After a chaotic week in Congress over the stopgap spending bill, Trump threatened to retake the Panama Canal in a lengthy post on Truth Social on Saturday night.
Trump accused Panama of charging American vessels “exorbitant prices” to use the vital waterway that acts as a shortcut linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
“The fees being charged by Panama are ridiculous, especially knowing the extraordinary generosity that has been bestowed to Panama by the U.S.,” Trump vented.
“If the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, and without question,” he stridently added, referring to a 1977 treaty.
Earlier his daughter-in-law Lara Trump announced she was no longer running for the Senate.
“After an incredible amount of thought, contemplation, and encouragement from so many, I have decided to remove my name from consideration for the United States Senate,” she said.
“I do have a big announcement that I’m excited to share in January, so, stay tuned.”
President Joe Biden, meanwhile, signed the stopgap spending bill into law, averting a government shutdown and putting an end to a dramatic week.
Key Points
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Trump attempts to move on from spending bill debacle by threatening to retake Panama Canal
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Lara Trump abandons Senate bid
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Biden signs spending bill into law, averting a government shutdown
ICYMI: Congress Narrowly Averts Government Shutdown — And Rejects Trump’s Debt Ceiling Commands
15:30 , Kelly Rissman
Some Republicans are calling on Elon Musk to be the next House Speaker
15:00 , Kelly Rissman
Republicans are calling for Elon Musk to be the new speaker of the House amid contentious negotiations over a spending deal to avoid a government shutdown.
“The Speaker of the House need not be a member of Congress . . . Nothing would disrupt the swamp more than electing Elon Musk,” Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky wrote on X on Thursday. “Think about it . . . nothing’s impossible (not to mention the joy at seeing the collective establishment, aka ‘uniparty,’ lose their ever-lovin’ minds).”
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia also piped in on X: “DOGE can only truly be accomplished by reigning in Congress to enact real government efficiency. The establishment needs to be shattered just like it was yesterday. This could be the way.”
Josh Marcus has the full story.
Marjorie Taylor Greene, Rand Paul back Elon Musk as House speaker
Trump threatens to retake Panama Canal in Truth Social post
14:30 , Rhian Lubin
President-elect Donald Trump has threatened to retake the Panama Canal in a lengthy post on Truth Social.
Trump accused Panama of “ripping off” American vessels by charging “exorbitant prices” to use the vital waterway that acts as a shortcut linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
Without it, ships would be forced to sail a much farther distance around South America’s rocky Cape Horn.
Trump was referring to the 1977 treaty over the canal’s status, which transferred control of the canal from the U.S. to Panama at the end of the 20th century.
Read more
Trump threatens to retake Panama Canal in Truth Social post
Team Trump slaps back at claims Elon Musk is running the show
13:30 , Rhian Lubin
President-elect Donald Trump’s team has snapped back at claims that Elon Musk is running the show after the billionaire played a significant role in tanking a spending bill that would have averted a government shutdown.
Musk helped topple House Speaker Mike Johnson’s proposed bipartisan congressional spending bill by slamming it early Wednesday, which was followed later by a joint statement from Trump and JD Vance warning Republicans not to support it.
“Stop the steal of your tax dollars!” Musk wrote on his social media platform X that he threatened funded primary challenges against anyone who voted for the budget deal, a threat Trump later echoed in a post of his own.
The optics that Musk is pulling the strings have prompted Trump’s incoming White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, to hit back about who is really in charge.
Read more
Team Trump slaps back at claims Elon Musk is running the show
Elon Musk sees massive spike on Polymarket to be the next House speaker
12:30 , Rhian Lubin
Billionaire Elon Musk saw a sharp 10 percent increase in his odds of being Speaker of the House on Polymarket, the crypto-based betting platform, after several lawmakers suggested him for the job.
Musk, who has quickly ascended as a close ally of Donald Trump, proved just how powerful political influence is this week when he managed to convince Republicans in Congress to oppose the bipartisan spending bill that finally passed on Friday.
Wielding his influence on the social media platform he owns, X, Musk sent out more than 150 posts urging Republicans to break from the bill backed by the current Speaker of the House Mike Johnson.
Ariana Baio reports.
Elon Musk sees spike on Polymarket to be the next House speaker
Speaker Johnson ‘faces challengers’ in new year
11:30 , Rhian Lubin
After the debacle in Congress this week, all eyes are now on Mike Johnson ahead of a vote in two weeks as to whether he should stay on as Speaker.
