Elon Musk is officially the new CEO of Twitter. After a rocky acquisition, Musk has officially been installed as the platform’s new leader and he wasted no time making some notable personnel changes.
Watch Amanda break down the situation below.
Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-KY) declared that Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) will lead the “Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets” just weeks after President Donald Trump signed an order to declassify the assassination files of former President John F. Kennedy, former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
“For too long, the federal government has kept information of public interest classified and the American people are demanding greater transparency. This secrecy has sowed distrust in our institutions,” Comer said in a statement. “The Task Force will build on the Trump Administration’s efforts to declassify records of national importance and ensure Americans get the answers they deserve. Representative Luna is committed to shining a light on the truth and ending the era of secrecy. It’s time to let the sunlight in and finally provide answers the American public has long demanded.”
A press release said the task force has been authorized for six months pursuant to committee rules, and members would be announced at a later date. The Oversight Committee also revealed a battery of letters that Comer and Luna sent to leaders, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Attorney General Pam Bondi, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, and Lt. Gen. Timothy Haugh, seeking briefings in light of Trump’s order and noting they would then request to see relevant documents and make recommendations on the declassification process.
Signed on January 23, Trump’s directive said the Director of National Intelligence and the Attorney General would have 15 days to “present a plan to the President for the full and complete release of records relating to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy” and 45 days to “review records related to the assassinations of Senator Robert F. Kennedy and the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and present a plan to the President for the full and complete release of these records.”
As reported by The Daily Wire, Trump said: “A lot of people have been waiting for this for years, for decades. And everything will be revealed.”
“The federal government has been hiding information from Americans for decades. We have spent years seeking information on the assassinations of President Kennedy, Senator Kennedy, Reverend King, and other government secrets without success,” Luna said. “It is time to give Americans the answers they deserve, which is why I am honored to lead this bipartisan task force that seeks truth and transparency. We will also investigate UAPs/USOs, the Epstein client list, COVID-19 origins, and the 9/11 files. We will work alongside President Trump and his cabinet members to deliver truth to the American people. From this moment forward, we will restore trust through transparency.”
During a press conference with Comer at the U.S. Capitol, Luna suggested the task force’s first area of focus will be on the John F. Kennedy assassination and then made a stunning assertion that cast doubt on Lee Harvey Oswald being the lone gunman.
“I can tell you, based on what I’ve been seeing so far, the initial hearing that was actually held here in Congress was actually faulty, and the single bullet theory — I believe there were two shooters and we should be finding more information as we are able to gain access into the SCIF before the files are actually released to the public,” Luna said.
Watch the full press conference below:
The Justice Department has officially released the redacted affidavit used to obtain the search warrant used by the FBI in its recent raid of former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence under the direction of U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart.
A website where the federal judge in Florida is unsealing documents relating to the FBI’s raid is repeatedly crashing because of surging demand.
“The government is conducting a criminal investigation concerning the improper removal and storage of classified information in unauthorized spaces, as well as the unlawful concealment or removal of government records,” the affidavit states.
Approximately 20 pages of the 38-page affidavit were either significantly or fully redacted.
The FBI said it had “probable cause to believe” that records containing classified information, including National Defense Information, would be found within Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in addition to what he had previously turned over to the National Archives and Records Administration according to the document.
Read the redacted affidavit below:
Judge Bruce Reinhart gave the Justice Department until noon on Thursday to submit the redacted document after rejecting the Justice Department’s pressure to keep the record under seal.
Fox News reports:
Reinhart said that after reviewing the Justice Department’s redaction, the government “has met its burden of showing a compelling reason” and “good cause to seal portions of the Affidavit,” saying the disclosure would reveal “the identities of witnesses, law enforcement agents, and uncharged parties,” the investigation’s “strategy, direction, scope, sources, and methods, and “grand jury information” protected by federal rules.
Reinhart said that after reviewing the affidavit with redactions, he has determined that the Justice Department “has met its burden of showing that its proposed redactions are narrowly tailored to serve the Government’s legitimate interest in the integrity of the ongoing investigation and are the least onerous alternative to sealing the entire Affidavit.”
On Monday, Judge Reinhart wrote in a memo that he was inclined to make parts of the document public, saying it would “promote public understanding of historically significant events.” The DOJ pressured Reinhart to keep the document under wraps out of concern Trump supporters would retaliate against witnesses.
