the prospect of the US entering merger talks with Canada about it becoming America’s 51st state, capitalizing on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s rocky end to the year.
The idea was also entertained on Fox News on Monday when Canadian businessman Kevin O’Leary expressed his enthusiasm for the idea in conversation with Trump’s former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany.
The president-elect has also sought to revive talk about his acquiring Greenland from Denmark in recent days.
Meanwhile, his influential new friend Elon Musk has expressed doubt about the current speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, as he seeks re-election later this week.
The Big Tech boss responded to an X post by Kentucky Republican Representative Thomas Massie, in which the latter warned against allowing Johnson to hang on to the gavel given that the GOP had already witnessed him “partner with the Democrats to send money to Ukraine, authorize spying on Americans, and blow the budget”.
“You might be right, but let’s see how it goes,” Musk told Massie, undermining Trump’s recent call for party unity.
Key Points
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Donald Trump floats prospect of making Canada the 51st state and smears Bidens over China links
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Trump endorses Speaker Johnson and issues rallying cry to Republicans: ‘Let’s not blow this great opportunity’
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President-elect denied new trial in E Jean Carroll case
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Trump pays tribute to ‘truly good man’ Jimmy Carter
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Joe Biden suggests Trump could learn ‘decency’ from Carter
ICYMI: Trump wants the Supreme Court to block the upcoming TikTok ban
08:00 , Alex Woodward
Last week, Trump asked the Supreme Court to block a federal law’s imminent ban on TikTok in the United States if the popular app’s Chinese parent company doesn’t sell it by next month’s deadline.
Here’s what Trump’s legal team told the court — and what happens next:
Trump asks Supreme Court to block TikTok ban as he considers ‘political resolution’
ICYMI: Trump backs Mike Johnson for House Speaker. But does he have enough Republican support?
07:00 , Alex Woodward
Trump’s key public support for House Speaker Mike Johnson to keep his gig comes just days before representatives vote to determine who wields the gavel.
His endorsement sends a clear signal to House Republicans to line up behind Johnson, who has faced some resistance from the GOP’s far-right flank after Elon Musk and inter-party chaos nearly derailed a must-pass spending bill hours before a government shutdown.
But some Republican holdouts have either said they won’t support Johnson, or have not yet pubicly stated they would vote for him.
He can only afford to lose one vote from his GOP caucus.
Trump endorses Mike Johnson for House Speaker days before crucial vote
Former speaker Newt Gingrich on Johnson: ‘I could never do his job’
06:00 , Alex Woodward
Former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich is among GOP voices throwing their support to Mike Johnson’s bid to hang on to the speakership.
“I tell everybody, I was a pretty effective speaker. I could never do his job,” Gingrich told 77 WABC. “He has no margins. Any two or three members can rebel at any moment.”
This Friday, House members will gather to cast their votes for speaker in the new Congress, and Johnson can only afford to lose one Republican vote from his extremely slim caucus. Republicans hold only a 219-215 majority.
At least one Republican representative, Thomas Massie, has said outright he will not be supporting Johnson.
Elon Musk appears to cast doubt on Johnson as speaker moments after offering his ‘full support.
05:00 , Alex Woodward
Moments after telling Mike Johnson he has his “full support,” Elon Musk is already entertaining doubts about the House Speaker ahead of a crucial election for the speakership, with Republican representatives desperate for the approval of Trump and the world’s wealthiest person taking their cues from them.
Musk told Johnson that he has his “full support” after Trump gave johnson his endorsement.
Then Musk responded to a post from Republican congressman Thomas Massie, the only Republican representative who has said outright he will not be supporting Johnson.
“I respect and support President Trump, but his endorsement of Mike Johnson is going to work out about as well as his endorsement of Speaker Paul Ryan,” Massie said Monday. “We’ve seen Johnson partner with the democrats to send money to Ukraine, authorize spying on Americans, and blow the budget.”
“You might be right,” Musk replied, “but let’s see how it goes.”
Russel Honore calls Elon Musk a ‘national security risk’ in blistering op-ed
04:00 , Alex Woodward
In an op-ed for The New York Times, Retired Lt. Gen. Russel Honore labeled Elon Musk a national security risk for his extensive business interests in China.