Earlier this week we reported he could be challenged for the speaker’s chair in the new year as Republican critics draw up a list of potential replacements.
Some rebels in his party are angry at his handling of the stop-gap bill to fund the federal government through March 14, dubbed a “dumpster fire” by some Republicans.
Read more below.
Johnson could be challenged for speaker role as alternatives ‘floated’
ICYMI: Lara Trump abandons Senate bid
10:30 , Rhian Lubin
Lara Trump dropped out of the running for the Senate on Saturday evening, teasing a “big announcement” to come in January.
Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law was floated as a possible replacement for Marco Rubio, the president-elect’s choice for secretary of state.
Two weeks ago Trump announced she was also stepping down from her role as co-chair of the Republican National Committee.
“After an incredible amount of thought, contemplation, and encouragement from so many, I have decided to remove my name from consideration for the United States Senate,” Trump shared in a post on X.
“I do have a big announcement that I’m excited to share in January, so, stay tuned,” she added.
Catch up below
Lara Trump drops out of running for the Senate, teases ‘big announcement’
Congressman floats theory that Musk has promised Trump a ‘windfall’ if he does billionaire’s bidding
09:30 , Rhian Lubin
Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman of New York suggested Thursday night that Elon Musk would provide President-elect Donald Trump with a “windfall” if the incoming commander-in-chief does the bidding of the X owner.
The Tesla CEO was successful in his efforts to take down a continuing resolution that was set to allow the government to remain funded through Christmas, forcing Speaker Mike Johnson back to the drawing board.
Musk tweeted against the bill Wednesday before Trump did the same, pushing for it to be voted down. Speaker Mike Johnson then withdrew the bill before introducing a shorter version Thursday which was rejected even as it was backed by both Musk and Trump.
Gustaf Kilander reports.
Congressman floats theory that Musk has promised Trump a ‘windfall’
Trump slams ‘rip off’ Panama Canal fees
08:30 , Rhian Lubin
President-elect Donald Trump has threatened to retake the Panama Canal in a lengthy post on Truth Social.
Trump accused Panama of “ripping off” American vessels by charging “exorbitant prices” to use the vital waterway that acts as a shortcut linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
Without it, ships would be forced to sail a much farther distance around South America’s rocky Cape Horn.
Trump was referring to the 1977 treaty over the canal’s status, which transferred control of the canal from the U.S. to Panama at the end of the 20th century.
It was hailed as one of President Jimmy Carter’s greatest accomplishments, but Trump slammed the 39th president for “foolishly giving it away for one dollar.”
Read more:
Trump threatens to retake Panama Canal in Truth Social post
Trump names producer behind The Apprentice as his special envoy to UK
07:30 , Rhian Lubin
Donald Trump has named the producer behind The Apprentice as his special envoy to the UK.
The president-elect said Mark Burnett would bring “a unique blend of diplomatic acumen and international recognition” to the role.
British producer Burnett helped build Trump’s profile, but distanced himself from the tycoon during the 2016 presidential contest.
Read more
Trump picks Apprentice producer to be special envoy to UK
Justice Clarence Thomas did not disclose additional luxury trips funded by billionaire patron
06:30 , Rhian Lubin
Justice Clarence Thomas failed to disclose two trips — which hadn’t been publicly reported — paid for by a billionaire Republican donor, a new Congressional report reveals.
In the wake of ProPublica’s explosive 2023 report into Thomas’ failures to disclose his ties to wealthy donor Harlan Crow, Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee conducted a 20-month investigation into the ethics challenges at the Supreme Court.
The report — spanning 97 pages plus 824 pages of supporting documents — was released Saturday, detailing two additional trips paid for by Crow that Thomas hadn’t previously disclosed.
More broadly, the report also captured an array of conflicts of interest and undisclosed gifts by justices, prompting the panel to recommend the nation’s highest court establish an enforceable code of conduct.
Kelly Rissman reports.
Justice Clarence Thomas did not disclose 2 luxury trips funded by billionaire patron
Wall Street Journal editorial board eviscerates Trump and Musk over budget ‘fiasco’
05:30 , Rhian Lubin
The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board has eviscerated Donald Trump and Elon Musk over this week’s “budget fiasco” and warned it spells “bad omens” for 2025.
The president-elect and tech billionaire ally Musk threw Congress into chaos when they toppled Speaker Mike Johnson’s bipartisan deal to avert a government shutdown.
A second Trump-backed version, which included a suspension of the debt limit, failed spectacularly on Thursday, giving Musk his first taste of political failure.