Ahead of the affidavit’s release, Trump slammed the Justice Department’s “political hacks and thugs” in a statement shared to Truth Social.
“The political hacks and thugs had no right under the Presidential Records Act to storm Mar-a-Lago and steal everything in sight including passports and privileged documents. They even broke into my safe with a safecracker – Can you believe?” Trump added. “This Act was created for a very good reason, and it works. We are right now living in a Lawless Country that just so happens to be, also, a Failing Nation!”
When asked if national security could’ve been compromised by Trump’s handling of classified documents, Biden deferred to the ongoing investigation
Trump has responded following the affidavit’s release calling for Judge Reinhart’s immediate recusal from the case.
“Judge Bruce Reinhart should NEVER have allowed the Break-In of my home. He recused himself two months ago from one of my cases based on his animosity and hatred of your favorite President, me,” Trump wrote on his Truth social account. “What changed? Why hasn’t he recused himself on this case? Obama must be very proud of him right now!
President Joe Biden dismissed claims from Trump that he broadly declassified the boxes of White House documents he took to Florida after leaving office.
“I’ve declassified everything in the world. I’m president,” Biden said sarcastically, waving his hands in the air to reporters outside of the White House. “Come on.”
Republican lawmakers have shared harsh reactions to the substantial redactions since the affidavit’s publication.
Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs shared a screenshot of one of the heavily redacted pages and called for more transparency on this Twitter.
North Carolina Congressman echoed calls for transparency in his own message.
Conservative report Elijah Schafer shared a touch-and-cheek message about the redacted document as well.
READ NEXT: President Biden Labels MAGA Supporters as a ‘Threat to Democracy’ >>
A New York City Congressman had a less-than-kind response to a proposal to feature President Donald Trump on a commemorative coin for the 250th anniversary of the United States’ Independence.
The Treasury Department said it is working on a $1 coin featuring President Trump’s image to mark the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence next year, although the design isn’t final.
A U.S. Treasury official on Friday shared a preliminary design of the coin featuring Mr. Trump.
“No fake news here. These first drafts honoring America’s 250th Birthday and @POTUS are real,” U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach wrote in a social media post on Friday, which included drawings of the coin. “Looking forward to sharing more soon, once the obstructionist shutdown of the United States government is over.”
The obverse, or heads, side of the coin features Mr. Trump’s profile, while the tails side depicts the president with his fist raised and a U.S. flag flying behind him, which is reminiscent of the photo taken after a failed assassination attempt on the president in Pennsylvania last year. The tails side also has the words “fight fight fight” emblazoned over Mr. Trump’s image.
In a statement to CBS News, a Treasury spokesperson said the mockup of the coin shared in Beach’s post reflects a draft and that the design isn’t final. The White House didn’t immediately return requests for comment.
“While a final $1 dollar coin design has not yet been selected to commemorate the United States’ semiquincentennial, this first draft reflects well the enduring spirit of our country and democracy, even in the face of immense obstacles,” the spokesperson said. “We look forward to sharing more soon.”
While federal law prohibits the U.S. Treasury from issuing currency with the image of either a living former or current president, there may be more leeway with commemorative coins produced by the U.S. Mint. Currency is produced by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, while commemorative coins are produced by the U.S. Mint, which is part of the Treasury Department.
Under a 2021 law, the Treasury is authorized to issue $1 commemorative coins to mark the nation’s 250th anniversary.
Bronx Congressman Ritchie Torres (D-NY) said on Friday that he plans to introduce the TRUMP Act in hopes of blocking the proposal.
The TRUMP Act, which stands for The Restrict Ugly Money Portraits Act, aims to prohibit any president from issuing currency with their own likeness and requires U.S. currency to only feature deceased individuals.
“America’s money should only feature big, beautiful faces — not big, ugly faces,” said Rep. Torres in a statement.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) refused to support former President Donald Trump’s claim that he should be immune from civil suits seeking to hold him responsible for his conduct on Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob of his supporters illegally entered the U.S. Capitol building as lawmakers certified the election for Joe Biden.
The consolidated cases include legal challenges launched by 11 members of Congress who rushed for cover during the riot at the Capitol as well as Capitol Police officers. The cases allege Trump conspired to block lawmakers from carrying out their congressional duties. The suits also seek to hold Trump liable for physical and psychological injuries.