“China does not tend to give things away,” he wrote. “The country’s laws stipulate that the Communist Party can demand intelligence from any company doing business in China, in exchange for participating in the country’s markets.”
That could mean Musk’s business interests in China “could require him to hand over sensitive classified information, learned either through his business interests or his proximity” to Trump, according to Honore.
Retired Army general declares Musk a ‘national security risk’ in brutal NYT op-ed
Giuliani heads back to court this week. A judge suggested things might not go well for him
03:00 , Alex Woodward
As he prepares to return to a Manhattan courtroom to face the judge overseeing his transfer of property to women he defamed, Rudy Giuliani is urging him not to hold him in contempt.
In a series of court filings on Christmas Eve, the former New York City mayor implored a judge to reject a demand for sanctions from a pair of election workers who accused Giuliani of repeatedly violating court orders — including blowing past deadlines and throwing up obstacles to hand over his property to satisfy tens of millions of dollars he owes them.
The judge said he would be prepared to rule from the bench, suggesting things not might turn out in Rudy’s favor.
More on what’s in store Trump’s former attorney this week:
Rudy Giuliani tells judge ‘I gave everything I have to give’ as he faces contempt
So, what are H-1B visas?
02:00 , Alex Woodward
Rhian Lubin explains the visa program driving a wedge between Trump’s MAGA base and big business Republicans and Silicon Valley billionaires:
What are H-1B visas and what has Trump said about them in the past?
Fox News pundit questions whether Jimmy Carter was actually ‘decent’ as he ‘essentially’ called Reagan ‘racist’
01:00 , Alex Woodward
Fox News contributor Bill McGurn on Monday challenged the public perception that the late President Jimmy Carter was a “decent” man, pointing out that Carter “essentially” labeled Ronald Reagan a “racist” and “warmonger” during the 1980 presidential election.
Fox News pundit questions whether Jimmy Carter was actually ‘decent’
Nearly half of Republican voters support using military to lock up immigrants in camps
00:00 , Alex Woodward
Nearly half of Republican voters believe the military should be used to detain undocumented immigrants in camps until they can be deported, according to polling from the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute.
Trump has already suggested that his administration would deploy U.S. military for what he is calling the “largest mass deportation operation” in American history. He also has vowed to invoke a 226-year-old law to detain immigrants in camps.
The poll shows that Trump’s base appears to support the plans even as most Americans likely oppose them.
Almost half of Republicans support using military to lock up immigrants in camps
Just in: Elon Musk has been staying at $2,000-a-night Mar-a-Lago cottage — hundreds of feet from Trump’s main house
Monday 30 December 2024 23:00 , Alex Woodward
Elon Musk is getting closer and closer to Donald Trump, quite literally.
The world’s wealithest man has been staying in a cottage at Mar-a-Lago, just behind the main house.
Musk has been staying at a Mar-a-Lago cottage — right next to Trump’s main house
Fox News declares the ‘real losers’ in the MAGA civil war over visas: Democrats?
Monday 30 December 2024 22:30 , Alex Woodward
After carefully tip-toeing around the growing tensions that have rocked the GOP in recent days, Fox News appears to have finally found a narrative it can sell right-wing viewers on the MAGA civil war over immigrant visas.
Justin Baragona reports:
Fox News declares the ‘real losers’ in the MAGA civil war over visas — the Democrats
Family detention, raids and ‘no price tag’: Trump’s mass deportation plan comes into focus
Monday 30 December 2024 21:50 , Alex Woodward
Throughout his 2024 campaign, Trump pledged to arrest, detain and deport people living in the country without legal permission as part of his “day one” agenda. The president-elect promises to deploy federal, state and local law enforcement into immigrant communities he says are “poisoning the blood of the country,” relying on stories of violent crime to support a brutal crackdown that could impact millions of families.
Here’s a look at what steps Trump plans to take when he enters office:
Family detention, raids and ‘no price tag’: Trump’s deportation plan comes into focus
Exclusive: Cash advance firm sues Mike Lindell for refusing to pay back $1.5 million loan
Monday 30 December 2024 21:20 , Alex Woodward
MyPillow founder Mike Lindell has once again found himself staring down the wrong end of a seven-figure lawsuit, this time being dragged into court by a merchant cash advance firm that accuses the election fraud conspiracist of ducking out on nearly $1.5 million in outstanding debt.
