White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced Thursday that the Kennedy Centerโs board voted unanimously to rename the institution to the “Trump-Kennedy Center” in recognition of what she described as President Donald Trumpโs efforts to save the building over the past year.
โI have just been informed that the highly respected Board of the Kennedy Center, some of the most successful people from all parts of the world, have just voted unanimously to rename the Kennedy Center to the Trump-Kennedy Center, because of the unbelievable workย President Trumpย has done over the last year in saving the building,โ Leavitt wrote in a post on social platform X.ย
โNot only from the standpoint of its reconstruction, but also financially, and its reputation. Congratulations to President Donald J. Trump, and likewise, congratulations to President Kennedy, because this will be a truly great team long into the future! The building will no doubt attain new levels of success and grandeur,โ she continued.
Roma Daravi, the vice president of public relations at the Kennedy Center, confirmed Leavittโs statement.
โThe Kennedy Center Board of Trustees voted unanimously today to name the institution The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts,โ Daravi said. โThe unanimous vote recognizes that the current Chairman saved the institution from financial ruin and physical destruction. The new Trump Kennedy Center reflects the unequivocal bipartisan support for Americaโs cultural center for generations to come.โ
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has claimed she would โstompโย JD Vanceย in a presidential election.
Ocasio-Cortez, the Left-wing congresswoman, made the claim hours after sharing a poll โ conducted by The Argument and Verasight and released Tuesday โ found Ocasio-Cortez leading Vance 51% to 49%, a difference within the surveyโs 2.7-percentage-point margin of error, making the two candidates statistically tied. Respondents were asked how they would vote if the election were held between the New York Democrat and the Republican vice president.
When asked about the poll as she left the US Capitol on Wednesday evening, she initially downplayed its significance.
โThese polls like three years outโฆ they are what they are,โ she told a reporter, who filmed the encounter.
โBut let the record show I would stomp him โ I would stomp him!โ she added, laughing as she walked off and entered a waiting car.
Ocasio-Cortez, often known by her initials โAOCโ, is seen as one of the frontrunners in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028.
The poll โ conducted by The Argument and Verasight and released Tuesday โ found Ocasio-Cortez leading Vance 51% to 49%, a difference within the surveyโs 2.7-percentage-point margin of error, making the two candidates statistically tied. Respondents were asked how they would vote if the election were held between the New York Democrat and the Republican vice president.
Neither Ocasio-Cortez nor Vance has formally announced a 2028 campaign, but both are widely viewed as potential contenders to lead their respective parties. Ocasio-Cortez, first elected to Congress in 2018, has become one of the most prominent progressive voices in national politics. Vance, a former U.S. senator from Ohio and bestselling author, joined the GOP ticket in 2024 and became vice president after Donald Trump returned to the White House.
Demographic Splits Highlight Each Candidateโs Base
The poll found that Vance maintains a substantial advantage with white voters, leading Ocasio-Cortez 57% to 43% in that demographic. Ocasio-Cortez, however, holds wide leads among voters of color, including 79% support among Black voters and 64% among Hispanic voters. (RELATED: Democrats Win Miami Mayorโs Office After Nearly 30 Years Out Of Power)
Those patterns reflect longstanding partisan alignments: Republicans have consistently performed strongly with white voters in recent presidential contests, while Democrats have relied heavily on support from Black and Hispanic voters, though margins among the latter group have narrowed in recent years.
Standings Within Their Parties
Although Ocasio-Cortez polls competitively in a general election hypothetical, recent Democratic primary surveys show her trailing more established national figures, including former Vice President Kamala Harris and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. This suggests she would face a difficult path in a crowded primary field.
Another recent survey testing a three-way hypothetical between California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Vance, and Ocasio-Cortez found Newsom leading with 36%, with Ocasio-Cortez and Vance tied at 34% each.
