Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said in a Breitbart News exclusive interview that he has everything set up to move a block of 48 Trump nominees through the Senate for confirmation as soon as Thursday, the first step in breaking a Democrat logjam that has prevented hundreds of nominees from being confirmed using the normal methods.
The process of changing the rules to stop Democrats from slow-walking virtually all of President Donald Trump's nominees has taken the last two weeks, but Thune is adamant that the obstruction tactics end so that Trump can have his nominees in place.
“As we’ve discussed in the past, President Trump deserves to have his team members in place so he can enact his agenda which the American people voted for last November,” Thune said on Tuesday afternoon. “He’s the only president on record in history to not have a single civilian nominee confirmed via voice vote or unanimous consent at this point in his presidency. So the Democrats’ long, unprecedented blockade has gone on for way too long and it’s going to end soon and we intend to start that this week."
Thune said that the block of 48 will be the first in history, but that it's necessary because of the Democrats' obstructionist tactics, which are also unprecedented.
"So what will happen is, on Thursday, we’ll have a bloc," he said. "It will be 48. It’s the first bloc that we will move in bloc so that this blockade, these dilatory tactics, this unprecedented obstruction that the Democrats have engaged in has to end. So we took the steps to do that. We set it up last week, and we will conclude it this week. Then in the future we’ll be able to do a lot of the Trump nominees in batches, if you will, as opposed to individually, which is what the Democrats have forced us to do, and in ways that have never been done in history, in the past.”
It's kind of surprising that Republicans in the Senate have put up with these obstruction tactics for as long as they have.
Trump has been in office for nine months; it is about time that they do something to break the blockade.
Thune even told Breitbart that the Democrats are "putting America’s national security interests at risk all around the world" just because they have Trump Derangement Syndrome.
“These are key positions that need to be filled, and in the past they would have been filled by unanimous consent because everybody recognized that a president who wins is a duly elected president and won a huge mandate in an election and deserves to have their team in place," he said.
"We live in a dangerous world," he added. "We need representation in a lot of these key posts around the world today, and the Democrats have been blocking it now for going on nine months since the President took office. So it’s got to come to an end."
After Democrats rejected a bipartisan solution to the logjam that would have kept the current rules intact, there was complete unity among the GOP senators for the change.
"Thankfully all our Republicans understood what was at stake and we’ve all hung together," Thune said. "We had all 53 Republicans to do this and we’re going to finish it this week.”
Really, what choice did they have?
As Thune noted, the Democrats have been "almost pathological" in their hatred of Trump, so it was time to do what needed to be done.
In a fiery outburst on social media, President Donald Trump has accused former special counsel Jack Smith and the Biden administration of targeting conservative organizations like Turning Point USA with politically motivated investigations.
This controversy centers on Trump's claims of a weaponized Justice Department, Smith's investigations into Republican groups, and ensuing legal and political battles with Senate Republicans.
The issue gained traction earlier this year when Trump took to Truth Social on Wednesday to express outrage over an investigation into Turning Point USA, a nonprofit co-founded by Charlie Kirk in 2012.
Trump questioned the motives behind the probe, suggesting it was an attempt to silence conservative voices.
He stated, “Why was the wonderful Turning Point under INVESTIGATION by ‘Deranged’ Jack Smith and the Corrupt & Incompetent Biden Administration?”
In another post, he added, “They tried to force Charlie, and many other people and movements, out of business. They Weaponized the Justice Department against Sleepy Joe Biden’s Political Opponents, including ME!”
The investigation, part of a broader election interference probe by Smith and the Biden administration, targeted Republican-led organizations and donors who backed Trump’s claims regarding the 2020 election.
Among the efforts was a specific operation dubbed “Arctic Frost,” which examined 92 GOP-affiliated groups and individuals.
On Tuesday, Senator Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released audio and records related to this probe, shedding light on its extensive reach.
Grassley also highlighted past actions during the Trump administration, noting the removal of certain FBI agents for alleged partisan behavior.
He remarked, “Since the Trump administration took power, many FBI agents have been removed. The removals included agents and prosecutors who became partisan weapons that lost their way, and I’ve made records public to prove it.”
