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Alleged Assailant In Las Vegas Cybertruck Explosion Named By Local Media

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    Steve Jurvetson, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

    More details are coming out following the disturbing explosion outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas.

    Local outlets have reportedly identified the suspect in the Tesla Cybertruck explosion outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas as 37-year-old Matthew Livelsberger, a Colorado native.

    KOAA first reported Livelsberger’s name, citing local senior enforcement sources. Livelsberger reportedly lived in Colorado Springs, had multiple addresses tied to his name, and has a U.S. military background.

    Police have confirmed that they have identified the driver of the truck, but have not officially confirmed it is Livelsberger.

    The blast outside of the Trump Hotel occurred on Wednesday, New Year’s Day. A deceased individual was found inside the truck, along with explosives, police revealed.

    Tesla CEO Elon Musk credited the design of his vehicle for the blast not having more impact on the building the truck was parked outside of.

    “The evil knuckleheads picked the wrong vehicle for a terrorist attack. Cybertruck actually contained the explosion and directed the blast upwards,” he wrote on X. “Not even the glass doors of the lobby were broken.”

    On the same day as the blast outside of the Trump hotel, more than a dozen people were killed in New Orleans after a man drove his car directly into a crowd on Bourbon Street. Dozens more were injured. Police said they have not found a direct connection between the two attacks, but they have yet to officially rule one out.

    Federal officials are investigating the incidents as possible acts of domestic terrorism.

    Shamsud Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old Texas man, was identified as the New Orleans suspect. Jabbar was killed by police after firing on officers and an ISIS flag was found in the vehicle.

    New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) said there will be a heightened security presence in Times Square and at Trump Tower following the two deadly attacks in New Orleans and Las Vegas on New Year’s Day.

    “After the attacks in New Orleans and Las Vegas, @NYPDPC  and I have been in constant communication,” Adams wrote in a Thursday post on the social media platform X. 

    “While there are no immediate threats to our city at this time, out of an abundance of caution, we have heightened security and have increased NYPD presence at relevant locations, including at Trump Tower and in Times Square.”

    Democrat Senator Signals Openness To Supporting Trump Nominees

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    A step in the right direction…

    Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) signaled during an interview on Sunday that he is open to voting to confirm some of President-elect Donald Trump’s nominees.

    Kim made the remarks during a Sunday interview on CNN’s “State of the Union” with Dana Bash when asked if he would be open to voting for Kash Patel for FBI Director or Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense.

    “I have had conversations with Congresswoman Elise Stefanik. I had to sit down with Senator Rubio. I’m still going through the process and I want to make sure I’m doing it right,” he said. “But those were good conversations, where we were able to dive in deep. And so I think that there are some nominees that are people I think I can work with.”

    He signaled that with some of Trump’s other nominees that he had questions about past remarks that they made.

    “I also am deeply concerned about what I have heard Mr. Patel say in the past and about going after things. Like, he is being nominated for a role to lead an agency that he has talked about dismantling, talked about the deep state and going after,” he said. “I was a career public servant before in the federal government. I worked under both Bush and Obama. I served the country, not a party. And I worry about some of the tones there.”

    “With Hegseth, I hope to have a chance to be able to speak with him, but some of what he said before about not thinking that women should serve in combat, some of the other allegations that we have heard about,” he added. “I have worked at the Pentagon before in the office of the secretary of defense. I know what that job is like. And I need to know whether or not he is up to the task.”

    WATCH:

    Biden Fundraiser Hails Trump As ‘F–ing Genius’ While Lamenting On Democrat Party

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    Joe Biden via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    Democrats are still floundering after Donald Trump’s landslide re-election victory.

    Democrat politicians and strategists are openly questioning the state of the Democrat Party and heralding Donald Trump for his savvy political campaign skills.

    “I don’t know if Trump is a stable genius, but he’s a f—ing genius,” Biden fundraiser John Morgan told Politico. “He tapped into something the Republicans never saw, which was anger and populism on that side.”

