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Donald Trump has claimed ex-Republican congresswoman Liz Cheney “could be in a lot of trouble” after a House GOP subcommittee called for her to be investigated by the Justice Department over her stewardship of the panel that examined the Capitol riot of January 6 2021, accusing her of witness tampering by “colluding” with Cassidy Hutchinson on her testimony.
The president-elect posted the taunt on his Truth Social platform, thanking Congressman Barry Loudermilk, who led the subcommittee and produced the interim report, for “a job well done”.
Cheney herself has already rubbished Loudermilk’s report as “a malicious and cowardly assault on the truth”.
She added, witheringly: “No reputable lawyer, legislator, or judge would take this seriously.”
Meanwhile, Trump has announced two more nominees to his incoming administration, naming Florida philanthropist Nicole McGraw as the the next US ambassador to Croatia and, more surprisingly, ex-NFL star and failed Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker as ambassador to the Bahamas.
The Republican further used his social media account to warn Senate Republicans against agreeing a deal with Democrats on his nominees to top cabinet positions.
“I will make my appointments of Very Qualified People in January when I am sworn in,” he declared.
Palestinian families sue Biden administration over ‘failure’ to sanction Israel for human rights abuses
President Joe Biden’s administration is violating U.S. law that blocks aid to foreign militaries credibly accused of committing human rights abuses, according to a federal lawsuit from a group of Palestinians in Gaza and their American families.
A lawsuit filed in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday marks the first time that victims are alleging the government’s “calculated failure” to follow the so-called Leahy Law, a decades-old statute that prohibits taxpayer-funded weapons and aid towards foreign militaries implicated in human rights abuses.
Former State Department officials who navigated Leahy Law requirements helped draft the lawsuit.
Gaza residents and their American families accuse the State Department of creating illegal loopholes on Israel’s behalf to evade federal law blocking aid to foreign militaries complicit in human rights abuses
Alex Woodward18 December 2024 09:00
Energy chief Granholm warns against 'unfettered exports' of liquefied natural gas
The United States should proceed cautiously as officials consider new natural gas export terminals, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said Tuesday, warning that “unfettered exports” of liquefied natural gas, or LNG, could raise wholesale domestic prices by more than 30% and increase planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions.
Granholm’s statement came as the Energy Department released a long-awaited study on the environmental and economic impacts of natural gas exports, which have grown exponentially in the past decade. The analysis found that U.S. LNG shipments drive up domestic prices and frequently displace renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power.
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm says the incoming Trump administration should proceed cautiously as it considers proposals for new natural gas export terminals
Matthew Daly18 December 2024 08:00
US border facilities for migrant children are improving but still need work, court monitor says
The U.S. still separates some migrant children from parents while holding them after they cross the border despite broad improvements at detention centers in Texas, according to a court-ordered monitor’s final report.
The heightened scrutiny of the Border Patrol’s Texas holding facilities is part of broader court-appointed oversight, which President-elect Donald Trump and his allies have criticized.
The report, issued Friday under a monitoring agreement that began in 2022, offers a final glimpse into conditions inside the facilities ahead of Trump’s return to office. The report noted improvements to hygiene, food and medical care but found that U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents routinely separated children from adult relatives during their time in custody.
The U.S. is still separating some migrant children from parents while holding them after they cross the border despite broad improvements at detention centers in Texas
Valerie Gonzalez18 December 2024 07:00
Justin Trudeau and the downsides of being the handsome poster boy for liberal ‘goodness’
When Justin Trudeau became the Canadian prime minister in 2015, people were still using that thing called Facebook. I can remember well the frothing posts by female friends, none of whom could contain their excitement at the election of this hottie PM. Furthermore, they gushed at the notion that what made him hotter still was not only that he was young and handsome, he was a lovely liberal dude too, which made him even more super-duper guy.
(If my male friends had written about an equally attractive female prime minister in such a way, they might well have been cancelled, but let’s park that.) As far as my friends were concerned – and to be fair, Trudeau had plenty of male fanboys – here was the perfect Generation X politician, and all would surely be well in his good hands.
In just under 10 years, the prime minister of Canada has gone from the darling of the global liberal pack to a political pariah with an approval rating of less than 30 per cent. Here, Guy Walters looks at his career and why some seem to fall from a greater height than others in the ugly world of politics
Guy Walters 18 December 2024 06:00
Trump-backed lawmaker roasted after apparently mistaking Star Wars prop for captured drone
Pennsylvania Republican Doug Mastriano is facing some heat after posting a picture of what appears to be a Star Wars prop instead of one of the mysterious drones that are flying around the East Coast this month.
