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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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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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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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3

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.

Texas Blocks Biden From Continuing To Sell Border Wall Materials

By
Madeleine Jackson
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Construction continues on new border wall system project near Yuma, AZ. Recently constructed border wall near Yuma, Arizona on June 3, 2020. CBP photo by Jerry Glaser.

President-elect Trump celebrated the blocked sale of border wall materials following a Friday ruling.

The incoming president, in a Saturday Truth Social post, called the ruling a “major, crucial WIN for America,” calling out President Biden and “his cronies” for seeking to stall the construction of the border wall, which was a central piece of Trump’s first administration.

“The Judge has also ordered an investigation into the illegal selling of the materials, which will expose just how corrupt and anti-American Radical Democrats are,” he added.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced the victory in a statement on Friday evening after he filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration “to uncover potential legal violations” the administration was committing by selling off the materials.

“We have successfully blocked the Biden Administration from disposing of any further border wall materials before President Trump takes office,” Paxton said. “This follows our major victory forcing Biden to build the wall, and we will hold his Administration accountable for illegally subverting our Nation’s border security until their very last day in power, especially where their actions are clearly motivated by a desire to thwart President-elect Trump’s immigration agenda.”

The Biden administration agreed to an order that prevents it from disposing of any further border wall materials over the next 30 days—allowing President Trump to use those materials as he sees fit.

Paxton’s office added:

If it is shown that the Biden Administration disposed of border wall materials purchased with funds subject to that injunction in violation of a court order—or that the Department of Justice made misrepresentations regarding the border materials that have been auctioned off—this would constitute unethical and sanctionable conduct, and the responsible parties could be held in contempt of court.

Videos obtained exclusively by The Daily Wire from a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agent earlier this month show unused sections of the wall being hauled away on the back of flatbed trucks from a section of the border just south of Tucson, a hotspot for illegal crossings during the Biden administration. 

Indicted Congressman Eyes Party Switch After Potential Presidential Pardon

By
Patrick Houck
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2

Speculation on Capitol Hill is building that Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), who is currently facing federal corruption charges, might consider switching parties if granted a presidential pardon. The potential shift has set political tongues wagging, fueled by Cuellar’s complicated legal battle and reactions from both sides of the aisle.

The rumor is as follows:

It’s alleged someone is going to receive a pardon and flip from blue to red in the House of Representatives.

Now I fully believe that this person has only gotten indicted because of his wide open criticism of the current admin and his opposition to… https://t.co/WjCOGNNbca— George Santos (@MrSantosNY) December 26, 2024

Cuellar, a conservative Democrat, was indicted in May following a two-year investigation by the Department of Justice. The probe, linked to an ongoing corruption case, began after FBI agents raided his South Texas home and campaign office. While initial details were sparse, reports alleged that Cuellar cultivated relationships with Azerbaijani and Mexican business leaders, leveraging his congressional position to advance their interests in U.S. policy.

The indictment, if accurate, presents a damning picture. Between 2014 and 2021, Cuellar and his wife, Imelda, allegedly accepted $600,000 in bribes from two foreign entities: an Azerbaijani state-owned oil and gas company and a Mexico City-based bank. Federal prosecutors claim these payments were funneled through bogus consulting contracts to shell companies under Imelda Cuellar’s name, with little to no actual work performed.

In exchange, Cuellar allegedly influenced U.S. foreign policy to benefit Azerbaijan and supported legislative activities favorable to the Mexican bank. The charges against the Cuellars are sweeping, with potential penalties stacking up as follows:

Two counts of conspiracy to commit bribery and acting as an unregistered foreign agent (up to 5 years each).

Two counts of bribery of a federal official (up to 15 years each).

Two counts of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud (up to 20 years each).

Two counts of violating laws against unregistered foreign agents (up to two years each).

One count of conspiracy to commit money laundering (up to 20 years).

Five counts of money laundering (up to 20 years each).

Both Henry and Imelda Cuellar have pleaded not guilty, with the congressman insisting his actions were focused on serving South Texans. Despite the charges, Cuellar secured an 11th term in November, showcasing his political resilience among his constituents.

President-elect Donald Trump has eagerly weighed in on the case. Writing on Truth Social shortly after the indictment, Trump accused the Biden administration of targeting Cuellar and his wife for his conservative stance on border policy.

“Biden just indicted Henry Cuellar because the respected Democrat Congressman wouldn’t play Crooked Joe’s open border game. He was for Border Control, so they said, ‘Let’s use the FBI and DOJ to take him out!’” Trump wrote, calling the administration “D.C. Thugs” and labeling President Biden a “threat to democracy.”

The drama surrounding Cuellar’s case, coupled with rumors of a potential party switch, has heightened tensions in Washington. Inside the Beltway, all eyes are on the congressman to see whether he will stay the course or make a stunning shift in a historically narrowly divided Congress.

Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News

Court Rules Georgia Lawmakers Can Subpoena Fani Willis For Information Related To Trump Case

By
Madeleine Jackson
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0

Things have gone from bad to worse for Georgia prosecutor Fani Willis.

A Georgia judge recently ruled that state lawmakers can subpoena Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis as part of an inquiry into whether she engaged in misconduct during her prosecution of President-elect Donald Trump.

In his Dec. 23 order, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Shukura Ingram gave Willis until Jan. 13 to file a list of claimed privileges and objections to anything that has been subpoenaed.

Willis plans to appeal the decision. 

“We believe the ruling is wrong and will appeal,” former Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes, who is representing Willis in the case, wrote in an email to The Associated Press.

Earlier this month, an appeals court removed Willis from the Georgia election interference case against Trump and others, citing an “appearance of impropriety.” The panel also cited the romantic relationship between Willis and special prosecutor Nathan Wade.

“This is the rare case in which disqualification is mandated and no other remedy will suffice to restore public confidence in the integrity of these proceedings,” the court said. 

At the time, Trump called the case a “disgrace to justice.”

“It was started by the Biden DOJ as an attack on his political opponent, Donald Trump,” he said, “They used anyone and anybody, and she has been disqualified, and her boyfriend has been disqualified, and they stole funds and went on trips.” 

Willis has been evasive in questioning over her alleged misconduct in prosecuting the new President-elect.

Attempted Assassination Of Trump Trial Delayed

By
Madeleine Jackson
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4

The trial for the man accused of plotting to assassinate President-elect Donald Trump at his West Palm Beach golf course has been delayed.

Federal Judge Aileen Cannon ruled Monday that the trial for 58-year-old Ryan Routh would begin on September 8, 2025, instead of the originally scheduled February 10. Routh is facing multiple charges including the attempted assassination of a presidential candidate. 

Cannon said that Routh’s defense team “had not meaningfully responded” to prosecutors’ requests for evidence, the Washington Examiner reported. Cannon also noted that Routh’s lawyers maintained that “mental health evaluations are ongoing” but hadn’t yet decided if they would be pursuing an insanity defense. 

Routh’s team has until February 3 to officially announce “an insanity defense” or “note of expert evidence of a mental condition.” 

Routh is accused of hiding in the bushes with a rifle near Trump’s golf course on September 15 allegedly with the intent of killing the then-presidential candidate. Law enforcement said Routh fled after being confronted by a Secret Service agent who shot at him after he saw a rifle barrel poking out of the bushes. 

He also faces charges of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, assaulting a federal officer, felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.

In a separate case, Florida has charged Routh with attempted murder over a car crash that occurred as he was apprehended by law enforcement. 

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