On the Republican side, speculation around the 2028 field remains fluid. Asked in October which Republicans might consider a future presidential run, President Donald Trump told reporters, โWe have great peopleโฆ We have JD, obviously, the vice president is great. I think [Secretary of State] Marcoโs [Rubio] great. I think Iโm not sure if anybody would run against those. I think if they ever formed a group, it would be unstoppable. I really do. I believe that. I would love to do it. I have my best numbers ever.โ
Trump, who returned to the presidency in 2025 after previously serving from 2017 to 2021, remains subject to the constitutional limits of the 22nd Amendment, which states that โno person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.โ The provision clearly bars any individual from winning a third term, but its application to Trumpโs unique electoral history has become a matter of legal dispute.
Constitutional scholars and legal analysts differ on how the amendment should be interpreted in Trumpโs case, particularly whether his two election victories โ in 2016 and 2024 โ preclude him from pursuing future campaigns. Several lawsuits filed in 2025 seek judicial rulings enforcing the 22nd Amendment against Trumpโs eligibility to appear on future ballots. Those cases are pending in federal courts and are expected to draw appeals, potentially reaching the Supreme Court. (RELATED: President Trumpโs Legal Battle With The Pulitzer Prize Board Escalates)
Vance Addresses Speculation About His Future
Vice President Vance has attempted to downplay discussions about his potential 2028 ambitions.
In an interview earlier this month with Fox News host Sean Hannity, Vance said, โI would say that Iโve thought about what that moment might look like after the midterm elections. But I also, whenever I think about that, I try to put it out of my head and remind myself the American people elected me to do a job right now, and my job is to do it.โ
Former Special Counsel Jack Smith claimed in closed-door congressional testimony on Wednesday that investigators had proof โbeyond a reasonable doubtโ that Presidentย Donald Trumpย โcriminallyโ conspired to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
Smithย made the remarks in his opening statement to lawmakers on the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.
โI made my decisions in the investigation without regard to President Trumpโs political association, activities, beliefs, or candidacy in the 2024 election,โ Smith said in his opening statement, which was obtained in advance by the Associated Press. โWe took actions based on what the facts and the law required โ the very lesson I learned early in my career as a prosecutor.
Smith added that his probe had โdeveloped powerful evidence that showed President Trump willfully retained highly classified documents after he left office in January 2021, storing them at his social club, including in a bathroom and a ballroom where events and gatherings took place.โ
Smithโs investigation, which began in 2022, focused on Trumpโs alleged effort to overturn his 2020 election loss, as well as the classified documents that were stored at Mar-a-Lago.
Charges were filed in both investigations, but later droppedย due to the longstanding DOJ policy against the indictment of a sitting president.
President Trump has yet to comment on Smith’s bold accusation.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.), one of the few Republicans who voted to impeach President Donald Trump in 2021, announced that he will not seek re-election in 2026.
“This decision comes with no reservations or remorse, only gratitude for the tremendous opportunity to have represented my home state in Congress,” Newhouse wrote in a statement.
Today I am announcing I will not seek reelection in 2026. See my statement below: pic.twitter.com/374ez1r0Lc
Ted Eytan from Washington, DC, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
A pair of Senate Republicans has joined Democrats in backing legislation to roll back former President Donald Trumpโs executive order on federal unions โ but it remains uncertain whether the bill will ever reach the Senate floor.
The House recently passed its version of the measure, the American Workers Protection Act, sponsored by Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) The bill would undo Trumpโs March executive order that restricts collective bargaining for most federal unions across agencies such as the Departments of War, Justice, State, Energy, and Veterans Affairs.
While nearly two dozen House Republicans crossed the aisle to support the legislation, similar GOP backing in the Senate appears far less likely.
So far, only Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) have signed on as co-sponsors of the Senate companion bill, originally introduced in September by Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.)
Collins, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, said in a statement to Fox News Digital that she agreed with Golden that โcollective bargaining, which is afforded to federal employees under the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, should be restored.โ
Murkowski also defended the protections, arguing that federal employees โdeserved these protections.โ
โCollective bargaining rights and workplace protections have lifted up federal employees across the United States for decades, protecting them from unsafe working conditions and political retribution,โ she told Fox News Digital.
But broader Republican support in the upper chamber is doubtful โ in part because the bill sits in the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which is chaired by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) a longtime advocate of right-to-work legislation. Even Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) โ generally more open to pro-worker policies โ signaled reservations.
