Biden pardons son Hunter as Trump names more relatives to key posts: Live
The President-elect has also nominated two relatives to key posts
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Your support makes all the difference.Joe Biden has issued a pardon for his son Hunter following his conviction on federal gun charges, despite previously claiming he would not do so.
The president officially announced the decision on Sunday night, saying that his son had been “selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted” by the Justice Department. In a lengthy statement, he said he hoped the American people would understand his decision as a father.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump will likely look to fire the head of the FBI after tipping MAGA loyalist Kash Patel to take over the role.
For Patel to steer the agency, current FBI Director Christopher Wray would need to resign or be fired. Trump appointed him in 2017 and he has three years left in his 10-year term.
“Kash is a brilliant lawyer, investigator, and ‘America First’ fighter who has spent his career exposing corruption, defending Justice, and protecting the American People,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Elsewhere, the President-elect added another person is his family orbit to the list of nominations, announcing that Massad Boulos, whose son Michael is married to Tiffany Trump, will serve as his senior adviser on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs.
Trump chose Kash Patel for FBI after his first choice flunked the interview, says report
Keeping it in the family: Trump appoints Tiffany’s father-in-law as Middle East adviser
Will Donald Trump use Kash Patel to attack his critics and the First Amendment?
Democrat Chris Murphy says ‘no question’ Biden refusal to drop out hurt Harris
Trump official says ‘do not underestimate’ AOC as some insiders push for her to lead Democrats
These local sheriffs are already preparing to help Trump carry out his mass deportation plans
Donald Trump’s plan to immediately carry out the largest deportation operation in U.S. history upon taking office is banking on a key ally: conservative sheriffs.
There are some 6,000 federal immigration agents in the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE), but the incoming administration is counting on sympathetic local law enforcement to be its eyes and ears in communities and jails across the country.
While police chiefs are appointed, sheriffs are often elected and exercise broad powers, including running county jail systems. Many right-leaning sheriffs, whose own partisan politics align with the new administration’s, are eager to join forces.
Josh Marcus reports.
Local sheriffs are preparing to help Trump carry out his mass deportation plans
Local sheriffs could help ICE find and detain migrants, raising alarms from civil rights advocates
Putin full of praise for ‘intelligent and experienced’ Trump
Russian President Vladimir Putin has heaped praised on Donald Trump and suggested the incoming administration will “find a solution” to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“As far as I can imagine, the newly elected president is an intelligent and already quite experienced person. I think he will find a solution,” Putin said on Thursday.
Putin also commended the president-elect as a “real man” after an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in July.
Alex Woodward reports on Thursday’s remarks.
Putin full of praise for ‘intelligent and experienced’ Trump after election victory
Trump has repeatedly promised to end Russia’s war in Ukraine within 24 hours
Trump unveils new strategy to stop Americans taking fentanyl
Donald Trump has unveiled a new strategy for dealing with the fentanyl crisis.
“I will be working on a large-scale United States Advertising Campaign explaining how bad fentanyl is for people to use —Millions of lives being so needlessly destroyed,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday. “By the time the campaign is over, everyone will know how really bad the horror of this drug is.”
Trump did not provide further details about what the campaign would look like.
Michelle Del Rey reports.
Trump unveils new strategy to stop Americans taking fentanyl – an ad campaign
Synthetic opioids, including fentanyl, are the primary driver of overdose deaths in the US
ICYMI: Laura Loomer goes on hours-long tirade against Mark Zuckerberg
Far-right personality and Donald Trump enthusiast Laura Loomer spent hours on X ranting about Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg‘s visit to Mar-a-Lago.
Loomer posted at least 16 times on the social media platform in which she directly mentioned Zuckerberg, complaining that the Facebook founder allegedly “censored” the assassination attempt on Trump, according to the Daily Beast.
Graig Graziosi has the story.
Laura Loomer goes on hours-long tirade against Mark Zuckerberg’s Mar-a-Lago visit
Loomer claims Zuckerberg’s censoring of ivermectin information killed people during Covid and complained that he ‘stole’ her family photos
Trump’s tariffs in his first term did little to alter the economy. This time things could be very different
Donald Trump loved to use tariffs on foreign goods during his first presidency. But their impact was barely noticeable in the overall economy, even if their aftershocks were clear in specific industries.
The data show they never fully delivered on his promised factory jobs. Nor did they provoke the avalanche of inflation that critics feared.
This time, though, his tariff threats might be different.
Trump’s tariffs in his first term didn’t alter the economy. Thing could be different
The total tariffs collected in the United States was less than 0.3% of the GDP in 2019, during Trump’s first term
Silicon Valley Democrat urges liberals to stay on X
After Donald Trump won the 2024 election, roughly one million users signed up for social media site Bluesky, many of them in protest of X’s increasing right-wing tone and owner Elon Musk’s alliance with the Republican candidate.
However, according to one prominent progressive, liberals shouldn’t jump ship from X just yet.
Josh Marcus reports from San Francisco.
Silicon Valley Democrat urges liberals to stay on X as they abandon it for Bluesky
Progressive congressman has known Elon Musk for years
Kamala Harris’ slammed for ‘self-congratulatory’ review of election defeat
Democratic officials and voters have accused Kamala Harris and her top team of failing to realistically assess why her campaign collapsed.
One Democratic National Committee adviser who participated in a recent call with top donors said she was “stunned that there was no sort of postmortem or analysis of the disastrous campaign.”
Alex Woodward reports.
Democrats slam Kamala Harris’ ‘self-congratulatory’ review of election defeat
The vice president and her top team are accused of a stunning lack of self-relection and failing to listen to voters
Unelected bureaucrat rages about unelected bureaucrats
Failed Republican primary candidate Vivek Ramaswamy stepped on a rake when he told Americans they should be afraid of unelected bureaucrats, after which a smattering of responders pointed out that he is, in fact, an unelected bureaucrat.
Graig Graziosi reports.
Vivek Ramaswamy rages against ‘unelected’ bureaucrats despite being one himself
Ramaswamy and Elon Musk have been tapped by Trump to run DOGE
Joe Rogan claims Democrats drove him away
Joe Rogan claimed that Democrats are scrambling to create a liberal version of his hit podcast show following Donald Trump’s 2024 election win.
Kamala Harris was invited to appear on The Joe Rogan Experience, but her campaign was unable to agree on certain terms, such as location and length, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Harris campaign aides recently told podcast Pod Save America that she couldn’t take the time away from battleground states. Rogan did sit down for lengthy conversations with vice president-elect JD Vance, Elon Musk as well as Trump , and also endorsed the Republican on election day.
Despite this, Rogan claimed that we was on the Democrats side at one point, according to Huffington Post.
Graig Graziosi reports.
Joe Rogan claims he was ‘on Democrats side’ before they drove him away
Rogan endorsed Donald Trump on Election Day
‘Nauseating’ last-ditch attempt by Trump to toss fraud case mentions Washington and Lincoln
After successfully delaying Donald Trump’s chances of facing criminal consequences before he returns to the White House, his legal team is making another last-ditch effort to block a massive civil fraud judgment against him.
Trump has appealed that judgment, but his attorney D. John Sauer — the man Trump has nominated for the next solicitor general of the United States — is urging the state of New York to drop the case entirely as “necessary for the health of our Republic.”
Alex Woodward has the story.
Trump makes ‘nauseating’ last-ditch attempt to toss his New York fraud case
Trump’s future solicitor general calls for ‘unity’ as he pleads with Letitia James to throw out a $350 million ruling
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