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Florida Lawmaker Makes Announcement on 2024 Plans

By
Madeleine Jackson
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Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Florida Senator Rick Scott (R) is shutting down speculation of a White House run…at least for 2024.

On Wednesday, Sen. Scott announced he will seek another term in the Senate in 2024. According to The Hill, the Florida Senator announced his intentions during an appearance in South Florida and also unveiled a list of hires that includes several longtime campaign hands. 

“I’ve never lost an election and I don’t intend to now,” Scott said in a statement. “We’ve worked hard to turn Florida into a red state that elects Republicans up and down the ballot. But I never take anything for granted.”

“The people of Florida have elected me three times so far to fight for conservative values, stand up to Joe Biden and the radical, woke Democrats, and bring common-sense to Washington. We’re going to keep fighting to do the things the people of Florida elected me to do.”

The Senator’s announcement comes after Republicans failed to win back the upper chamber last year, a failure that some blamed on Scott.

Despite the GOP’s unsuccessful effort to win back the Senate majority, the Florida Senator launched an unsuccessful bid to unseat Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) as Senate minority leader.

Scott remains a powerful political force in his home state. Prior to winning his Senate seat in 2018, he served two terms as Florida governor. 

Amanda Head: CNN Stabs Biden!

By
Amanda Head
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Is the mainstream media finally waking up? Not so fast…

However, tensions between the press and the Biden administration are definitely heating up after what has been widely regarded as a friendly relationship…

Let Amanda explain the rising feud below:

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

Trump Ally Says GOP Firebrand is Gunning for Trump VP Slot

By
Madeleine Jackson
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Marjorie Taylor Greene -Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, via Wikimedia Commons

Georgia Republican firebrand Marjorie Taylor Greene is aiming high.

According to former White House strategist Stephen Bannon, the Georgia lawmaker is angling herself to potentially be selected as Donald Trump’s choice for Vice President in what is his third pursuit of the White House.

“This is no shrinking violet, she’s ambitious — she’s not shy about that, nor should she be. … She sees herself on the short list for Trump’s VP,” Bannon told NBC News. 

When Greene “looks in the mirror, she sees a potential president smiling back,” Bannon added. 

An unnamed source in the NBC News piece concurred that Greene’s “whole vision” is to snag the second-in-command slot on Trump’s ticket.  

The source noted Rep. Greene’s recent efforts to rebrand herself as a politician who has the ability to “stand astride the divide between the party’s hard-liners and its establishment wing” is definitely part of a larger goal.

Recently, MTG threw herself into the middle of the contentious battle to elect a new Speaker of the House. Bannon told NBC that Rep. Greene’s support of Kevin McCarthy was a calculated risk.

“She’s both strategic and disciplined — she made a power move, knowing it would run up hard against her most ardent crew,” he said. “She was prepared to take the intense heat/hatred short-term for the long-term goal of being a player.”

Rep. Greene has made a name for herself in Congress as a far-right firebrand and staunch supporter of the former President. The Republican lawmaker endorsed Trump even before his official 2024 launch.

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

Georgia DA Teases ‘Imminent’ Charging Decisions in Trump Probe

By
Madeleine Jackson
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Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

The Georgia prosecutor in charge of the investigation into former President Donald Trump‘s alleged interference in the 2020 election is seeking to keep the special grand jury’s finding a secret for now.

On Tuesday, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis argued that the panel’s report which may include recommendations for indictments as well as other information from the special grand jury’s investigative work be kept from the public.

“We want to make sure that everyone is treated fairly and we think for future defendants to be treated fairly, it is not appropriate at this time to have this report released,” Willis said. She also told the judge, “decisions are imminent.”

Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney was hearing arguments on whether the report is a presentment and is therefore required to be released under Georgia law because the grand jurors recommended their findings be publicized. In addition to the timing, the judge is expected to consider whether the report should be disclosed publicly in full or with redactions.

A group of media organizations filed a brief supporting the release of the report. They called it a “matter of profound public interest that goes to the heart of the nation’s democratic forms of government,” according to The Washington Post. An attorney for the media intervenors, Tom Clyde, made arguments in favor of immediate disclosure during the hearing on Tuesday.

Judge Willis concluded the day’s proceedings and promised to “circle back” on a decision, promising there would be advance notice if he decided in favor of disclosure.

Trump’s attorneys said in a statement they were not attending the hearing Tuesday, saying Trump was not informed or asked to attend.

The attorneys, Georgia-based Drew Findling and Marissa Goldberg, added, “We can assume that the grand jury did their job and looked at the facts and the law, as we have, and concluded there were no violations of the law by President Trump.”

The ongoing investigation in the Peach State after a phone call recording surfaced in which Trump pressed Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” votes, enough to flip the state’s results from Joe Biden.