Additionally, Senate Republicans initiated a watchdog investigation earlier this year into Smith, alleging violations of the Hatch Act, though Smith’s legal team dismissed these claims as baseless.
Smith, who resigned from his special counsel position earlier this year ahead of Trump’s inauguration, has staunchly defended his actions in the 2020 election investigations.
He asserted, “The ultimate decision to bring charges against Mr. Trump was mine. It is a decision I stand behind fully.”
In a January letter, Smith further clarified, “To all who know me well, the claim from Mr. Trump that my decisions as a prosecutor were influenced or directed by the Biden administration or other political actors is, in a word, laughable.”
Pennsylvania senator John Fetterman is urging his fellow Democrats to drop their extreme rhetoric after the horrific assassination of Charlie Kirk.
Those who feel inclined to compare their fellow citizens to Nazis would do well to recall Hitler's atrocities, Fetterman told Fox News' Special Report.
"[D]o not ever, ever, ever compare anyone to Hitler. If not, go online and you can read up on exactly what he’s responsible for, 75 to 80 million lives lost and World War II. And you don’t compare him to anyone," Fetterman said.
When someone is repeatedly compared to Hitler, that "will incite somebody to say, well, now I feel like I have to stop that, and take them out," Fetterman noted.
The man accused of killing Kirk, Tyler Robinson, is a leftist who felt motivated to kill Kirk over his "hate."
Some left-wingers have celebrated the assassination or have suggested Kirk deserved it because of his "fascist" views.
The horrific murder caps a decade of incendiary rhetoric likening Trump and his millions of supporters to fascists. Trump survived two assassination attempts last year.
“People seem to have forgotten that the president took a shot to the head. And can you imagine if that shot would have gone the way Charlie Kirk’s went and what kind of condition our nation would be in?" Fetterman asked.
"This is such a dangerous time right now. And now why? You don’t need this [to be] an opportunity to share your opinions on it. Just, again, it’s appalling, and allow folks enough space to grieve. The man hasn’t even been buried yet. And it’s like, that’s why we wanted to have a conversation that we have to find a way to work together.”
While many Democrats responded to Kirk's assassination by condemning political violence, few in the party have rebuked the extreme rhetoric coming from their side.
Some Democrats, like Barack Obama, have even tried to blame Kirk's murder on President Trump, who was friends with Kirk.
Others, such as former late night host Jimmy Kimmel, have lied about the shooter's motive, falsely claiming he was a Trump supporter.
But Fetterman - who has been a thorn in the side of his fellow Democrats for some time now - is not letting his party off the hook.
"Any [kind] of extreme rhetoric, left or right, is really dangerous," he said.
President Trump has asked the Supreme Court to uphold his firing of Lisa Cook, setting up a high-stakes case on executive power, the AP reported.
There is a good chance that the top court will side with Trump and reverse the D.C. Circuit's 2-1 ruling that allowed Cook to stay, for now.
Cook has been credibly accused of mortgage fraud by filing contradictory applications claiming two different homes as her primary residence, simultaneously.
The Federal Reserve Act states that the president may remove Fed governors "for cause," and the Trump administration says that the appearance of disreputable conduct by Cook is more than enough to satisfy that standard.
In its appeal to the Supreme Court, the Trump administration lamented the lower courts' intervention as another case of "improper judicial interference with the president’s removal authority."
A Biden-appointed district judge, Jia Cobb, blocked Trump from firing Cook because the alleged fraud occurred before she joined the Fed. The administration says the misconduct, regardless of when it happened, "indisputably calls into question Cook’s trustworthiness and whether she can be a responsible steward of the interest rates and economy.”
An appeals court ruled against Trump, with US Circuit Judge Gregory Katsas, a Trump appointee, dissenting. The other two judges who sided with Cook are Biden appointees.
In his opinion, Katsas noted the absurd consequences of the district court's logic, which would prevent the removal of a Fed governor who “committed murder before taking office” or who “bribed a Senator to ensure confirmation.”