According to reports from The Hill, the DOJ’s position comes as the former president has appealed a lower court ruling deeming he is not immune from the suits given that a president’s efforts to “secure or perpetuate incumbency” are not part of the White House role that otherwise prevents the president from facing civil suits for actions taken through the office.
The government in its brief draws a clear line, arguing the broad protections for the president should not cover statements inciting violence.
“His briefs advance only a single, categorical argument: A President is always immune from any civil suits based on his ‘speech on matters of public concern’…even if that speech also constitutes incitement to imminent private violence. The United States respectfully submits that the Court should reject that categorical argument,” DOJ wrote in the filing.
“In the United States’ view, such incitement of imminent private violence would not be within the outer perimeter of the Office of the President of the United States,” they write.
The Justice Department’s brief doesn’t specifically back the claims from the lawmakers that Trump incited the riot, instead noting that they “plausibly allege” the former president’s speech that day motivated the attack.
The district court that previously heard the suit also rejected Trump’s First Amendment defense.
DOJ ultimately encourages the court to make a narrow ruling. The department briefly addressed its own investigation into Trump in a footnote dismissing any connection between outside civil suits and its own probe.
“The United States does not express any view regarding the potential criminal liability of any person for the events of January 6, 2021, or acts connected with those events,” they write.
On Friday, a New York judge ordered former President Donald Trump to pay $354 million in penalties stemming from the civil fraud case against his business empire.
Engoron also barred Trump from serving as a corporate officer or a director of a company in the state of New York for three years. There was one silver lining in the ruling for the Trumps: the judge did not issue an order revoking the Trump Org’s certificate to do business, which has commonly been referred to as the “corporate death penalty.”
According to The Hill, Judge Arthur Engoron’s 92-page decision came just weeks after closing arguments in the case following a months-long trial last year during which Trump frequently lambasted the judge and the prosecutor who brought the case.
Engoron previously ruled that Trump committed fraud in his real estate empire and he is expected to issue a penalty ruling Friday, according to sources familiar with the matter.
In addition to a $370 million financial penalty, James has asked Engoron to ban Trump from New York’s real estate business for life.
New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) sued Trump in 2022, alleging he falsely altered his net worth on key financial statements to receive tax and insurance benefits. The documents, which detailed the value of the Trump Organization’s various assets, were sent to banks and insurers to secure loans and deals, which the state purports is evidence of fraud.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
The Manhattan grand jury weighing an indictment against former president Donald Trump has canceled its schedule for the remainder of the week.
A law enforcement source close to the matter informed Business Insider that grand jurors will return to court Thursday, but the panel will meet in connection with a different case — not the Trump hush-money matter.
The grand jurors are not expected to take up the hush-money case again until Monday at the earliest, according to the source, who asked to remain anonymous because they were not authorized to discuss high-level planning for the panel, which meets in secret.
District Attorney Alvin Bragg also canceled Wednesday’s grand jury meeting.
The unprecedented indictment hanging over Trump’s head stems from a $130,000 hush money payment he allegedly made to porn actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign.
This is a breaking news story. Click refresh for the latest updates.
On Wednesday morning, Republican Rep. Mike Lawler of New York announced he will seek re-election in next year’s midterms in his crucial battleground House district, which covers a large swath of New York City’s northern suburbs.
Lawler, who announced his news in an interview Wednesday morning on Fox News’ “Fox and Friends,” had been seriously considering a bid for New York State governor.
“There’s no question Kathy Hochul is the worst governor in America,” Lawler told Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade, before adding, “In 2026, she needs to be defeated. But after months of deliberating over this and really working through it, I’ve decided the right thing to do for me and my family and my district is to run for re-election.”
His news is seen as a major relief to the White House and congressional Republicans, who are defending their razor-thin House majority in the 2026 midterms.
Top House Republicans as well as President Donald Trump had pressed Lawler to seek re-election, and Fox News confirmed that Lawler met with Trump last week at the White House to discuss his 2026 plans and other issues.
“While I fundamentally believe I am best positioned to take on Kathy Hochul and offer New Yorkers a real choice for Governor, I have made the decision to run for re-election to the House and continue the important work I’ve been doing over the past two and a half years,” Lawler shared in a statement with Fox News Digital Wednesday morning.