โI donโt know,โ Hawley told Fox News Digital. โThe public sector unions and private sector unions seem to be two different things.โ
The House passed the bill 231โ195, with all โnoโ votes coming from Republicans. Its advancement was made possible only after Golden filed a discharge petition, a procedural tool that forces a vote if a majority of House members sign on โ even over leadershipโs objections. No similar mechanism exists in the Senate.
Senators could still attempt to force a floor vote, but that would require Republican consent โ something that appears unlikely at the moment. Still, a source close to Golden told Fox News Digital that he is actively talking with senators to build support for such a move.
Golden said Friday that both he and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) have begun outreach to Senate offices.
He confirmed he had already spoken with โa fewโ senators after the House vote but added, โthe real push is gonna be coming in the days and weeks ahead.โ
Warner, who is leading the Senate effort, argued that the GOP defections in the House show the executive order went too far.
โRepublicans and Democrats alike are recognizing that you canโt run a functioning government by attacking the very workforce that keeps Americans safe,โ Warner said. โThe bipartisan momentum in the House only strengthens our hand in the Senate, and I intend to build on it.โ
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
President Donald Trump has filed a $5 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC over its deceptive editing of a speech delivered by Trump on Jan. 6, 2021.
The lawsuit was filed in a federal court in Miami. In the 46-page filing, Trumpโs team argues the edit gave the โmistaken impressionโ he called for violence on that day.
โThis instance of doctoringโin the form of distortion of meaning and splicing of entirely unrelated word sequencesโis part of the BBCโs longstanding pattern of manipulating President Trumpโs speeches and presenting content in a misleading manner in order to defame him, including fabricating calls for violence that he never made,โ the lawsuit states.
โThe BBC, faced with overwhelming and justifiable outrage on both sides of the Atlantic, has publicly admitted its staggering breach of journalistic ethics, and apologized, but has made no showing of actual remorse for its wrongdoing nor meaningful institutional changes to prevent future journalistic abuses,โ it continues.
The footage used in the broadcasterโs Panorama documentary spliced together two separate clips, creating the impression Trump told supporters: โWeโre going to walk down to the Capitolโฆ and Iโll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell.โ
The two clips are separated by 55 minutes in Trumpโs original speech, and the documentary also left out Trumpโs explicit calls for supporters to protest โpeacefully and patriotically.โ
Speaking in Washington DC, the president accused the broadcaster of โputting terrible words in my mouth that I didnโt sayโ and claimed the BBC โmay have used AIโ in its investigative Panorama show. He later added: โThey actually have me speaking with words that I never said, and they got caughtโฆ Letโs call [it] fake news.โ
In a statement to The New York Times, Trumpโs legal team said: โThe formerly respected and now disgraced BBC defamed President Trump by intentionally, maliciously and deceptively doctoring his speech in a brazen attempt to interfere in the 2024 presidential election.โ
The fallout has already triggered resignations at the top of the BBC, including director generalย Tim Davieย and BBC News CEOย Deborah Turness.
The BBC later issued an apology to Trump for his portrayal in the documentary:
โ[W]e accept that our edit unintentionally created the impression that we were showing a single continuous section of the speech, rather than excerpts from different points in the speech, and that this gave the mistaken impression that President Trump had made a direct call for violent action,โ the statement said.
โThe BBC would like to apologize to President Trump for that error of judgement. This programme was not scheduled to be re-broadcast and will not be broadcast again in this form on any BBC platforms,โ it added.
Trumpโs latest lawsuit follows a string of high-profile legal battles against U.S.-based media outlets, includingย The New York Timesย andย Wall Street Journal.
By Kevin Payravi - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=179718533
Nobel Peace Prize winner Marรญa Corina Machado, one of Venezuelaโs most prominent pro-democracy leaders, is strongly backing President Donald Trumpโs hard-line approach toward Nicolรกs Maduroโs authoritarian regime. In a new interview that aired Sunday on CBSโs Face the Nation, Machado said Trumpโs strategy has given hope to millions of Venezuelans suffering under socialist rule.
