US President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to scrap Daylight Saving Time (DST) and is reportedly considering scrapping a car crash reporting requirement that Tesla and X CEO Elon Musk strongly opposes.
Calling DST “inconvenient” and “costly” in a post on Truth Social on Friday, Trump said: “The Republican Party will use its best efforts to eliminate DST, which has a small but strong constituency, but shouldn’t!”
Meanwhile, axing the car crash regulation could hamstring the government’s ability to effectively investigate collisions and regulate the safety of vehicles with self-driving systems, such as Musk’s Teslas and Cybertrucks, according to Reuters, which viewed a new document reportedly proposing the removal. It would likely directly benefit Tesla, which has reported the majority of crashes – more than 1,500 – to federal safety regulators under the program.
It comes as a new poll revealed Trump’s ability to appoint well-qualified people to his cabinet or manage government spending effectively does not inspire confidence in more than half of Americans.
Just 44 percent of US adults report feeling “very” or even “moderately” confident that the president-elect will select well-qualified individuals for cabinet or high-level government positions.
The results from the AP-NORC survey come in response to Trump choosing a group of controversial nominees to serve in his incoming administration, including Pete Hegseth, Tulsi Gabbard, and Robert F Kennedy Jr.
Key Points
More than a dozen Democrats to skip Trump inauguration
15:08 , Josh Marcus
More than a dozen Democrats are reportedly planning to skip Donald Trump’s January 20 inauguration.
Lawmakers told Axios their reasons ranged from anger over the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol to feeling unsafe around a mass of Trump supporters.
“For somebody who he said he’s going to lock me up, I don’t see the excitement in going to see his inauguration,” former Jan. 6 committee chair Bennie Thompson of Mississippi said.
Trump made a controversial promise about the Middle East. But it might not be so far-fetched
14:00 , John Bowden
What does the Middle East look like under Trump 2.0?
The president-elect is due to take office in just a few weeks, having frequently attacked Joe Biden — and later Kamala Harris — for supposedly having failed to stop the two bloody conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza from breaking out under their watch. On top of that, he also made two lofty promises while campaigning: that he would end the conflict in Ukraine quickly upon taking office; and that he would bring a “lasting peace” to the Middle East.
The latter promise was made during an interview with a Saudi news channel, Al-Arabiya, in October.
Read more:
Trump made a promise about the Middle East. It might not be so far-fetched
Nevada ‘fake electors’ hit with fresh charges months after case was dismissed
13:00 , Katie Hawkinson
The Nevada attorney general has charged six Republicans with submitting falsified documents to Congress declaring President-elect Donald Trump the winner of the key swing state in 2020.
Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford argues the defendants signed off on false Electoral College votes for Trump in 2020 even though he lost Nevada by more than 30,000 votes. There was no evidence of widespread voter fraud in Nevada during the 2020 election, Republican Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske said at the time.
Read more:
Nevada ‘fake electors’ hit with fresh charges months after case was dismissed
Trump vows to scrap daylight savings time and looks to axe car crash regulation that highlights Tesla
12:02 , Tara Cobham
US President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to scrap Daylight Saving Time (DST) and is reportedly considering scrapping a car crash reporting requirement that Tesla and X CEO Elon Musk stongly opposes.
Calling DST “inconvenient” and “costly” in a post on Truth Social on Friday, Trump said: “The Republican Party will use its best efforts to eliminate DST, which has a small but strong constituency, but shouldn’t!”
Meanwhile, axing the car crash regulation could hamstring the government’s ability to effectively investigate collisions and regulate the safety of vehicles with self-driving systems, such as Musk’s Teslas and Cybertrucks, according to Reuters, which viewed a new document reportedly proposing the removal. It would likely directly benefit Tesla, which has reported the majority of crashes – more than 1,500 – to federal safety regulators under the program.
Inspector general’s Jan. 6 report misrepresented as proof of FBI setup
12:00 , Melissa Goldin
Social media users are misrepresenting a report released Thursday by the Justice Department inspector general’s office, falsely claiming that it’s proof the FBI orchestrated the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.
The watchdog report examined a number of areas, including whether major intelligence failures preceded the riot and whether the FBI in some way provoked the violence. Claims spreading online focus on the report’s finding that 26 FBI informants were in Washington for election-related protests on Jan. 6, including three who had been tasked with traveling to the city to report on others who were potentially planning to attend the events.
Although 17 of those informants either entered the Capitol or a restricted area around the building during the riot, none of the 26 total informants were authorized to do so by the bureau, according to the report. Nor were they authorized to otherwise break the law or encourage others to do so.
Here’s a closer look at the facts.
FACT FOCUS: Inspector general’s Jan. 6 report misrepresented as proof of FBI setup
LA Times billionaire owner killed op-ed that was critical of Trump’s cabinet picks, report says
11:00 , Justin Baragona
Los Angeles Times owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong killed an opinion column that was critical of President-elect Donald Trump’s recent Cabinet picks, telling his paper’s editorial board that it could only publish the piece if it also ran an editorial with an opposing view, according to The New York Times.
The spiked column was set to be published in the outlet’s Sunday newspaper and website on November 24. Soon-Shiong intervened just hours before the op-ed was scheduled to be sent to the printer, prompting the editors to pull the piece as the deadline approached.