The Democratic Governors Association called Lawler’s decision a “humiliating setback” for Republicans, arguing that his choice means he doesn’t believe a Republican can win statewide.
However, Republicans now seem likely to avoid a hotly contested primary, as they said they hoped only one of Lawler or Elise Stefanik would go forward with a gubernatorial run.
Elise Stefanik released a statement Wednesday morning, calling Republicans “more unified than ever in our mission to fire the Worst Governor in America Kathy Hochul in 2026” and Lawler a “great, effective, and hardworking Representative for New York’s 17th Congressional District.”
“As I have previously stated, I am focused on supporting strong Republican local and county candidates on the ballot this November to lay the groundwork with a strong team for next year. I will make a final decision and announcement after this year’s November election which we are all focused on,” Stefanik added.
Stefanik seems all but certain to run for governor, with a source familiar with her thinking telling The Hill last month that “it’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when.”
Republicans have been hopeful that they could seriously compete for the office in 2026 after impressive performances in recent years. Hochul only won reelection in 2022 by about 6 points, a much closer margin than observers expected.
Trump also made significant gains in New York in last year’s presidential election, while still falling short by double digits of victory in the state.
A ticking time-bomb set by Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to Hurt ElectionsThey Must Be Stopped! |
Hours after a dramatic U.S. military operation in Venezuela that led to the capture of President Nicolás Maduro, President Donald Trump sharply escalated his rhetoric toward other foreign governments, criticizing Colombia’s president and reviving his long-standing idea of acquiring Greenland.
Trump, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, was initially responding to questions about a U.S. military operation in Caracas that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, as well as the future of Venezuela, when he shifted his focus to another South American country.
“Columbia’s very sick too, run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States. And he’s not going to be doing it very long. Let me tell you,” Trump said.
When pressed by a reporter to clarify his remarks, Trump claimed that Gustavo Petro has “cocaine mills and cocaine factories.”
“So there will be an operation by the U.S. in Colombia?” the reporter asked.
“It sounds good to me,” Trump responded.
The comments marked an unusually direct threat to a longtime U.S. partner, officially designated a Major Non-NATO Ally, and drew swift condemnation from Bogotá.
Colombia Condemns Remarks
Colombia’s government rejected Trump’s statements, calling any threat of force against an elected leader a violation of international law and national sovereignty. Officials emphasized that disagreements over narcotics trafficking do not justify military rhetoric against a democratic ally.
Analysts told the Associated Press that while no formal policy change has been announced, Trump’s remarks risk destabilizing diplomatic relations with a key U.S. security and trade partner. Colombia has long collaborated with Washington on counter-narcotics efforts, even as cocaine production has surged in recent years.
The episode follows Trump’s intensifying criticism of Latin American governments he says have failed to curb drug trafficking and migration.
Trump Renews Greenland Focus
Amid the fallout from the Venezuela operation and the Colombia comments, Trump also renewed his interest in Greenland, the Arctic territory governed by NATO ally Denmark.
Trump has repeatedly argued that U.S. control of Greenland is vital to American strategic interests. Both Greenlandic and Danish leaders have firmly rejected the idea, saying the territory is not for sale.
The White House has appointed Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry as a special envoy to Greenland, with an informal mandate to strengthen ties. Danish officials have criticized the move as an unacceptable challenge to Denmark’s territorial integrity.
While a formal acquisition remains highly unlikely because of legal and diplomatic barriers, Trump’s renewed focus on Greenland has reignited debate over Arctic security and great-power competition.
Echoes of the Monroe Doctrine
Trump has not formally announced a new Monroe Doctrine, but his rhetoric has revived comparisons to the 19th-century policy that treated the Western Hemisphere as a U.S. sphere of influence.
Throughout his political career, Trump has noted that China and Russia are expanding their footprint in Latin America through ports, telecommunications, and energy projects. At the same time, he has argued for withdrawing from overseas wars while taking a harder line closer to home.
Supporters often frame this approach as “America First” realism: resisting foreign powers in the hemisphere while avoiding large-scale military commitments elsewhere. Critics counter that it risks justifying intervention and could lead to a new generation of implacable military campaigns under a different label.