In a scathing op-ed the Journal, whose parent company Dow Jones is owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, said that Trump “on the advice of Elon Musk blew up the end-of-session budget bill without a plan for getting another one passed.”
“There are bad omens here for 2025 and the ability of Republicans to govern,” the board said. “The immediate result has been a fiasco by any measure.”
Read more:
Wall Street Journal flames Trump and Musk over ‘budget fiasco’
Biden has largest number of judge confirmations in a term in nearly 50 years
04:30 , Rhian Lubin
Trump accuses Panama of ‘ripping off’ US vessels
04:00 , Rhian Lubin
Trump accused Panama of “ripping off” American vessels by charging “exorbitant prices” to use the vital waterway that acts as a shortcut linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
Without it, ships would be forced to sail a much further distance around South America’s rocky Cape Horn.
Trump referred to the 1977 treaty over the canal’s status, which transferred control of the canal from the U.S. to Panama at the end of the 20th century.
It was hailed as one of President Jimmy Carter’s greatest accomplishments, but Trump slammed the 39th president for “foolishly giving it away for one dollar.”
The Panama Canal is a vital waterway for global trade (Panama Canal Authority/AFP via G)
Trump threatens to retake Panama Canal in Truth Social post
03:30 , Rhian Lubin
Donald Trump has threatened to retake the Panama Canal in a lengthy post on Truth Social.
The president-elect accused Panama of charging American vessels unreasonable fees to use the waterway.
He referred to a 1977 treaty over the canal’s status.
“If the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, and without question. To the Officials of Panama, please be guided accordingly!”
House Democratic Leader says passing bill stopped the ‘billionaire boy’s club’
03:00 , Mike Bedigan
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said that in passing the spending bill House Democrats stopped the “billionaire boy’s club.”
“We have successfully stopped extreme MAGA Republicans from shutting down the government, crashing the economy, and hurting working-class Americans,” Jeffries told reporters after Friday’s vote, adding that the stop-gap measure a “victory for the American people.”
Congress (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
Watch: House Speaker Mike Johnson spoke with Trump and Musk before shutdown vote
02:30 , Mike Bedigan
Trump threatens EU with tariffs unless it makes ‘large scale’ purchase of US gas and oil
02:00 , Mike Bedigan
President-elect Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on the European Union unless it purchases more oil and gas from the United States – an intimidation tactic that Trump has wielded against other countries as well.
After announcing a 25 percent tariff on the U.S. largest trading partners, Canada and Mexico, and threatening to increase tariffs on China, Trump has now targeted the E.U.
“I told the European Union that they must make up their tremendous deficit with the United States by the large scale purchase of our oil and gas. Otherwise, it is TARIFFS all the way!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social around 1 a.m. Friday.
Read more:
Trump threatens EU with tariffs unless it makes ‘large scale’ purchase of US energy
Recap: Here’s a look at the $100 billion in disaster relief in the government spending bill
01:30 , Mike Bedigan
Congress is allocating more than $100 billion in emergency aid designed to address extensive damage caused by disasters after this week’s scramble to find consensus on a government spending bill.
The money comes after back-to-back hurricanes — Helene and Milton — slammed into the southeastern United States this fall, leaving havoc in their wake. But the money would go to much more than just those two storms under the bill meant to keep the federal government funded through March 14.
Read more here:
Here’s a look at the $100 billion in disaster relief in the government spending bill
Trump taps critic of Pope Francis to be ambassador to the Vatican
01:00 , Mike Bedigan
Donald Trump has announced that Brian Burch, a critic of Pope Francis, is his pick for ambassador to the Vatican.
“I am pleased to announce that Brian Burch will serve as the next United States Ambassador to the Holy See. Brian is a devout Catholic, a father of nine, and President of CatholicVote.
“He has received numerous awards, and demonstrated exceptional leadership, helping build one of the largest Catholic advocacy groups in the Country. He represented me well during the last Election, having garnered more Catholic votes than any Presidential Candidate in History!
“Brian loves his Church and the United States – He will make us all proud. Congratulations to Brian, his wife Sara, and their incredible family!”
Burch has criticized the Pope’s leadership on social media and shared the writings of some right-wing clerics who are critical of him.
(@realDonaldTrump)
Lara Trump drops out of the running for the Senate
00:25 , Rhian Lubin
Lara Trump has dropped out of the running for the Senate tonight, teasing a “big announcement” to come in January.
Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law was floated as a possible replacement for Marco Rubio, the president-elect’s choice for secretary of state.
Two weeks ago Trump announced she was also stepping down from her role as co-chair of the Republican National Committee.
