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    Trump Confirms US Military Airstrike Killed Al-Qaeda Official

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0
    David B. Gleason from Chicago, IL, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

    A member of a group linked to al Qaeda has been killed in a U.S. airstrike.

    On Saturday, U.S. forces “conducted a precision airstrike in Northwest Syria targeting and killing a senior finance and logistics official in the terrorist organization Hurras al-Din (HaD), an Al-Qaeda affiliate,” U.S. Central Command said in a press release.

    CENTCOM said the airstrike was part of its “ongoing commitment, along with partners in the region, to disrupt and degrade efforts by terrorists to plan, organize, and conduct attacks against civilians and military personnel from the U.S., our allies, and our partners throughout the region and beyond.”

    “We will continue to relentlessly pursue terrorists in order to defend our homeland, and U.S., allied, and partner personnel in the region,” Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla said in a statement.

    President Donald Trump congratulated U.S. forces following the mission.

    “US forces conducted a precision airstrike against a member of al-Qaeda in Syria this weekend,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “The terrorist leader was working with al-Qaeda across the region.”

    “Congratulations to CENTCOM Commander Gen. Michael Kurilla, and the US warfighters who dealt Justice to another Jihadi threatening America and our allies and partners,” he continued.

    Hurras al-Din was formed in 2018 after the Nusrah Front terror group broke off from Al-Qaeda. The group operates primarily in Syria’s Idlib Province and could have as many as 2,500 members, according to the National Counterterrorism Center.

    Trump Triggers Wave Of Backlash Over Gaza Strip Proposal

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1
    Image via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    President Trump’s explosive comments about the Gaza Strip immediately triggered a wave of backlash.

    The U.S. will “take over the Gaza Strip,” level it and rebuild the area, President Donald Trump said during a press conference Tuesday.

    “The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too,” Trump said Tuesday evening in a joint press conference with Netanyahu. “We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous, unexplored bombs and other weapons on the site.”

    “Level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings, level it out, create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area,” he said. “Do a real job. Do something different. Just can’t go back. If you go back, it’s going to end up the same way it has for 100 years.”

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who joined Trump for the Tuesday press conference, is the first world leader to meet with the president at the White House under his second administration.

    When asked about taking over the Gaza Strip, Trump said he could see the U.S. in a “long-term ownership position” of the piece of land, which would likely bring stability to the Middle East.

    “I see it bringing great stability to that part of the Middle East and maybe the entire Middle East,” Trump said. “And everybody I’ve spoken to – this was not a decision made lightly – everybody I’ve spoken to loves the idea of the United States owning that piece of land. Developing and creating thousands of jobs with something that will be magnificent in a really magnificent area that nobody would know. Nobody can look because all they see is death and destruction and rubble.” 

    Netanyahu, when also asked about the Gaza Strip, reiterated to the media that he has three goals, one of which is to “make sure that Gaza never poses a threat to Israel again.”

    “President Trump is taking it to a much higher level,” the Israeli leader said. “He sees a different – he sees a different future for that piece of land that has been the focus of so much terrorism, so much, so many attacks against us, so many, so many trials and so many tribulations. He has a different idea, and I think it’s worth paying attention to this.”

    Gaza has been devastated by months of Israeli military operations that followed Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, in which they killed more than 1,200 Israelis and took 250 people hostage.

    Trump said the Gaza Strip has become “a symbol of death and destruction for so many decades and so bad for the people anywhere near it.”

    “It should not go through a process of rebuilding and occupation by the same people that have really stood there and fought for it and lived there and died there and lived a miserable existence there,” he added. 

    Former Republican National Committee (RNC) chairwoman Ronna McDaniel shot down President Donald Trump’s plan to ethnically cleanse Gaza and turn it into a “riviera” on Tuesday, suggesting that the idea would not be able to get off the ground.

    Reacting on NewsNation’s Cuomo to Trump’s remarks, McDaniel said:

    Listen, I don’t think that this is something we’re gonna hear again. You saw Netanyahu kind of say, “Well we’ll look at it, review it.” Obviously, this is President Trump always thinking outside the box, always looking at different things, but it’s gonna have to have input from Arab partners, it’s gonna have to have input from Israel. I don’t know if this is gonna be something that’s gonna be a long-term strategy.