Justin Rohrlich has more:
Cash advance firm sues Mike Lindell for refusing to pay back $1.5 million loan
Just in: Jack Smith hands over Trump’s classified docs case to U.S. attorney’s office in Florida
Monday 30 December 2024 21:05 , Alex Woodward
Special counsel Jack Smith has handed over what remains of the classified documents case against Donald Trump to the U.S. attorney’s office in Florida.
The filings with the U.S. court of appeals show Smith’s team of prosecutors formally withdrawing from the case, and U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Markenzy Lapointe taking over.
Trump is accused of illegally hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago state and obstructing efforts from federal law enfrocement agenices to retrieve them after he left office. The case was dismissed by Trump-appointed judge Aileen Cannon, which Smith’s team appealed. Following Trump’s election victory, and the likelihood he would fire Smith and order the investigations to come to an end, Smith announced he was effectively shutting them down.
He is expected to issue a report with his office’s findings.
Georgia attorney general urged state’s top court against hearing Fani Willis appeal
Monday 30 December 2024 20:35 , Alex Woodward
Georgia’s attorney general Chris Carr is calling on the state’s Supreme Court to reject an appeal from Fani Willis, the Fulton County district attorney who was removed from prosecuting the sprawling criminal case against Trump and his allies.
Earlier this month, Georgia’s Court of Appeals struck down a lower court decision and argued Willis should be taken off the case, arguing that her former romantic relationship with a special prosecutor amounted to a “significant” conflict of interest that warranted her dismissal.
Willis filed a notice of appeal shortly after the ruling.
DA Fani Willis booted from Trump’s election interference case in Georgia
U.S. attorney whose team led January 6 prosecutions is stepping down before Trump can fire him
Monday 30 December 2024 20:15 , Alex Woodward
U.S. attorney Matthew Graves is stepping down as the chief federal prosecutor in Washington D.C., effective January 16, four days before Donald Trump takes office.
Graves’s office has overseen the largest investigation in Justice Department history with the prosecution of hundreds of people in connection with the January 6 attack on the Capitol — defendants Trump has promised to pardon as soon as he enters office.
“Serving as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia has been the honor of a lifetime,” Graves said in a statement Monday. “I am deeply thankful to Congresswoman Holmes Norton for recommending me; to President Biden for nominating me; and to Attorney General Garland for placing his trust in me.”
To date, roughly 1,600 people have been charged in connection with the attack, with nearly 1,100 receiving sentences, including sentences for the convictions of the first seditious conspiracy cases in decades.
“Because politically motivated violence and destruction rip at the fabric of our society, Mr. Graves made federally prosecuting such crimes a priority,” the Justice Department said in a statement.
Here’s a look at some of the most notorious January 6 defendants that Trump could pardon when he returns to the White House.
The notorious January 6 rioters Trump could pardon
Steve Bannon says there’s no MAGA ‘civil war’ because Elon Musk is ‘not tough enough’
Monday 30 December 2024 19:50 , Alex Woodward
After calling Elon Musk a “toddler” after the X owner profanely attacked his right-wing critics, Steve Bannon declares there isn’t a MAGA “civil war” on immigrant workers because Musk is “not tough enough” and “folded” on the issue amid the far-right backlash.
Jusin Baragona reports:
Steve Bannon says there’s no MAGA ‘civil war’ because Elon Musk is ‘not tough enough’
What are H-1B visas and what has Trump said about them in the past?
Monday 30 December 2024 19:15 , Alex Woodward
Rhian Lubin explains the visa program driving a wedge between Trump’s MAGA base and big business Republicans and Silicon Valley billionaires.
What are H-1B visas and what has Trump said about them in the past?
Elon Musk appears to cast doubt on Johnson as speaker moments after offering his ‘full support.
Monday 30 December 2024 19:01 , Alex Woodward
Moments after telling Mike Johnson he has his “full support,” Elon Musk is already entertaining doubts about the House Speaker ahead of a crucial election for the speakership, with Republican representatives desperate for the approval of Trump and the world’s wealthiest person taking their cues from them.