Trump has defended the call and has broadly rejected any claims of wrongdoing. 

Trump Drops Second Lawsuit Against New York Attorney General

By
Madeleine Jackson
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Alec Perkins from Hoboken, USA, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Donald Trump has dropped another lawsuit against New York Attorney General Letitia James.

On Tuesday, Trump dropped a second lawsuit against the New York Democrat which sought to block her investigations into him and the Trump Organization.

According to reports from The Hill, Trump’s and James’s attorneys indicated in a one-page filing to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit that they agreed to end the former president’s suit.

When reached for comment, Trump attorney Alina Habba said, “This appeal was voluntarily withdrawn for strategic purposes.”

“I am pleased that Donald Trump has withdrawn both of his pending actions against my office. As we have shown all along, we have a legitimate legal case against him and his organization, and we cannot be bullied or dissuaded from pursuing it,” James said in a statement.

Friday’s dismissal was made without prejudice, meaning Trump’s attorneys can refile the same claim again. Tuesday’s filing, meanwhile, was made with prejudice.

Trump has long derided James’s efforts against him as a political witch-hunt motivated by a political vendetta.

Service Member Fired For Refusing Vax Forced To Pay Back Most Of Signing Bonus

By
Madeleine Jackson
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President Donald J. Trump is presented with a 10th Combat Aviation Brigade challenge coin following an air assault and gun rain demonstration at Fort Drum, New York, on August 13. The demonstration was part of President Trump's visit to the 10th Mountain Division (LI) to sign the National Defense Authorization Act of 2019, which increases the Army's authorized active-duty end strength by 4,000 enabling us to field critical capabilities in support of the National Defense Strategy. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Thomas Scaggs) 180813-A-TZ475-010

A U.S. Army soldier who was fired for refusing a COVID-19 vaccine has been forced to pay back his signing bonus, totaling thousands of dollars.

According to The Daily Wire, the veteran is among the more than 8,400 troops from the military, including some 3,300 Marines, 1,800 soldiers, 1,800 sailors, and 900 airmen who chose to decline the vaccine and be discharged by the Defense Department.

“I’ve deployed multiple times, and I feel like the last thing I had was selling leave days that I earned and was never able to take due to me being deployed or needing that time to prepare for the training cycle,” the service member told Fox News Digital. “I was about to enter a new world with no income, and that extra bit would have been a nice buffer in my rainy day fund to keep me afloat until I was able to find new employment.”

The soldier received a $7,000 bonus when he signed up to serve in the U.S. Army for six years. After he was canned for refusing the vaccine, he was reportedly notified by the U.S. Military that he had to pay back $4,000, a prorated figure of the bonus. The veteran said he was forced to sell 60 of his unused vacation days to make up for the debt.

“The appalling treatment these individuals endured broke the trust that is owed to our citizens and our volunteers. America’s sons and daughters,” the Army member said in a statement. “Until true efforts are made to establish trust, the recruiting and retention shortfalls will only continue. The individuals who make public statements that they are unsure what has contributed to the current recruiting and retention shortfalls need to take a look in the mirror; and perhaps they should resign for the betterment of our Nation.”

Another service member slammed the Department of Defense for falling short “on reestablishing trust for wrongdoings,” calling the signing bonus pay-back “icing on the cake.”

Pentagon officials finally ended the coronavirus vaccine mandate for the U.S. Military in December.

Earlier this year, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin signed a memo that will update records and remove letters of reprimand from troops whose exemption requests for the vaccine were denied.

Republican Governor Blames Jan. 6 Panel After Phone Gets Hacked

By
Madeleine Jackson
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1

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem is furious after her personal phone number was leaked.

The Republican Governor said her phone was hacked following the release of her and her family’s personal information, including her social security number, by the House Jan. 6 committee. 

“Callous mishandling of personal information has real world consequences,” Noem said in a statement. “If you get such a phone call from my number, know that I had no involvement.”

Noem said that South Dakota’s Fusion Center, a state agency that compiles criminal intelligence, has been notified of the cell phone hack.

Noem said she also has asked U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and Congress to investigate the leak.

Earlier this month, The Washington Post reported nearly 2,000 Social Security numbers of former President Trump’s closest allies, including former Cabinet members and Republican governors, were disclosed in a spreadsheet that the committee posted along with a number of other records. The document has since been taken down.  

Classified Documents Discovered with Former President Mike Pence

By
Madeleine Jackson
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Mike Pence via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Former Vice President Mike Pence has informed Congress that he discovered documents bearing classified markings in his Carmel, Indiana, home on Jan. 16 from his time as vice president. 

According to reports from Fox News, Pence’s team informed the National Archives on Jan. 18 of a small number of potentially classified documents found in two small boxes. Another two boxes contained copies of vice presidential papers.