    Host Chris Cuomo noted, “It requires something that nobody in America wants. You would have to have, what, a hundred thousand troops on the ground?”

    “He would have to have support from Israel and Arab partners,” replied McDaniel:

    I mean, look at what he’s done with the Abraham Accords, look what he did with moving the embassy. I mean, Trump has thought outside the box and I remember, I remember sitting with him when he moved the embassy and everybody was, “Oh this is gonna cause so much unrest in the Middle East, and we can’t move the embassy to Jerusalem.” And I remember him saying this in a meeting, he said, “We’ll never find peace in the Middle East with this still on the table, so once we take this off the table, we can negotiate,”and that’s how he thinks. He thinks differently.

    She concluded, “So I do think he’s right that the same old, same old isn’t working and we do have to think differently when it comes to Gaza.”

    Hamas strongly rejected President Donald Trump’s proposal, calling it a “crime against humanity.”

    Fox News journalist Trey Yingst reported Wednesday that Hamas, the proscribed terrorist organization that has ruled Gaza since 2007, issued a statement to the network about Trump’s proposal.

    Read the statement in full below:

    What President Trump stated about his intention to displace the residents of the Gaza Strip outside it and the United States’ control over the Strip by force is a crime against humanity, and a reinforcement of the law of the jungle at the international level, and we consider it an interference in a topic which should not be of his concern, and accordingly we emphasize the following:

    First: Over the course of 15 months, the previous administration tried to displace the residents of the Gaza Strip with its unlimited support, especially militarily, for Netanyahu and his fascist government in carrying out genocide against our people, and failed to achieve this goal in the face of our people’s steadfastness and adherence to their homeland. Hence, with the previous administration failing to accomplish, no upcoming administration will succeed in implementing.

    Second: Gaza is in urgent need of comprehensive reconstruction plans after the systematic destruction caused by the aggression against it during 15 months, but the problem of reconstruction is not in the presence of the Palestinian people on their land, but rather in the continuation of the Zionist occupation and the stifling siege of the Gaza Strip for more than 17 years with American support.

    Third: We demand urgent regional and international action to put an end to these malicious plans, because any attempts to implement such plans will destabilize security in the region and beyond.

    Fourth: We demand that the mediators, especially the United States, oblige the occupation to implement the ceasefire agreement in its three stages without procrastination or manipulation, as we are committed to implementing the agreement as long as the occupation commits to it, and any manipulation in implementing the agreement may cause it to collapse.

    Report: Trump Reinstates ‘Maximum Pressure’ Campaign Against Iran

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    2
    Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    President Donald Trump unveiled an executive order reinstating a “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran on Tuesday, coinciding with a visit from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House. 

    Trump voiced that he was “torn” on signing the order and admitted he was “unhappy to do it,” noting that the executive order was very tough on Iran. 

    “Hopefully, we’re not going to have to use it very much,” Trump told reporters Tuesday. 

    The order instructs the Treasury Department to execute “maximum economic pressure” upon Iran through a series of sanctions aimed at sinking Iran’s oil exports. 

    His first administration also adopted a “maximum pressure” initiative against Tehran, issuing greater sanctions and harsher enforcement for violations. 

    Fox News reported that strict sanctions were reimposed upon Iran after Trump withdrew from the Iran deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, in May 2018. The 2015 agreement brokered under the Obama administration had lifted sanctions on Iran, in exchange for limits on Iran’s nuclear program. 

    Meanwhile, Trump signaled in January some optimism about securing a nuclear deal with Iran, when asked if he backed Israel striking Iran’s nuclear facilities. 

    “Iran hopefully will make a deal. I mean, they don’t make a deal, I guess that’s OK, too,” Trump said. 

    “We’ll have to see. I’m going to be meeting with various people over the next couple of days,” Trump told reporters on Jan. 24. “We’ll see, but hopefully that could be worked out without having to worry about it.”

    President Donald Trump also promised that Iran would face “total obliteration” if Iran tried to assassinate him on Tuesday — even if it succeeded.

    “How close do you think Iran is to developing nuclear weapons?” asked Fox News’ Peter Doocy.