Musk told Johnson that he has his “full support” after Trump gave johnson his endorsement.
Then Musk responded to a post from Republican congressman Thomas Massie, the only Republican representative who has said outright he will not be supporting Johnson.
“I respect and support President Trump, but his endorsement of Mike Johnson is going to work out about as well as his endorsement of Speaker Paul Ryan,” Massie said Monday. “We’ve seen Johnson partner with the democrats to send money to Ukraine, authorize spying on Americans, and blow the budget.”
“You might be right,” Musk replied, “but let’s see how it goes.”
Former speaker Newt Gingrich on Johnson: ‘I could never do his job’
Monday 30 December 2024 18:45 , Alex Woodward
Former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich is among GOP voices throwing their support to Mike Johnson’s bid to hang on to the speakership.
“I tell everybody, I was a pretty effective speaker. I could never do his job,” Gingrich told 77 WABC. “He has no margins. Any two or three members can rebel at any moment.”
This Friday, House members will gather to cast their votes for speaker in the new Congress, and Johnson can only afford to lose one Republican vote from his extremely slim caucus. Republicans hold only a 219-215 majority.
At least one Republican representative, Thomas Massie, has said outright he will not be supporting Johnson.
Watch: Peruvian shamans share bizarre Trump-Putin predictions for 2025
Monday 30 December 2024 18:20 , Joe Sommerlad
Peruvian shamans share bizarre Trump-Putin predictions for 2025
Musk to Mike: ‘You have my full support’
Monday 30 December 2024 18:00 , Alex Woodward
After firing off dozens of posts this month to derail a bipartisan spending bill helmed by House Speaker Mike Johnson, Elon Musk says the Republican congressman has his “full support.”
After the House passed a third attempt at the stop-gap bill, Johnson told reporters he spoke with both Trump and Musk an hour before votes started.
Full story: Trump endorses Mike Johnson for House Speaker days before crucial vote
Monday 30 December 2024 17:45 , Alex Woodward
Trump’s key endorsement ahead of Friday’s vote to determine who wields the gavel sends a clear signal to House Republicans to line up behind Johnson, who has faced some resistance from the GOP’s far-right flank after inter-party chaos nearly derailed a must-pass spending bill hours before a government shutdown.
Trump endorses Mike Johnson for House Speaker days before crucial vote
Retired Army general declares Musk a ‘national security risk’ in brutal NYT op-ed
Monday 30 December 2024 17:20 , Joe Sommerlad
Elon Musk has been branded a “national security risk” by a former US army general, who cited his concerns over the tech billionaire’s close ties with the Chinese government.
Lieutenant General Russel L Honoré, who retired in 2008, highlighted Musk’s history of appeasing and praising the Chinese Communist Party and his multiple business deals with the party, particularly in the modern space race.
In a scathing op-ed, published in The New York Times, Honoré noted that Musk and his company SpaceX already face federal reviews for failing to provide details of meetings with foreign leaders, but said that such infractions were “just the beginning of my worries.”
Mike Bedigan has more.
Retired Army general declares Musk a ‘national security risk’ in brutal NYT op-ed
Fox News declares the ‘real losers’ in the MAGA civil war over visas – the Democrats
Monday 30 December 2024 16:50 , Joe Sommerlad
After carefully tip-toeing around the growing tensions that have rocked the GOP in recent days, Fox News appears to have finally found a narrative it can sell to right-wing viewers about the MAGA civil war currently ongoing over the thorny issue of immigrant visas.
According to the conservative cable news giant, “infighting” is “how politics ought to work” and Democrats who were “giddy” over the right tearing itself apart over highly-skilled immigrant workers are the “real losers” while MAGA is merely having a “civilized debate” over the matter.
Got that guys?
Justin Baragona has a full report.
Fox News declares the ‘real losers’ in the MAGA civil war over visas — the Democrats
E Jean Carroll camp ‘gratified’ by appeals court decision
Monday 30 December 2024 16:30 , Joe Sommerlad
Here’s what Carroll’s attorney Roberta Kaplan had to say about today’s appeal’s court ruling in a short statement to The Independent:
“Both E Jean Carroll and I are gratified by today’s decision. We thank the Second Circuit for its careful consideration of the parties’ arguments.”
