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    This is What Byron Donalds Got In Exchange for Voting McCarthy as Speaker

      By
      Madeleine Jackson
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      4
      Byron Donalds via Gage Skidmore Flickr

      After an epic 15-rounds of voting the U.S. House of Representatives finally have a Speaker.

      Kevin McCarthy’s road to the Speaker’s office was filled with twists, turns, and a number of concessions as the California lawmaker desperately fought to convince nearly 20 hardline Republicans to sway their votes in his favor.

      Rep. Byron Donalds (Fla.) was among a group of 20 hardline Republicans who refused to vote for McCarthy after he initially voted in his favor. He later switched to support Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) before his fellow Republicans nominated him for the role. 

      Ultimately, Donalds revealed to Fox News’s Maria Bartiromo that he is being placed on the House Republican Steering Committee in exchange for supporting Kevin McCarthy for House speaker. 

      “I’m frankly just happy that it’s all over with, and that we got something transformational and sound for the American people,” Donalds said. 

      The committee’s purpose is to assign fellow Republicans to other House committees. Donalds noted that his appointment to the Steering Committee was an important step to having “more [Republican] voices on more committees.”

      “Early on I gave Kevin the benefit of the doubt. But it came pretty quickly clear to me that we were getting nowhere. And so, at that point, it was saying, ‘OK, how long is this going to go? What’s this going to play out like?’” Donalds said. “And so it was really about trying to make sure that we can get people to the table in order to construct a framework that everybody in our conference can get behind.”

      Amanda Head: My Thoughts on the Speaker Votes

      By
      Amanda Head
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      1

      It’s been a long week in the House of Representatives. A tumultuous battle for House Speaker has put Congress on hold indefinitely.

      Watch Amanda break down the ongoing situation below:

      Opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of Great America News Desk.

      Court Rules on Teacher Who Sported MAGA Hat to School Training

        By
        Madeleine Jackson
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        3
        Johnny Silvercloud, CC BY-SA 2.0

        A former teacher in Washington is celebrating a big win protecting his First Amendment rights.

        The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth District ruled former Wy’east Middle School science teacher Eric Dodge’s decision to bring a “Make America Great Again” hat to a school training was protected speech under the First Amendment.

        According to Fox News, Dodge wore the MAGA hat while walking up to an Evergreen Public Schools building to attend a staff-only cultural sensitivity and racial bias training.

        Dodge, who was an educator for more than 17 years, didn’t wear the hat during the training but had it set it out where others could see it near his belongings, according to court documents. Some attendees reportedly said they felt “intimidated” and “threatened” by Dodge’s decision to have the hat with him.

        The school’s principal Caroline Garret reportedly approached him about the hat and told him to use better judgment. Dodge later brought the hat to another training before the 2019-2020 school year.

        On Dec. 29, the appeals panel ruled in favor of Dodge and decided the school district failed to show evidence of a “tangible disruption” to school operations that would outweigh the teacher’s First Amendment rights.

        The court noted that because Dodge did not wear the hat around students or in a classroom setting, his decision to wear the hat represented his beliefs alone and could not represent the school system.

        Dodge’s lawyers also argued that there was “no general prohibition on political speech” when Garrett told Dodge he could not bring his MAGA hat to school, even adding that Garrett allowed a Black Lives Matter poster to hang in the library and sported a Bernie Sanders bumper sticker on her car.

        “That some may not like the political message being conveyed is par for the course and cannot itself be a basis for finding disruption of a kind that outweighs the speaker’s First Amendment rights,” Judge Danielle J. Forrest wrote in the opinion.

        The document concluded by saying “concern over the reaction to controversial or disfavored speech itself does not justify restricting such speech.”

        Katie Hobbs Takes Unconventional Move for Inauguration Ceremony

          By
          Madeleine Jackson
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          0
          Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

          Arizona’s new governor is already off to a rocky start.

          On Monday, Katie Hobbs (D) was sworn in as Arizona’s newest governor. The ceremony received little coverage and was widely kept from the public eye because Gov. Hobbs barred reporters from attending the ceremony.

          According to local reporters, the Democrat’s team allowed only a single photographer from the Associated Press into the room at the state Capitol while directing others to instead watch the event via live steam

          “Arizona’s 24th governor, Katie Hobbs, assumed power at 10 a.m. on Monday and in her first official act, she decided to take the public’s business private. Not a great start,” tweeted Laurie Roberts, a columnist for The Arizona Republic.

          According to The Daily Wire, as Roberts pointed out in a column, the restricted access deprived reporters the ability to ask questions of officials who are now leading the state. Others who took office on Monday included Democrats Adrian Fontes as secretary of state and Kris Mayes as attorney general.

          Roberts also noted Monday was a state holiday and Hobbs will participate in a ceremonial inauguration Thursday. Still, she added, Hobbs “decided to take the public’s business private” in her first official act, part of a celebratory affair funded by secret donors.

