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Ohio Governor Reveals Choice To Fill Vance’s Senate Seat

By
Madeleine Jackson
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Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine will announce on Friday Lt. Governor Jon Husted as his pick to fill the Senate vacancy left by Vice President-elect JD Vance ahead of his inauguration on Monday, according to Fox News.

The announcement will be made at approximately 1 p.m. 

Vance gave the Senate notice of his forthcoming resignation on Jan. 9, which became official on the following day. He officially resigned 10 days prior to his and President-elect Trump’s swearing in. 

“To the people of Ohio, I extend my heartfelt gratitude for the privilege of representing you in the United States Senate. When I was elected to this office, I promised to never forget where I came from, and I’ve made sure to live by that promise every single day,” Vance said in a statement. 

After Vance’s resignation, new Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) said in his own statement, “Ohio couldn’t be prouder of JD Vance! He has served our country with great honor, first in the Marines, then in the US Senate, and now as our 50th Vice President! I’m extremely thankful to JD for his early and unwavering support. A truly amazing journey for an outstanding guy!”

Once the new senator is sworn in, Republicans will officially have a 53-vote majority.

Blacklist: Trump Lays Out Criteria For Admin. Roles

By
Madeleine Jackson
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Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Trump is going into the White House with some clear goals and will not let anyone get in his way…

President-elect Donald Trump declared in a Truth Social post that the incoming administration had already hired more than 1,000 people to work for the U.S. government.

He also indicated that individuals who have worked with or been backed by “people suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome,” are not desirable job candidates.

Trump named former National Security Adviser John Bolton, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, former Vice President Mike Pence and others, noting that those who have worked with or been endorsed by those individuals should not be floated as job candidates.

“As of today, the incoming Trump Administration has hired over 1,000 people for The United States Government. They are outstanding in every way, and you will see the fruits of their labor over the coming years. We will MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, and it will happen very quickly!” the incoming commander-in-chief said in the post.

“In order to save time, money, and effort, it would be helpful if you would not send, or recommend to us, people who worked with, or are endorsed by, Americans for No Prosperity (headed by Charles Koch), “Dumb as a Rock” John Bolton, ‘Birdbrain’ Nikki Haley, Mike Pence, disloyal Warmongers Dick Cheney, and his Psycho daughter, Liz, Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan, General(?) Mark Milley, James Mattis, Mark Yesper, or any of the other people suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome, more commonly known as TDS. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” he added.

Haley and Pence each mounted bids for the GOP presidential nomination during the recent election cycle, but both ultimately dropped out. While Haley endorsed Trump, Pence did not.

During President Jimmy Carter’s funeral Pence briefly spoke with Trump as they took their seats.

Report: CNN Considering Shifting Jim Acosta Time Slot

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1

    CNN is doing anything it can to survive its ratings slump…

    CNN chief executive Mark Thompson reportedly suggested moving anchor Jim Acosta’s morning show to midnight as part of a planned shakeup within the network

    Former CNN senior media reporter Oliver Darcy reported in his Status newsletter on Thursday that Acosta “received a peculiar telephone call from CNN chief Mark Thompson” the night before.

    “Thompson, I’m told, delivered the veteran journalist a sudden and strange proposal: Move your show to midnight and anchor it until 2am ET,” reported Darcy, who claimed Acosta was caught “off guard” by the proposal as “he had no reason to believe that his current show would be on the chopping block.”

    Acosta was reportedly told that the lineup change “had nothing to do with his ratings or the editorial style of his show,” but would be necessary logistically to accommodate a new morning schedule.

    According to Darcy, Thompson “even pitched the graveyard shift as if it were something of a promotion for Acosta.”

    Darcy questioned the purpose of the change, noting that Acosta had some of the stronger ratings at CNN, and that a 12 a.m. time slot “occupied by virtually zero other hosts in the cable news business” would “effectively exile Acosta to the Siberia of television news.”

    One unnamed source told Darcy that the move may be part of an effort to appeal to President-elect Donald Trump.

    “They want to get rid of Acosta to throw a bone to Trump,” the source claimed. “Midnight is not a serious offer when his ratings are among the best on the network.”

    Throughout Trump’s first term in the White House, Acosta was consistently combative with Trump officials quickly earning the Commander-In-Cheif’s ire.

    CNN has been experiencing a significant decline in viewership, particularly in the key 25-to-54-year-old demographic prized by advertisers. In 2024, the network averaged 92,000 total day viewers in this age group, marking a 1% drop from the previous year’s low. Primetime viewership in the same demographic saw a more substantial decline, with a 52% decrease to an average of 77,000 viewers. Overall primetime viewership also shrank by 45%, averaging 405,000 viewers.

    Trump Names 3 A-listers As Special Ambassadors To ‘Very Troubled’ Hollywood

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1
    Austin Green, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

    President-elect Trump announced three special envoys on Thursday with the purpose of promoting business in Hollywood.

    Those special ambassadors will be Jon Voight, Mel Gibson, and Sylvester Stallone, Trump said. All three actors are conservative and have appeared publicly with Trump or praised him publicly in the past. Stallone, for example, praised Trump as “the second George Washington” while introducing him at the America First Policy Gala in Palm Beach in November.