E Jean Carroll (Getty)
Speaker Johnson says he’s ‘honored and humbled’ by Trump’s endorsement
Monday 30 December 2024 16:10 , Joe Sommerlad
Here’s the current House GOP leader’s typically grovelling response to the president-elect’s post just now.
And here’s US Attorney General One America News presenter Matt Gaetz’s take:
Trump claims Bill Gates asked to visit Mar-a-Lago in apparent message to Musk
Monday 30 December 2024 15:50 , Joe Sommerlad
As tensions flare between Musk and the president-elect’s MAGA allies, Trump himself posted what appeared to be a personal message to the SpaceX and Tesla boss on Truth Social over the weekend claiming that fellow billionaire Bill Gates had asked to come to Mar-a-Lago.
Trump suggested the Microsoft co-founder had requested an invite to his Florida estate and encouraged Musk to join them.
“Where are you? When are you coming to the ‘Center of the Universe,’ Mar-a-Lago. Bill Gates asked to come, tonight. We miss you and x! New Year’s Eve is going to be AMAZING!!!” the Republican wrote.
Trump then signed the message “DJT”, as is his custom.
Here’s Kelly Rissman to attempt to get to the bottom of it.
Trump claims Bill Gates asked to come to Mar-a-Lago in bizarre Truth Social post
Breaking: Trump denied new trial in first E Jean Carroll case against him
Monday 30 December 2024 15:20 , Alex Woodward
A federal appeals court has upheld a ruling against the president-elect after he challenged a jury’s verdict that found him liable for sexually abusing and defaming a former magazine writer.
Monday’s decision from a three-judge panel with New York’s 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals follows a May 2023 verdict awarding E Jean Carroll $5m for the former president’s ongoing defamation by denying claims that he sexually assaulted her in a department store in 1996.
In January, a second jury in a separate trial ordered Trump to pay Carroll more than $83m in damages for his defamatory statements about the former Elle magazine writer.
Trump argued the verdict from the 2023 judgment should be tossed out on his claims that the trial judge should not have let jurors hear testimony from two other women who accused him of sexual misconduct.
One of those women, Jessica Leeds, testified that Trump groped her on a plane in the late 1970s.
Another woman, former People magazine writer Natasha Stoynoff, said Trump forcibly kissed her at Mar-a-Lago in 2005.
Trump’s lawyers also said jurors also should not have listened to his comments on the so-called Access Hollywood tape, on which the president-elect brags about grabbing women’s genitals.
“Trump has not demonstrated that the district court erred in any of the challenged rulings, and Trump “has not carried his burden to show that any claimed error or combination of claimed errors affected his substantial rights as required to warrant a new trial,” appellate judges wrote in their decision on Monday.
Here’s the very latest from Alex Woodward.
Appeals court upholds Trump verdict for sexual abuse and defamation
Breaking: Trump endorses Speaker Johnson and issues rallying cry to Republicans: ‘Let’s not blow this great opportunity’
Monday 30 December 2024 15:11 , Joe Sommerlad
Here’s the latest from the president-elect on Truth Social in which he rages about this year’s election, slipping in digs about Black Democrats Beyonce, Oprah Winfrey and the Reverend Al Sharpton and claiming voter fraud in California, before finally getting to the point and calling for Republicans to stick together and get behind House speaker Mike Johnson (so long as the latter does his bidding, presumably):
“We are the Party of COMMON SENSE, a primary reason that we WON, in a landslide, the magnificent and historic Presidential Election of 2024. ALL SEVEN SWING STATES, 312 ELECTORAL COLLEGE VOTES, AND THE POPULAR VOTE BY MILLIONS OF VOTERS (Despite large scale voter fraud taking place in numerous states, including California, where votes are ridiculously still being counted, or under review!), ALL WON WITH EASE, CALM, & PROFESSIONALISM. Republicans are being praised for having run a “legendary” campaign! Democrats are being excoriated for their effort, having wasted 2.5 Billion Dollars, much of it unaccounted for, with some being used to illegally buy endorsements ($11,000,000 to Beyoncé, who never even sang a song, $2,000,000 to Oprah for doing next to nothing, and even $500,000 to Reverend AL, a professional con man and instigator, who agreed to “interview” their “star spangled” candidates, Kamala and Joe). We ran a flawless campaign, having spent FAR LESS, with lots of money left over. They ran a very expensive “sinking ship,” embracing DOJ & FBI WEAPONIZATION against their political opponent, ME. BUT IT DIDN’T WORK, IT WAS A DISASTER!!! LETS NOT BLOW THIS GREAT OPPORTUNITY WHICH WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN. The American people need IMMEDIATE relief from all of the destructive policies of the last Administration. Speaker Mike Johnson is a good, hard working, religious man. He will do the right thing, and we will continue to WIN. Mike has my Complete & Total Endorsement. MAGA!!!”