Read more:
Lara Trump drops out of running for the Senate, teases ‘big announcement’
US announces deportations in 2024 hit a 10-year high. Trump wants to increase it tenfold
00:00 , Mike Bedigan
Immigration and Customs Enforcement has revealed deportations hit a 10-year high in 2024 as President-elect Donald Trump promises to increase that figure dramatically when he takes office in a month.
ICE deported 271,484 people this year, the highest since 2014 when the agency deported more than 300,000 people, according to their fiscal year 2024 report.
During Trump’s first term, his administration hit a high of 267,258 deportations in 2019. This report comes after Trump spent much of his time on the campaign trail criticizing President Joe Biden’s administration on immigration.
Read more:
US announces deportations in 2024 hit a 10-year high. Trump wants them even higher
ICYMI: House narrowly averts government shutdown — and rejects Trump’s debt ceiling commands
Saturday 21 December 2024 23:30 , Mike Bedigan
The House of Representatives approved a government spending bill with only a few hours left to spare before a crucial midnight deadline that would have shut down the government before Christmas.
The Senate followed suit about 40 minutes past midnight.
Read The Independent’s recap here, in case you missed it:
House narrowly averts government shutdown — and rejects Trump’s debt ceiling commands
Trump nominates owner of the Houston Rockets as ambassador to Italy
Saturday 21 December 2024 23:00 , Mike Bedigan
(@realDonaldTrump)
Watch: Congress Narrowly Averts Government Shutdown — And Rejects Trump’s Debt Ceiling Commands
Saturday 21 December 2024 22:30 , Mike Bedigan
ICYMI: Congress narrowly averts government shutdown — and rejects Trump’s debt ceiling commands
Saturday 21 December 2024 22:00 , Mike Bedigan
The House of Representatives approved a government spending bill with only a few hours left to spare before a crucial midnight deadline that would have shut down the government before Christmas. The Senate followed suit about 40 minutes past midnight.
The House voted 366-34. One member voted present. All 34 “no” votes were Republicans.
Read more here, in case you missed it:
Congress averts government shutdown — and rejects Trump’s debt ceiling commands
Watch: House approves spending bill to avoid government shutdown
Saturday 21 December 2024 21:30 , Mike Bedigan
Trump taps producer of The Apprentice for role as UK special envoy
Saturday 21 December 2024 21:00 , Mike Bedigan
Donald Trump has announced that British television producer Mark Burnett will become a special envoy to the UK.
Burnett is a multi-award winning producer whose credits include popular shows including Survivor, Shark Tank and The Apprentice, where the President-elect first found fame.
“It is my great honor to appoint Mark Burnett as the Special Envoy to the United Kingdom. With a distinguished career in television production and business, Mark brings a unique blend of diplomatic acumen and international recognition to this important role,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“Mark is known for creating and producing some of the biggest shows in Television History, including “Survivor,” “Shark Tank,” “The Voice” and, most notably, “The Apprentice.” He is the former Chairman of MGM, and has won 13 Emmy Awards!
“Mark will work to enhance diplomatic relations, focusing on areas of mutual interest, including trade, investment opportunities, and cultural exchanges. Congratulations Mark!”
Washington Commanders release statement after land bill passed
Saturday 21 December 2024 20:30 , Mike Bedigan
As part of the spending bill the Senate passed a resolution to transfer the land including old RFK Stadium from the federal government to the District of Columbia, meaning that the Washington Commanders may now be able to move back to the nation’s capital.
The D.C. Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act passed by voice vote after more than a year of lobbying and support from Rep. James Comer, district Mayor Muriel Bowser, Commanders controlling owner Josh Harris and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
Harris, the Washington Commanders managing partner Josh Harris issued a statement Saturday thanking lawmakers for coming “together on a bipartisan basis” to provide the opportunity for the team to consider “all potential future locations.”
Trump nominates Ted Cruz’s chief of staff for DOJ position
Saturday 21 December 2024 20:00 , Mike Bedigan
(@realDonaldTrump)
Trump appoint husband of judge he appointed to DOJ position
Saturday 21 December 2024 19:30 , Mike Bedigan
Donald Trump announced that the husband of a Florida judge that he appointed during his first term in office will be nominated for a position in the Department of Justice (DOJ).
“I am pleased to announce that Chad Mizelle will serve as Chief of Staff at the Department of Justice, where he will work with our wonderful Attorney General Nominee, Pam Bondi,” he wrote on Truth Social.