Divisions Inside the MAGA Coalition
Although largely supportive, reactions among Trump’s supporters are not uniform.
Populist nationalists within the MAGA movement strongly support a Monroe-style approach, viewing it as common-sense security and a way to push China out of the region without policing the entire world.
Libertarian-leaning and anti-interventionist conservatives are more skeptical. While they favor restraint abroad, they warn that asserting hemispheric dominance could lead to new interventions closer to home.
Evangelical and values-based conservatives are divided, often supporting resistance to leftist regimes such as Venezuela and Cuba but expressing concern about U.S. backing of governments with poor human rights records, as has been the case in Latin America.
A smaller group of traditional hawks aligned with MAGA favors a tougher posture, particularly to counter China, even if it risks deeper U.S. involvement overseas as domestic problems continue to mount.
The Bottom Line
In the aftermath of the Venezuela operation, Trump has adopted a more confrontational tone toward neighboring governments and revived controversial territorial ambitions abroad. Together, they signal a foreign policy posture that emphasizes regional dominance, skepticism of global institutions, and unilateral U.S. leverage — a combination that has unsettled allies and reopened debates over America’s role in its own hemisphere.
As Trump allies debate whether this approach reflects strategic restraint or intervention by another name, the administration’s next steps will determine whether the rhetoric translates into lasting policy shifts.
Trump then shifted his attention to Greenland, where he once again reiterated an interest in acquiring the Danish territory.
“We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it,” Trump said.
“We need Greenland from a national security situation. It’s so strategic,” he added.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen sharply rebuked Trump’s comments, urging him to cease what she described as baseless threats against a close ally.
“The Kingdom of Denmark – and thus Greenland – is part of NATO and is thus covered by the alliance’s security guarantee. We already have a defense agreement between the Kingdom and the USA today, which gives the USA wide access to Greenland. And we have invested significantly on the part of the Kingdom in the security of the Arctic,” said Frederiksen in a press release.
“I would therefore strongly urge that the U.S. stop the threats against a historically close ally and against another country and people who have said very clearly that they are not for sale,” Frederiksen added.
President Donald Trump blasted the Supreme Court after the justices refused to hear his appeal of the $5 million civil judgment in the E. Jean Carroll case, calling it another example of “weaponization” and vowing to keep fighting in court.
The high court declined without comment to review Trump’s challenge to the 2023 jury verdict, leaving intact the ruling that found him liable for sexually abusing and defaming longtime advice columnist E. Jean Carroll. The justices did not note any dissents.
Trump wasted little time responding.
“Surprisingly, the Supreme Court declined to ‘review’ a Fake Case brought against me by a woman I never met (Decades old celebrity photo line, standing with her husband, does not count!),” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“I will continue the fight against this Weaponization and Lawfare Case against me, including the ridiculous claim of Defamation, with all of my power and strength.”
The president argued the lawsuit was politically motivated, saying, “This Case is really against the United States of America, and all it stands for, and should never be allowed to happen to another President, or Candidate to be!”
Trump also renewed his criticism of New York’s Adult Survivors Act, the temporary law that opened a one-year window for decades-old sexual assault claims. He claimed the law was “tailormade” to target him and called the outcome an “Injustice.”
Monday’s decision effectively closes the door on Trump’s effort to overturn the original $5 million verdict, which stemmed from a civil trial in Manhattan in 2023. During that trial, jurors concluded Trump was liable for sexually abusing Carroll in the mid-1990s and for defaming her after she publicly accused him. Trump has consistently denied the allegations and has maintained that he never met Carroll.
The Supreme Court’s refusal to hear the case marks another legal setback for the president in his years-long battle with Carroll, but it is not the end of the broader litigation.
A separate case, in which a federal jury awarded Carroll $83.3 million after finding Trump repeatedly defamed her through public statements, remains on a separate appellate track. Trump’s legal team continues to challenge that judgment, arguing it should be overturned on multiple grounds.
Carroll’s attorney, Roberta Kaplan, celebrated the ruling, saying the Supreme Court’s action “affirms once and for all” the jury’s verdict and Trump’s liability in the case.
For Trump, however, Monday’s order appears to have only intensified his determination.
“I will continue the fight,” the president wrote, signaling that his legal battle with Carroll is far from over—even as one of the highest-profile cases against him has now reached its end.