Read more:
LA Times owner reportedly killed op-ed that was critical of Trump’s cabinet picks
WATCH: Larry Kudlow awkwardly does the Trump dance
10:00 , Gustaf Kilander
Only 17 percent of Americans approve of Hegseth as defense secretary, poll reveals
09:00 , Gustaf Kilander
Less than 20 percent of American adults approve of President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary, former Army National Guard soldier and Fox & Friends weekend host Pete Hegseth, according to a new poll.
The results of the AP-NORC poll come as Republican senators appear to be warming up to his nomination in the face of allegations of sexual misconduct, excessive drinking, and financial mismanagement.
Only 17 percent in the poll conducted between 5 and 9 December said they strongly or somewhat approve of Hegseth, while 36 percent said they strongly or somewhat disapprove.
Thirty-seven percent said they didn’t know enough to share a view and 11 percent said they neither approved nor disapproved.
The results were the lowest of the four Trump nominees the poll asked about.
First Zuckerberg, now Bezos: Amazon to donate $1m to Trump’s inaugural fund
08:00 , Joe Sommerlad
Amazon’s executive chair Jeff Bezos is reportedly set to donate $1m to Donald Trump’s inaugural fund – following in the footsteps of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who did the same earlier this week.
Bezos’s gesture was first reported by The Wall Street Journal and dwarfs the $57,746 the company donated to Trump’s first inauguration in 2017.
Amazon will also make a second in-kind donation worth $1m by streaming the inauguration on its Prime Video platform, a source told the paper.
Read more:
First Zuckerberg, now Bezos: Amazon to donate $1m to Trump’s inaugural fund
Trump border czar threatens mayors with prosecution if they don’t cooperate with mass deportations
07:00 , Gustaf Kilander
Fox News host sends Trump inauguration challenge to Taylor Swift for ‘moment of unity’
06:00 , Greg Evans
Fox News host Laura Ingraham has made a plea for Taylor Swift to play at Donald Trump’s inauguration in January for a “great moment of unity”.
Swift was one of the biggest celebrities to lend her support to Kamala Harris for this year’s presidential election, driving more than 300,000 people to sign up to vote.
In the wake of Swift’s endorsement, Trump declared that he “hated” the “Cruel Summer” singer and shared fake AI images of the star appearing to support him.
Read more:
Fox News host sends Trump inauguration challenge to Taylor Swift
Don Trump Jr didn’t like Kimberly Guilfoyle’s fashion sense and thought new beau would be more of a win with dad
05:00 , Kelly Rissman
Donald Trump Jr is dating a new woman who he thinks will “impress” his father, but has not publicly announced a split from Kimberly Guilfoyle, whose style he has criticized, according to a report.
Photos captured Trump Jr., 46 holding hands with socialite Bettina Anderson, 38, as they went for an evening stroll through Palm Beach, Florida this week.
While neither president-elect Donald Trump’s eldest son nor Guilfoyle, 55, have spoken publicly about their relationship status, insiders told People that after months of criticizing Guilfoyle’s style, he thinks he’s found someone who fits into the Trump family — someone comparable to his father’s wife, Melania. Trump met Melania at a party in 1998, when he was on a date with another woman, the former first lady said in a 2016 interview with Harper’s Bazaar.
Read more:
Don Trump Jr didn’t like Guilfoyle’s style and thought new beau would impress his dad
Americans don’t have high confidence in Trump’s cabinet choices or managing gov spending, new poll finds
04:00 , Ariana Baio
More than half of Americans are not confident in Donald Trump’s abilities to appoint well-qualified people to his cabinet or manage government spending effectively, despite recently electing him to lead the United States, according to a new poll.
Just 44 percent of U.S. adults reported feeling “very” or even “moderately” confident that Trump will appoint well-qualified individuals for cabinet or high-level government positions.
The new results from the Associated Press and NORC arrive as the president-elect has selected a group of controversial individuals to serve in his cabinet and other high-level positions including former Fox News host Pete Hegseth, former congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and more.
Read more:
Americans don’t have high confidence in Trump’s cabinet choices new poll finds
‘This country is ready for a big debate about vaccines,’ senator-elect says
03:00 , Gustaf Kilander
Trump ‘frustrated’ by Boeing delays that mean he likely won’t get to fly on new Air Force One
02:00 , Rhian Lubin
President-elect Donald Trump is reported to be frustrated by delays to the new Air Force One, which means he likely won’t be able to fly on a new jet during his second term.
Boeing has reportedly told the Air Force that the new planes won’t be ready until after Trump leaves the White House, the Wall Street Journal reports.
It was previously reported that the two new planes were due to be delivered in 2026 and 2027. But the jets won’t be ready until 2029 or possibly even later, according to the Journal, which quoted sources familiar with the plans.
Read more:
Trump ‘frustrated’ he may not fly on new Air Force One due to delays
Canadian official issues warning country may cut off energy to U.S.
01:00 , Gustaf Kilander
New Jersey governor wants more federal resources for probe into drone sightings
00:15 , Bruce Shipkowski
Gov. Phil Murphy has asked the Biden administration to put more resources into an investigation of mysterious drone sightings that have been reported in New Jersey and nearby states.
