Former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley has joined global communications firm Edelman as vice chair of its international public affairs team.
Edelman CEO Richard Edelman in an announcement pointed to Haley’s experience as a former United Nations ambassador and two terms as governor of South Carolina while announcing the news.
“Politics has become a critical consideration for clients in brand marketing, employee engagement and reputation management,” he said. “In her time as Governor, Haley had great success in attracting foreign companies to South Carolina and as Ambassador to the UN, helped lead important work on global issues.”
Haley said she is “excited” to join the team within Edelman’s Global Advisory (EGA), the firm’s global public affairs consultancy.
“In a time of growing complexities in business, policy, and politics — brands need to anticipate what’s coming next. Whether managing a crisis or celebrating a success, industry leaders must be ready to communicate clearly and share their vision forward,” she wrote in the statement.
Haley suspended her presidential bid earlier this year following a string of primary losses to former President Trump.
She also joined the Hudson Institute, a conservative think tank, in April as the Walter P. Stern chair.
Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News.
P0120021CK-1111: President Joe Biden delivers his inaugural address Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, during the 59th Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)
Change of plans…
A dangerous winter storm has prompted President Donald Trump’s swearing-in ceremony to be moved indoors.
Brutal cold and ferocious winds are forecast for the D.C. region on Monday, with temperatures expected to hover just over 20 degrees, the Washington Post reported.
🚨BREAKING: President-elect Trump’s inauguration ceremony will be moved indoors due to extreme cold expected in Washington, DC. pic.twitter.com/MJjduvdTOw
On Monday, “CNN News Central” anchor Sara Sidner announced she is undergoing treatment for stage 3 breast cancer.
“I have never been sick a day of my life. I don’t smoke, I rarely drink. Breast cancer does not run in my family,” Sidner said on CNN’s air. “And yet here I am with stage 3 breast cancer. It is hard to say out loud.”
Sidner says she is in her second month of chemotherapy and plans to undergo radiation and a double mastectomy.
The prominent news anchor recently traveled to the Middle East to cover the ongoing fighting between Israel and Hamas and the social unrest the conflict has caused.
“Seeing the kind of suffering going on where I was and seeing people still live through the worst thing that has ever happened to them with grace and kindness, I was blown away by their resilience,” she told People Magazine as part of an interview published Monday. “In some weird way, it helped me with my own perspective on what I am going to be facing.”
By The White House - https://www.flickr.com/photos/202101414@N05/54581054338/, Public Domain,
In a decisive move to confront Iran’s destabilizing influence in the Middle East, the U.S. State Department on Wednesday officially designated four Iran-backed Iraqi militias as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs). The groups—Harakat al-Nujaba, Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada, Harakat Ansar Allah al-Awfiya, and Kata’ib al-Imam Ali—have long served as armed proxies for Tehran, attacking U.S. and coalition forces and threatening American diplomats.
All four groups were previously sanctioned by the Treasury Department as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) in 2023, but the new designations escalate U.S. pressure by invoking additional legal penalties, travel bans, and asset freezes.
“Iran-aligned militia groups have conducted attacks on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and bases hosting U.S. and Coalition forces, typically using front names or proxy groups to obfuscate their involvement,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in the announcement.
Iran’s Proxy War Network: The Islamic Resistance in Iraq
According to the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD), these four militias form the backbone of a Tehran-controlled umbrella organization known as the Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI). The IRI surged in prominence after Hamas launched its deadly October 7, 2023 assault on Israel.
Since then, the IRI has claimed or been linked to hundreds of rocket, drone, and IED attacks on U.S. and allied forces in Iraq, Syria, and Jordan. U.S. officials say the network was responsible for the January 2024 drone attack in Jordan that killed three American service members, marking one of the deadliest assaults on U.S. troops in years.
