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Trump attacks Biden and Newsom over LA fires as embassy denies increased military presence in Greenland: Live

President-elect lashes out at predecessor and California governor over natural disaster engulfing Hollywood as his expansionist ambitions met with ridicule

Oliver O'Connell,Joe Sommerlad,Katie Hawkinson
Thursday 09 January 2025 12:06 GMT
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Donald Trump says he won’t ‘commit’ to ruling out using military force to reclaim the Panama Canal

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Donald Trump has lashed out at President Joe Biden and California Governor Gavin Newsom over the wildfires currently rampaging through Los Angeles, which have already killed five people, destroyed more than 1,000 structures and forced 150,000 residents to evacuate.

“One of the best and most beautiful parts of the United States of America is burning down to the ground,” the president-elect fumed on Truth Social.

“It’s ashes, and Gavin Newscum should resign. This is all his fault!!!”

In an earlier post on his social media platform, Trump wrote: “The fires in Los Angeles may go down, in dollar amount, as the worst in the History of our Country.

“In many circles, they’re doubting whether insurance companies will even have enough money to pay for this catastrophe.”

Meanwhile, the incoming commander-in-chief’s dreams of using military force to annex Greenland have been denied by the US embassy in Copenhagen and met with ridicule by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has also mocked his plan to rename the Gulf of Mexico.

Trump will be in Washington DC on Thursday for the state funeral of former president Jimmy Carter.

Trump transition considering high-profile immigration raid in first days of presidency, report says

NBC News reports:

The incoming Trump administration is considering conducting a high-profile raid targeting undocumented immigrants in its initial days, according to three people familiar with the discussions. The raid could target immigrants allegedly living in the U.S. illegally at a workplace in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, the people said.

In meetings between the Trump transition team and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, the Trump team has repeatedly asked about resources and logistics immediately available to carry out workplace raids, the three people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they’re not authorized to speak to the media about transition discussions, said.

Oliver O'Connell8 January 2025 21:34

Giuliani asks to attend Friday’s DC contempt of court proceedings remotely

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani is asking for permission to attend Friday's contempt of court proceedings in Washington, D.C. remotely because of health issues, and also because he implies Iran might be trying to assassinate him.

Oliver O'Connell8 January 2025 21:25

Biden announces granddaughter Naomi has given birth to her first child

Joe Biden has revealed that his granddaughter, Naomi Biden, has given birth to her first child.

The President of the United States made the announcement during a press conference in Los Angeles on Wednesday (January 8) while discussing the current wildfires in California.

Amber Raiken reports.

Joe Biden announces granddaughter Naomi has given birth to her first child

Naomi Biden first announced she was pregnant on Election Day in November

Oliver O'Connell8 January 2025 21:21

Man arrested for trying to bring a machete into the US Capitol Visitor Center

A man was arrested Wednesday for trying to bring a machete and knives into the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, police said.

U.S. Capitol police said officers spotted the machete in the man’s bag as it went through the X-ray machine, and found three knives in the bag.

Man arrested for trying to bring a machete into the US Capitol Visitor Center

Police say a man has been arrested for trying to bring a machete and knives into the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center

AP8 January 2025 21:16

Don Jr. was told the ‘whole town’ would show up for his Greenland arrival. It appears they did not

Donald Trump Jr. was promised a large crowd of Greenlanders when he landed at the Nuuk airport Tuesday. Instead, he got, at best, a handful of fans for his unofficial visit.

Ariana Baio reports.

Don Jr. was told the ‘whole town’ would show up for his Greenland arrival

Trump Jr.’s visit occurred weeks after Trump re-ignited the calls for the U.S. to acquire Greenland

Oliver O'Connell8 January 2025 21:10

Watch: GOP lawmaker already calling Gulf of Mexico ‘Gulf of America’ after Trump speech

Republican already calling Gulf of Mexico ‘Gulf of America’ after Trump speech

A Republican representative has already started calling the Gulf of Mexico the "Gulf of America" after President-elect Donald Trump declared he wants to change the name of the ocean basin. “As for the Gulf of Mexico, Gulf of America, again... I don’t think the name of it is as important as how we are going to handle law enforcement in that area,” Austin Scott, who sits on the House Armed Services Committee, said on Wednesday (8 January). Mr Trump said his administration will make the official announcement “at a future date pretty soon.”

Oliver O'Connell8 January 2025 20:55

Was Maria Bartiromo almost a heartbeat from the presidency?

The symbiotic relationship between Fox News and President-elect Donald Trump nearly reached new levels during the most recent presidential campaign, according to a new book by Politico political reporter Alex Isenstadt.

While the president-elect has already appointed or nominated at least a dozen Fox News personalities to his upcoming administration, Isenstadt reports in his forthcoming book Revenge: The Inside Story of Trump’s Return to Power that Trump seriously considered making one his favorite hosts his running mate.

Justin Barangoa reports.

Trump ‘seriously’ considered choosing Maria Bartiromo as his VP, new book claims

Trump was ‘dead serious’ about tapping the MAGA host as his running mate, according to a new book

Oliver O'Connell8 January 2025 20:40

MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski quickly issues legal note after guest calls Trump a ‘rapist’

MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski offered up a legal disclaimer on Wednesday following a Morning Joe interview with Scott Galloway that featured the entrepreneur referring to President-elect Donald Trump as a “rapist.”

Perhaps sensing that her network could face a similar situation as ABC News, which recently settled a defamation suit with the famously litigious incoming president, Brzezinski was quick to issue a clarification, as Justin Barangoa reports.

MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski quickly issues legal note after guest calls Trump a ‘rapist’

The immediate clarification comes weeks after ABC News settlened a defamation case with Trump over George Stephanopulos saying the president-elect was found ‘liable of rape. ‘

Oliver O'Connell8 January 2025 20:25

Trump claims insurers won’t be able to cover damage of LA fires

Donald Trump is claiming that insurance companies may not be able to cover the damage caused by the wildfires burning in the suburbs of Los Angeles.

In his latest Truth Social post, the president-elect said the catastrophe was “emblematic, of the gross incompetence and mismanagement of the Biden/Newscum Duo.”

He added: “January 20th cannot come fast enough!”

Trump has still not expressed any sympathy for those who have lost their homes or for the loved ones of the two people who died.

The fires in Los Angeles may go down, in dollar amount, as the worst in the History of our Country. In many circles, they’re doubting whether insurance companies will even have enough money to pay for this catastrophe. Let this serve, and be emblematic, of the gross incompetence and mismanagement of the Biden/Newscum Duo. January 20th cannot come fast enough!

Oliver O'Connell8 January 2025 20:15

Biden admits ‘who the hell knows’ if he could’ve actually served another four-year term

When his disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump forced him to withdraw from the 2024 election last July, President Joe Biden told Americans he’d decided that the “best way forward” for the country was for him to “pass the torch to a new generation” by standing down and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris.

Now, with fewer than two weeks remaining until he leaves the White House for the final time as president, Biden says he’s not sure if he’d have been able to make it through the second term he had sought for so long.

Andrew Feinberg reports from Washington, D.C.

Biden admits ‘who the hell knows’ if he could’ve served another four-year term

Biden still thinks he could’ve beaten Donald Trump and won a second term had he stayed in the 2024 race

Oliver O'Connell8 January 2025 20:10

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