“During my First Term, Chad was General Counsel and Chief of Staff at the Department of Homeland Security, where he helped to secure our Border, and stop the flow of illegal drugs and aliens into our Country. Chad is a MAGA warrior, who will help bring accountability, integrity, and Justice back to the DOJ.
“Congratulations to Chad, his wife Kathryn, a GREAT Judge who I appointed, and their children!”
In 2020 Kathryn Kimball Mizelle was apointed by Trump as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida. At the age of 33, she was the youngest person chosen by the President-elect for a lifetime judicial appointment.
Biden hails the spending bill ‘compromise’ as ‘good news’
Saturday 21 December 2024 19:10 , Mike Bedigan
After signing the spending bill into law, Joe Biden hailed the legislation as “good news for the American people” ahead of the holiday season.
“The bipartisan funding bill I just signed keeps the government open and delivers the urgently needed disaster relief that I requested for recovering communities as well as the funds needed to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge,” he said, in a statement shared by the White House.
“This agreement represents a compromise, which means neither side got everything it wanted. But it rejects the accelerated pathway to a tax cut for billionaires that Republicans sought, and it ensures the government can continue to operate at full capacity.
“That’s good news for the American people, especially as families gather to celebrate this holiday season.”
Senate Majority Leader Schumer celebrates after bill passed just in time
Saturday 21 December 2024 18:40 , Mike Bedigan
(AP)
Spending bill to provide economic support for farmers
Saturday 21 December 2024 18:10 , Mike Bedigan
The American Relief Act, 2025, signed by Joe Biden on Saturday provides “economic assistance to farmers; extends the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018; and extends several expiring authorities,” the White House said.
The bill includes $10 billion in economic aid for farmers, which was one of the key issues in the negotiations, driven by lawmakers from agriculture-focused states.
The Agriculture Improvement Act is a sweeping package that governs many agricultural and nutrition assistance programs. It is is usually renewed every five years, but the most recent version was passed in 2018 and the extension ran out at the end of September.
The spending bill extends the act for a year.
Watch: House Speaker Mike Johnson spoke with Trump and Musk before shutdown vote
Saturday 21 December 2024 17:40 , Mike Bedigan
Senate Republicans are not asking RFK Jr about his stance on vaccines
Saturday 21 December 2024 17:10 , Mike Bedigan
Senate Republicans are not asking RFK Jr about his stance on vaccines
Maryland bridge funding included in bill
Saturday 21 December 2024 16:40 , Mike Bedigan
The last-minute stopgap spending bill includes provision for the rebuilding of the Francis Key Scott bridge in Maryland, which collapsed in March after being struck by a cargo ship.
Under the bill, its replacement will be fully funded by the federal government. The legislation will also allow the US Treasury Department to recoup money from any settlements related to the bridge’s collapse to help pay for the rebuilding.
The Dali container ship crashed into the bridge in March, causing it to collapse and severing access to critical shipping routes in and out of the Port of Baltimore. Six workers on the bridge were killed in the incident.
The Maryland Transportation Authority earlier this year estimated that rebuilding the bridge could cost between $1.7 billion and $1.9 billion.
Baltimore Bridge Collapse (Copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved)
Biden signs spending bill averting a government shutdown
Saturday 21 December 2024 16:30 , Mike Bedigan
Joe Biden has signed the last-minute stopgap spending bill into law, according to the White House.
The Senate passed the bill not long after midnight averting a shutdown that would have had widespread impacts, following a last minute scramble in Congress. The House passed the bill Friday evening.
A statement from the White House read: “On Saturday, December 21, 2024, the President signed into law: H.R. 10545, the “American Relief Act, 2025”, which provides fiscal year 2025 appropriations to Federal agencies through March 14, 2025, for continuing projects and activities of the Federal Government; provides disaster relief appropriations and economic assistance to farmers; extends the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018; and extends several expiring authorities.”
Mitt Romney says he voted against spending bill in ‘protest’ of government
Saturday 21 December 2024 14:51 , Mike Bedigan
Republican Senator Mitt Romney said he voted against the spending bill in “protest” of how the government is run.
“While I support keeping government open, I voted no on the CR—a simple protest of the absurd way this is to run government,” he wrote on X.
US proposes voluntary guidelines for self-driving vehicles in waning days of Biden administration
Saturday 21 December 2024 12:00 , Tom Krisher
In the waning days of President Joe Biden‘s administration, the government’s highway safety agency is proposing voluntary safety guidelines for self-driving vehicles.
