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DeSantis Announces Rubio Replacement

By
Madeleine Jackson
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On Thursday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) announced his pick to replace Sen. Marco Rubio once he is confirmed as Secretary of State.

While speaking to the press, DeSantis announced Ashley Moody to fill Rubio’s empty Senate seat.

Moody emerged as a frontrunner for the position in recent weeks. A number of other names were floated for the position including Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez (R) and the governor’s chief of staff, James Uthmeier. DeSantis also said he had spoken with Reps. Kat Cammack (R-Fla.) and Cory Mills (R-Fla.) about the post but raised doubts about plucking a lawmaker from the House amid razor-thin GOP margins in the chamber. 


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

Iranian President Refutes Trump Assassination Claims

By
Madeleine Jackson
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3
Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Is this the truth?

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says his country “never” plotted to assassinate President-elect Trump and affirmed that “we never will.”

Pezeshkian made the statement during an interview with NBC News’ Lester Holt on Tuesday in Tehran. U.S. intelligence authorities had stated that Iran was exploring an attempt on Trump’s life prior to Election Day. 

“This is another one of those schemes that Israel and other countries are designing to promote Iranophobia. … Iran has never attempted to nor does it plan to assassinate anyone. At least as far as I know.”

“You’re saying there was never an Iranian plot to kill Donald Trump?” Holt asked.

“None whatsoever,” Pezeshkian replied. “We have never attempted this to begin with, and we never will.”

The statement comes as Trump’s incoming special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Ret. Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, recently stated that the United States must return to the policy of “maximum pressure” on Iran.

“For the United States, a policy of maximum pressure must be reinstated, and it must be reinstated with the help of the rest of the globe, and that includes standing with the Iranian people and their aspirations for democracy,” Kellogg said.

In December, President-elect Donald Trump’s FBI director pick Kash Patel, was the target of an Iranian hacking plot.

Sources close to the matter informed CNN that the hackers successfully accessed some of Patel’s communications.

Hackers reportedly accessed some of Patel’s communications, according to one source. Patel, a former chief of staff to the defense secretary during Trump’s first term, has been a vocal critic of Iran and an advocate for aggressive measures against the regime.

While refraining from addressing the specifics of the incident, Trump transition spokesperson Alex Pfeiffer framed Patel’s leadership as integral to the incoming administration’s security policies.

“Kash Patel was a key part of the first Trump administration’s efforts against the terrorist Iranian regime and will implement President Trump’s policies to protect America from adversaries as the FBI Director,” Pfeiffer told the network.

Republican Holdout Opts To Support Sec. Of Defense Nominee

By
Madeleine Jackson
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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.”

Trump Responds To DeSantis’ Decision To Convene Special Session On immigration

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0

    Mending fences…

    Donald Trump commended Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) for calling for a special state legislative session to implement the president-elect’s immigration agenda. 

    “Thank you Ron, hopefully other governors will follow!” Trump posted on Truth Social on Tuesday. 

    The president-elect was responding to DeSantis’s decision to call for a special session on Jan. 27 in a post on X.

    “State and local officials in Florida must help the Trump administration enforce our nation’s immigration laws,” DeSantis told reporters on Monday. “In order to do that effectively we are going to need legislation to impose additional duties on local officials and provide funding for those local officials. There also needs to be measures to hold people accountable for violating our anti-sanctuary policies and that Florida needs to make sure that we don’t have any lingering incentives for people to come into our state illegally.”

    The exchange between the two is another indication the working relationship between Trump and DeSantis continues to mend after theywent head-to-head in the Republican presidential primary.

    However, DeSantis’s announcement was immediately met with criticism by some state Republicans.

    “Florida’s constitution compels our attendance at a special session unilaterally called by the Governor,” Florida state Senate President Ben Albritton (R) and state House Speaker Daniel Perez (R). “However, the power to convene a special session also resides with the presiding officers. As the people’s elected representatives, the Legislature, not the Governor, will decide when and what legislation we consider.” 

