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    Top Democrat Hijacks Senate Floor With Marathon All-Nighter Speech Protesting Trump

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    By U.S. Army photo by Spc. Vincent Levelev - This image was released by the United States Army with the ID 230711-A-ID763-9272 (next).

    Sen. Cory Booker launched into a blistering all-night speech late Monday, taking aim at President Donald Trump and Elon Musk.

    Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) spoke out against President Donald Trump and Elon Musk on the Senate floor throughout the night after beginning his marathon speech at 7 p.m. Monday.

    The senator was still speaking on the floor after 8 a.m. Tuesday, more than 13 hours after he had begun.

    Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) who said he planned to join Booker “for the entirety of his speech,” noted that he was “returning the favor” as Booker joined him when he “launched a filibuster to demand action on gun violence nine years ago.”

    Murphy was among the Democrats who provided Booker with some relief by speaking at times to punctuate the marathon session.

    Watch:

    At around midnight, Booker said he would continue to speak “as long as [he is] physically able” using the chamber’s open floor time to command attention and spotlight Democratic concerns about the direction of the country.

    “In just 71 days, the president of the United States has inflicted so much harm on Americans’ safety, financial stability, the core foundations of our democracy and even our aspirations as a people for — from our highest offices — a sense of common decency,” Booker said. “These are not normal times in America. And they should not be treated as such in the United States Senate.”

    He continued to blast Trump and Musk for “complete disregard for the rule of law, the Constitution and the needs of the American people.”

    Among the key issues Booker hammered: proposed GOP cuts to Medicaid.

    “It is maddening… to create greater and greater health care crisis,” he said, accusing Republicans of tearing down systems “with no plan to make it better.”

    Trump has previously indicated that he will not “touch” Americans’ Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid benefits, but wants to weed out fraud.

    While technically not a filibuster — since it hasn’t been tied to any active legislation — Booker’s speech threatens to delay Senate business, which is set to begin at noon.

    Trump Admin. To Direct Agency Leaders To Brace For ‘Large-scale Reductions In Force’

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    2
    By The White House - https://www.flickr.com/photos/202101414@N05/54325633746/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=159707159

    The Trump administration will direct heads of agencies across the federal government to prepare to initiate “large-scale reductions in force” and develop reorganization plans by mid-March, Fox News reports. 

    Fox News Digital obtained the memo that will be sent Wednesday to agency heads by Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought and acting Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Charles Ezell. The memo directs them to prepare to eliminate roles and submit plans for reorganization by March 13. 

    Notably, the memo states that government positions “necessary to meet law enforcement, border security, national security, immigration enforcement, or public safety responsibilities” are exempt from the order, as well as officials nominated and appointed to positions requiring presidential appointment or Senate confirmation, officials in the Executive Office of the President and U.S. Postal Service workers. 

    The memo is titled “Guidance on agency RIF and Reorganization Plans Requested by Implementing the President’s ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ Workforce Optimization Initiative.” 

    Read:

    opm_omb-guidance-on-doge-workforce-eo-2.26.25Download

    The memo points to the president’s February executive order, which directed agencies to “eliminate waste, bloat and insularity” in order to “empower American families, workers, taxpayers, and our system of Government itself.” 

    The memo provides guidance to agency heads about the reduction-in-force and reorganization plans, along with instructions for how those plans should be submitted to OMB and OPM. 

    “President Trump required that ‘Agency Heads shall promptly undertake preparations to initiate large-scale reductions in force, consistent with applicable law,’” the memo states, noting that agencies have to submit reorganization plans “no later than March 13, 2025.”

    The reorganization plans, according to the memo, should provide “better service for the American people; increased productivity; a significant reduction in the number of full-time equivalent positions by eliminating positions that are not required; a reduced real property footprint; and reduced budget topline.” 

    President Trump said during Wednesday’s White House Cabinet meeting that Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin has floated cutting the agency’s workforce by up to 65 percent.

    This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

    House GOP Pressures Attorney General To Prosecute Officials Helping Subvert Deportations

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0

    Multiple House Republicans are demanding the Justice Department prosecute elected officials and left-wing activist groups allegedly attempting to undermine the administration’s deportation efforts.

    GOP Reps. Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma, Andy Harris of Maryland, Eric Burlison of Missouri and Pete Sessions of Texas sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi Tuesday, exclusively obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation. 

    “We write today to applaud your prosecution of Governor Kathy Hochul and New York Attorney General Letitia James and to respectfully request that you continue prosecuting individuals, organizations and elected officials who aid and abet illegal aliens in evading Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers,” the Republican lawmakers wrote. “Assisting aliens in avoiding deportation is illegal; therefore, we urge you to continue upholding the integrity of the American system.”