    “I think they’re close, I think they’re close. They’re too close. But again, you can go back four years, I would have said they would have had it during this intervening period. But they’re pretty close, Peter,” answered Trump.

    Doocy then followed up by noting that Iran and its proxies have threatened to “retaliate against you and your team by killing you guys for taking out [Qasem] Soleimani.”

    “Well, they haven’t done that, and that would be a terrible thing for them to do. Not because of me, if they did that, they would be obliterated,” mused Trump. “That would be the end of-, I’ve left instructions: If they do it, they get obliterated. There won’t be anything left. And they shouldn’t be able to do it.”

    “And [former President Joe] Biden should have said that, but he never did. I don’t know why– lack of intelligence, perhaps, but he never said it,” continued the president. “If that happens to a leader or close to a leader, frankly, if you had other people involved also, you would call for total obliteration of a state that did it — that would include Iran. So I’m saying this and it’s a very powerful document, but hopefully we’re not going to have to use it.”

    FBI Agents Sue DOJ To Block Release Of Officials’ Names In Trump Investigations

    By
    Patrick Houck
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    4

    Nine anonymous FBI officials who worked on investigations related to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot and the classified documents case at Mar-a-Lago have filed a class-action lawsuit against the Trump administration. The lawsuit seeks to prevent the Department of Justice (DOJ) from compiling a list of officials involved in these high-profile cases, arguing that such a move could lead to retaliation and security risks.

    Agents Warn of National Security Concerns

    The plaintiffs claim the DOJ’s actions amount to an “unlawful” and “retaliatory” purge, raising alarms about potential misuse of the information.

    “Should this information fall into the wrong hands, the national security of the United States would be severely compromised,” the lawsuit states.

    Beyond job security, the agents fear broader professional consequences, alleging they could face demotions, lost promotions or blocked career opportunities as a result of their past investigative work.

    The New York Times has additional details:

    The lawsuits came in response to a demand by Emil Bove, the acting deputy attorney general, that the F.B.I. compile and turn over a list of everyone who worked on those cases. That group, the lawsuits estimated, could number as many as 6,000 agents.

    The lawsuits said that the agents believed the administration intended to reveal their identities, exposing the agents and their families to profound danger. They seek court orders prohibiting the executive branch from releasing the names.

    The Trump administration has not said it intends to release the identities of the law enforcement officials, but its demand for names of people who worked on the cases has stoked the belief that it may move to fire them en masse. At the Justice Department, prosecutors who have worked on cases involving President Trump or the Jan. 6 rioters have been dismissed. The lawsuits on Tuesday appear to be putting down a marker that could expand into a challenge to any mass firings if they happen.

    “It is clear that the threatened disclosure is a prelude to an unlawful purge of the F.B.I. driven solely by the Trump administration’s vengeful and political motivations,” Chris Mattei, a lawyer for the Federal Bureau of Investigation Agents Association, said in a statement. “Releasing the names of these agents would ignite a firestorm of harassment towards them and their families, and it must be stopped immediately.”

    DOJ Under Scrutiny

    The lawsuit marks a significant legal challenge to the administration’s handling of federal law enforcement personnel, particularly those involved in the cases against President Trump. Critics warn that the creation of such a list could pave the way for politically motivated employment retaliation, a concern that has gained traction, especially on the left, amid ongoing debates over government oversight and accountability.

    A key element of the case is a DOJ questionnaire, which the plaintiffs say was distributed to thousands of FBI officials, asking them to disclose their involvement in Jan. 6 and Trump-related investigations. The lawsuit argues this effort could set a dangerous precedent for targeting law enforcement officials based on past casework.

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

    Trump Hits Senior FBI Officials In Unexpected Ultimatum

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    3

    Senior FBI officials were delivered a brutal ultimatum…

    According to Fox News, the Trump administration informed some senior FBI officials to either resign or be fired.

    The exact number has not been disclosed, but the ultimatum was allegedly given to senior employees promoted under former director, Christopher A. Wray.

    President Donald Trump’s administration took these steps as his nominee to lead the bureau, Kash Patel, said he would not begin his tenure with retribution or focus on past transgressions. 