The meme the politician shared on the social media platform X includes a picture of what looks like a replica of a TIE Fighter, which is a fictional spacecraft used by the Sith Empire’s Imperial Fleet and seen in the 1977 classic and first film Star Wars: A New Hope.
“Breaking News: Crashed drone in Orange Beach retrieved from water, and taken to undisclosed location for further investigation,” the meme’s caption reads.
Mastriano reposted the image with a serious comment on Tuesday.
The Pennsylvania state senator later insisted he knew the image he posted was a meme
Julia Musto18 December 2024 05:00
Judge refuses to toss out bribery charge against NYC mayor
A federal judge said Tuesday that he won’t dismiss a bribery charge against New York Mayor Eric Adams because prosecutors described the allegations adequately in an indictment.
Judge Dale E. Ho wrote in an opinion that an indictment unsealed against the Democrat in September sufficiently details alleged bribery crimes, preventing dismissal of the charge prior to an April trial.
Adams has pleaded not guilty to corruption charges stemming largely from his relationships with several Turkish government officials and businesspeople from 2015 to 2022. The indictment alleged that he accepted tens of thousands of dollars in overseas travel benefits and illegal campaign donations from people seeking to buy his influence.
A federal judge says he won't dismiss a bribery charge against New York Mayor Eric Adams
Larry Neumeister18 December 2024 04:00
DC lawmakers frustrated as officials reject drone conspiracies – but provide no real answers
The rash of mysterious drone sightings across New Jersey continues to cause panic down the US east coast — and on Capitol Hill, frustrations are bubbling.
Joe Biden’s administration, with just over one month left in office, is heading into the holiday season in full lame-duck mode. As rumors of a ceasefire in Gaza being “close” raise the hopes of some Democrats eager to see the president pull out a final legacy-defining win, more are becoming vocal about the failure of the broader administration to address what is quickly becoming a source of serious misinformation.
ANALYSIS: From Iranian ‘mother-ships’ to federal conspiracies to a Star Wars prop, a lack of official information means the drone scare is generating more heat than light, writes John Bowden
John Bowden18 December 2024 03:00
Trump backs idea to make the Postal Service — which is included in the Constitution — private
Donald Trump says privatizing the United States Postal Service — an idea Republicans have been circling for years in a crusade to kill one of America’s most popular public agencies — is “not the worst idea” he’s ever heard.
It’s the clearest signal yet that his incoming administration is reviving plans to gut the agency, which is empowered by the Constitution and older than the nation itself.
His remarks on Monday followed reporting in The Washington Post that Trump and his billionaire nominee for commerce secretary Howard Lutnick are mulling plans to overhaul the agency, including whether to privatize it entirely.
The president-elect has given the clearest signal yet that he’s reviving plans to gut the nation’s postal system
Alex Woodward18 December 2024 02:00
Harris campaign head admits talking to NYT and Washington Post is pointless: ‘Those readers are already with us’
Reflecting on an election cycle that was dominated by podcasts and non-traditional media, the deputy campaign manager for the Harris–Walz campaign said there’s “no value” in speaking to mainstream press, notably the New York Times or Washington Post anymore.
He maintained that stance in a recent interview with the online news outlet, saying the Harris campaign chose to focus on podcast appearances and interviews with influencers over traditional media to compete with Donald Trump’s campaign.
Alternative media, such as podcasts and streams, became a popular venue for the candidates
Ariana Baio18 December 2024 01:00
LA Times staffers say billionaire owner’s pro-Trump meddling worse than previously reported
Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong is now prohibiting “editorials containing criticism” of Donald Trump “unless they are presented side-by-side with another opinion piece representing the ‘opposing view,’” according to a memo written by the newspaper’s editors.
As Oliver Darcy first reported in his Status newsletter, the staff memo reveals that Soon-Shiong’s “meddling” of the LA Times’ coverage – especially regarding the president-elect – has “grown more pervasive than previously realized.”
The memo, signed by several members of the LA Times’ opinion section, was sent to the newspaper’s executive editor, Terry Tang. It comes after Soon-Shiong killed an op-ed last month critical of Trump’s recent Cabinet picks and the incoming president’s suggestion that he may use recess appointments to circumvent the confirmation process.
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