    As a result, some Democratic Party donors and political strategists are taking independent tickets and other alternatives to traditional party branding more seriously, per Politico. 

    “I reached the conclusion that if you call yourself a Democrat, all the Republicans automatically line up against it,” Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan told the outlet. “You call yourself a Republican, all the Democrats automatically line up against it. And I really don’t think there’s a path forward for this state if you don’t get the reasonable folks in both parties to work together.”

    Duggan won three terms as mayor of Detroit, reaching high levels of popularity in 2020 as a Democrat. However, Duggan is running for governor of Michigan as an independent. 

    “Anyone looking at the Senate map, not just in 2026 but over the next six years and beyond, sees that we need a path to chipping into the Republican majority,” a Democratic strategist who spoke under condition of anonymity told Politico. “And it doesn’t necessarily mean electing Democrats. But it means changing what the denominator is that we need to get to a majority.”

    Don Lemon Calls Trump Supporters ‘Dumb F—ing Idiots,’ During Meltdown

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    Don Lemon via Wikimedia Commons

    Former CNN host Don Lemon unloaded on MAGA supporters in an expletive-filled rant posted to his YouTube channel. 

    Lemon called supporters of President-elect Donald Trump “dumb f—ing idiots” and mocked their “stupid MAGA brain,” during an episode of the Don Lemon Show. 

    “You’re so f—ing stupid and you deserve it. You f—ing deserve it because you’re so dumb,” he said. “Yes, I am gloating over your stupidity.”

    “You’ve been co-opted because you’re in a f—ing cult and you don’t even realize it because you have stupid MAGA brain and you don’t get it,” he added. “How stupid and dumb are you?” 

    Last week the MAGA base splintered after Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, co-chairs of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), shared their support for H-1B visas for skilled laborers. 

    However other Republicans such as former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, is against H-1B visas. Bannon called the visas a “scam” that “takes American jobs and brings over what essentially become indentured servants at lower wages” on his “War Room” podcast. 

    Trump sided with Musk and Ramaswamy over the weekend, stating his support for H-1B visas. 

    “I’ve always liked the visas, I have always been in favor of the visas. That’s why we have them,” Trump told the New York Post Saturday.

    Trump said that he recognizes the visas on his properties, saying, “I’ve been a believer in H-1B. I have used it many times. It’s a great program.”

    Lemon was fired from CNN in April 2023 after a series of scandals, including alienating female viewers and conservative audiences. 

    Trump Nominees Hit With Social Media Gag Order

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    Gage Skidmore Flickr

    Social media is going dark…

    Trump Administration nominees have reportedly been instructed by incoming White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles to cease social media activity until confirmation hearings.

    “While this instruction has been delivered previously, I am reiterating that no member of the incoming administration or Transition speaks for the United States or the President-elect himself,” Wiles wrote in a Sunday memo obtained by the New York Post.

    “Accordingly, all intended nominees should refrain from any public social media posts without prior approval of the incoming White House counsel,” she added.

    Wiles also wrote in a more upbeat tone that she appreciates “how enthusiastic everyone is” about joining the second Trump term.

    Senate confirmation hearings are slated to start next week after the new Congress is sworn in.

    The Republicans will hold a 53 to 47 majority over the Democrats.

    A review of the X accounts for those who are expected to be Trump’s more controversial nominees — such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for the secretary of Health and Human Services, Tulsi Gabbard for director of National Intelligence, and Pete Hegseth for secretary of Defense — showed they appear to be heeding the order.

    The order comes after a debate on H-1B visas got heated on social media between Elon Musk and several in Trump’s orbit, including former adviser Steve Bannon.

    Bannon was among those to take a side on the visas this week when he scorched Musk as a “toddler” amid the legal immigration GOP civil war.

    “I’ve always liked the visas, I have always been in favor of the visas. That’s why we have them,” Trump told the Post of the H-1B program that doles out jobs for skilled foreign workers.