“The Trump administration broke the taboo during term one when it proved it could name, shame, and punish Iran-backed militias in Iraq without the country devolving into civil war,” said Behnam Ben Taleblu, senior director of the FDD’s Iran program. “Now in term two the administration is upping the ante continuing a campaign of designations against the agents of influence and terror of Iran in Iraq.”
Popular Mobilization Forces: A Trojan Horse for Tehran
The four newly designated groups are also part of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF)—a nominally state-run coalition originally created to fight ISIS, but which has been heavily infiltrated and directed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
“Tehran relies on these militias to literally have a state within a state in Iraq,” Ben Taleblu warned. “Sandwiching these and other Iran-backed terror groups between Treasury Department [Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons] SDN listings and State Department [Foreign Terrorist Organizations] FTO listings, as the Trump administration previously did with their patron, the IRGC, in term one is the right approach.”
Trump’s Proven Record on Targeting Terror Groups
This new wave of designations continues the Trump administration’s aggressive posture against Iran and its terror proxies. In 2019, the administration made history by designating the IRGC itself as a Foreign Terrorist Organization—the first time the U.S. had ever used the FTO label on part of another nation’s military.
That same year, U.S. forces conducted a precision strike in Baghdad killing Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the IRGC’s elite Quds Force, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy commander of the PMF and leader of the Iran-backed Kata’ib Hezbollah militia, another group long designated as an FTO.
Other Iran-backed entities targeted by the Trump administration included:
Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq (AAH) — designated in 2020 for killing U.S. and coalition troops.
Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba (HHN) — sanctioned in 2019 for its role in attacks on American forces.
Kata’ib Hezbollah (KH) — designated in 2009, but further sanctioned and struck by U.S. airpower under Trump following deadly rocket attacks.
These actions sent a clear message that attacks on Americans would carry severe consequences—a doctrine many national security analysts argue helped restore deterrence in the region.
Donald Trump Jr. shared joyful news on Monday that’s sure to add even more cheer to the holiday season: he is officially engaged to longtime girlfriend Bettina Anderson.
The eldest son of President Donald Trump proposed to longtime girlfriend Bettina Anderson after over a year of dating, revealing the happy news during a recent White House gathering. A beaming Trump Sr. stood proudly beside the newly engaged couple.
BREAKING NEWS:
President Trump just announced at the White House that his son @DonaldJTrumpJr and his girlfriend Bettina Anderson are getting married! They just got engaged.
The announcement came during a recent gathering at the White House, where President Donald Trump proudly stood beside his eldest son and future daughter-in-law as they revealed the engagement. Trump Jr. expressed his gratitude and excitement, thanking Anderson for saying “yes” and calling the moment a “big win to end the year.” Anderson, radiant and clearly moved, described the experience as “the most unforgettable weekend” of her life.
She went on to say she felt like the “luckiest girl in the world,” offering warm thanks to the Trump family for hosting such a meaningful celebration and giving special recognition to First Lady Melania Trump for the beautifully crafted holiday décor that filled the room.
Trump Jr. and Anderson—known in Palm Beach social circles for her poise, philanthropy, and professionalism—have been linked for more than a year. Their relationship became public in late 2024 after photos surfaced in the Daily Mail, and by New Year’s Eve, Anderson was standing confidently with the Trump family at their Mar-a-Lago celebration. Their appearance together signaled that the relationship was both genuine and serious.
This engagement marks Trump Jr.’s third. He married Vanessa Trump in 2005 at Mar-a-Lago, and the couple shared more than a decade together, raising five children: Kai, 18; Donald III, 16; Tristan, 14; Spencer, 13; and Chloe, 11. Vanessa, who has remained on good terms with the Trump family, is currently dating golf legend Tiger Woods.
After his marriage ended, Trump Jr. became engaged to Kimberly Guilfoyle in 2020. Although the two eventually went their separate ways, speculation about their split intensified as he was increasingly seen with Anderson around Palm Beach.
While the exact moment of the proposal remains private, one thing is clear: the Trump family has yet another reason to celebrate as they head into the new year.