Murphy, a Democrat, made the request in a letter Thursday, noting that state and local law enforcement remain “hamstrung” by existing laws and policies in their efforts to successfully counteract any nefarious activity of unmanned aircraft. He posted a copy of the letter on the social media platform X.
Read more:
New Jersey governor wants more federal resources for probe into drone sightings
Nevada ‘fake electors’ hit with fresh charges months after case was dismissed
Friday 13 December 2024 23:30 , Katie Hawkinson
The Nevada attorney general has charged six Republicans with submitting falsified documents to Congress declaring President-elect Donald Trump the winner of the key swing state in 2020.
Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford argues the defendants signed off on false Electoral College votes for Trump in 2020 even though he lost Nevada by more than 30,000 votes. There was no evidence of widespread voter fraud in Nevada during the 2020 election, Republican Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske said at the time.
Ford filed the charges of “uttering a forged instrument” for a second time in Carson City this week after a judge dismissed an initial indictment in Clark County earlier this year, ruling the prosecutor filed it in the wrong venue, the Associated Press reports.
Read more:
Nevada ‘fake electors’ hit with fresh charges months after case was dismissed
Why Bezos and Zuckerberg are suddenly getting so friendly with Trump
Friday 13 December 2024 22:45 , Andrew Feinberg
With just five weeks to go until President-elect Donald Trump and his allies take full control of America’s executive branch, many of his former antagonists are suddenly attempting to curry favor. How best to do so? By funding the massive inaugural celebration that will mark his return to office, of course.
On Thursday, CNN reported that Amazon, the world’s largest retailer, would be gifting $1 million in cash to the Trump inaugural committee, in addition to an equal in-kind contribution it would make by broadcasting the January 20 festivities on the company’s eponymous streaming video platform.
The donations are just the latest in what has become a concerted effort by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos to lessen tensions.
Read more:
Why Bezos and Zuckerberg are suddenly getting so friendly with Trump
There was a poison pill for trans Americans in the defense bill. It’ll happen again
Friday 13 December 2024 22:00 , Eric Garcia
During their 2024 election campaigning and in the weeks afterward, Republicans focused heavily on anti-transgender messaging. President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign ran an ad criticizing Kamala Harris for allowing undocumented immigrants access to transgender healthcare in prison, with the tagline “Kamala is for they/them, President Trump is for you.”
Shortly after the election, Representative Nancy Mace of South Carolina introduced legislation to ban transgender women from using women’s restrooms on Capitol Hill. It’s hard to not see that legislation as targeted, considering Sarah McBride had only just become the first openly transgender woman elected to Congress.
Read more:
Why there was a poison pill for trans Americans in the defense bill
Judge rejects an attempt by Trump campaign lawyer to invalidate guilty plea in Georgia election case
Friday 13 December 2024 21:30 , Kate Brumback
The judge overseeing the Georgia election interference case against Donald Trump and others on Friday rejected an attempt by former Trump campaign lawyer Kenneth Chesebro to invalidate his guilty plea.
Chesebro, Trump and 17 others were charged in August 2023 in a sprawling indictment that accused them of participating in a sweeping scheme to try to illegally overturn Trump’s loss in the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. Chesebro pleaded guilty to a single conspiracy count a few months later after reaching a deal with prosecutors just before he was to go to trial.
Read more:
Judge rejects an attempt by Trump campaign lawyer to invalidate guilty plea in Georgia election case
Only 17 percent of Americans approve of Hegseth as defense secretary, poll reveals
Friday 13 December 2024 21:10 , Gustaf Kilander
Less than 20 percent of American adults approve of President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary, former Army National Guard soldier and Fox & Friends weekend host Pete Hegseth, according to a new poll.
The results of the AP-NORC poll come as Republican senators appear to be warming up to his nomination in the face of allegations of sexual misconduct, excessive drinking, and financial mismanagement.
Only 17 percent in the poll conducted between 5 and 9 December said they strongly or somewhat approve of Hegseth, while 36 percent said they strongly or somewhat disapprove.
Thirty-seven percent said they didn’t know enough to share a view and 11 percent said they neither approved nor disapproved.
The results were the lowest of the four Trump nominees the poll asked about.
China signals it’s prepared to double down on support for the economy as Trump tariffs loom
Friday 13 December 2024 21:00 , Elaine Kurtenbach
Chinese leaders met this week to plot economic policy for the coming year, sketching out plans to raise government spending and relax Beijing’s monetary policy to encourage more investment and consumer spending.
Leaders of the ruling Communist Party wrapped up their two-day Central Economic Work Conference on Thursday with praise for President Xi Jinping’s guidance and a pledge to “enrich and refine the policy toolbox” and defuse risks facing the world’s second-largest economy. One of the biggest: threats by President-elect Donald Trump to sharply raise tariffs on imports from China once he takes office.
Here’s a look at the priorities outlined in this week’s meetings in Beijing and their potential implications.