Asked whether she supports increased U.S. sanctions on Venezuelan officials and further U.S. seizures of illicit oil shipments, Machado was unequivocal.
โLook, I absolutely support President Trumpโs strategy, and we, the Venezuelan people, are very grateful to him and to his administration, because I believe he is a champion of freedom in this hemisphere,โ Machado told host Margaret Brennan.
Speaking from Oslo, where she accepted the Nobel Peace Prize after spending nearly a year in hiding, Machado noted that she had dedicated part of the award to Trump.
โI think that he finally has put Venezuela in where it should be, in terms of a priority for the United Statesโ national security.โ
Machado argued that Maduroโs regime is far more dangerous than a conventional dictatorship.
โThis is a very complex criminal structure that has turned Venezuela into a safe haven of international crime and terrorist activities, starting with Russia, Iran, Cuba, Hezbollah, Hamas, the Colombian guerrilla [groups], [and] the drug cartels operating freely and directed in partnership with Maduro and his regime.โ
Machado has long been one of Maduroโs most effective opposition figures. After she overwhelmingly won the opposition primary in 2023, the regime barred her from running, then orchestrated an election that independent experts later declared โmathematically and statistically impossible.โ Despite that, Maduro claimed victory and refused to relinquish power. Machado endorsed a stand-in candidate but remained the movementโs central figureโuntil she was forced into hiding for her safety.
Now, speaking publicly for the first time in months, Machado is calling for increased international pressure.
โWe want every legal action through law enforcement โฆ not only from the United States, also from other Caribbean, Latin American and European countries that further block the illegal activities of the regime.โ
Her argument is straightforward:
โWe need to increase the cost of staying in power by force. Once you arrive to that point in which the cost of staying in power is higher than the cost of leaving power, the regime will fall apart. And itโs the moment where we advance into a negotiated transition.โ
Additional Context: Trump and the Nobel Peace Prize
Machadoโs praise comes as Trump has repeatedly been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, particularly for:
The Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and several Arab nationsโan achievement some foreign-policy experts called one of the most important diplomatic breakthroughs in decades.
His diplomatic efforts in reducing tensions with North Korea, which earned him multiple nominations from European lawmakers.
His support for democracy movements in Latin America, including Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua.
Erika Kirk announced that she will meet privately with commentator Candace Owens, marking the first direct conversation between the two since a period of public disagreement and discussion following her late husbandโs death.
In a brief statement posted Sunday on X, Kirk said both women have agreed to pause all public commentary until after their meeting.
โCandace Owens and I are meeting for a private, in-person discussion on Monday, December 15,โ Erika said.
โ@RealCandaceO and I have agreed that public discussions, livestreams, and tweets are on hold until after this meeting. I look forward to a productive conversation. Thank you,โ she added.
The planned meeting reflects a joint effort to move beyond weeks of escalating tension and online conspiracy theories by creating space for a more personal and thoughtful exchange.
Image via Gage Skidmore Flickr
During a recent CBS town hall, Erika spoke candidly about the emotional toll of the speculation surrounding her husbandโs passing. When asked what she would say to those spreading unfounded claims, she responded, โStop. Thatโs it. Thatโs all I have to say. Stop.โ
She also addressed the issue during a Dec. 10 appearance on Outnumbered, saying, โWhen you go after my family, my Turning Point USA family, my Charlie Kirk Show family, when you go after the people that I love, and you’re making hundreds and thousands of dollars every single episode going after the people that I love because somehow theyโre in on this, no.โ
Despite their earlier collaboration and personal friendship, the relationship between Kirk and Owens has deteriorated sharply in recent months. Their decision to meet privately signals a mutual desire to communicate directly, clear up misunderstandings, and reduce further speculation.
Since the tragic death of her husband, Charlie Kirk, in September, Erika has focused publicly on preserving his legacy while navigating the intense scrutiny surrounding the circumstances of his passing.
Earlier this month, Charlie Kirk Show producer Blake Neff announced that Kirkโs friends will be holding an event to refute Owensโs incendiary claims. Owens has turned down an invitation to attend it in person.
