Trump teases control of Greenland and Panama as Matt Gaetz fires back at explosive report: Live
Gaetz stands accused of buying and using illegal drugs and paying for sex with a high schooler
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Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump is signalling his incoming administration’s readiness to expand U.S. territory, with recent out-of-nowhere snipes at Panama and Greenland.
After seemingly joking about Canada becoming the “51st” state, the incoming president fired off ominous messages alleging the Panama Canal and Greenland pose serious economic and national security threats to the United States.
He claimed the Panama Canal is a “rip-off” that the country “will immediately stop,” and that the “ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity” — rattling diplomatic relationships less than a month before he returns to the White House.
Meanwhile, allies of House Speaker Mike Johnson are urging the president-elect to reaffirm his support for the Republican leader after Democrats and some Republicans blocked the Trump- and Elon Musk-led campaign to derail the stop-gap funding bill before Christmas, averting a government shutdown.
The House of Representatives is also reeling after an ethics committee report into former congressman Matt Gaetz “determined there is substantial evidence” that he paid tens of thousands of dollars for sex and used illicit drugs while he was a member of Congress.
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Illegal drugs and sex with a minor: All the allegations against Matt Gaetz revealed in explosive report
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Political nepo baby Matt Gaetz rose quickly to power in the House. It ended with a damning ethics report
There is “substantial evidence” that former congressman Matt Gaetz “regularly” paid women, including a high school student, for sex and spent tens of thousands of dollars on sex- and drug-fueled parties and travel, according to a damning report from members of Congress.
The long-anticipated report from a House Ethics committee investigation finds that Gaetz likely violated state laws against statutory rape and illicit drug use, as well as House rules against misconduct and abuse of office.
Between 2017 and 2020, Gaetz “regularly paid women for engaging in sexual activity with him,” including making payments to a 17-year-old girl, the report says.
Read more:
Charting Matt Gaetz’s swift rise to power — and spectacular fall from grace
The Florida Republican is accused of ‘regularly’ paying for sex — including with a high school student — while he was a member of Congress
Disney withdraws from ‘culture wars’ after battles with Trump and DeSantis
Disney’s recent decision to pull a transgender storyline from one of its upcoming movies appears to be its latest attempt to avoid generating political controversy after the company became the center of a debate over “wokeism” last year.
The company, run by Bob Iger, has found itself in the midst of several “culture wars” over the last few years after pledging to “further strengthen our commitment to diversity and inclusion everywhere” in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in 2020.
Disney chose to make its theme parks more inclusive, such as adopting more gender-neutral greetings, and has made a conscious effort to include more diverse characters, for example, introducing its first biracial gay character in Strange World.
Ariana Baio reports.
Disney withdraws from ‘culture wars’ amid bruising encounters with Trump and DeSantis
Company chose to settle a defamation lawsuit with Trump last week, leading to pushback
Trump considering attempting to boot Mike Johnson: report
President-elect Donald Trump is considering attempting to boot Speaker Mike Johnson from his post, according to Politico.
This comes after Congress narrowly averted a government shutdown on Friday night.
Trump is reportedly unhappy with the funding deal and that he didn’t get the debt ceiling hike he sought.
“The president is upset — he wanted the debt ceiling dealt with,” a person in Trump’s circle told the outlet.
“In the past couple weeks, we’ve questioned whether [Johnson has] been an honest broker,” another person said.
“I don’t see how Johnson survives,” yet another individual told Politico.
Victims and families react as Biden spares the lives of 37 federal death row inmates
Victims’ families and others affected by crimes that resulted in federal death row convictions shared a range of emotions on Monday, from relief to anger, after President Joe Biden commuted dozens of the sentences.
Biden converted the sentences of 37 federal death row inmates to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. The inmates include people who were convicted in the slayings of police, military officers and federal prisoners and guards. Others were involved in deadly robberies and drug deals.
Three inmates will remain on federal death row: Dylann Roof, convicted of the 2015 racist slayings of nine Black members of Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina; the 2013 Boston Marathon Bomber, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev; and Robert Bowers, who fatally shot 11 congregants at Pittsburgh’s Tree of life Synagogue in 2018, the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S history.
Read more:
Victims and families react as Biden spares the lives of 37 federal death row inmates
Victims’ families and others affected by crimes that resulted in federal death row convictions are sharing a range of emotions, from relief to anger, after President Joe Biden commuted dozens of the sentences
Team Trump releases statement on Biden’s ‘abhorrent’ pardon decisions
These are among the worst killers in the world and this abhorrent decision by Joe Biden is a slap in the face to the victims, their families, and their loved ones. President Trump stands for the rule of law, which will return when he is back in the White House after he was elected with a massive mandate from the American people.
Matt Gaetz sues ethics committee to block ‘defamatory’ report
Matt Gaetz sued the House Ethics Committee in a last-ditch attempt to block the publication of a damning report into allegations he paid for sex with more than a dozen women, including a 17-year-old girl.
The report follows a long-running investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use while he was a member of Congress, when he allegedly spent tens of thousands of dollars on sex- and drug-fueled parties and travel.
He is accused of paying more than $90,000 to at least 12 different women, including a high school student, according to the report, which was released Monday, after Gaetz filed his lawsuit.
Read more:
Matt Gaetz sues ethics committee to block ‘defamatory’ report
Gaetz is accused of spending tens of thousands of dollars on sex- and drug-fueled parties and travel
Leaked ethics committee report finds evidence Matt Gaetz paid 17-year-old-girl for sex
A leaked draft report from the House Ethics Committee reveals damning new details about the long-running investigation into Matt Gaetz’s alleged sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, according to multiple outlets.
The former Republican representative, who was Donald Trump’s first choice for attorney general of the United States, is accused of paying thousands of dollars to more than a dozen women — including a 17-year-old girl — for sex.
Gaetz is also accused of using illegal drugs, including in his office on Capitol Hill, according to the report, a final draft of which was obtained by CBS News and CNN.
He is accused of violating Florida’s statutory rape laws, among others, the report found.
“The Committee determined there is substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House Rules and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favors or privileges, and obstruction of Congress,” the report states.
Read more:
Ethics committee report finds evidence Matt Gaetz paid 17-year-old-girl for sex
Former congressman violated standards ‘prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favors or privileges, and obstruction of Congress,’ leaked report finds
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