China signals it’s prepared to double down on support for the economy as Trump tariffs loom
Veteran Daniel Penny, acquitted in NYC subway chokehold, will join Trump’s suite at football game
Friday 13 December 2024 20:30 , Adriana Gomez Licon
Daniel Penny, a military veteran who choked an agitated New York subway rider and was acquitted of homicide this week, has been invited by Vice President-elect JD Vance to join Donald Trump‘s suite at the Army-Navy football game on Saturday.
The Marine veteran was cleared of criminally negligent homicide in Jordan Neely ’s 2023 death. A more serious manslaughter charge was dismissed last week.
Vance said Penny, 26, accepted his invitation.
Read more:
Veteran Daniel Penny, acquitted in NYC subway chokehold, will join Trump’s suite at football game
Nancy Pelosi is now trying to tank AOC’s committee ambitions after helping orchestrate Biden’s fall, report says
Friday 13 December 2024 20:00 , Gustaf Kilander
After helping to push President Joe Biden out of the 2024 presidential race, House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi is now reportedly trying to tank Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s bid to become the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee.
Top Democrats say that while the 35-year-old is seen as the favorite in the race to take on the role, Rep. Gerry Connolly, 74, still has a chance.
A number of ranking members on various panels who are in their seventies are facing challenges from younger colleagues.
Read more:
Nancy Pelosi trying to tank AOC’s committee ambitions, report says
Rupert Murdoch: The king came for his children and missed
Friday 13 December 2024 19:30 , Justin Baragona
What happens when you preemptively try to stop a coup, only to discover that you’ve incited one?
That is the very real scenario that Rupert Murdoch finds himself in, after a Nevada court ruled that he couldn’t change the family trust and give control to his son Lachlan.
In trying to solidify his eldest son’s position as head of his powerful media empire to preserve Fox News’ right-wing slant, the 93-year-old Rupert seems to have drawn his other three eldest children – James, Elisabeth and Prudence – closer together.
Read more:
Rupert Murdoch: The king came for his children and missed
Trump made a controversial promise about the Middle East. But it might not be so far-fetched
Friday 13 December 2024 19:00 , John Bowden
What does the Middle East look like under Trump 2.0?
The president-elect is due to take office in just a few weeks, having frequently attacked Joe Biden — and later Kamala Harris — for supposedly having failed to stop the two bloody conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza from breaking out under their watch. On top of that, he also made two lofty promises while campaigning: that he would end the conflict in Ukraine quickly upon taking office; and that he would bring a “lasting peace” to the Middle East.
The latter promise was made during an interview with a Saudi news channel, Al-Arabiya, in October.
Read more:
Trump made a promise about the Middle East. It might not be so far-fetched
Pete Hegseth complained about ‘Marxist’ agenda of letting out gay troops serve in the military
Friday 13 December 2024 18:30 , Gustaf Kilander
President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, previously argued that out gay people serving in the military is part of a larger “Marxist” agenda.
Hegseth made the argument that the policy is putting social justice over combat readiness in his book The War on Warriors which was published this year.
He also slammed the previous policy — Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell — which allowed gay people in the armed services as long as they didn’t reveal their sexual orientation. The nominee also criticized the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.
Read more:
Pete Hegseth slammed ‘Marxist’ agenda of letting out gay troops serve in the military
Fox News host sends Trump inauguration challenge to Taylor Swift for ‘moment of unity’
Friday 13 December 2024 18:00 , Joe Sommerlad
This is highly optimistic from Laura Ingraham.
Greg Evans has the story.
Fox News host sends Trump inauguration challenge to Taylor Swift
Don Trump Jr ‘didn’t like Kimberly Guilfoyle’s fashion sense’ and thought new beau would be more of a win with dad
Friday 13 December 2024 17:40 , Joe Sommerlad
The president-elect’s eldest son appears to have ditched his fiancee for Florida socialite Bettina Anderson, if the rumors are to be believed, and People magazine now says Guilfoyle’s fashion sense is to blame.
Don Jr has reportedly been “telling people for months that Kim is so uptight and always dresses so professionally in these kinds of dresses and high heels, and never looks relaxed or casual,” according to an insider.
Here’s Kelly Rissman with the latest gossip from Palm Beach.
Don Trump Jr didn’t like Guilfoyle’s style and thought new beau would impress his dad
LA Times billionaire owner killed op-ed that was critical of Trump’s cabinet picks, report says
Friday 13 December 2024 17:20 , Joe Sommerlad
Dr Patrick Soon-Shiong, owner of The Los Angeles Times, killed off an opinion column that was critical of the president-elect’s recent cabinet picks, telling his newspaper’s editorial board that it could only publish the piece if it also ran an editorial with an opposing view, according to The New York Times.
The spiked column was set to be published in the outlet’s Sunday newspaper and website on November 24.
Soon-Shiong intervened just hours before the op-ed was scheduled to be sent to the printer, prompting the editors to pull the piece as the deadline approached.
According to The NYT, the column was headlined: “Donald Trump’s cabinet choices are not normal. The Senate’s confirmation process should be.”
The editorial board decided that after the incoming president had announced a slew of controversial picks, many of which the board members were concerned about, it would have one of its writers pen a piece calling on the Senate to take its job of confirming nominees seriously.
Justin Baragona has more.