    “I have no interest, no desire and will not, if confirmed, go backwards. There will be no politicization at the FBI. There will be no retributive actions taken,” Patel said at the Senate Judiciary Committee.

    According to reporting from The New York Times, an email to colleagues from one of the senior agents outlined that he had learned he would be dismissed “from the rolls of the F.B.I.” as soon as Monday morning.

    “I was given no rationale for this decision, which, as you might imagine, has come as a shock,” he wrote.

    During the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Patel said he is unaware of any plans of retribution by the Trump administration.

    “Are you aware of any plans or discussions to punish in any way, including termination, FBI agents or personnel associated with Trump investigations?” asked Democratic Sen. Cory Booker.

    “I am not aware of that, senator,” Patel replied.

    Although Patel has been nominated, a director has not been officially confirmed to take charge, so the news of the ultimatum was alarming for those involved.

    Until the vote comes to a close, Brian Driscoll remains the bureau’s acting director.

    Colombian President Immediately Backtracks After Trump Threat

    By
    Seijah Drake
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    1

    Colombian President Gustavo Petro has backed down from his earlier declaration that he would not accept deportation flights from the United States. After initially refusing two repatriation flights containing 160 deportable migrants, Petro announced that he would instead send his presidential plane to personally pick up deported individuals, according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter.

    This came after former President Donald Trump, who has consistently criticized Petro’s handling of immigration matters, responded with a series of strong retaliatory measures, including the imposition of emergency 25% tariffs on Colombian goods and the threat of a broader diplomatic and economic crackdown.

    The Colombian president had originally indicated that he would accept deportation flights from the U.S. but changed his tune resulting in two flights being halted. The public explanation offered was that the U.S. treated Colombian migrants as “criminals,” which he argued violated basic human rights, though some doubted the sincerity of his rationale.

    In his announcement, Petro demanded that the United States “establish a protocol for the dignified treatment of migrants before we receive them.” 

    Petro was met with swift and fierce condemnation from former President Trump, who argued that Petro’s refusal to accept the flights jeopardized U.S. national security. Trump highlighted the seriousness of the issue in a post on Truth Social.

    In response to Petro’s decision, Trump wasted no time in outlining a series of retaliatory measures aimed at pressuring the Colombian government into complying with U.S. demands. On Sunday, Trump announced that his administration would implement “emergency 25% tariffs” on all Colombian imports to the U.S., a figure he vowed would escalate to 50% within one week.

    These tariffs are expected to impact a wide range of goods, from agricultural products to textiles, and could severely harm Colombia’s economy, which relies heavily on exports to the U.S. Trump’s statement also included plans for a travel ban and visa revocations targeting Colombian government officials, along with their allies and supporters.

    Trump emphasized that these actions were just the beginning, stating, “We will not allow the Colombian Government to violate its legal obligations with regard to the acceptance and return of the criminals they forced into the United States.”

    In a further escalation of tensions, a U.S. official revealed that the U.S. Embassy in Colombia would close on Monday following Petro’s refusal to honor his previous commitment. While no further details were provided regarding the closure, this move is likely to further strain the relationship between the two nations. The embassy’s closure could have a significant impact on diplomatic and consular services, including visa processing.

    Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News

    Senate Confirms Trump CIA Pick

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    3
    Image via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    On Thursday, the Senate confirmed John Ratcliffe to lead the Central Intelligence Agency in an overwhelming bipartisan fashion, making him the second member of President Trump’s national security team to be approved by the upper chamber.

    Senators confirmed Ratcliffe in a 74-25 vote. Twenty-one members who caucus with Democrats voted with every present Republican. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) did not vote.

    “He will bring valuable knowledge and experience to his new post,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said on the floor earlier this week, pointing to Ratcliffe’s tenure as Director of National Intelligence (DNI) and on the House Intelligence Committee. “Mr. Ratcliffe brings the right experience and the right approach to the CIA, and I look forward to working with him in his new position.” 

    Ratcliffe’s nomination cleared the Senate Intelligence Committee, 14 to 3. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the panel’s vice chairman, was among Ratcliffe’s backers. 

    During his confirmation hearing, he specifically told Democrats that he would keep the CIA apolitical and would not fire any agency employees based on political leanings or opposition to the president. 