    “Far-left politicians and nongovernmental organizations [NGOs] are flouting the law under the assumption that it will not be enforced. We ask that you demonstrate that such violations will not be tolerated.”

    Read:

    829767401-House-Republicans-Letter-to-AG-Pam-BondiDownload

    The letter alleges that left-wing organizations such as Code Pink, Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network and the Immigration Defense Project are actively providing resources to illegal migrants to evade detection by ICE.

    The GOP congressmen also urged Bondi to prosecute elected officials helping illegal migrants evade detection by ICE.

    Democrat New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy appeared to suggest that he was harboring an illegal migrant on his property on Feb. 3, leading border czar Tom Homan vowing to prosecute the elected official for appearing to violate federal law.

    “And good luck to the feds coming in to try to get her,” the Democrat then added, speaking at an open discussion at Montclair State University.

    Murphy walked back the shocking claim days later.

    Homan warned New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez that he is working with the DOJ to determine whether the left-wing firebrand violated federal law by hosting a virtual webinar advising illegal migrants on how to handle encounters with ICE on Jan. 11.

    “Let’s hope she’s not educating the next person who gets out and murders a young college student in Georgia,” Homan said on Fox News on Feb. 16. “These are bad people we’re looking for. So she can call it education all she wants, but we all know it’s about evading law enforcement. These people have been ordered removed. The people we’re looking for now have final orders. They’re criminals. They’re in the country illegally.”

    Bondi filed a lawsuit against Hochul and James on Feb. 12, citing a New York state law allowing immigrants to obtain a driver’s license regardless of legal status. The Trump administration hit Chicago and the state of Illinois with lawsuits on Feb. 6 over the city and state’s sanctuary laws, which restrict cooperation between local officials and ICE.

    “This is a new DOJ,” Bondi said during a press conference announcing the Justice Department’s lawsuit against the state of New York. “We are taking steps to protect Americans, American citizens and angel moms.”

    “New York has chosen to prioritize illegal aliens over American citizens. It stops today,” Bondi added. “We sued Illinois. New York did not listen. Now you’re next.”

    Billionaire Threatens To Primary Lawmakers Who Vote Against RFK Jr. Confirmation

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    The fight is on…

    Billionaire Nicole Shanahan, who was the running mate of independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., threatened to primary senators who vote against his nomination as Secretary of Health and Human Services.

    With Kennedy’s confirmation hearing set to begin on Wednesday morning, Shanahan wrote on X on Tuesday, where she posted a video warning senators not to oppose his nomination.

    “He is more than qualified,” Shanahan said. “He’s proven, principled, and prepared to lead. I’ll list I’ll share a list below of key senators. If they represent your state, they need to hear from you. If they don’t, please call your own senator and ask them to vote yes.”

    She then addressed several senators whose votes she said she would monitor.

    “The two candidates I helped elect, Senator Raphael Warnock and Senator Jon Ossoff, please know I will be watching your votes very closely,” Shanahan added. “I will make it my personal mission that you lose your seats in the Senate if you vote against the future health of America’s children.”

    Shanahan listed more senators, including “Lisa Markovsky” a clear nod to Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski also voted “no” on Trump’s nominee to lead the Pentagon.

    “And more than that, I also want to say to Senators Mitch McConnell, Lindsey Graham, Lisa Markovsky, Susan Collins, Bill Cassidy, Thom Tillis, James Lankford, Cory Booker, John Fetterman, Bernie Sanders, and Catherine Cortez Masto,” she said. “This is a bipartisan message and it comes directly from me. While Bobby may be willing to play nice. I won’t. If you vote against him, I will personally fund challengers to primary you in your next election, and I will enlist hundreds of thousands to join me.”

    Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) has reservations and made it clear she’s hesitant about supporting RFK Jr. for the role/

    “Well I’m certainly concerned about it. I know others have other, other points of concerns that they want to drill down on and try to get some commitments, public commitments, from him on,” the senator said. “But vaccines are important.”

    Federal Judge Blocks Pardoned J6 Defendants From DC, Capitol Building

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    20
    Tyler Merbler, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

    A federal district judge has issued an order barring certain January 6 defendants with commutations from entering Washington, D.C., or the U.S. Capitol building. 

    The filing says the order is effective at noon on Friday. 

    Fox News reports:

    In the filing, Judge Amit P. Mehta specified the order applied to “Defendants Stewart Rhodes, Kelly Meggs, Kenneth Harrelson, Jessica Watkins, Roberto Minuta, Edward Vallejo, David Moerchel, and Joseph Hacket” – whose sentences were commuted. Those pardoned are not subject to the order.

    The order states “You must not knowingly enter the District of Columbia without first obtaining the permission from the Court” and “You must not knowingly enter the United States Capitol Building or onto surrounding grounds known as Capitol Square.”