Here’s more from Alex Woodward.
Trump endorses Mike Johnson for House Speaker days before crucial vote
‘There is no Trump-lite’: Republican governor insists Trump has not permanently changed party
Monday 30 December 2024 14:40 , Joe Sommerlad
New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu has said that he does not think President-elect Donald Trump has permanently changed the Republican Party.
Sununu, a moderate member of the GOP, said on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday that he does not imagine someone will take Trump’s place as leader once his term is over.
“Trump is Trump. There’s no ‘Trump-lite.’ There’s no ‘Trump 2.0’ coming up,” he said.
“I always say that Trump is who he is because he’s built up himself in the American psyche for 40 years. I mean, really since the 80s.”
Andrea Cavallier has more from Sununu.
GOP governor claims Trump has not permanently changed party: ‘There is no Trump-lite’
Kim Jong-un vows Pyongyang’s toughest anti-US policy before Trump takes office
Monday 30 December 2024 14:10 , Joe Sommerlad
The North Korean leader has vowed to implement its “toughest” anti-US policy yet, state media reported on Sunday, less than a month before his old pen pal takes office as US president.
Trump’s return to the White House raises prospects for more high-profile diplomacy with North Korea.
During his first term, Trump met Kim three times for talks on the North’s nuclear program.
Many experts, however, say a quick resumption of Trump-Kim summitry is unlikely as the American will first focus on conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
North Korea’s support for Russia’s war against Ukraine also poses a challenge to efforts to revive diplomacy, experts say.
During a five-day plenary meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party that ended on Friday, Kim called the US “the most reactionary state that regards anti-communism as its invariable state policy”.
Kim said that the US-South Korea-Japan security partnership is expanding into “a nuclear military bloc for aggression”.
He continued, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA): “This reality clearly shows to which direction we should advance and what we should do and how.”
The KCNA said Kim’s speech “clarified the strategy for the toughest anti-US counteraction to be launched aggressively” by North Korea for its long-term national interests and security.
It did not elaborate on what the anti-US strategy would entail, however.
It did say Kim set forth tasks to bolster military capability through defense technology advancements and stressed the need to improve the mental toughness of North Korean soldiers.
The previous meetings between Trump and Kim not only put an end to their exchanges of fiery rhetoric and threats of destruction but led to the development of personal connections.
Trump once famously said he and Kim “fell in love.”
But their talks eventually collapsed in 2019 as they wrangled over US-led sanctions on the North.
Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un in June 2019 (AFP/Getty)
MSNBC panel left in stitches after ex-GOP congressman touts Kevin McCarthy’s return as Speaker
Monday 30 December 2024 13:40 , Joe Sommerlad
Former Illinois Representative Joe Walsh left an MSNBC panel in fits of laughter after suggesting that Donald Trump and the Republican Party could “get behind” Kevin McCarthy as House speaker.
The lower chamber will convene to select its new leader on Friday and, with the GOP holding a slim 219 to 215 majority, embattled incumbent Mike Johnson can only afford one party defection if he is to keep his job.
Joining several Republicans voicing opposition to Johnson after Congress passed a bill cementing the extension of the debt ceiling earlier this month, Walsh threw his weight behind the former speaker, McCarthy, backing him to return to the role after he was ousted from by the hard-right in October last year.
James Liddell has this on what happened next.
MSNBC panel bursts out laughing at ex-GOP congressman’s suggestion for Speaker
Steve Bannon says Elon Musk would ‘take a check from Adolf Hitler’
Monday 30 December 2024 13:10 , Joe Sommerlad
Three weeks before Trump returns to the White House, his allies are already talking about each other like this, which does not bode well for the prospect of a smooth and harmonious four years in office.