But a rule from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration putting the plan in place won’t be approved before the end of Biden’s term in January and likely will be left to whoever runs the agency under Republican Donald Trump.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk, whom Trump has named to co-lead a “Department of Government Efficiency” to cut costs and regulations, has floated the idea of him helping to develop safety standards for self-driving vehicles — even though the standards would affect Tesla’s automated driving systems.
Read more:
US proposes voluntary guidelines for self-driving vehicles in waning days of Biden administration
Watch: Biden interacts with toddler during hospital visit
Saturday 21 December 2024 11:00 , Gustaf Kilander
Trump team warns Starmer’s ‘horrible, arrogant’ ambassador pick means Britain will be ‘locked out’ of key discussions
Saturday 21 December 2024 10:00 , David Maddox
Peter Mandelson’s nomination as Britain’s new ambassador to the United States has provoked fury within Donald Trump’s team, with one insider decribing it as a “horrible, arrogant” choice and his campaign coordinator publicly calling the Labour peer a “moron.”
The choice of the former EU commissioner and Blair-era minister, who previously attacked Mr Trump as “little short of a white nationalist and racist”, prompted a warning that Britain will be “locked out of the most important discussions” with the president-elect’s team because of a lack of trust.
Lord Mandelson’s appointment to Washington means the three people charged with building relations with the incoming administration have all insulted Mr Trump: foreign secretary David Lammy once tweeted that Mr Trump is a “tyrant” and “a woman-hating, neo-Nazi-sympathising sociopath”, while foreign minister Stephen Doughty organised a 2017 petition to stop Mr Trump addressing a joint sitting of parliament.
Read more:
Trump team aide calls new UK ambassador Lord Mandelson a ‘moron’
Lord Mandelson: ‘Dark lord’ of New Labour strikes back as UK ambassador to US
Saturday 21 December 2024 08:00 , David Lynch
Lord Peter Mandelson has made a career of comebacks – from spin doctor to returning to cabinet after quitting twice – and is back again as Britain’s ambassador to the US.
It marks the first political appointment to the UK’s top diplomatic post in Washington in decades.
Peter Mandelson started out as a Labour communications director in 1985 and was first elected as an MP in 1992. He served in the cabinets of Sir Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.
Donald Trump – who returns to the White House in January, four years after being ousted – may relate to his comeback story.
Read more:
Lord Mandelson: ‘Dark lord’ of New Labour strikes back as UK ambassador to US
Famed podcaster Kara Swisher pitching ‘long-shot’ bid to buy Washington Post from Jeff Bezos
Saturday 21 December 2024 07:00 , Justin Baragona
Tech podcaster Kara Swisher told Axios this week that she is attempting to round up a group of wealthy investors to put together a bid to purchase The Washington Post amid its ongoing turmoil under Jeff Bezos’ ownership.
Even though Bezos has not expressed any willingness or interest in selling the paper, Swisher believes that the ultra-rich Amazon founder will look to unload the Post due to the compounding headaches swirling around the outlet – many of which lie at the mega-billionaire’s feet.
Read more:
Tech podcaster pitching ‘long-shot’ bid to buy Washington Post from Jeff Bezos
VOICES: Trump’s war on the press is straight out of the Putin playbook
Saturday 21 December 2024 06:00 , Alan Rusbridger
The pen may not be mightier than the sword, but it still has the power to wound. How else to explain the extraordinary remarks of the former Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev, this week in which he revealed how stung he’d been by an editorial in The Times?
You’d think Russia’s elite had enough problems on their hands at the moment. Roaring inflation and interest rates. Sanctions. Labour shortages. The spiralling cost of war. The mounting casualties in Ukraine. But, no, it was an editorial penned by an unknown hand in London that really got under the skin of Putin’s close ally, who now serves as deputy chairman of Russia’s security council.
Read more:
Trump’s war on the press is straight out the Putin playbook
Measure does not include Trump’s demand to lift debt ceiling
Saturday 21 December 2024 05:48 , Stuti Mishra
Congress did not act on Trump’s demand to raise the debt ceiling, a politically difficult task, before he takes office on 20 January.
The late-night vote in the Senate capped a frantic week that saw president-elect Donald Trump and his billionaire ally Elon Musk defeat an initial bipartisan deal, throwing Congress into disarray.
The final version stripped out some provisions championed by Democrats, who accused Republicans of caving in to pressure from an unelected billionaire who has no experience in government.
The package had earlier cleared the Republican-controlled House of Representatives with bipartisan support.