    He’s also received bipartisan high marks for his stance on China, having been a long-time proponent of combating the Chinese Communist Party — a topic that came up during his confirmation hearing last week. 

    “Understand that the nation who wins the race of emerging technologies of today will dominate the world of tomorrow,” Ratcliffe said at the time. “Which brings me to the need for the CIA to continue and increase an intensity to focus on the threats posed by China and its ruling Chinese Communist Party. As DNI, I dramatically increased the intelligence community’s resources devoted to China.”

    The vote comes after the chamber unanimously confirmed Secretary of State Marco Rubio and puts half of Trump’s initial national security team in place, with Senate Republicans planning on moving on the other half “in the coming days,” according to Thune.

    Trump Issues Pardons For J6 Defendants

    By
    Patrick Houck
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    8
    Tyler Merbler, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

    President Donald Trump has granted pardons to approximately 1,500 individuals charged in connection with the January 6 Capitol riot. He also announced several commutations for those who committed violent acts during the event.

    Reports indicate that most participants in the January 6 protest and riot at the U.S. Capitol in 2021 are being released from prison tonight, including those who have not yet gone to trial or received sentences.

    The sweeping pardons signify the conclusion of one of the most extensive FBI investigations in history.

    As The Hill reports:

    “What they’ve done to these people is outrageous,” Trump said while signing various orders from the Oval Office, his first time in the White House since he was inaugurated early in the day.

    He briefly said Monday night that he would grant roughly 1,500 pardons for rioters charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack. There have been 1,583 total defendants charged.

    They came just hours after former President Biden in the 11th hour of his presidency issued preemptive pardons for members and staff of the House Jan. 6 committee, which investigated the riot.  

    Following his Inauguration, the president signed executive orders at the Capitol One Arena that include:

    • A freeze on all further regulations
    • A freeze on all federal hiring, except for military personnel and certain other categories
    • A requirement for all federal employees to return to in-person work full-time
    • A directive to all federal agencies and departments to address the cost of living crisis
    • A directive for the government to restore freedom of speech and eliminate government censorship
    • A directive to end the weaponization of the government against former presidential administrations

    Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News

    Trump Revokes Security Clearances For Officials Linked To Hunter Biden Laptop Letter

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    3
    President Joe Biden hugs his family during the 59th Presidential Inauguration ceremony in Washington, Jan. 20, 2021. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris took the oath of office on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol. (DOD Photo by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Carlos M. Vazquez II)

    In one of his first moves as President, Trump revoked the security clearances of more than 50 national security officials who said Hunter Biden’s laptop had “all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation.”

    In 2020, a total of 51 former national security officials released a public letter in 2020 claiming that even though the laptop did not have “any evidence of Russian involvement,” it looked like a “Russian information operation.”

    The letter came after the New York Post reported that they had emails showing Hunter Biden coordinated for Joe Biden to meet with a top executive at Ukrainian energy company Burisma months before pressuring Ukrainian officials to oust a prosecutor to investigate the company. 

    Included on the list are former director of National Intelligence James Clapper Jr., former directors of the Central Intelligence Agency Michael Hayden, John Brennan, former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, and former National Security Advisor John Bolton. 

    Fox News Digital previously reported that federal investigators with the Department of Justice were aware that Hunter Biden’s laptop was not manipulated and contained “reliable evidence.” 

    The order was one of more than 200 executive orders Trump approved on Inauguration Day, joining directives like withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement that the U.S. initially entered under former President Barack Obama’s administration in 2015. 

    Other executive orders Trump signed on day one include rescinding nearly 80 executive orders and memoranda issued under Biden, issuing a regulatory and hiring freeze upon the federal government, preventing “government censorship” of free speech, and directing every department and agency to address the cost of living crisis. 

    Prior to Trump’s Inauguration, the House Judiciary Committee signaled it plans to continue its probe into the criminal investigation of Hunter Biden who was issued a full pardon by his father.

    READ NEXT: Republican Says Hunter Biden Investigation Will Move Forward

    Republican Holdout Opts To Support Sec. Of Defense Nominee

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1
    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.”

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