    DeSantis responded to the criticism in a post on X, saying “State and local officials in Florida will actively facilitate the Trump Administration’s policies against illegal immigration, and to do that we need to immediately set aside and approve the necessary funding and resources now.

    “As part of the special session I called for January 27, the week after President Trump is sworn in, I am calling on the legislature to appropriate funding for detention, relocation, transportation infrastructure, local law enforcement support, and everything else needed for Florida to carry out this mission.”

    Trump Announces Formation Of External Revenue Service

    By
    Patrick Houck
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    1
    Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    President-elect Donald Trump has revealed plans to establish a new government agency, the External Revenue Service (ERS), which is supposedly set to begin operations on Jan. 20, 2025.

    The ERS, likely to operate under the Treasury Department, will focus on collecting revenues from foreign sources. Trump framed the move as part of his broader efforts to address trade imbalances and ensure foreign entities contribute their “fair share” to the U.S. economy.

    “We will begin charging those that make money off of us with Trade, and they will start paying, FINALLY, their fair share,” Trump stated in a Truth Social post shared Tuesday morning. He described the agency’s launch date as the “birth date of the External Revenue Service.”

    However, Andrew Feinberg, the White House correspondent for the U.K.’s Independent, argues that “the president-elect seems unaware that an ‘external revenue service’ has existed since July 31, 1789.”

    Feinberg stated that this day marks the anniversary of George Washington signing the legislation that created the U.S. Customs Service, the predecessor of today’s U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

    The Hill has more as reactions continue to come in:

    Trump pledged during his 2024 campaign to impose import taxes of 10 percent to 20 percent on all foreign goods, with tariffs of up to 60 percent on Chinese goods. He stepped up those threats after his election with threats to impose additional tariffs on goods from Canada, Mexico and China — the U.S.’s three largest trading partners.

    Collecting tariffs is currently the responsibility of Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which is housed within the Department of Homeland Security.

    Under the current system, CBP collects tariffs from U.S.-based importers of foreign goods subject to import taxes. The importer — not the foreign country or company from which the product was exported — must pay the tax to CBP.

    In his first term in office, Trump imposed tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum, including from Canada and Mexico, and compelled both countries to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement with terms meant to boost U.S. manufacturing and improve compliance with labor laws.

    Details regarding the structure and implementation of the ERS remain unclear, but the announcement aligns with Trump’s campaign promises to prioritize American interests in global trade.

    Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News.

    Senate Democrat Whip Endorses Trump’s Sec. Of State Nominee

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    2

    Senate Democrat Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) announced in a statement that he intends to vote to confirm Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) to serve as Secretary of State.

    “Senator Rubio and I share many similar views on foreign policy and as a result, have worked closely together in the Senate to move forward with legislation regarding human rights around the world, the continued threat of China, and the recent sham election in Venezuela,” Durbin said in the statement. 

    “I believe Senator Rubio has a thorough understanding of the United States’ role on an international scale, has served with honor on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and is a good choice to lead the State Department. I plan to vote yes on his nomination when it comes before the Senate,” the Democrat lawmaker noted.

    President-elect Donald Trump, who will be inaugurated on Monday, announced Rubio as his pick for the cabinet post back in November.

    Rubio is likely to sail through confirmation on a bipartisan basis. 

    Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) previously called Rubio “a strong choice,” and indicated that he will support confirmation.

    Rubio’s current Senate term runs through early 2029, so if he resigns to serve in the Trump administration, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will tap a replacement to represent the Sunshine State in the U.S. Senate until voters select a replacement during a 2026 special election for the seat.

    Trump’s pick to lead the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth, is currently on Capitol Hill meeting with the Armed Services Committee.

    Read It: Cannon Permits Release Of Special Counsel Report On Trump Election Interference

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    2

    This article has been updated.

    On Monday, U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon allowed the release of the volume of special counsel Jack Smith’s report dealing with President-elect Trump’s efforts to block the peaceful transfer of power.

    The Hill reports:

    In a five-page ruling, Cannon denied an effort by Trump and his two co-defendants in the Mar-a-Lago documents case to block the release of both volumes of the report, noting that prosecutors argued the election inference report has little to do with the ongoing trial against the two men.