Attorney General Pam Bondi is accused of “serious professional misconduct” in a Florida Bar complaint.
According to a report from The Miami Herald, in the complaint the group alleges Bondi has breached ethical duties in her current role and that “serious professional misconduct that threatens the rule of law and the administration of justice” has been carried out by the attorney general, the Herald reported.
Bondi is from Florida and previously served as the Sunshine State’s first female attorney general. A “Pamela Jo Bondi” is listed as a member of the Florida Bar “in Good Standing.”
A few months ago, Democrats pressed Bondi amid her confirmation hearing over her ability to push back against Trump, who had repeatedly stated he would come for his enemies and that he has the “absolute right” to do what he wants with her department.
Bondi is also stated in the complaint to have “sought to compel Department of Justice lawyers to violate their ethical obligations under the guise of ‘zealous advocacy,’” according to the Herald.
In a statement, Justice Department chief of staff Chad Mizelle told the Herald that “the Florida Bar has twice rejected performative attempts by these out-of-state lawyers to weaponize the bar complaint process against AG Bondi.”
Bondi has faced an onslaught of criticism from Democrat lawmakers and progressive groups since being confirmed as the Trump administration’s Attorney General.
Last month, the Justice Department pointed out the leftist bias of the American Bar Association (ABA) and ordered that it will bo longer have access to non-public information, including bar records.
The ABA uses a ratings process in which their Standing Committee rates each nominee “Well Qualified,” “Qualified” or “Not Qualified.” “Unanimous committee ratings appear as a single rating. In other situations, the rating from the majority or substantial majority (2/3 or more of those voting) of the Committee is recorded first, followed by the rating or ratings of a minority of the Committee. The majority rating is the rating of the committee,” the ABA notes on its website.
“The ABA has a history of taking liberal positions on issues including abortion, the death penalty, same-sex marriage, affirmative action, and the Second Amendment,” National Review stated in 2019. “The organization’s ideological bias has long tainted its ratings of judicial nominees. An entire book on the subject was written as early as 1965, Joel B. Grossman’s Lawyers and Judges: The ABA and the Politics of Judicial Selection.”
Of the 15 members on the ABA’s Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary in 2019, five donated to Barack Obama’s campaign, three to that of Hillary Clinton, and none to the three Republican nominees between 2008-2016. Incredibly, the ABA gave a minority “Not Qualified” rating to iconic Judge Robert Bork and other conservative legal scholars, including Richard A. Posner, Edith H. Jones, and William H. Pryor, among others.
“For several decades, the American Bar Association has received special treatment and enjoyed special access to judicial nominees,” Bondi wrote in a letter to ABA President William Bay. “In some administrations, the ABA received notice of nominees before a nomination was announced to the public. Some administrations would even decide whether to nominate an individual based on a rating assigned by the ABA.”
Republican Senator Bill Cassidy (La.) predicted former President Donald Trump would lose the 2024 general election against Joe Biden if he’s ultimately the GOP’s presidential nominee.
Cassidy made the comments during a Sunday appearance on CNN and added that he thinks any other candidate in the Republican primary field is better suited to defeat Biden, a scathing rebuke of the former president he’s often supported.
“Do you think that Donald Trump should drop out of the race?” host Kasie Hunt asked.
“I think so. But, obviously, that’s up to him. I mean, you’re just asking me my opinion,” Cassidy responded.
“But he will lose to Joe Biden, if you look at the current polls. I’m a Republican. I think any Republican on that stage in Milwaukee will do a better job than Joe Biden,” he added. “And so I want one of them to win. If former President Trump ends up getting the nomination, but cannot win a general, that means we will have four more years of policies which have led to very high inflation, to a loss of purchasing power for the average American equivalent to $10,000, and to many other things which I think have been deleterious to our country’s future.”
However, Sen. Cassidy confirmed that he would vote for Trump if he becomes the Republican nominee.
