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    Trump Nominates Former Pence Military Aide For Key Ukraine Role

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1
    Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

    President-elect Trump on Wednesday announced his appointment of Keith Kellogg, a retired lieutenant general who served as chief of staff on Trump’s National Security Council during his first term, as special envoy to Ukraine and Russia.

    Trump praised Kellogg as being with him “right from the beginning” and noted his distinguished military and business career. 

    “Together, we will secure PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH, and Make America, and the World, SAFE AGAIN!” the president-elect said in a statement.

    Trump has promised to bring a swift end to Russia’s war in Ukraine, leveraging his relationships with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin. That has raised anxiety among Kyiv’s supporters that the president-elect will seek a quick deal that would cede Ukrainian land or jeopardize the country’s future security. 

    Kellogg served as former Vice President Mike Pence’s national security adviser and was spotted at the president-elect’s Mar-a-Lago club on Tuesday, according to the New York Post.

    Kellogg is currently the co-chair of the Center for American Security at the America First Policy Institute – which is led by several now-nominees within the new Trump administration.

    In June, Kellogg offered Trump a proposal for how to end the Russian invasion of Ukraine should he become president. “Under the plan drawn up by Kellogg and Fred Fleitz, who both served as chiefs of staff in Trump’s National Security Council during his 2017-2021 presidency, there would be a ceasefire based on prevailing battle lines during peace talks, Fleitz said,” Reuters reported at the time.

    This is a breaking news story. Click refresh for the latest updates.

    Trump Jr: President-elect Could Close White House Briefing Room To Mainstream Media Outlets

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    6
    White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre holds a press briefing on Friday, July 30, 2021, in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Erin Scott)

    The media landscape is changing…

    Donald Trump Jr., President-elect Trump’s eldest son, says his dad has discussed keeping some mainstream media outlets out of the White House press briefing room.

    Trump Jr., speaking on his podcast this week, said they discussed opening the briefing room to more independent journalists and social media influencers.

    “We had the conversation about opening up the press room to a lot of these independent journalists,” he said.

    “If The New York Times has lied, they’ve been averse to everything, they’re functioning as the marketing arm to the Democrat party,” Trump Jr. continued, asking, “Why not open it up to people who have larger viewerships, stronger followings?”

    Trump has consistently railed against mainstream media outlets and broadcast networks over coverage that is critical of him.

    Mainstream. media outlets are also struggling to remain relevant in an increasingly changing landscape.

    According to Nielsen data, MSNBC’s total viewership has dropped by 47 percent post-election, and its critical 25-54 demographic plummeted to just 63,000 during primetime—a sharp contrast to its pre-election numbers.

    CNN also faced steep declines, losing 33 percent of its total audience.

    Report: Appeals Court Agrees To End Trump’s Classified Documents Case

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1

    On Tuesday, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals granted a request from special counsel Jack Smith to drop President-elect Trump’s Florida documents case

    The order fulfills a request from Smith to end an appeal in the case as it relates to Trump though the case continues for his two co-defendants – valet Walt Nauta and Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos de Oliveira.

    The move comes after Smith similarly moved to dismiss without prejudice Trump’s election interference case, in both cases noting Trump’s coming inauguration and a DOJ policy that bars the prosecution of sitting presidents.

    In the classified documents case, Smith was fighting a ruling from Judge Aileen Cannon that tossed the case, determining that the special counsel was unlawfully appointed. 

    This is a breaking news story. Click refresh for the latest updates.

    Special Counsel Moves To Dismiss Trump Election Interference Case

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    2

    On Monday, Special Counsel Jack Smith asked a judge to dismiss all charges against President-elect Donald Trump stemming from Smith’s investigation into the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot.

    Judge Tanya Chutkan will need to approve the request before the case is dismissed.

    After Trump’s victory in the 2024 presidential election earlier this month, Smith signaled he would begin winding down the case against Trump. The filing went live on the Department of Justice docket on Monday afternoon.