LA Times owner reportedly killed op-ed that was critical of Trump’s cabinet picks
Trump ‘frustrated’ by Boeing delays that mean he likely won’t get to fly on new Air Force One
Friday 13 December 2024 17:00 , Joe Sommerlad
The president-elect is reported to be annoyed by delays to the new Air Force One, which means he likely won’t be able to fly on a new jet during his second term.
Boeing has reportedly said told the US Air Force that the new planes won’t be ready until after Trump leaves the White House, The Wall Street Journal reports.
It was previously reported that the two new planes were due to be delivered in 2026 and 2027.
But the jets won’t be ready until 2029 or possibly even later, according to the Journal.
Rhian Lubin reports.
Trump ‘frustrated’ he may not fly on new Air Force One due to delays
Ex-House speaker Nancy Pelosi hospitalized on trip to Luxembourg
Friday 13 December 2024 16:45 , Joe Sommerlad
The former speaker of the House of Representatives suffered an injury on a trip to Luxembourg and has been admitted to a hospital for evaluation, her office said in a statement on Friday.
Pelosi, 84, is the first woman to serve as speaker of the House and had also been a longtime leader of the House Democratic Caucus.
The veteran San Francisco congresswoman stepped down from her role as speaker in 2023 but has continued to serve in the House.
She was re-elected in November to another two-year term beginning on January 3.
Pelosi played a key role in passing President Joe Biden’s sweeping $1 trillion infrastructure bill in 2022 and famously feuded with Republican Donald Trump during his first four years in office, culminating with the moment when she tore up his State of the Union speech on national television in 2020.
Americans don’t have high confidence in Trump’s cabinet choices or managing government spending, new poll finds
Friday 13 December 2024 16:30 , Joe Sommerlad
More than half of Americans are not confident in Trump’s abilities to appoint well-qualified people to his cabinet or manage government spending effectively, despite recently electing him to lead the United States, according to a new poll.
Just 44 percent of US adults reported feeling “very” or even “moderately” confident that Trump will appoint well-qualified individuals for cabinet or high-level government positions.
The new results from the Associated Press and NORC arrive as the president-elect has selected a group of controversial individuals to serve in his cabinet and other high-level positions including former Fox News host Pete Hegseth, ex-congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard and erstwhile presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr, among others.
Those three nominations are particularly expected to face an uphill battle during Senate confirmations.
And the American electorate aren’t fans either.
Hegseth, Gabbard and Kennedy all face low approval ratings from those surveyed.
Ariana Baio has more on the survey’s findings.
Americans don’t have high confidence in Trump’s cabinet choices new poll finds
Trump border czar threatens to jail Chicago mayor
Friday 13 December 2024 16:15 , Joe Sommerlad
What a charming Christmas setting for this brutal threat against an elected official.
Democrats warn Trump dragging America back to the bad old days
Friday 13 December 2024 15:55 , Joe Sommerlad
Hillary Clinton says the president-elect’s interest in abolishing financial regulators will bring back bank runs of the sort seen in Frank Capra’s film It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) while Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren says RFK Jr’s confirmation as health secretary would mean saying “hello to polio”.
Say goodbye to your smile and say hello to polio – that’s what’s on the horizon if Robert F. Kennedy Jr. becomes the Secretary of Health and Human Services. pic.twitter.com/Zdf0l1oJS0
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) December 13, 2024
Trump himself is certainly nostalgic for an older America, relishing comparisons between himself and Al Capone and threatening a new Wall Street Crash whenever things aren’t going his way.
Maybe we’ll at least get a Charleston revival out of all of this.
JD Vance taking Daniel Penny to Army-Navy game tomorrow
Friday 13 December 2024 15:35 , Joe Sommerlad
The Vice President-elect will be accompanied by the Marine Corps veteran acquitted earlier this week over the chokehold death of homeless man Jordan Neely on the New York City subway in May 2023.
Penny’s case became something of a conservative cause celebre last year and his invitation to join Trump and Vance in their suite for the traditonal college football encounter in Maryland might well be interpreted as a provocation by liberals.
Daniel’s a good guy, and New York’s mob district attorney tried to ruin his life for having a backbone.
I’m grateful he accepted my invitation and hope he’s able to have fun and appreciate how much his fellow citizens admire his courage. https://t.co/b4bY0G0EM3
— JD Vance (@JDVance) December 13, 2024
Xi Jinping reportedly snubs Trump’s inauguration invite
Friday 13 December 2024 15:15 , Joe Sommerlad
China’s president has snubbed the president-elect’s invitate to his inauguration, according to reports.
Xi was invited to Trump’s second inauguration on January 20 but sources confirmed the leader would not be attending, CNN reports.
The offer was an unorthodox move from Trump, who said he had been “thinking about inviting certain people to the inauguration” during his appearance at the New York Stock Exchange yesterday.
“And some people said, ‘Wow, that’s a little risky, isn’t it?’” the Republican said.
“And I said, ‘Maybe it is. We’ll see. We’ll see what happens.’ But we like to take little chances.”
Here’s more from Rhian Lubin.
Chinese President Xi Jinping reportedly snubs Trump’s inauguration invite
Matt Gaetz may take second job after failed AG bid
Friday 13 December 2024 14:55 , Joe Sommerlad
Having dropped out of the running for attorney general and taken a job with the right-wing cable channel One America News, the controverisal Republican has reportedly been talking with John Morgan, the founder of law firm Morgan & Morgan about a potential second new job.