          Hobbs faced a contentious election battle against Trump-backed news anchor Kari Lake who recently sued Hobbs over the election outcome. (RELATED: Kari Lake Appeals Election Contest Dismissal)

          According to The Washington Examiner, In the appeal filed with Arizona Superior Court on Tuesday, the MAGA Republican challenged the dismissal of several counts that were thrown out by Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson over the weekend. In his decision, Thompson ruled Lake’s campaign did not have sufficient evidence to support her claims that the election was influenced by intentional misconduct that handed Hobbs the victory.

          “I am standing up for the people of this state, the people who were done wrong on Election Day, and the millions of people who live outside of Maricopa County, whose vote was watered down by this bogus election in Maricopa County,” Lake told Steve Bannon on his War Room podcast on Tuesday.

          Lake signaled her intent to appeal the judge’s decision shortly after her lawsuit was thrown out, claiming her “election case provided the world with evidence that proves our elections are run outside of the law.”

          Don Jr. Signs Multimillion Deal with Video Streaming Platform

            By
            Madeleine Jackson
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            0
            Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

            Donald Trump Jr. is taking his talents to Rumble.

            The former president’s oldest son has reportedly signed a seven-figure multi-year deal to host a podcast with the conservative social media website Rumble.

            According to The Hill, “Triggered” will debut later this month, streaming on Rumble and available on Locals, Rumble’s subscription platform, where following each episode, Trump Jr. will take live questions from viewers.

            Rumble has emerged in recent years as a smaller alternative to YouTube, formed amid long-held, unsubstantiated assertions from conservatives that Big Technology companies such as Apple, Facebook, and YouTube parent company Google are biased against their viewpoints

            “While other Big Tech companies are focused on censoring dissent, Rumble is building a platform that welcomes it, which is why so many content creators — all over the political spectrum — are now joining them,” he said in a statement this week.

            The official deal with Rumble comes as Don Jr. has seen his following on the platform skyrocket since his father left the White House.

            Former Trump Official A Slams Ex-White House Press Sec. Kayleigh McEnany

              By
              Madeleine Jackson
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              0
              Kayleigh McEnany via Gage Skidmore Flickr

              The claws are out.

              In a scathing attack former White House communications director Alyssah Farah Griffin called former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany a “liar and an opportunist” during her interview with the House Jan. 6th committee.

              “The View” co-host’s shocking view of her former colleague, was included in a batch of interview transcripts released by the House panel on Thursday. According to The Hill, Farah Griffin criticized McEnany for helping perpetuate the notion that the 2020 election was stolen throughout the interview.

              “I am a Christian woman, so I will say this. Kayleigh is a liar and an opportunist,” Farah Griffin said in her April interview with the committee. “She’s a smart woman. She’s a Harvard law grad. She knew we lost the election, but she made a calculation that she wanted to have a certain life post-Trump that required staying in his good graces.”  

              “She got her FOX News gig. It worked out precisely how she’d always planned for it to, but she knew better.” 

              She said McEnany wasn’t a “true believer” in the idea that former President Trump actually won the 2020 election. 

              Farah Griffin resigned from her position in the White House as then-President Trump continued his legal battles to overturn the 2020 election results.

              “The View” co-host has also faced accusations of being an opportunist and of shifting her political values to line up with her priorities at the moment.

              Kari Lake Wants Maricopa County Officials Imprisoned

                By
                Madeleine Jackson
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                30
                Kari Lake speaking with supporters at a "Stand for Freedom" rally at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Scottsdale Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona. [Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons]

                Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake is calling for extreme measures to be taken against Maricopa County election officials.

                According to The Hill, the former TV news anchor said Maricopa officials should be “locked up” as she discussed her plans to challenge Gov.-elect Katie Hobbs’ election victory in court.

                “These people are crooks, they need to be locked up,” Lake said of Maricopa County election officials, after listing off a series of largely disproven claims about election fraud.

                Maricopa County, Arizona’s most populous jurisdiction that includes Phoenix, has become an epicenter for allegations of voter disenfranchisement after some Election Day vote centers experienced printer malfunctions. 

                But Lake and others in the GOP have claimed the issues effectively amounted to voter disenfranchisement, noting that Election Day ballots in the state favor Republicans.

                However, Lake said she wasn’t sure how the judge would rule on the dismissal motion, asking the crowd to pray for him.

                “We’ve seen judges dismiss cases, I don’t want you to get discouraged,” Lake told the crowd. “It could happen. We’re going to kick this right up to the Supreme Court, and I will not stop fighting.”

                Among other allegations, Lake on Sunday claimed 300,000 ballots in Maricopa County were tabulated without proper chain of custody paperwork, as she has alleged in court, calling county election officials “magicians” who made ballots randomly appear.

                The Most Patriotic Christmases in American History

                  By
                  Madeleine Jackson
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                  0
                  Ted Eytan from Washington, DC, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

                  Now Christmas Day is usually spent with family and friends around a beautiful tree but in a not-so-distant past, the events that took place on December 25th were pivotal to shaping our nation.