    Trump added, “I have many H-1B visas on my properties. I’ve been a believer in H-1B. I have used it many times. It’s a great program.”

    Federal Appeals Court Upholds $5 Million Penalty Verdict E. Jean Carroll Against Trump

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    Gavel via Wikimedia Commons Image

    On Monday, a federal appeals court in New York rejected President-elect Donald Trump’s appeal, ordering him to pay $5 million to advice columnist E. Jean Carroll.

    The Hill reported, a three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit concluded Trump did not sufficiently show any claimed errors affected his rights or warranted a new trial.  

    “On review for abuse of discretion, we conclude that Mr. Trump has not demonstrated that the district court erred in any of the challenged rulings,” the panel wrote in its unsigned opinion. 

    Trump requested a new trial over allegations that the jury heard improper testimony and Trump was wrongly precluded from asking Carroll certain questions during cross-examination. 

    The New York jury found Trump liable last year for sexually abusing Carroll in a Manhattan department store dressing room in the mid-1990s and defaming her by denying her story when she came forward during Trump’s first presidency. 

    Steven Cheung a Trump spokesperson set to become his White House communications director, said in a statement that Trump will continue to appeal the verdict.

    “The American People have re-elected President Trump with an overwhelming mandate, and they demand an immediate end to the political weaponization of our justice system and a swift dismissal of all of the Witch Hunts, including the Democrat-funded Carroll Hoax, which will continue to be appealed,” Cheung said in a statement.

    “We look forward to uniting our country in the new administration as President Trump makes America great again,” he added.

    In a separate case, a jury ordered Trump to pay $83.3 million in defamation damages for continuing to deny her story. 

    Unlike many other court cases brought against Trump that have ended since he was re-elected to the presidency, Carroll’s cases continue, with the $83.3 million defamation appeal still looming.

    Donald Trump Makes Endorsement In Speaker Race

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0

    Days before Republicans are scheduled to convene for Friday’s House Speaker vote President-elect Donald Trump took the time to issue his “total endorsement” of Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) for the role.

    “Speaker Mike Johnson is a good, hard working, religious man. He will do the right thing, and we will continue to WIN. Mike has my Complete & Total Endorsement. MAGA!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.

    Trump’s public endorsement could be a key to a win by Johnson, who can only afford a handful of GOP defections and be elected Speaker.

    Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) has already come out as a “no” vote on Speaker Johnson’s reelection bid, putting the Louisiana Congressman in a precarious position.

    Multiple Republican lawmakers threatened to withhold support for Johnson’s bid for Speaker over his recent handling of the government shutdown negotiations.

    Multiple Republicans also suggested Elon Musk become the next Speaker of the House amid the negotiations.

    Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) suggested Elon Musk serve as Speaker in a post on X following contentious debates over the continuing resolution (CR).

    “The Speaker of the House need not be a member of Congress . . . ,” Paul wrote.

    “Nothing would disrupt the swamp more than electing Elon Musk . . . think about it .  . . nothing’s impossible. (not to mention the joy at seeing the collective establishment, aka ‘uniparty,’ lose their ever-lovin’ minds).”

    Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said she would be open to supporting Musk to replace Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) in a post quoting Paul.

    “I’d be open to supporting @elonmusk for Speaker of the House. DOGE can only truly be accomplished by reigning in Congress to enact real government efficiency,” Greene wrote on X.

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

    Trump Accuses Former House Speaker Of Making ‘Dumbest’ Choice In Years

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1
    Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    President-elect Donald Trump blindsided former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Sunday calling the debt ceiling suspension approved in 2023 as “one of the dumbest political decisions made in years.”

    However, while targeting the former top House GOP lawmaker, Trump leveled the criticism by describing McCarthy as a friend and a good person.

    “The extension of the Debt Ceiling by a previous Speaker of the House, a good man and a friend of mine, from this past September of the Biden Administration, to June of the Trump Administration, will go down as one of the dumbest political decisions made in years. There was no reason to do it – NOTHING WAS GAINED, and we got nothing for it – A major reason why that Speakership was lost. It was Biden’s problem, not ours. Now it becomes ours,” Trump declared in the post. 