“The president plainly invoked a cause relating to Cook’s conduct, ability, fitness, or competence,” Katsas wrote. “The allegations against Cook could constitute mortgage fraud if she acted knowingly, and that is a felony offense."
Another issue in the case concerns due process.
Judge Katsas rejected Cobb's claim that Cook has a property interest in her job that entitles her to special procedural protections. "As a principal officer of the United States,” he said, “she serves in a position of public ‘trust’ that creates no property rights.”
The Trump administration adopted Katsas' logic, drawing a distinction between lower-ranking civil servants and Senate-confirmed "principal officers" like Cook who do not receive the same due process protections.
“The lower courts’ primary theory,” wrote Solicitor General John D. Sauer, “is that principal officers are akin to teachers or lower-level civil servants and can thus claim a property interest and an entitlement to notice and a hearing before removal. This theory,” he contended, “is untenable and would wreak havoc on sensitive presidential decision-making.”
The Supreme Court has been broadly sympathetic to Trump's view of executive power, allowing him to fire various heads of independent agencies.
On the other hand, the court did briefly note earlier this year that the Fed has a "unique" structure.
If the president can appoint Fed governors, but not fire them over credible wrongdoing, then the Fed answers to nobody. It seems doubtful the Supreme Court would approve such a blatantly unconstitutional scheme, but we will just have to see what they decide.
A bomb squad was called to the Arizona headquarters of Turning Point USA after a "suspicious bag" was left outside, the Daily Mail reports.
The Phoenix headquarters has drawn crowds of mourners since the horrific assassination of Turning Point founder Charlie Kirk on September 10.
The scene was declared safe after Phoenix police sent a bomb robot and bomb squad officer dressed in an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) suit.
"There is not a threat associated with this incident. Updates will be given out as they become available," police said.
Kirk was fatally shot in the neck during one of his trademark debates at Utah Valley University on September 10. The horrific assassination was captured on harrowing video witnessed by millions.
All across the world, the 31-year-old husband and father of two is being mourned as a martyr for free speech and civil debate. His callous murder has also been celebrated by a radical fringe on the left that has sought to disparage his legacy.
There have been numerous incidents of vandalism targeting memorials for Kirk around the country. A 19-year-0ld man was criminally charged for destroying a memorial at Turning Point's headquarters on Sunday.
The suspect wore the same shirt as the man accused of murdering Kirk, 22-year-old Utah native Tyler Robinson.
The left-alleged assassin, described as left-leaning by his family, confessed to killing Kirk because of the conservative activist's "hatred."
Robinson was charged Tuesday with aggravated murder, exposing him to being executed by firing squad - in addition to felony discharge of a firearm, two counts of obstruction of justice, two counts of witness tampering, and committing a violent offense in the presence of a child.
Kirk's political organization has been credited with fostering civil discourse and drawing young people to the right in the Trump era. His brutal murder has drawn attention to a rise in extremism and intolerance, particularly on the radical left.
President Trump has said he will designate anti-fa, a decentralized left-wing group, as a terrorist organization in the wake of Kirk's murder.
Kirk's funeral will be held Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, a 63,000-seat venue that is home to the Arizona Cardinals.
President Trump will make an appearance to pay respects to Kirk, who was a loyal supporter and friend of his.
Kirk, an evangelical Christian from the suburbs of Chicago, was raising a family in Arizona with his wife Erika, a Scottsdale native.
In a striking turn of events, Attorney General Pam Bondi has found herself at the center of a heated debate over free speech after comments made on a popular podcast sparked widespread criticism, The Hill reported.
The controversy erupted after Bondi discussed the boundaries of free speech and hate speech on "The Katie Miller Podcast," leading to sharp rebukes from civil liberties advocates and conservative figures alike, followed by a detailed clarification on social media.
On Monday, an episode of "The Katie Miller Podcast," hosted by Katie Miller, wife of White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, featured Bondi as a guest.
During the discussion, Bondi addressed the distinction between free speech and hate speech, particularly referencing an incident involving someone named Charlie.