    This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

    Republican Holdout Opts To Support Sec. Of Defense Nominee

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    2
    By Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America - Pete Hegseth, CC BY-SA 2.0

    A significant win…

    On Tuesday, Pete Hegseth, President-elect Trump’s nominee to lead the Pentagon, scored a significant endorsement after a grueling hearing with the Senate Armed Services Committee.

    According to Fox News, Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst — who previously declared herself being on the fence regarding Hegseth — said Tuesday evening that she was on board with the appointment.

    That speaks volumes because Ernst was the only GOP holdout making her reservations public on the Senate Armed Services Committee.

    “After four years of weakness in the White House, Americans deserve a strong Secretary of Defense,” Ernst told Fox News via a statement.

    “Our next commander in chief selected Pete Hegseth to serve in this role, and after our conversations, hearing from Iowans, and doing my job as a United States Senator, I will support President Trump’s pick for Secretary of Defense,” she added.

    “As I serve on the Armed Services Committee, I will work with Pete to create the most lethal fighting force and hold him to his commitments of auditing the Pentagon, ensuring opportunity for women in combat while maintaining high standards, and selecting a senior official to address and prevent sexual assault in the ranks.”

    The endorsement is critical, as Ernst had first told the media she was skeptical of Trump’s pick and subsequently issued a statement vaguely supportive of him.

    In December Ernst, a combat veteran, told Fox News that she had a “very long, lengthy discussion” with Hegseth in early December and added that “we will continue with the vetting process. I think that is incredibly important.”

    When Fox News’ Bill Hemmer responded that it sounded like the Senator hadn’t “gotten to a yes” yet, she responded, “I think you are right.”

    Congress Elects House Speaker

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    4

    On Friday, Congressional lawmakers convened to elect the next Speaker of the House.

    Mike Johnson (R-La.) will serve as Speaker of the House for the 119th Congress.

    With the Republican majority at 219-215, Johnson could lose only one Republican vote to remain speaker.

    Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) was reelected to the top post in the House in a stunning floor vote on the opening day of Congress on Friday, securing the gavel on the first ballot.

    It appeared that he would fail on the first ballot as Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) and Keith Self (R-Texas) voted for other candidates. However, the chamber held the vote open as Johnson conferred with his opponents and Norman and Self switched their votes to applause in the chamber.

    The vote came after President-elect Donald Trump issued his “total” endorsement of Mike Johnson (R-la.) earlier this week.

    “Speaker Mike Johnson is a good, hard working, religious man. He will do the right thing, and we will continue to WIN. Mike has my Complete & Total Endorsement. MAGA!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.

    Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene also offered her endorsement of Johnson shortly before Friday’s vote.

    Watch:

    “Tomorrow we convene at noon in the House of Representatives, and our first order of business will be to vote for Speaker of the House. This is a historic vote, and it is the first order of business that we have to accomplish before we can even swear in as members of Congress,” began Greene. “Now, here’s how I feel about it. You all have seen may disagree with Mike Johnson at times. You’ve seen me fight against him at times. But you want to know something else? Here’s what I recognize: For the past four years, all of you and myself included, have put blood, sweat, and tears into electing President Trump. And when you want to talk about blood, President Trump himself actually was the one that shed blood after an assassin shot him in the face.”

    This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

    Johnson Loses In First Round Of Speaker Votes

    By
    Patrick Houck
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    3
    Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

    As Republicans prepare for full Washington control…

    Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) has not yet secured reelection to his leadership post, leaving House Republicans temporarily rudderless as the GOP prepares to take full control of Washington.

    Unable to overcome challenges within his caucus, Johnson failed to emerge from the floor vote with his leadership intact. Concerns about potential defections escalated earlier in the week when Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) publicly opposed Johnson’s continued speakership. With no Democratic support, Johnson could not afford to lose even one more Republican vote.

    However, President-elect Donald Trump intervened to shore up support, engaging directly with skeptical lawmakers, including Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas). Trump took to Truth Social on Friday morning, declaring Johnson was approaching “100% support” and framing the vote as a crucial moment for the ascendant GOP.

    “A win for Mike today will be a big win for the Republican Party and yet another acknowledgment of our 129-year most consequential Presidential Election!” Trump wrote. His active involvement underscored his determination to minimize Republican infighting as he prepares to enter office in just over two weeks.

    Trump’s concerns were rooted in his first-term struggles, where intra-party divisions often slowed his ambitious legislative agenda. In a statement of support for Johnson, Trump described the Louisiana Republican as “a good, hard-working, religious man” and emphasized the urgency of delivering relief to Americans from what he called the “destructive policies of the last Administration.”