Matt has some big ideas that he believes he could work in collaboration with our firm,” Morgan told The Daily Business Review on Thursday.
He added that Gaetz’s connections in Washington could be helpful for cases involving the “insurance industry, pharmaceutical companies and the processed food and sugar crowd”.
Ariana Baio has the details.
Matt Gaetz reportedly may take on a second job after failed AG bid
Analysis: Washington begins to make way for Trumpworld
Friday 13 December 2024 14:35 , Joe Sommerlad
If Joe Biden is going to do anything to define the last weeks of his presidency and to cement his overall legacy, it will now have to take place through Executive Branch action as the capital locks into preparing the ground for his successor, writes John Bowden.
Washington has begun to make way for Trumpworld
Jack Schlossberg accuses cousin, RFK Jr, of being a ‘Russian spy’
Friday 13 December 2024 14:15 , Joe Sommerlad
The grandson of John F Kennedy has claimed his cousin, Robert F Kennedy Jr, who recently became intertwined with Trump, is a “Russian spy”.
Schlossberg, a 31-year-old Democrat, has for months mocked Kennedy, a 70-year-old Democrat-turned-independent, for his political involvement with Trump and insinuated he has ties to Moscow.
But on Wednesday, Schlossberg claimed Kennedy is “so obviously a Russian spy” in response to an Axios article that alleged Kennedy wants his daughter-in-law to be part of the CIA to uncover the truth behind JFK’s assassination.
“You all think I’m joking,” Schlossberg wrote in his post before adding four “ha”s.
Here’s more from Ariana Baio.
JFK’s grandson Jack Schlossberg accuses cousin, RFK Jr, of being a ‘Russian spy’
Who is Don Jr’s rumored new girlfriend Bettina Anderson?
Friday 13 December 2024 13:55 , Joe Sommerlad
Donald Trump Jr, the eldest son of the president-elect, has been spotted holding hands with Palm Beach socialite Bettina Anderson, though he has not publicly called off his engagement to former political commentator and future US ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle.
Trump Jr, 46, attended Anderson’s 38th birthday party in Palm Beach, Florida, earlier this week and photos published by The Daily Mail captured them in an unguarded moment.
Here’s Ariana Baio with everything we know about Anderson amid the rumors.
Who is Don Jr’s rumored new girlfriend Bettina Anderson?
Trump discusses Melania’s plans for his next term
Friday 13 December 2024 13:35 , Joe Sommerlad
While she appeared with her husband as he rang the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange yesterday, the former first lady was notably absent from the campaign trail this year, so much so that at one point missing persons posters and banners asking “Where’s Melania?” cropped up.
Her absence has sparked speculation over whether she wants to return to the White House this time around.
The president-elect addressed that question on Thursday.
Kelly Rissman has this on what he had to say.
Trump provides update on Melania’s plans during his next term in Time interview
Trump’s team has reportedly asked about closing a bank regulator
Friday 13 December 2024 13:15 , Joe Sommerlad
Donald Trump’s transition team has reportedly looked at ways to shrink or eliminate banking oversight – a move that could have dramatic impacts on everyday Americans and protecting their money.
In interviews with candidates to oversee the banking sector, Trump’s advisers and officials from his new advisory Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have asked if the president-elect can abolish the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp (FDIC), according to The Wall Street Journal.
Trump’s team has also asked if the FDIC could be absorbed into the Treasury Department.
Any move to eliminate the the body would require congressional approval.
But, if it were to happen, it would be a massive shake-up in the industry.
Here’s more from Alex Lang.
Trump’s team has reportedly asked about closing a bank regulator
‘No evidence’ undercover FBI agents joined Jan 6, watchdog finds
Friday 13 December 2024 12:55 , Joe Sommerlad
None of the thousands of people who joined protests in Washington, DC, and stormed the halls of Congress on January 6 2021 were undercover FBI agents, according to the results of a lengthy probe from a Department of Justice watchdog.
The findings deal a blow to persistent right-wing conspiracy theories that federal law enforcement agents provoked a riot or a “false flag” attack to entrap Trump’s supporters to break into the Capitol.
But the report’s discovery that roughly two dozen confidential sources were on the ground at the time is likely to continue fueling a false narrative that federal agents had something to do with instigating the assault.
Here’s a full report from Alex Woodward.
‘No evidence’ undercover FBI agents joined Capitol riots, watchdog finds
Democratic senator warns Trump ‘compromised’ in Middle East
Friday 13 December 2024 12:35 , Joe Sommerlad
Connecticut’s Chris Murphy issued this warning on MSNBC after Tiffany Trump’s father-in-law, Massad Boulos, was named the president-elect’s pick as senior adviser on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs and in the same week Eric Trump unveiled a coming Trump Tower project in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Chris Murphy: “There’s no doubt that this administration’s policy toward the Middle East is going to be compromised by the fact that they’re making money off the very people they’re sitting across the table from and supposedly having a conversation about the interests of the US” pic.twitter.com/n6MIM2CmN0
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 13, 2024
Here’s Josh Marcus on Boulos’s apparently overstated CV.