Right before Christmas, Elon was feuding with House speaker Mike Johnson over congressional spending bills and almost driving the government into shutdown.
Immediately after the holiday, he’s brawling with Bannon in the MAGA heartlands.
Voices: Trump terrors? Here’s how to survive his second term in the White House
Monday 30 December 2024 12:40 , Joe Sommerlad
Our own Will Gore writes:
“In the Chinese zodiac, 2025 is the year of the snake. Rather fittingly, it is also the year that Donald Trump will slither his way back into the White House (which may prove venomous for the whole world).
“Since the US election result was called, back in November, there has not been the same sense of profound shock that accompanied Trump’s first presidential win. Then, it seemed impossible that a man with no political experience – and who seemed so patently objectionable on almost every level – could win the White House. This time, for all the late hope that Kamala Harris brought to the Democratic Party ticket, a Trump win felt inevitable.
“If you are a progressively-minded individual living in the US, there is an immediate and visceral materiality to deal with, as ‘The Donald’s’ inauguration approaches. For those of us living across the pond, the thought of Trump in the presidential hotseat may not be less gruesome, but its impact is not quite so direct. Either way, how should we best handle the nagging fear of what might be to come?”
Read on below for the answer.
Trump terrors? Here’s how to survive his second term
CNN commentator insists Biden will ‘leave office in disgrace’
Monday 30 December 2024 12:10 , Joe Sommerlad
Conservative Scott Jennings joined Dana Bash’s panel discussion on State of the Union yesterday to discuss the outgoing president’s legacy and did not mince his words as he attacked fellow contributor Karen Finney for suggesting Biden’s health had held him back during his tenure in the White House.
“I think he’s gonna leave office in disgrace,” Jennings declared.
“The Hunter Biden pardon was disgraceful.
“He’s going to be remembered largely for inflation and for the disastrous Afghanistan pullout.”
Jennings alleged that Biden’s staff had covered up the decline in his cognitive function ahead of the 2024 presidential election and “for all four years.”
“I think it’s going to be a really ugly chapter,” he said.
“It’s a diminished presidency because of it.
“I think we still don’t know the full extent of what they did to try to hide what they’ve been doing over in the West Wing.”
Biden still regrets dropping out of 2024 race and thinks he could’ve won
Monday 30 December 2024 11:40 , Joe Sommerlad
Speaking of Joe Biden, he still regrets pulling out of the 2024 presidential race and believes he could have beaten Donald Trump to the White House, according to The Washington Post.
The outgoing president backed out of the race over the summer following a disastrous first debate against his Republican rival, low approval numbers and dwindling donations.
But Biden recently told people that despite the issues his campaign faced he is confident he could have defeated Trump in November.
Graeme Massie reports.
Biden still regrets dropping out of 2024 race and believes he could have beaten Trump
Biden suggests Trump could learn ‘decency, decency, decency’ from Carter
Monday 30 December 2024 11:10 , Joe Sommerlad
The outgoing president interrupted his Christmas vacation in the US Virgin Islands last night to deliver a press conference on the passing of Jimmy Carter at 100 years of age, taking the opportunity to pay tribute to a widely-admired figure and reflect on the friendship he and Jill enjoyed with Carter and his wife Rosalynn over many years.
“Is there anything President Trump could take from President Carter?” a reporter asked Biden at one stage.
“Decency,” came the answer. “Decency. Decency.”
“Can you imagine Jimmy Carter referring to someone by the way they look or the way they talk? I can’t. I can’t,” the president continued, clearly alluding to Trump.
Here’s a selection of his choicest remarks on Carter:
Trump’s former national security adviser uses climate change to justify president-elect’s Greenland interest
Monday 30 December 2024 10:40 , Joe Sommerlad
Robert O’Brien, one of Trump’s national security advisers during his first term, appeared on Sunday Morning Futures on Fox News yesterday to explain the rationale for the president-elect’s revived interest in acquiring Greenland, an idea he entertained last time out only to be rebuffed by Danish PM Mette Frederiksen.