    In a separate post on X, Trump urged Republicans to present a unified front, writing, “We have a Country to run, and many big problems to solve, mostly created by Democrats. REPUBLICANS, BE SMART AND TOUGH!”

    Despite this, members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus remained disenchanted with Johnson. When asked for his vote, Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) sat still, refusing to comment.

    Other ideologically-aligned lawmakers, including Michael Cloud (Texas), Andrew Clyde (Georgia), Andy Harris (Md.) and Paul Gosar (Ariz.) followed suit with their own stoney-faced glares. Some of this group, including Chip Roy, returned to cast their votes for Johnson when the clerk of the House asked for them.

    However, three GOP members defected, causing Johnson’s efforts to reclaim the gavel to fail this time and making the process more challenging than he had hoped.

    As expected, Rep. Massie cast his vote for someone else—House Majority Whip Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.).

    Then, Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) cast his vote for Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) as speaker, ensuring that Johnson would fail to secure enough votes in the first round. Norman appeared visibly disdainful as his colleagues murmured disapprovingly around him.

    Lastly, Rep. Keith Self (R-Texas) voted for Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) for speaker.

    Prior to the vote, Politico’s Olivia Beavers reported that a group of conservatives and potential opposition members against Speaker Johnson circulated a document outlining a “scorecard” of perceived failures by the 118th Congress.

    The vote took place as the 119th Congress convened for its first session. With the GOP poised to hold the presidency, Senate and House, expectations are high for the party to swiftly implement its legislative priorities.

    As Washington braces for this new era of Republican governance, the speaker of the House’s ability to navigate internal dynamics and work with Senate Republicans and the incoming Trump administration will be pivotal. The speaker will face an immediate challenge of uniting his conference and steering it toward fulfilling America First campaign promises in the days, weeks and months ahead.

    For now, it’s unclear if the House will go to a second vote or recess shortly for some deal making.

    Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News. This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

    Democrat Senator Signals Openness To Supporting Trump Nominees

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1

    A step in the right direction…

    Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) signaled during an interview on Sunday that he is open to voting to confirm some of President-elect Donald Trump’s nominees.

    Kim made the remarks during a Sunday interview on CNN’s “State of the Union” with Dana Bash when asked if he would be open to voting for Kash Patel for FBI Director or Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense.

    “I have had conversations with Congresswoman Elise Stefanik. I had to sit down with Senator Rubio. I’m still going through the process and I want to make sure I’m doing it right,” he said. “But those were good conversations, where we were able to dive in deep. And so I think that there are some nominees that are people I think I can work with.”

    He signaled that with some of Trump’s other nominees that he had questions about past remarks that they made.

    “I also am deeply concerned about what I have heard Mr. Patel say in the past and about going after things. Like, he is being nominated for a role to lead an agency that he has talked about dismantling, talked about the deep state and going after,” he said. “I was a career public servant before in the federal government. I worked under both Bush and Obama. I served the country, not a party. And I worry about some of the tones there.”

    “With Hegseth, I hope to have a chance to be able to speak with him, but some of what he said before about not thinking that women should serve in combat, some of the other allegations that we have heard about,” he added. “I have worked at the Pentagon before in the office of the secretary of defense. I know what that job is like. And I need to know whether or not he is up to the task.”

    WATCH:

    Donald Trump Makes Endorsement In Speaker Race

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0

    Days before Republicans are scheduled to convene for Friday’s House Speaker vote President-elect Donald Trump took the time to issue his “total endorsement” of Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) for the role.

    “Speaker Mike Johnson is a good, hard working, religious man. He will do the right thing, and we will continue to WIN. Mike has my Complete & Total Endorsement. MAGA!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.

    Trump’s public endorsement could be a key to a win by Johnson, who can only afford a handful of GOP defections and be elected Speaker.

    Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) has already come out as a “no” vote on Speaker Johnson’s reelection bid, putting the Louisiana Congressman in a precarious position.

    Multiple Republican lawmakers threatened to withhold support for Johnson’s bid for Speaker over his recent handling of the government shutdown negotiations.

    Multiple Republicans also suggested Elon Musk become the next Speaker of the House amid the negotiations.

    Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) suggested Elon Musk serve as Speaker in a post on X following contentious debates over the continuing resolution (CR).

    “The Speaker of the House need not be a member of Congress . . . ,” Paul wrote.

    “Nothing would disrupt the swamp more than electing Elon Musk . . . think about it .  . . nothing’s impossible. (not to mention the joy at seeing the collective establishment, aka ‘uniparty,’ lose their ever-lovin’ minds).”

    Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said she would be open to supporting Musk to replace Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) in a post quoting Paul.

    “I’d be open to supporting @elonmusk for Speaker of the House. DOGE can only truly be accomplished by reigning in Congress to enact real government efficiency,” Greene wrote on X.

    This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates..

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