Trump’s Middle East adviser is ‘small-time truck salesman,’ not a billionaire: Report
Adam Kinzinger says Trump is threatening Jan 6 committee members because they ‘embarrassed’ him
Friday 13 December 2024 12:15 , Joe Sommerlad
Speaking to Kaitlan Collins on CNN’s The Source last night, the former Republican congressman said the president-elect has started threatening the likes of Liz Cheney and himself because he is “embarrassed” by their House panel’s findings about the events surrounding the Capitol riot.
“We were investigating, as per the request from Congress to do that, we obviously came up with answers that embarrassed Trump. He was embarrassed by it,” Kinzinger said.
“You know, sorry to embarrass you, Donald, but that’s, that’s, that’s what we’re tasked with, was the truth, and history books will record this as the truth. You want to threaten to throw us in jail for that?”
He also insisted he was not remotely frightened by Trump’s threats.
“The person that intimidates me the least of anybody in this country is Donald Trump.” Adam Kinzinger blows off Trump’s threats to imprison Jan 6 Committee members. (Video: CNN) pic.twitter.com/kucYqp3uyW
— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) December 13, 2024
The same man, clearly enjoying his MAGA notoriety, has meanwhile been taunting Elon Musk’s DOGE accomplice Vivek Ramaswamy on Musk’s own platform.
Trump to meet with Pete Hegseth at Army-Navy game on Saturday
Friday 13 December 2024 11:55 , Joe Sommerlad
The president-elect is due to attend the traditional college football throwdown in Landover, Maryland, tomorrow and will sit down at the game with his embattled nominee for defense secretary Pete Hegseth, according to one of the latter’s advisers quoted by The Washington Post.
Hegseth has spent the week courting dubious Republican senators, unnerved about the string of unsavoury allegations that have been raised against him, all of which the former Fox News weekend man and military man has denied and downplayed.
FAA boss who clashed with Elon Musk over SpaceX will resign before Trump takes office
Friday 13 December 2024 11:35 , Joe Sommerlad
Mike Whitaker, the head of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), who has led a tougher enforcement policy against Boeing since a panel blew off a company jet in January, said on Thursday that he will step down next month, clearing the way for Trump name his choice to lead the agency.
Whitaker announced his pending resignation in a message to employees of the FAA, which regulates airlines and aircraft manufacturers and manages the nation’s airspace.
He has dealt with challenges including a surge in close calls between planes, a shortage of air traffic controllers and antiquated equipment at a time when air travel and a need for tougher oversight of Boeing.
Whitaker also clashed with Trump ally Elon Musk by proposing that his company SpaceX be fined over safey issues.
FAA boss who clashed with Elon Musk over SpaceX will resign before Trump takes office
First Zuckerberg, now Bezos: Amazon to donate $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund
Friday 13 December 2024 11:15 , Joe Sommerlad
Amazon’s executive chairman Jeff Bezos is reportedly set to donate $1m to Trump’s inaugural fund, following in the footsteps of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who did the same earlier this week,
Bezos’s gesture was first reported by The Wall Street Journal and dwarfs the $57,746 the company donated to Trump’s first inauguration in 2017.
The online retail giant’s founder is meanwhile set to meet the president-elect at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, next week, according to Trump himself, who revealed the sitdown in an interview with CNBC, given after he rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai is also reportedly set to follow Bezos to the Sunshine State while Zuckerberg himself already visited Trump at home last month, reportedly giving him a personal demonstration of Meta’s new Ray-Ban smart glasses, gifting him a pair and also meeting with the president-elect’s pick for secretary of state, Marco Rubio, plus advisers Stephen Miller, Vince Haley and James Blair.
First Zuckerberg, now Bezos: Amazon to donate $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund
Even liberals like popular Barron Trump at New York University
Friday 13 December 2024 10:55 , Joe Sommerlad
Barron Trump has been described as a “ladies’ man” around the New York University (NYU) campus, where he is so popular that even his liberal classmates like him.
An insider at NYU’s Stern School of Business, where Barron enrolled this fall, told People magazine that Donald Trump’s only son with third wife Melania Trump has proven to be “popular with the ladies.”
“He’s tall and handsome,” the source said of the 18-year-old, who stands an astonishing six feet nine inches tall.
“A lot of people seem to think he’s pretty attractive – yes, even liberal people like him.”
People’s article about Barron is so complimentary it has prompted some speculation about the source of the quotes, given that his father was known to enjoy calling in gossip to the tabloids during his Big Apple real estate days under the false name “John Barron.”
Even liberals like popular Barron Trump at New York University
Trump calls North Korean troops in Russia a ‘complicating factor’ and boasts of relationship with Kim Jong-un
Friday 13 December 2024 10:35 , Joe Sommerlad
Here’s more from the president-elect’s Time interview, in which he also addressed the presence of North Korean troops on Russia’s frontline with Ukraine but stopped short of denouncing Pyongyang, preferring instead to tout his friendship with the country’s “Rocket Man” dictator.
Shweta Sharma has this report.