    Smith had already filed a motion to vacate all deadlines in the 2020 election interference case against Trump in Washington, D.C. – a widely expected move, but one that stopped short of dropping the case against Trump completely. Smith had said his team planned to give an updated report on the official status of the case against Trump on Dec. 2.

    Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges in the case.

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

    Gaetz Will Not Rejoin Congress: Report

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    6

    He’s out for good…

    Ex-Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) will not rejoin Congress after resigning from the current Congress after President-elect Donald Trump nominated him to be attorney general.

    Gaetz was reelected to the next Congress and many speculated he may rescind his resignation after dropping his bid to become attorney general on Thursday.

    CNN’s Kristen Holmes broke the news on-air.

    “Yeah, there had been a lot of speculation as to what exactly Matt Gaetz was going to do. Was there some kind of loophole in the sense that he had just been reelected? Would he go back to Congress? He is now saying in an interview with Charlie Kirk that he does not intend to go back,” Holmes reported, adding:

    That he’s going to continue trying to do things for Donald Trump, but not in the capacity of a congressman. This obviously comes as we know that there are still questions about whether or not that ethics report is going to be released. But in this interview, he also talked about what happened when some of those meetings up on Capitol Hill, he downplayed the any kind of impact that the ethics report had, but instead said that while he had some momentum with senators, he felt he had to explain himself quite a bit.

    Holmes then played a clip from the Kirk interview, in which Gaetz said “And again, while our discussions were going well, I found myself having to do two jobs at one time.”

    “Charlie, And you got a front-row seat to this. I had a full-time job explaining to senators that maybe a tweet I sent about them was rash and not reflective of how I would serve as attorney general. And at the same time, I was having to build out the Department of Justice with the right human talent, the right policy infrastructure. And Pam Bondi’s confirmation won’t have some of the sharp edges that I would have,” Gaetz added of Trump’s replacement for Gaetz as AG.

    Judge Delays Trump New York Sentencing

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    4

    On Friday, Judge Juan Merchan granted President-elect Donald Trump’s request to dismiss charges in his criminal hush money case and removed the sentencing date.

    According to The Hill, Merchan halted the case to accept additional written briefing on Trump’s argument that his return to the White House compels the court to toss his 34-count felony conviction entirely. 

    Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) is opposing that request. Instead, Bragg suggested that Merchan could pause the proceedings while Trump is in office, meaning the conviction would remain on the books but sentencing wouldn’t occur until 2029, at the earliest. 

    Merchan ordered Trump to file his formal motion asking for dismissal by Dec. 2 and Bragg to respond by Dec. 9. The judge will then decide how to proceed. 

    Meanwhile, Trump attorneys have requested that Merchan overturn the guilty verdict altogether, citing the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision that former presidents have substantial immunity from prosecution for official acts in office.

    The Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision on presidential immunity came from a question that stemmed from charges brought against Trump in a separate, federal case brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith related to the events on Jan. 6, 2021, and any alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

    They have moved most aggressively to pull the plug on the hush money case, given that Trump’s sentencing was rapidly approaching on Nov. 26.  

    “[D]ismissal of this case is necessary under the Constitution and federal law to facilitate the orderly transition of Executive power — and in the interests of justice — following President Trump’s victory in the Electoral College and the popular vote in the 2024 Presidential election,” Trump attorneys Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, whom the president-elect recently nominated to senior Justice Department officials, wrote in a letter last week. 

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

    Matt Gaetz Withdraws From Attorney General Consideration

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    4
    Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

    On Thursday, former Congressman Matt Gaetz (Fla.) announced he is withdrawing from consideration to be the next U.S. Attorney General.

    On Wednesday, Gaetz and Vice President-elect JD Vance traveled to the Capitol to meet with Republican senators who could potentially make or break Gaetz’s nomination to serve as the nation’s next attorney general.