US Senate passes government funding bill
Saturday 21 December 2024 05:46 , Stuti Mishra
The US Congress has just passed a spending legislation in a down-to-the wire burst of activity that will avert a destabilising government shutdown ahead of the busy holiday travel season.
Democratic-controlled Senate in an 85-11 vote passed the bill to continue government funding 38 minutes after it expired at midnight (5am GMT Saturday). The government did not invoke shutdown procedures in the interim.
The bill will now be sent it to White House, where President Joe Biden is expected to sign it into law.
Watch: Democratic Congressman claims that Musk ‘has Trump in a vice’ and is ‘calling the shots’
Saturday 21 December 2024 05:00 , Gustaf Kilander
Senate will pass CR before 12.01am says Schumer
Saturday 21 December 2024 04:31 , Graeme Massie
Chuck Schumer said that the Senate would vote and pass the continuing resolution by the deadline of 12.01am ET.
“Democrats and Republicans have reached — just reached an agreement that will allow us to pass the CR tonight before the midnight deadline,” he said.
Elon Musk endorses German far-right AfD party as saviours of country
Saturday 21 December 2024 04:00 , Tom Watling
Elon Musk has described the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party as the country’s saviour, sparking calls from Berlin for the US billionaire to “stay out” of their politics.
In a post on X, Mr Musk’s social media platform, the mogul wrote that “only the AfD can save Germany”. His message topped a video, which he retweeted, of a German right-wing influencer, Naomi Seibt, known for her closeness to the AfD and for denying human-caused climate change.
The AfD is running second in opinion polls and may be able to thwart either a centre-right or centre-left majority, but Germany’s mainstream, more centrist parties have vowed to shun support from the AfD at a national level.
Read more:
Elon Musk endorses far right AfD party as ‘saviour’ of Germany
VOICES: Peter Mandelson is a gamble as US ambassador – but exactly what Trump needs
Saturday 21 December 2024 03:00 , Jon Sopel
One of the hardest things about being the British ambassador to Washington is giving it up at the end of your term.
You are living in one of the finest private addresses in DC – the only Lutyens built house in North America – with its fabulous art collection, swimming pool, tennis court and hot and cold running servants; with your chauffeur driven Bentley, manicured gardens – and you’re right next door to the vice president’s official residence on Massachusetts Avenue. Trading that for your semi in Balham, or wherever your civil service salary has allowed you to buy, is quite the readjustment.
And our embassy in DC has just been totally refurbished at a cost of tens of millions of pounds. Yes, there can still be a bit of a sewery smell on the lower ground floor, and the fireplace in the drawing room when lit invariably smokes out the whole house so that guests have to retreat to the terrace. But these are small details.
Read more:
Peter Mandelson is a gamble as US ambassador – but exactly what Trump needs
Senate Republicans are not asking RFK Jr about his stance on vaccines
Saturday 21 December 2024 02:15 , Josh Marcus
Robert F Kennedy Jr came to prominence and broke away from just being his famous father’s namesake on the back of his promotion of the idea that vaccines cause autism.
Kennedy has met with multiple Republicans throughout the week about his confirmation to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. This also came the week that President-elect Donald Trump said “There’s something wrong” about the increase in autism rates and that “we’re going to find out about it.”
That earned a rebuke from Sen Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, a physician who will be chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
“It’s not true and it’s been widely shown that it’s not true,” he told The Independent on Tuesday.
Eric Garcia has the story.
Senate Republicans are not asking RFK Jr about his stance on vaccines
Watch: Fox News host insists Jill Biden ‘voted for Trump’ because she’s been ‘wearing red’
Saturday 21 December 2024 02:00 , Gustaf Kilander
Will the Senate vote before midnight? TBD
Saturday 21 December 2024 01:39 , Josh Marcus
The Senate is headed for a long night.
The upper chamber is expected to pass the government spending bill that cleared the House earlier today, but they have yet to vote on it.
Asked about whether the Senate will vote before midnight, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer didn’t quite give a straight answer.
Here’s what he said, courtesy of CSPAN.
Trump moves his entire $4 billion stake in Truth Social into his trust ahead of White House move
Saturday 21 December 2024 01:00 , Alex Woodward
Donald Trump has transferred all 114.75 million of his shares in the parent company that runs his Truth Social platform into a revocable trust before he returns to the White House.
His shares in Trump Media & Technology Group are currently worth roughly $4 billion, representing the lion’s share of his roughly $6 billion net worth. He is the group’s largest shareholder.
Filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission show the president-elect transferring the stake into the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust earlier this week. His oldest son Donald Trump Jr is the sole trustee, and has sole voting and investment power over securities held by the trust, according to filings.