Trump calls North Korean troops in Russia a ‘complicating factor’
Trump backs dockworkers’ union over strike threat to protect jobs from automation
Friday 13 December 2024 10:15 , Joe Sommerlad
The president-elect was on Truth Social last night speaking up for the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) after meeting with its bosses Harold and Dennis Daggett.
“There has been a lot of discussion having to do with ‘automation’ on United States docks,” Trump wrote.
“I’ve studied automation, and know just about everything there is to know about it. The amount of money saved is nowhere near the distress, hurt, and harm it causes for American Workers, in this case, our Longshoremen.”
Just finished a meeting with the International Longshoremen’s Association and its President, Harold Daggett, and Executive VP, Dennis Daggett. There has been a lot of discussion having to do with “automation” on United States docks. I’ve studied automation, and know just about…
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) December 13, 2024
The ILA, which represents more than 40,000 dockworkers, went on strike for three days in October over the prospect of robots replacing its members’ jobs.
The Biden administration helped reach a deal to avert that action, which reportedly cost the US economy $1bn a day, put further unrest could rear its head in the New Year.
Watch: Emmanuel Macron and Donald Tusk mock Trump’s macho handshake
Friday 13 December 2024 09:55 , Joe Sommerlad
Here’s the French President and the Prime Minister of Poland teasing the US president-elect yesterday before he has even taken office.
Ariana Baio has this on Macron and Trump’s original grapple during his Notre Dame Cathedral visit over the weekend.
‘The handshake battles continue’: Social media mocks Trump-Macron meeting
Donald Trump tells Time he will do ‘whatever it takes’ to address illegal immigration and says he will abolish Department of Education
Friday 13 December 2024 09:36 , Joe Sommerlad
Good morning!
Donald Trump has said he is prepared to do “whatever it takes” to drive illegal immigrants from the United States, including building more detention centres, and also vowed to shut down the Department of Education and leave teaching administration up to individual states.
Trump further moved to downplay fears over Elon Musk and Robert F Kennedy Jr’s likely influence over his administration and to manage expectations on inflation, warning he may not be able to bring down grocery prices after all by saying: “It’s hard to bring things down once they’re up, very hard.”
The president-elect made the comments in an interview withTime magazine after being named its “Person of the Year” following his November election win.
The annual cover – which highlights an individual who has greatly influenced the year, for good or ill – was unveiled on Thursday, bearing an imperious portrait of the Republican against a stark background.
Trump was also awarded the honor in 2016 after beating Hillary Clinton to win the White House for the first time.
He celebrated this latest gong yesterday by delivering a brief speech and ringing the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange.
Here’s Kelly Rissman with more.
Donald Trump named Time’s ‘Person of the Year’ for second time
Elon Musk calls homelessness a ‘lie’ and ‘propaganda’ — and Trump is listening
Friday 13 December 2024 09:00 , Alex Woodward
To Elon Musk, the word “homeless” is a “lie” and “a propaganda word.”
“Homeless is a misnomer. It implies that someone got a little bit behind on their mortgage, and if you just gave them a job, they’d be back on their feet,” he told former Fox News personality Tucker Carlson in October. “What you actually have are violent, drug zombies with dead eyes and needles and human feces on the street.”
The more money spent combating homelessness, “the worse it gets,” according to Musk.
Read more:
Elon Musk calls homelessness a ‘lie’ and ‘propaganda’ — and Trump is listening
‘No evidence’ undercover FBI agents joined Capitol riots despite ongoing conspiracy theories, watchdog finds
Friday 13 December 2024 08:00 , Alex Woodward
None of the thousands of people who joined protests in Washington, D.C., and stormed the halls of Congress on January 6, 2021 were undercover FBI agents, according to the results of a lengthy probe from a Department of Justice watchdog.
The findings deal a blow to persistent right-wing conspiracy theories that federal law enforcement agents provoked a riot or a “false flag” attack to entrap Donald Trump’s supporters to break into the Capitol.
But the report’s discovery that roughly two dozen confidential sources were on the ground at the time is likely to continue fueling a false narrative that federal agents had something to do with instigating the assault.
Read more:
‘No evidence’ undercover FBI agents joined Capitol riots, watchdog finds
From ‘Aspie supremacy’ to vaccines: The toxic autism politics of Trump’s second administration
Friday 13 December 2024 07:00 , Eric Garcia
Back in September, an X/Twitter account known as Autism Capital posted a screenshot of a written theory that appeared to be taken from 4Chan. The theory postulated that only “high [testostrone] alpha males” and “aneurotypical people” can think freely and be trusted to know what is objectively true. That means “a Republic for high-status males is best for decision making,” the theory continued. Elon Musk, the X owner and Tesla executive, responded: “Interesting observation.”
Little wonder that Musk found such proclamations interesting. He has talked in public a number of times about having “Asperger’s syndrome” (a term that fell out of favor as researchers learned the extent of Hans Asperger’s collaboration with the Nazi regime’s child euthanasia program and one that hasn’t been used clinically since 2013.) The concept of “Aspie supremacy” — a term some disability rights advocates coined for the deeply problematic idea that people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who previously would be considered as having Asperger’s are superior to both neurotypical people and other autistic people — has been around for a while. But it’s gained traction in the past few years in some very online, very right-wing spaces.
Read more:
The toxic autism politics of Trump’s second administration
