Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Liveupdated

Trump planning to fire DoJ lawyers who investigated him, names pick for key post of treasury secretary: Live

President-elect pledges to fire attorneys who worked alongside Special Counsel Jack Smith as he names hedge fund manager Scott Bessent to head treasury

Joe Sommerlad,Gustaf Kilander,Ariana Baio
Saturday 23 November 2024 14:30 GMT
Comments
Matt Gaetz reveals he will not be returning to Congress

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Donald Trump is set to fire the attorneys who worked alongside Special Counsel Jack Smith on two federal investigations into the president-elect and use the Department of Justice to probe the 2020 election, according to The Washington Post.

The attorneys who may become caught up in the firings include career professionals who are usually protected from such revenge efforts.

Trump is set to put together teams of investigators to look for evidence that there was fraud in battleground states in the 2020 election, according to The Post. There’s no evidence that fraud affected the outcome of the 2020 election.

Meanwhile, Trump announced that his pick for the job of treasury secretary is hedge fund manager Scott Bessent.

Trump called Bessent “one of the World’s foremost International Investors and Geopolitical and Economic Strategists.”

In a flurry of announcements on Friday night, Trump revealed his picks to lead the Office of Management and Budget, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the FDA, the CDC, the Office of the Surgeon General, and the Department of Labor.

Trump’s campaign team celebrated his hush money trial sentencing being indefinitely postponed by Justice Juan Merchan on Friday, calling it “a decisive win” in a “Witch Hunt” case.

Trump claimed Kim Jong Un missed him — the North Korean leader has a different message

On the campaign trail over the summer, Donald Trump claimed that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un “misses me,” and that relations between their two countries would improve with a second Trump term.

At a defense expo in Pyongyang this week, the North Korean dictator had a very different message, as Josh Marcus reports.

Trump claimed Kim Jong Un missed him. The North Korea leader has a different message

First Trump administration saw angry threats and diplomatic meetings between president and North Korean leader

Oliver O'Connell23 November 2024 14:30

Inside Trump’s phone call to Gaetz that ended his attorney general nomination

A source told The Bulwark that the president-elect called Gaetz just hours before his withdrawal, warning him that he didn’t have enough support in the Senate.

“You don’t have the votes,” Trump told Gaetz, according to the source. “These senators aren’t moving.”

According to a second source, the former Florida lawmaker is said to have acknowledged that he was four to six Republican votes shy from the threshold needed.

He could only afford to lose two GOP votes to maintain the majority in the 100-seat upper chamber – with Republicans holding a 53 to 47 seat majority.

James Liddell23 November 2024 14:00

ICYMI: Trump’s AG pick was once caught up in a dog custody battle

Pam Bondi, the woman Trump has tapped to be his next attorney general, found herself caught up in a canine custody battle where she was accused of stealing a pet dog.

Bondi, 59, adopted a St. Bernard after it was separated from its family by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 from Florida’s Pinellas County Humane Society. She changed its name from Master Tank to Noah.

When the animal’s true owners, Louisiana couple Steve and Dorreen Couture, tracked Master Tank down to Bondi’s home in Tampa Bay in January 2006 and found him in the lawyer’s custody, their request for his return was refused.

Instead, Bondi accused the grandparents of neglecting the animal.

“I took a dog who was a walking skeleton,” she told The St Petersburg Times at the time.

“If I thought I was sending him to a stable environment, where he would be cared for, as hard as it would be, I’d put him in my car and drive him back myself.

The Coutures denied her accusation, revealing that Master Tank had suffered from heartworms since he was 10 months old and continued to demand his return.

The family sued and a 16-month legal battle ensued, which ended with the two sides settling before the dispute came to trial.

Bondi eventually returned Master Tank to the Coutures with a supply of food and medication.

Joe Sommerlad23 November 2024 12:00

Texas approves Bible-based lessons in public schools

The Texas State Board of Education has approved the use of Bible-based lessons in public elementary schools.

Officials voted 8-7 on the measure during a hearing in Austin on Friday. The new curriculum, developed by Bluebonnet Learning and the Texas Education Agency, pertains to reading and language arts lessons for kids in grades K-5 and math lessons for kids in grades K-8.