Read more:
Trump moves his entire $4 billion stake in Truth Social into his trust
WATCH: Senate confirms record 235th Biden admin judge
Saturday 21 December 2024 00:32 , Josh Marcus
The Senate just voted to confirm the Biden administration’s 235th federal Article III judge, one more judicial nomination than the previous Trump administration was able to get through.
Hakeem Jeffries celebrates defeat of ‘billionaire boys club’ spending proposals
Saturday 21 December 2024 00:22 , Josh Marcus
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries celebrated the lower chamber’s passage on Friday of a spending bill to avert a government shutdown, just a crucial midnight deadline.
Jeffries said the package, which passed the House without any Democratic opposition, helped ensure the “future of working class Americans” and pointed to provisions like $100 billion in disaster assistance.
The leader also said the bill, which will keep the government funded through mid-March, was a rebuke to the “billionaire boys club” of Donald Trump and Elon Musk, who pushed to scuttle a bipartisan spending plan earlier in the week, and considered a plan that would suspend the debt ceiling to further enable the Trump administration’s plans.
Get all the details on the House version of the spending plan.
House narrowly averts government shutdown — and rejects Trump’s debt ceiling commands
Watch: GOP Representative Malliotakis voices her frustration with Speaker Johnson
Saturday 21 December 2024 00:15 , Gustaf Kilander
Trump’s Congress chaos is a reminder we should brace for ‘unknown unknowns’
Friday 20 December 2024 23:50 , Editorial
With a month to go before he officially becomes the 47th president of the United States, Donald J Trump is already causing mayhem. His rejection of a bipartisan budget deal in Congress has threatened a federal shutdown and triggered huge anxiety for employees and those dependent on public services just before Christmas.
It’s not the first such game of fiscal “chicken” indulged in by America’s politicians – but it serves as a pointed reminder, were it needed, of what may be expected in the coming four years or so.
Read more:
Trump’s Congress chaos is a reminder we should brace for ‘unknown unknowns’
Vote passes 366 – 34
Friday 20 December 2024 23:18 , Alex Woodward, Eric Garcia
House members voted 366-34, with one member voting present.
Those 34 votes were all Republicans.
A bill to fund the government through mid-March marked a third attempt within two days to avert a shutdown, after Donald Trump and Elon Musk commanded Congress to ditch the original bipartisan framework and left congressional Democrats and even some Republicans exhausted with the growing political influence of the world’s wealthiest person.
The funding battle glimpsed how Democrats are approaching the incoming Trump-Musk administration and how they will navigate Trump’s agenda with an extremely slim Republican majority.
Full story here:
House narrowly averts government shutdown — and rejects Trump’s debt ceiling commands
Latest package resembles bipartisan plan that failed earlier in the week
Friday 20 December 2024 23:15 , Rhian Lubin
The latest package resembled a bipartisan plan that was abandoned earlier this week after an online fusillade from Trump and his billionaire adviser Elon Musk, who said it contained too many unrelated provisions.
That bill would have kept the government agencies operating at current levels, provided an additional $100 billion in disaster aid for storm-hit states and another $10 billion for farmers. It also would extend farm and food aid programs due to expire at the end of the year.
Trump demanded a rewrite to also lift the nation’s debt ceiling, but that was resoundingly rejected by the House – including 38 Republicans – on Thursday.
Trump and Musk killed the first bipartisan bill that was put forward (2024 Getty Images)
BREAKING: House passes government funding bill hours before shutdown deadline
Friday 20 December 2024 23:04 , Rhian Lubin
Just in: The House has just approved the three-month government funding bill, sending to Senate with just hours left before shutdown deadline.
Elon Musk praises Speaker Mike Johnson after torpedoing first bill
Friday 20 December 2024 22:52 , Rhian Lubin
Elon Musk has praised Speaker Mike Johnson tonight after the tech billionaire torpedoed Johnson’s first bipartisan deal.
“The Speaker did a good job here, given the circumstances,” Musk posted on X.
“It went from a bill that weighed pounds to a bill that weighed ounces. Ball should now be in the Dem court.”
Voting underway
Friday 20 December 2024 22:41 , Alex Woodward, Rhian Lubin
Voting is underway on the short-term agreement to avert a government shutdown.
The bill is 188 pages long, down from the 1,500-plus pages of the first bipartisan spending bill that failed earlier this week.
Democratic leadership isn’t whipping votes to support the latest bill.
It needs a two-thirds majority to pass.