She remarked, “There’s free speech and then there’s hate speech, and there is no place, especially now, especially after what happened to Charlie, in our society…”
Bondi also stated on the podcast, “We will absolutely target you, go after you, if you are targeting anyone with hate speech.”
Her words quickly drew attention, igniting criticism from various quarters who argued that her stance contradicted established legal protections.
The Foundation for Individual Rights, a civil liberties group, responded on X that day, declaring, “There is no hate speech exception to the First Amendment.”
Prominent media figures also weighed in, with Fox News’s Brit Hume noting, “Someone needs to explain to Ms. Bondi that so-called ‘hate speech,’ repulsive though it may be, is protected by the First Amendment.”
Megyn Kelly speculated on X that Bondi might have intended to focus on those planning violence, stating, “I am guessing, given the statements by Stephen Miller yesterday about targeting violent cells, she means those who actually plan violence.”
Other commentators, including Erick Erickson, Rod Dreher, and Mike Cernovich, criticized Bondi’s remarks, with some suggesting she retract her statements or even step down.
On Tuesday, Bondi addressed the backlash with a lengthy post on X, aiming to clarify her position on the issue.
She wrote, “Hate speech that crosses the line into threats of violence is NOT protected by the First Amendment. It’s a crime.”
Bondi added, “For far too long, we’ve watched the radical left normalize threats, call for assassinations, and cheer on political violence. That era is over.”
She further emphasized, “Free speech protects ideas, debate, even dissent, but it does NOT and will NEVER protect violence.”
The Supreme Court of Georgia has permanently barred Fulton County prosecutor Fani Willis from pursuing her botched "election interference" case against President Trump.
The president celebrated the court's 4-3 ruling, which upheld a decision that disqualified Willis over her affair with another prosecutor.
“What Fani Willis did to innocent people, patriots that love our country, what she did to them by indicting them and destroying them, she should be put in jail,” Trump said.
A judge initially allowed Willis to remain on the case as long as her lover, Nathan Wade, stepped aside. But the appeals court disqualified Willis in December, finding an "appearance of impropriety."
Willis appealed, arguing that the mere appearance of a conflict of interest was not enough to disqualify her. But Trump's attorneys argued that she needed to be taken off the case to "purge the taint of impropriety."
"Willis' misconduct during the investigation and prosecution of President Trump was egregious and she deserved nothing less than disqualification," Steve Sadow, Trump's attorney in the Georgia case, said in a statement.
The Supreme Court's ruling is another blow to the failed effort by Democrats to prosecute Trump, who overcame four criminal cases to win the presidency in a historic comeback last year.
The Georgia case was the most ambitious of four, charging Trump and 18 others in a sweeping conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election.
In a stroke of branding genius, Trump turned his mugshot in Fulton County into a symbol of defiance.
The case began to unravel after Willis was caught having an affair with Wade, whom she hired to lead the case. Wade was paid handsomely for his work despite little experience as a prosecutor.
The lovers defended their relationship in court, with Willis claiming she reimbursed Wade in cash for extravagant trips they took together.
While another prosecutor could take Willis' place, few expect the sprawling case to move forward, especially now that Trump is back in the White House. 14 others are still facing charges.
“I hope that whoever is assigned to handle the case will have the courage to do what the evidence and the law demand,” Willis said in a statement.
In the wake of the epic victory, Trump called for Willis to be prosecuted for weaponizing her office.
"She should be put in jail; she's a criminal; Fani Willis is a criminal," Trump told reporters.
Tyler Robinson confessed to his gay lover that he murdered Charlie Kirk and provided indications of a motive, according to newly released texts.
The shocking messages were provided to police by Robinson's transgender boyfriend, Lance Twiggs, the New York Post reported. Robinson has been charged with aggravated murder, exposing him to the death penalty, and a slew of other charges stemming from his efforts to cover up the crime.
"You weren’t the one who did it right???” wrote Twiggs.
“I am, I’m sorry,” Robinson responded.
Twiggs is cooperating with police, and he has not been accused of wrongdoing, although his failure to alert the authorities has raised questions.