    “I call it ‘1929’ because the Democrats don’t care what our Country may be forced into. In fact, they would prefer ‘Depression’ as long as it hurt the Republican Party. The Democrats must be forced to take a vote on this treacherous issue NOW, during the Biden Administration, and not in June. They should be blamed for this potential disaster, not the Republicans!” he added.

    A deal passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden last year suspended the debt limit through Jan. 1, 2025, but Trump has been calling for the ceiling to be increased before he takes office. 

    “In June 2023, the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 was enacted, suspending the debt limit through January 1, 2025.  On January 2, 2025, the new debt limit will be established at the amount of outstanding debt subject to the statutory limit at the end of the previous day,” Treasury Sec. Janet Yellen wrote in a recent letter to congressional leaders. “Treasury currently expects to reach the new limit between January 14 and January 23, at which time it will be necessary for Treasury to start taking extraordinary measures. I respectfully urge Congress to act to protect the full faith and credit of the United States.”

    Responding to Trump’s post about McCarthy, Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) wrote in a post on X, “Sadly, this bad debt ceiling extension was opposed by only 71 House Republicans 18 months ago (notably opposed by virtually the entire @freedomcaucus).”

    “Democrats did vote on the recent debt ceiling increase proposal on 12/19: 197-2 against it (their price to support is very high – more spending/taxes),” Roy added. “Yes, we can & should address the debt ceiling – thru reconciliation in January with mostly GOP votes – but with real, meaningful spending cuts.”

    Jimmy Carter Dead At 100

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1

    The nation mourns an icon…

    Former President Jimmy Carter (D) has passed away at 100 years old.

    He had turned 100 in October, making him the longest-lived president in the nation’s history.

    “My father was a hero, not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights, and unselfish love,” said Chip Carter, the former president’s son, in a Carter Center statement. “My brothers, sister, and I shared him with the rest of the world through these common beliefs. The world is our family because of the way he brought people together, and we thank you for honoring his memory by continuing to live these shared beliefs.”

    Surviving the former president are his children Jack, Chip, Jeff and Amy; 11 grandchildren; and 14 great-grandchildren. His wife of 77 years, Rosalynn Smith Carter, died Nov. 19, 2023.

    The Carter Center announced on Feb. 18, 2023, that the former president had begun receiving hospice care after a series of short hospital stays, choosing to “spend his remaining time at home with his family” instead of receiving additional medical intervention.

    Former President Carter, a Democrat who was 52 when he entered the Oval Office.

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

    ‘Another Run’ Former Trump Ambassador Eyes Return To Politics

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    2

    Former Massachusetts U.S. Sen. Scott Brown is teasing another run for elected office.

    In an interview with WMUR of New Hampshire set to air today, Brown said “it is no secret that” he has not been happy with what is happening nationally, including the border, economy, and fentanyl. And New Hampshire’s federal delegation is “in lockstep with those failed policies,” he said.

    “They covered for Biden. They really didn’t support the closed border, the immigration. They’re not doing the things that I think are important for New Hampshire,” he said. “Is there another run? Yeah, I think so, and I’m obviously looking at it. I’m not going to announce anything. But I think it’s important for our delegation not to be obstructionists right now, because there will be a backlash.

    “I’ve always felt, whether you are a Democrat or Republican, you need good, hardworking, honest people who are problem solvers. And if you recall…I was the most bipartisan senator in the United States Senate for the whole time that I was there,” Brown said on WBUR.

    According to The Boston Herald, New Hampshire U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat and the first woman to be elected as both the state’s governor and senator, is up for reelection in 2026. She is a senior member of the Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee, Appropriations Committee, Armed Services Committee, and Small Business Committee.

    Brown was the first Republican in Massachusetts elected to the U.S. Senate since 1972.

    He was later nominated by President Donald Trump in 2017 to serve as the United States Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa.

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