The teachings call into question the constitutionally of such tax-payer-funded instruction. It remains unclear if the curriculum would violate the Establishment Clause in the First Amendment, which prohibits the government from establishing a religion or providing official support for a religion.

The instruction includes lessons on Biblical beliefs, including the stories of Moses, the Good Samaritan, the Golden Rule and readings from the Book of Genesis.

The curriculum is optional but schools could get additional funding if they implement the teachings, set to be available to educators in August 2025.

Michelle Del Rey23 November 2024 11:00

Trump’s new AG pick didn’t pursue lawsuit against Trump University – after he donated $25k to her campaign

The incoming Trump administration didn’t waste any time on Thursday after Matt Gaetz said that he was dropping his bid to become attorney general. Soon afterward it announced that Pam Bondi, the former attorney general of Florida, would seek the top position at the Justice Department instead.

Bondi, 59, who served as Florida’s attorney general from 2011 to 2019 and represented the president-elect at his first impeachment trial in the Senate, is both an experienced public official and a long-time Trump ally.

Read more from Josh Marcus and Joe Sommerlad

Trump’s AG didn’t sue Trump University after $25K donation

Former Florida official has lengthy record of high-profile prosecutions, as well multiple moments of ethical scrutiny

Ariana Baio23 November 2024 09:00

Trump picks Scott Bessent for treasury as he announces flurry of cabinet picks

President-elect Donald Trump announced a flurry of nominations on Friday night, revealing his choices to lead the Treasury Department, the Office of Management and Budget, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the FDA, the CDC, the Office of the Surgeon General, and the Department of Labor.

Read more:

Trump picks Scott Bessent for treasury as he announces flurry of cabinet picks

President-elect announced nominations to lead several departments and agencies as he continues to staff his next administration

Gustaf Kilander23 November 2024 08:00

Watch: Newsmax courts Matt Gaetz to host his own show

Newsmax courts Matt Gaetz to host his own show
Ariana Baio23 November 2024 07:00

Trump will fire Jack Smith’s lawyers and use the DoJ to investigate the 2020 election, report says

President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly set to attempt to fire the attorneys who worked with Special Counsel Jack Smith investigating the former president for his alleged mishandling of classified documents and for his connection to the Capitol riot.

Those affected are likely to include career professionals usually shielded from such revenge efforts, , according to The Washington Post.

Trump is also set to put together groups to look for evidence that the 2020 election was riddled with fraud.

Read more:

Trump will fire Jack Smith’s lawyers and use the DoJ to investigate the 2020 election

Those affected are likely to include career professionals usually shielded from political revenge efforts, which may take years to enact

Gustaf Kilander23 November 2024 06:00

Americans view Trump more ‘warmly’ now than after previous elections

After a contentious presidential election cycle, approximately 43 percent of people said they feel “very warm” or “warm” toward the president-elect in a new poll conducted by Pew Research Center.

Ariana Baio reports:

Americans view Trump more ‘warmly’ now than after previous elections, poll says

Trump increased his image among voters by nine percentage points between the 2020 election and now

Ariana Baio23 November 2024 05:00

Grimes says Elon Musk is ‘unrecognizable’ as she speaks out about bitter custody battle

Grimes has said that her former partner and father of her child Elon Musk has become “unrecognizable” as she opened up about her bitter custody battle with the tech billionaire.

The Canadian musician, real name Claire Elise Boucher, said she had spent a year “locked in battle” with Musk over her rights as a mother and that her social media posts had been used against her.

It comes after it was reported that the former couple’s custody battle over their three children; four-year-old X Æ A-12, also known as baby X; two-year-old Exa; and two-year-old Tau, had been resolved.

Mike Bedigan reports.

Grimes says Elon Musk is ‘unrecognizable’ as she speaks out about custody battle

The Canadian musician, real name Claire Elise Boucher, said she had spent a year ‘locked in battle’ with the tech billionaire

Gustaf Kilander23 November 2024 04:00

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in