                  These are some of the defining moments in American history that happened on Christmas Day.

                  1776 – Washington Crosses the Delaware

                  Emanuel Leutze via Wikimedia Commons

                  After a series of defeats, the Continental Army stood on the verge of losing the Revolutionary War. On Christmas night 1776, General George Washington led 2,400 troops across the frozen Delaware River, in a desperate attack against the Hessian garrison in Trenton, New Jersey. Washington’s surprise attack led to a decisive victory that changed the war’s course.

                  1814 – The Treaty of Ghent Ends the War of 1812

                  Edward Percy Moran via Wikimedia Commons

                  After four months of negotiations in Ghent, Belgium, the United States, and Great Britain came to an agreement on Christmas Eve to end the thirty-two-month struggle between the two nations. Historians consider the war a draw, with both countries surrendering territories they conquered.

                  1836 – Alabama Declares Christmas a Legal Holiday

                  Noah Wulf via Wikimedia Commons

                  The 22nd state became the first in the nation to officially recognize Christmas as a holiday, which wouldn’t become a federal holiday until 1870.

                  1896 – John Philip Sousa Writes “Stars and Stripes Forever”

                  The Phonogram, ed. Virginia McRae via Wikimedia Commons

                  John Philip Sousa, legendary director of the U.S. Marine Band, composed “Stars and Stripes Forever” on Christmas Day during a return trip from Europe across the Atlantic Ocean. His homesickness inspired the patriotic march, which became the official National March of the United States of America in 1987.

                  1944 – General Patton Prays for Deliverance

                  U.S. ARMY PHOTO via Wikimedia Commons

                  As Gen. George S. Patton’s army attempted to relieve encircled U.S. forces in the Battle of the Bulge, wintry weather swept across Europe. Conditions were so bad that they threatened his timetable. Patton contacted James H. O’Neill, the Head Chaplain of the Third Army to deliver a prayer for good weather. O’Neill wrote a prayer, which went to every soldier in Patton’s Third Army. The next day the weather cleared for six straight days, allowing the Allies to deliver a knockout blow. On Christmas Eve, Patton pinned O’Neill with the Bronze Star Medal.

                  1968 – Apollo 8 Orbits the Moon

                  Project Apollo Archive via Wikimedia Commons

                  In one of the most-watched events in television history, the astronauts of Apollo 8 became the first men to orbit the moon and view the Earth from the natural satellite’s dark side on Christmas Eve. As the nation watched the otherworldly images from their spacecraft with rapt attention, Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and William Anders read lines from the Bible’s Book of Genesis.

                  The trio capped off their oration with the now-famous line: “Merry Christmas and God bless all of you, all of you on the good Earth.”

                  CNN Boss Says This Caught Him Off Guard

                    By
                    Madeleine Jackson
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                    0
                    CNN Headquarters via Wikimedia Commons

                    CNN boss Chris Licht recently told The New York Times that he was caught off guard by the amount of vitriol he’s faced from the left over his effort to steer the network away from its hyper-partisan image.

                    Read the Manliest Christmas Card Ever, Courtesy of General Patton

                    By
                    Madeleine Jackson
                    -
                    6
                    no data, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

                    The Christmas season brings together family and friends to share memories of seasons past and discuss the true meaning of the holiday.

                    One little-known moment in America’s history is worth sharing with friends this Christmas season…

                    During a decisive point during the Battle of the Bulge, General George S. Patton’s Third Army became bogged down in its drive to relieve the legendary 101st Airborne Division trapped at Bastogne, Belgium. 

                    The besieged Americans has just successfully defended the vital crossroads town from a German force that outnumbered them by nine-to-one but frigid winter conditions had grounded the Allied air force, neutralizing their advantage in the air and leaving Americans at severe risk.

                    With little hope of survival left Patton turned to his faith and requested Rev. Msgr. James Hugh O’Neill, chaplain of the Third Army, compose what became known as the “Weather Prayer.” 

                    Here’s what it said:

                    “Almighty and most merciful Father, we humbly beseech Thee, of Thy great goodness, to restrain these immoderate rains with which we have had to contend. Grant us fair weather for Battle. Graciously hearken to us as soldiers who call Thee that, armed with Thy power, we may advance from victory to victory, and crush the oppression and wickedness of our enemies, and establish Thy justice among men and nations. Amen.” 

                    On the reverse side of the prayer card distributed to every GI under his command, Patton wrote:

                    “To each officer and soldier in the Third United States Army, I wish a Merry Christmas. I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty, and skill in battle. We march in our might to complete victory. May God’s blessings rest upon each of you on this Christmas Day. — G.S. Patton, Jr., Lieutenant General, Commanding, Third United States Army.”

                    A Christmas miracle brought clear skies the next day and American ground attack aircraft decimated the Nazis’ armored spearheads and the rest was history…

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