O’Brien argued that Denmark now finds itelf on the frontline of the global confrontation with Russia, given the strategic importance of its Arctic territory.
He went on to suggest that Greenland could become a part of Alaska if it were to be sold to the US.
One reason for Greenland’s increasingly important strategic location, O’Brien argues, rather unexpectedly, is climate change – not usually strong subject for an incoming Trump administration.
Fox News hosts tip toe through MAGA visa feud minefield
Monday 30 December 2024 10:10 , Joe Sommerlad
The co-hosts of Fox & Friends Weekend were faced with a tricky job yesterday morning – navigating the feud that has broken out amongst supporters of Donald Trump over H-1B visas for highly skilled immigrants, which escalated significantly on Saturday.
As we’ve just seen, “America First” acolytes on the far-right want stricter, more draconian immigration measures applied to both illegal and legal migrants when Trump takes office in January.
Among the loudest voices pushing their argument are those of far-right activist Laura Loomer and ex-Trump strategist Steve Bannon.
In contrast, the Silicon Valley “tech bro” contingent led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy wants better legal immigration routes, like the H-1B program, to fill skills gaps in key sectors such as engineering, science and technology.
All of which left Fox anchors Will Cain, Rachel Campos-Duffy and Charlie Hurt with a dilemma on their hands.
Oliver O’Connell reports on their handling of it.
Fox News admits that Trump’s take on H-1B visas ‘left a lot of people confused’
Trump sides with Elon Musk in MAGA immigration feud over H-1B visas for skilled workers
Monday 30 December 2024 09:40 , Joe Sommerlad
Donald Trump has sided with Elon Musk in the feud over H-1B skilled worker visas that has split the American political right over the past few days.
Speaking by phone with The New York Post over the weekend, the president-elect said: “I’ve always liked the visas, I have always been in favor of the visas. That’s why we have them.”
He added: “I have many H-1B visas on my properties. I’ve been a believer in H-1B. I have used it many times. It’s a great program.”
Trump had previously remained silent on the issue which has led to furious exchanges online between leading MAGA acolytes.
In his first administration from 2017 to 2021, the 45th president signed an executive order to restrict access to such visas and has been critical of the program in the past, calling it “very bad” for Americans.
While Trump-supporting tech leaders such as X-owner Musk have stressed that H-1B visas are critical to finding skilled workers, “America First” hardliners want a new Trump administration to impose tougher restrictions on immigration at all levels.
Here’s more from Oliver O’Connell.
Trump sides with Elon Musk in Maga immigration feud over visas for skilled workers
Trump pays tribute to ‘truly good man’ Jimmy Carter after creating fresh problems for House speaker with debt ceiling demand
Monday 30 December 2024 09:10 , Joe Sommerlad
Good morning!
Here’s the latest From The Desk of Donald, which finds him paying tribute to the thoroughly decent 39th president of the United States on Truth Social – while stressing that they had nothing in common either politically or personally – after giving Mike Johnson a fresh headache even before New Year’s Day dawns.
The president-elect is demanding that the House of Representatives votes on the debt ceiling extension (or abolition) “NOW” so that any congressional battle falls within the remit of Joe Biden’s presidency and not his own.
Trump declares in his post that the 2023 debt ceiling extension agreed by ex-House speaker Kevin McCarthy and Biden will “go down as one of the dumbest political decisions made in years”.
Under the deal, the debt ceiling was suspended until January 1 2025, though the Treasury will be able to pay its bills for several months after that.
Congress needs to address the issue by June.
Without the 2023 deal, the US would have defaulted on its obligations, rocking financial markets worldwide and likely leading to a downgrade of the nation’s credit rating.
Trump joins tributes to Jimmy Carter, who passed away aged 100
Monday 30 December 2024 07:15 , Oliver O’Connell
Washington joined in mourning on Sunday after news of former President Jimmy Carter’s death was announced by Chip Carter, his son.
The nation’s 39th president was renowned for his commitment to public service in the years after his exit from political life, and earned a strong reputation for helping America’s neediest families in his post-presidential years. After news of his passing was reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, tributes began to swiftly pour in for the 100-year-old statesman.
John Bowden reports.
Lawmakers pay tribute to ‘public servant’ Jimmy Carter after his death aged 100