“There is generally no duty to report a crime,” former prosecutor Neama Rahmani told The New York Post. “Now, obviously, people can be charged as co-conspirators, accessories, principals, aiders and abetters. But just knowing that a crime has been committed — even murder — is not sufficient to hold someone criminally liable.”
In the immediate aftermath of the September 10 assassination, Robinson told his lover and roommate to look for an incriminating note under his desk.
Twiggs located the note, which reads, "I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it.”
In the messages, Twiggs expressed shock and asked why Robinson did it - to which he responded that he "had enough of his [Kirk's] hatred" and "some hate can't be negotiated out."
Robinson also told Twiggs that engravings he left on the bullet casings, including anti-fascist inscriptions, were "mostly a big meme."
He fretted about being unable to recover his rifle, which he had discarded in a wooded area, and questioned what he would tell his "die-hard MAGA" father, who reached out to ask about the gun.
“my dad wants photos of the rifle … he says grandpa wants to know who has what, the feds released a photo of the rifle, and it is very unique. he’s calling me rn, not answering," Robinson wrote.
Robinson ended his text confession by telling Twiggs to delete the chats, hire a lawyer, and "stay silent."
In addition to murder, Robinson has been charged with obstruction, witness tampering, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, and commission of a violent offense in the presence of children.
The obstruction charges come from Robinson discarding his clothing and the rifle, which he abandoned at the scene wrapped in a towel.
The FBI is looking into whether anyone had advance knowledge of the attack, which has laid bare the radical left's troubling embrace of political violence.
Many on the left have tried to paint Robinson as right-wing, without evidence.
While police have not identified an exact motive, Robinson's twisted belief that Kirk deserved to be killed for "spreading hate" plainly echoes the radical left, which has glorified the horrific murder in the same terms.
According to charging documents, Robinson's mother told police that her son had moved to the left and became "more pro-gay and pro-trans" over the past year. She said his relationship with a male led to discussions within the family and particularly between Robinson and his conservative father who, the mother said, have "very different" views.
Former Attorney General Bill Barr shared President Trump's stunned reaction to finding out that Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in his cell.
Barr was the head of the Justice Department when Epstein, who was facing sex trafficking charges, died at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York.
"I called [the president] up and said, ‘You better brace for this,’ and I told him words to that effect, and I told him about it and told him we were going to be investigating it very vigorously,” Barr told the House Oversight Committee.
“He had the same reaction I did, which was, ‘How the hell did that happen, he’s in federal custody?"
Barr's comments come from a recent deposition with the House Oversight Committee, which launched a new probe into Epstein after attorney general Pam Bondi controversially moved to close the case this summer.
Democrats have insinuated that Trump is covering up the truth about Epstein, who was once friends with Trump.
Barr told the Oversight Committee that he had two conversations about Epstein with Trump, and in one of those talks, Trump had said "something to the effect that he had broken off with Epstein long ago and that he had actually pushed him out of Mar-a-Lago."
They also conversed in the immediate aftermath of Epstein's suicide. Trump told Barr, at the time, that he believed Epstein's death would cause "conspiracy theories."
At the time, Barr had said that a "perfect storm of screw-ups" allowed Epstein to take his own life. The sheer number of things that went wrong - from cameras not working, to Epstein being taken off suicide watch and not being checked on properly - led many to speculate that foul play was involved.
Barr spent much of his interview with the House Oversight Committee rebutting those theories and explaining why, in his view, Epstein "absolutely" killed himself.
Only one camera was recording on the night Epstein died, and it does not provide a complete view of the stairs leading to Epstein's cell block. Barr conceded that the video has a "blind spot," but he said it still would have been impossible for anyone to enter the cell undetected.
"It was my judgment, from what I saw on the camera and what I looked at, I didn’t think it was possible for someone to get up to the tier and open the door without being picked up in the camera,” he said.
An intruder would have had to pass through two sets of doors, one of which was opened by a remote control. The second "heavy, steel door" required a key and would have made a loud noise, Barr said.
A plan to kill Epstein would have required a high level of coordination between "two dozen" people acting in a very short time window, Barr speculated.