Pence’s team said that after the documents with classified markings were discovered, they were immediately put into a safe.

Next, the National Archives informed the FBI per standard procedure.

Pence attorney Greg Jacob wrote on Jan. 18 to Acting Director Kate Dillon McClure of the White House Liaison Division National Archives and Records Administration to inform her of the papers “containing classified markings.”

The documents were collected by the FBI at Pence’s home in Carmel, Indiana, on Thursday evening, Jan. 19. Pence was in Washington, D.C. for the annual March for Life when the FBI collected the documents.

Pence’s team said that although the documents bear classified markings, the Department of Justice or the agency that issues the documents will need to make a final determination on whether the documents are considered classified or not.

According to Pence’s attorney Greg Jacob in a letter to Chief Operating Officer William “Jay” Bosanko of the National Archives and Records Administration on Jan. 22, the DOJ departed from its standard procedures that it ran with Biden, when it requested direct possession of the documents on Jan. 19.

The discovery comes after classified documents from President Biden’s tenure as vice president were found at the Penn Biden Center think tank and Wilmington, Delaware.

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

Evangelist Franklin Graham Refuses to Endorse Trump in GOP Primary Race

By
Madeleine Jackson
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Rev. Franklin Graham via Wikimedia Commons

Prominent Evangelical pastor Franklin Graham and longtime supporter of former President Trump is staying out of politics, at least until after the primary.

Graham told CBS News that it was an “easy decision” not to endorse someone during the 2024 primaries.

“I’m going to stay out of it until after the primaries have finished,” Graham told CBS News on Friday at the March for Life rally in Washington, D.C.

Graham, who is the president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan’s Purse, has previously defended Trump, saying that “God was behind” Trump’s election win in 2016 and that Trump “defends the faith.”

“I’m just not going to get involved in supporting this one over that one,” he said to CBS News on Friday. “Let’s just let the people decide. And when the dust is settled, I’ll make a decision on that point.”

Graham’s comments come as tensions have been rising between evangelical groups and Trump in the months after he announced his third bid for president. Recently, Trump said in an interview that evangelical leaders are showing “signs of disloyalty” because they have yet to endorse his 2024 campaign.

During an interview for “The Water Cooler,” Trump lashed out against evangelical leaders for staying silent over his 2024 campaign. Trump is specifically upset he has yet to receive endorsements from more of these leaders, including pastor and prominent televangelist Robert Jeffress.

“That’s a sign of disloyalty. There’s a great disloyalty in the world of politics and that’s a sign of disloyalty,” the former president told The Water Cooler host David Brody.

New GOP Bill Aims to Strengthen SCOTUS Security

By
Madeleine Jackson
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0
Washington D.C., USA - January 22, 2015; A Pro-Life woman clashes with a group of Pro-Choice demonstrators at the U.S. Supreme Court.

A proposed bill aims to strengthen the integrity of the Supreme Court and would impose strict punishments on leakers.

House Republicans are proposing a stiff fine and a lifetime ban from the federal court system for employees who leak draft Supreme Court opinions.

According to Fox News, Rep. William Timmons, (R-S.C.) proposed the Leak and Lose Act just days after the Supreme Court said it can’t be sure who leaked the draft copy of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization opinion in 2022. 

Rep. Timmons said his bill would make it more difficult for staff and others to leak Supreme Court documents until they are ready to be formally released.

“The leak of a draft Supreme Court opinion to the media was a dangerous affront to the highest court in the land and the very bedrock of our judicial system,” Timmons said. “We must take action to ensure something like this never happens again. My legislation, the Leak and Lose Act, will help deter any future leaks and ensure the Supreme Court can continue to uphold the rule of law free from any political pressure.”

Timmons’ bill says that anyone who removes, conceals or takes other actions with the intent of removing any final or draft opinion before its formal issuance by the Supreme Court will be fined $5,000, and “shall forfeit their admission to all federal courts and shall be ineligible for admission to a federal court for the remainder of their life.”

Last week, the Supreme Court’s Marshal of the Court released a report that said it was “unable to identify a person responsible” for the leak. But it did say the Supreme Court’s flexible work policies during the COVID pandemic likely created vulnerabilities in the systems in place aimed at keeping documents secure.

“The pandemic and resulting expansion of the ability to work from home, as well as gaps in the Court’s security policies, created an environment where it was too easy to remove sensitive information from the building and the Court’s IT networks, increasing the risk of both deliberate and accidental disclosures of Court-sensitive information,” the report said.

The court’s investigation uncovered that some Supreme Court staffers who were interviewed told their spouses about the pending decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. The report said the court would review its internal procedures in order to tighten security in order to “mitigate the risk of future incidents.”

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