    “It is my honor to announce Jon Voight, Mel Gibson, and Sylvester Stallone, to be Special Ambassadors to a great but very troubled place, Hollywood, California,” Trump wrote in a Thursday Truth Social post. “They will serve as Special Envoys to me for the purpose of bringing Hollywood, which has lost much business over the last four years to Foreign Countries, BACK—BIGGER, BETTER, AND STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE!”

    “These three very talented people will be my eyes and ears, and I will get done what they suggest,” Trump added. “It will again be, like The United States of America itself, The Golden Age of Hollywood!”

    The actors’ support for Trump is particularly significant given the strong anti-Trump sentiment voiced by many Hollywood progressives, such as George Clooney, who embrace politicians like former President Barack Obama.

    “When George Washington defended his country, he had no idea that he was going to change the world,” Stallone said of Trump in November. “‘Cause without him, you can imagine what the world would look like. Guess what, we got the second George Washington.”

    Giuliani Reaches Tentative Settlement With Georgia Election Workers

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    3
    Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    Former New York City Mayor and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani has reportedly reached a settlement agreement with two Georgia election workers.

    The Hill reports that the notice, which included few details about the settlement, indicated that the agreement would “fully resolve” disputes involving Giuliani’s Florida condo and other possessions Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss have sought to collect.  

    The tentative settlement would also result in “the conclusion of all litigation” pending between Giuliani and the women. The attorneys indicated that execution of the settlement agreement is dependent on “certain conditions” being met, but did not expand on the matter. 

    The settlement agreement comes as Giuliani failed to appear for a trial scheduled to begin Thursday morning over his Palm Beach condo and three New York Yankees World Series rings. 

    Following the no-show, U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman rescheduled the trial to Tuesday. The parties are now asking the judge to adjourn both the trial and the continuation of a contempt hearing against Giuliani to after Feb. 25, so that the agreement may be executed. 

    In a statement on the social media platform X, Giuliani confirmed he reached an agreement with the women but said the resolution does not involve “an admission of liability or wrongdoing by any of the Parties.” He also said the agreement would allow him to retain his New York apartment, Florida condominium and “all of my personal belongings.” 

    “No one deserves to be subjected to threats, harassment, or intimidation,” Giuliani said. “This litigation has taken its toll on all parties. This whole episode was unfortunate. I and the Plaintiffs have agreed not to ever talk about each other in any defamatory manner, and I urge others to do the same.” 

    Trump, Putin Call Expected ‘Soon’

      By
      Madeleine Jackson
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      1
      Kremlin.ru, via Wikimedia Commons

      President-elect Trump is planning a phone call with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in the near future according to incoming national security adviser, Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.)

      In an interview on ABC News’s “This Week,” Waltz said “the preparations are underway” for a meeting between Trump and Putin.

      “I do expect a call … at least in the coming days and weeks,” Waltz said. “So, that would be a step, and we’ll take it from there.”

      Trump said Thursday he’s working to set up a meeting with Putin, telling reporters at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., that Putin “wants to meet. And we’re setting that up.”

      Trump noted at the time he’s had “a lot of communication” with Chinese President Xi Jinping and has spoken with numerous other world leaders. But he has yet to speak with Putin.

      “But President Putin wants to meet. He’s said that even publicly, and we have to get that war over with. That’s a bloody mess,” Trump said of the war in Ukraine.

      Waltz said it was not yet clear whether the first call between the world leaders would include Zelensky.

      “Well, we haven’t set the exact framework for it yet. We’re working on that,” Waltz said, when asked about Zelensky.

      “From President Trump’s perspective, you can’t enter a deal if you don’t have some type of relationship and dialog with the other side. And we will absolutely establish that in the coming months,” Waltz said.

      Waltz also said he would “like to see a ceasefire any minute, any day” in the Russian-Ukraine war, which he said would be an “incredibly positive first step … that would then allow us to enter into the framework of some type of negotiated solution here.”

      “Everybody knows that this has to end somehow diplomatically,” Waltz said. “I just don’t think it’s realistic to say we’re going to expel every Russian from every inch of Ukrainian soil, even Crimea. President Trump has acknowledged that reality, and I think it’s been a huge step forward that the entire world is acknowledging that reality.”

      Report: Nancy Pelosi Not Attending Trump Inauguration

      By
      Madeleine Jackson
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      4
      Gage Skidmore Flickr

      A significant snub…

      Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) will not be attending President-elect Trump’s inauguration on Monday, her spokesperson confirmed to The Hill.

      Pelosi’s spokesperson did not share a reason for the former Democrat leader skipping the Monday event. The former Speaker attended Trump’s first inauguration in 2017.

      Senior leaders of both parties typically attend presidential inaugurations, though Trump skipped President Biden’s inaugural event in 2021.

      Former first lady Michelle Obama also won’t be attending Trump’s second inauguration, though former President Obama will attend

      News of Pelosi not attending was first reported by ABC News.

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

      DeSantis Announces Rubio Replacement

      By
      Madeleine Jackson
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      1

      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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      1
      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.”

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