Lawmakers are metaphorically shouting their support for Donald Trump from the rooftops.
On Thursday, popular Florida Rep. Byron Donalds announced he’s endorsing the former President’s most recent campaign for the White House.
In a statement circulated by the pro-Trump Make America Great Again PAC, Donalds said Trump is the “one leader” who can get the U.S. “back on track.”
“There is only one leader at this time in our nation’s history who can seize the moment and deliver what we need – to get us back on track, provide strength and resolve, and Make America Great Again. That is why I’m honored to endorse President Donald J. Trump for President in 2024, and I ask my fellow Americans to join me,” Donalds said.
Trump has secured support from two other Florida Republicans: Rep. Matt Gaetz, a close congressional ally, and freshman Rep. Anna Paulina Luna.
Donalds withheld support from Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) for some of this year’s protracted Speakership election, opting against voting for him on nine out of 15 ballots. Donalds himself was nominated for the top job on several ballots, accumulating votes from a number of his colleagues. McCarthy ultimately won the gavel on the 15th ballot.
Before the Speakership battle, Donalds challenged Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) for the post of House Republican Conference Chair, which the New Yorker won in a closed-door vote.
Illegal Immigration in the United State via Wikimedia Commons
According to new reports, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller delivered a blunt ultimatum to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) leadership in mid-May: ramp up arrests to 3,000 per day or face personnel changes.
During a tense meeting at ICE headquarters in Washington, D.C., Miller reportedly warned that regional offices failing to meet the target would see their leadership replaced. Sources familiar with the meeting said Miller left no room for interpretation — improved numbers weren’t encouraged, they were mandatory. (RELATED: Legal Battle May Reveal Big Payouts Tied To Biden’s Border Policies)
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, also in attendance, struck a more measured tone. Still, the message was clear, according to NBC News: immigration enforcement efforts must intensify and take precedence:
Misdemeanor cases for border crossings are regularly appearing in federal court, a rarity in recent years. Justice Department teams focused on other issues are being disbanded, with members being dispersed to teams focused on immigration and other administration priorities.
And prosecutors say cases without immigration components have stalled or are moving more slowly, according to documents seen by NBC News and conversations with six current and former prosecutors and a senior FBI official, who described how immigration is now a central part of discussions around whether to pursue cases.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
“Immigration status is now question No. 1 in terms of charging decisions,” an assistant U.S. attorney said. “Is this person a documented immigrant? Is this person an undocumented immigrant? Is this person a citizen? Are they somehow deportable? What is their immigration status? And the answer to that question is now largely driving our charging decisions.”
At least one U.S. attorney’s office abandoned a potential federal prosecution of someone who prosecutors felt was dangerous because the case against the person lacked an immigration component, an email obtained by NBC News showed. The office instead left the case to state prosecutors.
Mobilizing National Resources
Following the confrontation, ICE launched “Operation At Large,” a coast-to-coast initiative designed to supercharge apprehensions. The scale is unprecedented. Over 21,000 National Guard troops and 250 IRS agents have been folded into the effort, alongside thousands of ICE and federal law enforcement personnel. (RELATED: Police Case That Fueled 2020 Protests Returns To Supreme Court)
The operation’s reach has required coordination across agencies, pulling FBI and DOJ resources away from their usual focus areas and toward immigration-related priorities.
The Daily Mailhas more on Miller’s dramatic call to action:
He then reportedly gave them an open challenge and asked: ‘Why aren’t you at Home Depot? Why aren’t you at 7-Eleven?’
Miller further pushed, getting into what an official called a ‘p***ing contest,’ saying: ‘What do you mean you’re going after criminals?’
Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
In a statement to the Examiner, ICE deputy assistant director of media affairs Laszlo Baksay said the descriptions were ‘inaccurate.’
However, the conservative-leaning outlet cited sources within ICE and DHS who claimed Miller’s remarks further eroded morale among rank-and-file agents, which was already low.