"And all these people were in different groups -- you know, the people who were repairing the cameras, the people who, you know, were responsible for opening and closing the door, the people who were responsible for putting in a new cellmate, things like that. For all that to be coordinated, it would've required, I think, as I say, maybe two dozen people."
Sen. John Fetterman called on fellow Democrats to stop comparing their political opponents to Hitler in the wake of Charlie Kirk's brutal assassination, Breitbart reported. The Pennsylvania Democrat said that this is a "dangerous time right now" after the Turning Point USA founder was shot in the neck last week.
Fetterman was speaking to host Bret Baier on Fox News's Special Reports on Tuesday, along with his Republican counterpart, Sen. Dave McCormick, when he called out the left for its Hitler comparisons. Both lawmakers expressed grief over Kirk's death and the impact it will have on his family.
Breaking with others in his party, Fetterman warned about continuing the damaging insults Democrats have trotted out against their political opponents. He believes it could "incite somebody to say, 'well, now I feel like I have to stop, to stop that and take them out,'" Fetterman warned.
Baier said he brought the pair of Pennsylvania senators on the air to facilitate a discussion between opposing political parties in the wake of the tragedy. Fetterman agreed that it was a necessary move. "Well, I mean, we thought it was just a great idea. I think it's an important idea right now," Fetterman said.
"I mean, the trauma after the Charlie Kirk assassination, and now, as things continue now, it's like, I feel like it's important that people can witness, you know, a Democrat and a Republican having a conversation after this. It's absolutely horrific, and it's entirely necessary to allow people to grieve for that. I mean, everyone's seen the video," Fetterman said, referring to the horrifically graphic video of Kirk's assassination.
McCormick noted that the incident on Sept. 10 came after "dangerous rhetoric, like fascist and Nazism and authoritarianism, and the end of democracy" that the left has been warning about became of means of granting "permission" for such a heinous act. "That takes us down a path where the inevitable next step is violence, and that's what we see," McCormick said. Fetterman agreed.
"Exactly, this idea, it's like, do not ever, ever, ever compare anyone to Hitler. If not, go online and you can read up on exactly what he's responsible for, 75 to 80 million lives lost in World War II, and you don't compare him to anyone. And if you do, then you will incite somebody to say, well, now I feel like I have to stop, to stop that and take them out," Fetterman warned.
The hoodie-bedecked lawmaker said that the public has "forgotten that the President took a shot to the head" and wondered how much worse it would have been if President Donald Trump had met the same bloody fate as Kirk with the nation watching. "This is such a dangerous time right now..." Fetterman said. "You don't need this opportunity to share your opinions on it. Just, again, it's appalling and allow folks enough space to grieve," he added.
Fetterman was adamant that "we have to just absolutely turn the heat down" on divisive political language. "The man hasn't even been buried yet. And it's like, that's why we wanted to have a conversation that we have to find a way to work together," Fetterman said. While he is correct, others in his party have taken it further to blame Kirk's opinions for his death, implying in many ways that he had it coming.
It's not just the politicians who would benefit from the political capital of such views, but rather everyday people who have taken to the internet to cheer for the death of a young husband and father of two. Many are losing their jobs over these hideous remarks, which now have the establishment media decrying "cancel culture" instead of examining their own part in creating this problem, Fox News reported.
One of those pundits was CNN's Brian Stelter, who claimed there was a "coordinated conservative campaign to try to get people fired" as a "new form of cancel culture." Stelter warned that these supposedly "politically motivated firings" will create a "tense" climate, though he wouldn't blame the people making the horrible remarks.
"There are hundreds of examples of people being fired from their jobs. Most of the people were not public figures; they were anonymous until a few days ago when this conservative campaign organized online, targeting people that it says are attacking Kirk, bashing Kirk, blaming Kirk for his own death." Notably, Stelter conceded that he finds some of their remarks "personally grotesque" and condemned the worst of them.
Kirk's death has been a wake-up call about the state of political discourse in America, especially what's coming from those on the left. It's time to bring down the temperature, but anyone playing the "both sides" argument is letting the left off the hook for their abhorrent behavior.