Owens has a reputation for spreading widely debunked conspiracy theories, including once staking her entire professional reputation on the claim that the First Lady of France, Brigitte Macron, is a man. Owens has also suggested that Israel was somehow connected to Charlie Kirkโs death.
Kirk, who founded the pro-Trump student group Turning Point USA, was shot and killed at a Utah university in September, and his alleged assassin is currently awaiting trial on murder charges. Neff called Owensโs claims โeither lies or they are innuendos thrown around with a total, reckless disregard for the truth,โ and added, โI would say we have suffered more harassment from these people than we have from Antifa supporters who overtly celebrate Charlieโs murder.โ
He concluded by saying Turning Point will host a live stream to further debunk Owensโs conspiracies and invited her to participate.
โWe wanted to use this segment at the top of this hour to say something important, something very important. For the past two and a half months, there is a topic that has flooded our Freedom inbox. It has been nonstop on social media, but which we have almost totally avoided on this show. You probably already know what Iโm talking about, which shows just how ubiquitous it has been,โ Neff began.
Read his full statement below:
Ever since Charlieโs murder, Candace Owens has leveled a flood of allegations against people at Turning Point USA, people at Turning Point Action, and people who work for this show. She has made them against some of Charlieโs closest friends and against some of his most dedicated employees. She has suggested that Michael McCoy, Charlieโs chief of staff, knew Charlie would be murdered, was happy that he died, and stayed silent because he was told he would be the next Charlie.
She has suggested Michael is not his real name. It isโI have seen his birth certificate myself. She has called it suspicious that Mikeyโs wife, who works at Turning Point, helped plan the campus tour event where Charlie was murdered, which she didnโt, by the way. She doesnโt work on campus events.
Candace has suggested the Utah Valley University event was unusual and its details suggested a quote โinside job.โ She has claimed that foreign aircraft have followed Erica Kirk around the country and that Turning Point has lied about this happening. She has accused us of lying about Charlie wanting Erica to take over for him if he died. She has suggested Charlieโs security team intentionally denied him first aid after the shooting to ensure that he died. She has raised suspicions about the head of our technical team because he took an SD card out of a camera. She has spread absurd claims that Tyler Boyer, who we just had on the show, sexually abuses male interns. She has suggested that TPUSA Faith-affiliated pastors, like theologian Frank Turek, who weโll have on in a moment, and Pastor Rob McCoy, are part of a military quote โinfiltrationโ of Turning Point, either because they are veterans or because they have family members who are.
Even if not everyone has been named specifically, though, Candace has effectively tarred everyone here with complicity in Charlieโs death by repeatedly saying he was, quote, โbetrayed by,โ quote, โeveryone.โ She has said Charlieโs murder, quote, โhad to be approved by Charlieโs friends,โ and then suggested those friends might have her murdered too for quote โknowing the truth.โ She has made claims of financial impropriety and fraud at Turning Point, adding up into the millions of dollars, which again is not true. Charlie made sure the organization was audited by a third party every year. He personally reviewed and signed off on every expense report and literally every single bill paid by the organization down to a single United States dollar. We have never missed a 990 deadline.
Candace has made other, stranger allegations involving French paratroopers in maroon shirts, Egyptian Air Force planes flying out of Provo, Utah, and potential underground assassins traveling through unseen tunnels. At one point in early November, she started wildly throwing suspicion on members of Utah Valleyโs soccer team for wearing hoodies. I could go on. There is always something new coming up, and none of it ever pans out. Because from the start, there has been nothing there.
The attacks and allegations from Candace are either lies or they are innuendos thrown around with a total, reckless disregard for the truth, so that Candace can manipulate and string along an audience of people who donโt realize they are being played. Instead of being able to grieve properly after one of the most heinous murders in American history, a murder many of us had to witness, my friends have had to endure harassment from people who have gotten whipped up by what Candace is saying. I would say we have suffered more harassment from these people than we have from Antifa supporters who overtly celebrate Charlieโs murder. And just like a lot of those Antifa members, many of these people take delight in how gross and unpleasant they can be. What our friends have had to endure is not funny and itโs not insignificant. It is evil. I have seen it.