    He wrote on X, “I had excellent meetings with Senators yesterday. I appreciate their thoughtful feedback – and the incredible support of so many. While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition. There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus I’ll be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as Attorney General. Trump’s DOJ must be in place and ready on Day 1.”

    Trump responded to Gaetz’s withdrawal with a message on Truth Social.

    I greatly appreciate the recent efforts of Matt Gaetz in seeking approval to be Attorney General. He was doing very well but, at the same time, did not want to be a distraction for the Administration, for which he has much respect. Matt has a wonderful future, and I look forward to watching all of the great things he will do!

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

    Trump Announces New Education Secretary

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1

    On Tuesday evening, President-elect Donald Trump announced his choice to lead the Department of Education.

    Read Trump’s full statement below:

    It is my great honor to announce that Linda McMahon, former Administrator of the Small Business Administration, will be the United States Secretary of Education.

    For the past four years, as the Chair of the Board at the America First Policy Institute (AFPI), Linda has been a fierce advocate for Parents’ Rights, working hard at both AFPI and America First Works (AFW) to achieve Universal School Choice in 12 States, giving children the opportunity to receive an excellent Education, regardless of zip code or income. As Secretary of Education, Linda will fight tirelessly to expand “Choice” to every State in America, and empower parents to make the best Education decisions for their families.

    Linda served for two years on the Connecticut Board of Education, where she was one of fifteen members overseeing all Public Education in the State, including its Technical High School system. She also served as a Member of the Board of Trustees at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut, for two stints totaling over 16 years. She is now doing an incredible job as Co-Chair of our Trump-Vance Transition Team. Linda will use her decades of Leadership experience, and deep understanding of both Education and Business, to empower the next Generation of American Students and Workers, and make America Number One in Education in the World. We will send Education BACK TO THE STATES, and Linda will spearhead that effort.

    Trump To Nominate New Commerce Secretary

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0
    Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    On Tuesday, President-elect Donald Trump is expected to announce his nomination for Secretary of Commerce: Howard Lutnick.

    Lutnick is the chair and CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald and is also currently serving as co-chair of the Trump transition. He has notably publicly embraced Trump’s tariff plans, which will be a major part of the job leading Commerce.

    The CEO was considered a front-runner to serve as Trump’s Treasury secretary along with Scott Bessent, who served as economic adviser on the Trump campaign.

    Trump just released a statement:

    I am thrilled to announce that Howard Lutnick, Chairman & CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, will join my Administration as the United States Secretary of Commerce. He will lead our Tariff and Trade agenda, with additional direct responsibility for the Office of the United States Trade Representative.

    In his role as Co-Chair of the Trump-Vance Transition Team, Howard has created the most sophisticated process and system to assist us in creating the greatest Administration America has ever seen.

    Lutnick beat out Linda McMahon for the role leading Commerce who was considered a front runner and previously led the Small Business Administration during Trump’s first term.

    McMahon is also a co-chair of his transition effort.

    This is a breaking news story. Click refresh for the latest updates.

    Report: Trump Hush Money Sentencing Adjourned

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1

    It’s always been political…

    On Tuesday, as President-elect Donald Trump was set to be sentenced in his hush-money conviction New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan adjourned the highly-anticipated Nov. 26 meeting.

    No explanation was given by the Court.

    Trump was convicted on 34 felony counts for business fraud in connection with hiding hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.

    Trump’s attorney Emil Bove argued last week that the case should be stayed or dismissed to “avoid unconstitutional impediments” to Trump’s ability to act as president.

    Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, whose office prosecuted the case has also maintained that the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to back Trump’s claims of broad presidential immunity should not apply to this case. Presidential immunity is meant to shield a president from being prosecuted for carrying out his roles as president. The charges against Trump stem from acts undertaken while he was first campaigning for president in 2016 and continuing into his first term.

    This is a breaking news story. Click refresh for the latest updates.

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