    “Based on these representations, the Court sees an insufficient basis to grant emergency injunctive relief as to Volume I,” Cannon wrote.

    However, Cannon ordered a Jan. 17 hearing on whether to release the Mar-a-Lago report, something Attorney General Merrick Garland said he planned to keep sealed from the public given the ongoing prosecution into valet Walt Nauta and property manager Carlos de Oliveira.

    Read the full report below:

    Special Counsel Jack Smith Officially Resigns

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0

    Special Counsel Jack Smith resigned from the Department of Justice on Friday, days after finishing his criminal investigations into President-elect Donald Trump and ahead of his inauguration.

    According to a footnote in a court filing sent to U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon on Saturday afternoon, Smith concluded his investigations on Tuesday and would depart from the DOJ on Friday. The court filing from DOJ officials asked Cannon not to further extend a court order she issued in January to block the release of Smith’s report into Trump temporarily. 

    CNN Commentator Reports Every Single Trump Nominee May Get Confirmed

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    2

    CNN’s Manju Raju predicted President-elect Trump’s Cabinet nominees will cruise through the confirmation process.

    Raju’s colleague Jim Acosta kicked off a segment on Monday morning by noting that “13 of President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet picks will be on Capitol Hill this week for their confirmation hearings before the Senate,” including Secretary of Defense-designate Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State-designate Marco Rubio.

    “Manu, are any of these picks in jeopardy? What do you think?” asked Acosta.

    “Right now, it appears that a lot of them — if not all of them — will be confirmed. But there are still questions about how they will perform at this, these critical sometimes make-or-break moments during these confirmation hearings,” answered Raju. “Do they stumble? Do they offer any ammunition to one side or the other?”

    He continued:

    But for the moment, the Republicans are in line. And that’s really all that these nominees need in order to be confirmed. Remember, in order to get confirmed by the United States Senate, you need to have a simple majority of support. That means for the Republican-led Senate, which is 53-47, they can afford to lose three Republican senators on any party line vote. At the moment, we’re not hearing any opposition from Republican senators, many of them keeping their cards close to the vest. But there are several ones that we’re watching very closely this week.

    One of them, Pete Hegseth, coming before the Senate Armed Services Committee tomorrow. He has had a number of controversies emerge, including allegations of sexual assault back in 2017, allegations of excessive drinking on the job, and mismanagement of a veterans organization that he headed up. He has denied all of that. How does he perform when he is asked about that at the hearings?

    Steve Bannon Declares War On ‘Truly Evil’ Elon Musk

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    5
    UK Government, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

    This feud isn’t going away anytime soon…

    President-elect Donald Trump’s former adviser Steve Bannon is not afraid to publicly go to battle against billionaire businessman Elon Musk, calling him “truly evil” during a recent interview.

    In an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, as highlighted by Mediaite, Bannon sharply criticized Musk, who was tapped by Trump to co-lead the “Department of Government Efficiency.”

    “I will have Elon Musk run out of here by Inauguration Day,” Bannon said. “He is a truly evil guy, a very bad guy. I made it my personal thing to take this guy down.”

    Trump is set to take office for the second time next Monday. Musk’s influence in the next administration remains unclear but he has been tapped to help lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) which is tasked with cutting wasteful government spending.

    Bannon criticized Musk over the continued debate over H-1B visas. Musk is supportive of the work program that allows the U.S. to attract international talent. Trump’s base, however, is not supportive of the program, fueling a fight over the topic.

    Musk himself was once an H-1B visa holder, as he is from South Africa.

    “This thing of the H-1B visas, it’s about the entire immigration system is gamed by the tech overlords, they use it to their advantage, the people are furious,” Bannon said.

    He slammed Musk’s heritage, calling South Africans the most racist people on Earth.

    “He should go back to South Africa,” Bannon said. “Why do we have South Africans, the most racist people on Earth, white South Africans, we have them making any comments at all on what goes on in the United States?”

    Bannon continued to pile on the criticism, saying Musk has a maturity of a “little boy” and only has an interest in increasing his wealth.

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