For months, we have received hundreds, thousands, I suspect, of emails and calls asking us to respond. People have wanted us to invite Candace on the show. But for a long time, our approach was to say nothing. We did that for several reasons. First, we thought that her prevarications were so absurd that nobody would believe them. We shouldnโt have to answer questions about secret tunnels or Egyptian Air Force planes. That sort of thing is justโitโs beneath contempt to respond to. Lastly, we didnโt respond because Charlie always viewed Candace as a friend, and we were holding out hope that she would return that friendship and stop what she was doing.
But a week from now itโs going to be three months since Charlieโs murder. Candace has not changed her behavior. She has continued to spread falsehoods about Charlieโs friends, and she continues to concoct new ones about new people. Sheโs using these falsehoods to enrich herself while dividing the conservative movement at an absolutely critical time for this country. And far too often, we here have heard from ordinary people, people who loved Charlie and who Charlie loved so much in return. These people have expressed the worry that we are staying silent out of cowardice or as some sort of tacit admission that some of the attacks are true. Neither is the case. Our silence has never been, and it will never be, equal to complacency or approval.
Still, we decided Charlie would not allow this to go on. Charlie was not a coward. Charlie was a fighter. Charlie would not allow someone to spread lies about the people closest to him with impunity. And he would feel ashamed if other people were stepping up to defend his friends while he never did so himself. Candace has mentioned several times that the ball is in our court.
So hereโs what is going to happen. In the near future, there will be a livestream here in Phoenix where we address in a clear and comprehensive way the claims and accusations, the false accusations that have been made against Charlieโs family, friends, and the people here at Turning Point. We plan to walk through everything carefully and thoroughly. If Candace is available, we would sincerely welcome her participation in that livestream at our studio here in Phoenix. At this point, we believe the ball is back in her court.
Our motivation for doing this is not out of any obligation to Candace. It is about honoring Charlie. We feel a deep responsibility to protect his legacy, his work, and the truth. I feel that. I owe Charlie everything in my life. I feel it immensely. And that is why we feel compelled to speak clearly and openly now. Weโll have more on this in the near future.
Federal law enforcement officials announced over the weekend that they successfully disrupted a credible terrorist threat, arresting four alleged members of a radical pro-Palestinian extremist group who were reportedly planning coordinated bombing attacks in Los Angeles on New Yearโs Eve.
According to the FBI, the suspects self-identified as part of a radical offshoot of the Turtle Island Liberation Front (TILF)โan extremist organization driven by a combination of pro-Palestinian, anti-law-enforcement, and anti-government ideology.
Federal agents say the group intended to deploy improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in a series of synchronized attacks targeting five separate locations across the Los Angeles area. Authorities believe the suspects were preparing to test explosive devices in Lucerne Valley when they were taken into custody. Each of the four has been charged with conspiracy and possession of a destructive device.
In a related development, the FBI announced Monday that a fifth individual believed to be connected to the same TILF extremist network was arrested in New Orleans in connection with a separate planned attack.
Social media accounts linked to TILF describe the groupโs mission as freeing what they call โTurtle Islandโโan Indigenous name used by some activists to refer to North Americaโfrom the โillegal American empire.โ One Instagram post attributed to the group declared: โFree Palestine. Free Hawaii. Free Puerto Rico.โ The post continued, โFreeing the world from American imperialism is the only way to a safe and peaceful future.โ
These arrests come amid a broader pattern of the FBI and other federal agencies disrupting terror plots across the country during President Donald Trumpโs second administration. In recent months, federal authorities have thwarted an alleged ISIS-inspired terror plot in Michigan that involved suspicious encrypted communications and preparations at gun ranges, leading to multiple arrests before a planned attack could take place.
Earlier this year, the FBI also intercepted another potential terror plot in Dearborn, Michigan, charging suspects with conspiracy to provide firearms and ammunition knowing they would be used to commit acts of federal terrorismโagain highlighting the agencyโs proactive work in identifying and stopping threats before they materialize.
