Trump and Musk send DC in tailspin with spending bill attacks as government shutdown nears: Live updates
The proposed continuing resolution, championed by GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson, would have kept agencies running at current funding levels through to mid-March 2025
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Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump and JD Vance appear to have guaranteed a bitter showdown with Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill after demanding that the House and Senate effectively force the federal government to shut down, rather than pass a stop-gap funding bill championed by GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson.
Johnson’s bipartisan deal would have kept agencies running at current funding levels through to mid-March 2025 but the president-elect and his deputy issued a statement complaining the bill does not address the nation’s statutory debt ceiling, urging the passage of a “streamlined” alternative version “that doesn’t give... the Democrats everything they want.”
Democrats have meanwhile mocked tech billionaire Elon Musk’s undue influence over the incoming administration, with Senator Bernie Sanders ironically praising “President Elon Musk” on X.
While Trump told Fox News Digital Johnson will “easily remain speaker” he added a caveat reiterating his earlier statement. Among the names floated as potential replacements for Johnson is Musk, with Senator Rand Paul noting the role is not limited to members of Congress.
Meanwhile, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has been removed from Trump’s sprawling election interference case by Georgia’s Court of Appeals which ruled her relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade was a conflict of interest.
CNN anchor presses MAGA lawmaker on GOP’s Liz Cheney investigation: ‘Isn’t this banana republic stuff?!’
CNN anchor Jim Acosta confronted Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) on Wednesday over a House Republican subcommittee siding with President-elect Donald Trump and concluding that former GOP Rep. Liz Cheney should be prosecuted for investigating what occurred when Trump incited an attack on the U.S. Capitol after losing the 2020 election.
‘Isn’t this banana republic stuff?!” Acosta wondered at one point.
Justin Barangoa reports.
‘Isn’t this banana republic stuff?!’ CNN host to GOP rep on Liz Cheney investigation
“Is this about Trump getting revenge and House Republicans going along with it?” CNN’s Jim Acosta wondered during a heated exchange with Rep. Tim Burchett on Wednesday.
MSNBC continues to hemorrhage viewers; now losing to NewsNation in key ratings battle
Already dealing with sustained post-election ratings woes, MSNBC witnessed yet another embarrassment over the weekend when it finished behind the plucky TV startup NewsNation in the key advertising demographic of adults aged 25-54.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the liberal cable news network averaged just 17,000 viewers in the key demo on Saturday between the hours of noon and 7 p.m. ET. In comparison, NewsNation’s programming attracted an audience of 23,000 in the 25-54 demographic in that same time period.
Justin Barangoa reports.
More bad news for MSNBC as they hemorrhage viewers and are now losing to NewsNation
Amid plummeting ratings since Donald Trump’s election last month, several of the liberal cable news network’s programs on Saturday finished behind the centrist cable news upstart in the key 25-54 demographic.
Health experts eager for RFK Jr push for healthy food but fearful he’ll trigger disease explosion
Leading health experts are “quietly excited” about Robert F Kennedy Jr’s potential to improve the nation’s diet, yet fearful he could trigger an “explosion” in infectious diseases, according to a report.
Kennedy, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for health secretary, already faces an uphill battle of being confirmed by the Senate due to his past anti-vaccine statements and health-related conspiracy theories.
As Kennedy is making his case to senators this week, researchers and public health officials told Politico the controversial pick also represents a chance to improve the poor diet of Americans and reduce their exposure to harmful toxins.
Life expectancy in the U.S. is the lowest among wealthy nations at 77.5 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Rhian Lubin reports.
Health experts excited yet fearful about RFK Jr’s impact on nation’s health
Kennedy faces an uphill battle of being confirmed by the Senate due to his past anti-vaccine statements and health-related conspiracy theories
Democrats introduce bill to ban wagering on US elections
Democratic representatives Jamie Raskin and Andrea Salinas have introduced the Ban Gambling on Elections Act to prohibit betting on U.S. elections. The bill is the House companion to Senator Jeff Merkley’s legislation in the Senate.
The legislation would amend the Commodity Exchange Act—a law that regulates the trading of commodities and futures in the U.S.—to prohibit political election wagering of any kind.
“With distrust in our electoral system at an all-time high, we must crack down on gambling in all U.S. elections,” said Rep. Raskin. “Our democracy demands reliable and transparent processes to cast ballots and tally results, not a horserace clouded by gambling odds and bets placed. I am proud to go all-in with Congresswoman Salinas and Senator Merkley in calling on Congress to ante up and pass this commonsense legislation.”
Musk says lawmakers who vote for spending should be voted out
Elon Musk is very unhappy with the continuing resolution spending bill being considered by the House of Representatives, making it much harder for Republicans in Congress to support it.
He wrote on X this afternoon: “Any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years!”
Fox News demands Speaker Johnson defend spending bill to Elon Musk — but who answers to who?
House Speaker Mike Johnson found himself cornered live on Fox and Friends on Wednesday morning when he was confronted with Elon Musk’s declaration on X that his new congressional spending bill “should not pass.”
The Republican leader was invited onto the Fox News’ breakfast show to discuss the bipartisan deal struck on Tuesday evening for a stop-gap bill to fund the federal government through to March 14. It includes $100 billion for disaster relief and support for farmers among the many provisions outlined across its 1,547 pages.
But Musk – the Big Tech mogul and Trump ally who has become an influential voice in the president-elect’s ear in recent months and now heads the newly-formed advisory Department of Government Efficiency – has already expressed his disapproval of the bill, albeit without going into detail, writing bluntly on his social media platform: “This bill should not pass.”
Joe Sommerlad reports.
Fox and Friends host demands Speaker Johnson defend spending bill to Elon Musk
House Republican leader challenged over tech billionaire’s opposition to latest stop-gap funding deal
UK PM and Trump spoke today about global conflicts
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and President-elect Donald Trump spoke today about “shared priorities” including Ukraine and the Middle East.
A Downing Street spokesperson said:
“The Prime Minister spoke to President-elect Donald Trump this afternoon from Downing Street.
“The Prime Minister began by congratulating President-elect Trump on his recent team appointments and President-elect Trump warmly recounted his meeting with His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales in Paris earlier this month.
“Both agreed on their joint ambition to strengthen the close and historic relationship between the UK and the US. They looked forward to working together on shared priorities, including international security and delivering economic growth and prosperity.
“Turning to global conflicts, the Prime Minister reiterated the need for allies to stand together with Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression and to ensure Ukraine is in the strongest possible position.
“On the Middle East, the Prime Minister underscored the need to work together to ensure peace and security in the region.
“They agreed to keep in touch and looked forward to seeing one another at the earliest opportunity.”
Gaetz trolls Congress as ethics report looms
After his bizarre statement earlier today, Matt Gaetz is back on X trolling his former colleagues in Congress with a new plan.
The former Florida congressman wrote on X:
Someone suggested the following plan to me:
1. Show up 1/3/2025 to congress
2. Participate in Speaker election (I was elected to the 119th Congress, after all…)
3. Take the oath
4. File a privileged motion to expose every “me too” settlement paid using public funds (even of former members)
5. Resign and start my @OANN program at 9pm EST on January 6, 2025.
🤔
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