“He had nothing positive to say about anybody,” one official told the paper, describing the mood following Miller’s visit.
Another source painted a darker picture of the internal climate confronting ICE agents:
“They’ve been threatened, told they’re watching their emails and texts and Signals. That’s what is horrible about things right now. It’s a fearful environment. Everybody in leadership is afraid. There’s no morale. Everybody is demoralized.”
Despite the backlash, Miller defended the administration’s approach during an appearance with Sean Hannity, insisting the 3,000-arrest-per-day quota is only a temporary benchmark — and warning that agents should be prepared for that figure to rise.
Localized operations have revealed just how expansive the crackdown has become since Miller and Noem appeared at Potomac Center Plaza in Southwest D.C. Across the nation, agents have ramped up early-morning sweeps and workplace raids, often coordinated with minimal local notification. In Florida, a weeklong action labeled “Operation Tidal Wave” resulted in 1,120 arrests — the largest ICE enforcement action ever recorded in a single state.
Tennessee saw similar efforts, with 196 arrests in the Nashville area. The local response was sharply critical. Nashville’s mayor denounced the operation as out of step with the city’s values and implemented policies limiting cooperation with ICE. Republicans in Congress are now investigating whether the mayor’s office leaked information about ICE agents — a serious charge with national implications.
Focus on Career Criminals — But Collateral Arrests Are Rising
Officially, the crackdown targets individuals with criminal records or prior deportation orders. But internal ICE guidance reportedly encourages officers to make “collateral arrests” — detaining illegal immigrants encountered in the field, even if they weren’t the original target and have no criminal history.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Flickr, https://www.flickr.com/photos/us_icegov/54295293536/in/photostream/, Creative Commons Attribution-Public Domain Mark 1.0 Universal (CC BY-NC-SA 1.0)
The broader approach has raised legal and logistical concerns, as well as fears of potential overreach, according to immigrant advocacy groups.
Leadership Purge Signals Internal Pressure
It also hasn’t come without fallout inside ICE. Two senior officials — Kenneth Genalo and Robert Hammer — have been removed from their posts in recent weeks. Sources say the firings reflect internal friction over how aggressively to pursue the administration’s ambitious targets. They also serve as a warning to others who might be perceived as resistant to the push.
White House: Fulfilling the Mandate, Critics Question the Cost
The administration stands by the operation. Officials say it delivers on President Trump’s second-term promise: to secure the border and remove criminal illegal aliens.
Still, questions remain. Legal scholars are raising red flags over the breadth of federal involvement, and local-federal cooperation is growing more strained. As the operation continues, so does the debate — over strategy, law, and the real-world impact on communities nationwide.
Trump might be banking on his now-public company becoming his cash cow but financial filings are showing a concerning big picture.
Last week, the parent company of Trump’s Truth Social media company went public as the likely Republican nominee seeks to pay off numerous legal bills.
Trump holds upwards of 78 million shares in the firm, officially dubbed Trump Media & Technology Group, that are now worth billions of dollars after the initial round of sales of company stock.
But according to the company’s SEC filings, the fundamentals do not come remotely close to justifying the stock price. In fact, it brough in just $4.1 million in revenue in 2023 and suffered a net loss of over $58 million. A majority of those losses are attributable to its debt, although its operating costs were still approximately four times higher than its revenue stream.
Trump is not allowed to sell his shares for six months, and some analysts have predicted that a Trump-led sell-off will trigger a major dip in stocks.
Former New York Assistant Attorney General Adam Pollock has argued that the company is “essentially worthless” and Fox Business host Stuart Varney predicted that the stock would crash if it looks like Trump is going to lose his bid to retake the White House.
“I think it’s almost like a meme stock, and that’s the way it’ll play out,” said Varney. “It’s a bet on whether Trump wins or loses in November of this year. If he loses, I think the stock goes way down. If he wins or looks like he’s going to win, I think the stock does well because then Truth Social will do well.”