These disruptions follow a national trend in which federal law enforcement has prioritized identifying and intercepting violent extremist plots before they can harm Americans. According to recent FBI press releases, multiple individuals have been charged or convicted this year for providing material support to foreign terrorist organizations like ISIS and attempting to aid violent extremist causes from within the United States.
Republican leaders have emphasized the importance of strong law enforcement and border security in preventing homegrown terrorism and protecting American communities. The arrests in Los Angeles and New Orleans underscore the ongoing threat from ideologically motivated violent extremists and the need for vigilant counterterrorism efforts.
As the nation enters the holiday season, federal officials say their work will continue to ensure that Americans can celebrate safely, free from the specter of coordinated terror attacks.
Watch:
BREAKING: The FBI announces they foiled a credible terror plot planned for New Year's Eve โ arresting 4 alleged members of a radical pro-Palestinian extremist group. | @AmericaNewsroompic.twitter.com/PPGrXGK4T1
The Pulitzer Prize Board escalated its legal battle with President Donald Trump on Thursday, filing a discovery request in Trumpโs 2022 defamation lawsuit and declaring it will “not be cowed by the president’s attempt to intimidate journalists or undermine the First Amendment.”
Trump sued the Board after it awarded the 2018 National Reporting Pulitzer Prize to The New York Times and The Washington Post for their coverage of allegations of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russiaโallegations Trump has long argued were baseless and politically motivated.
Pulitzer Board Pushes Discovery, Demands Proof of Harm
In its filing in Okeechobee County Circuit Court in Florida, the Pulitzer Board requested documentation supporting Trumpโs claims that the award caused him reputational or financial harm.
The Board insisted the president must meet the same legal standards as any plaintiff:
“Just like any other plaintiff, the President must articulate and prove his claims with evidence. This filing is a standard step in the discovery process to assess a claim of damages and test their validity. The Pulitzer Board will not be cowed by the president’s attempt to intimidate journalists or undermine the First Amendment,” the organization told Fox News Digital.
Trumpโs lawsuit argues that the Pulitzer-winning stories relied on a โdemonstrably false connectionโ between his campaign and Russia and that this flawed premise was the basis for awarding the prize.
Award Recognized Reporting Later Undermined by Federal Investigations
The Times and Post were honored for โdeeply sourced, relentlessly reported coverage in the public interest that dramatically furthered the nationโs understanding of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and its connections to the Trump campaign, the President-electโs transition team and his eventual administration.โ
However, Trumpโs complaint highlights several developments that have since cast doubt on the original reporting:
Special Counsel Robert Mueller failed to establish evidence of criminal collusion.
A Department of Justice Inspector General report identified significant misconduct and inaccuracies in the federal investigation into Trumpโs campaign.
These findings reinforced the belief among many conservatives that the Russia-collusion narrative was politically driven and amplified by a sympathetic media establishment.
Trump Team Predicts Victory
A spokesperson for Trumpโs legal team said the president remains confident:
“President Trump is committed to holding those who traffic in fake news, lies, and smears to account, and he will see this powerhouse lawsuit through to a winning conclusion. This case has always been about correcting the record, revealing the truth, and vindicating the president and his supporters against the lies told to the American people by the Democrats and their PR machine known as ‘legacy media.'”
Trump previously sought a full correction or retraction from the Pulitzer Board, along with the rescinding of the 2018 awards, but the Board has repeatedly refused.
Additional Context: Trump and the Nobel Peace Prize
While Trump now challenges the Pulitzer Board over media accountability, he has also pursued global recognition for his foreign policy accomplishmentsโparticularly through nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize.
In 2020, Trump received several nominations for brokering the Abraham Accords, historic peace agreements that normalized relations between Israel and multiple Arab nations.
He also received nominations for facilitating SerbiaโKosovo economic normalization, as well as for his administrationโs efforts in the North Korea diplomatic initiative.
Despite support from some foreign officials and conservative lawmakers, the Nobel Committee ultimately awarded the prize elsewhere, prompting many Republicans to argue that Trumpโs diplomatic breakthroughs were undervalued for political reasons.