Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) said he has not ruled out a challenge to Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) for minority leadership of the Judiciary Committee.
“Jerry Nadler is a great leader and a great friend of mine. Obviously, we are going through discussions within our caucus about who’s going to be in different positions at this point, but I have great respect and admiration for Jerry Nadler, I really do,” Raskin said on CNN's "State of the Union."
He later added, "I'm not ruling anything out at this point," when asked whether he would challenge Nadler.
"Muscular opposition"
Raskin said it was important for Democrats to be a "muscular opposition" to the Republican majority and President-elect Donald Trump.
“We’re engaged in conversations all with the purpose of creating a strategic focus and capacity within the Democratic members of the House so that we’re going to be a really effective and muscular opposition,” he continued.
Nadler has said he plans to continue in the leadership post, indicating that he will not step aside easily for Raskin or anyone else.
He touted his accomplishments in impeaching Donald Trump and investigating the January 6 breach of the Capitol.
“As a New Yorker, I have stood up to Donald Trump my entire career,” Nadler wrote.“When he became president, I led the Judiciary Committee’s efforts to hold him accountable for his various abuses of power, culminating in two historic impeachments.”
Debate vs. Talking Points
Observers have noticed that Raskin is more of a debater in his style of leadership, while Nadler relies on talking points to communicate.
If Raskin does decide to challenge his colleague, Democrats on the committee will decide which style they prefer and whether they think it's time for new leadership of the important committee.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) was chosen easily to be minority leader, remaining the top Democrat in the House.
Minority Whip Katherine M. Clark (MA) and Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar (CA) are also remaining in their positions.
All three ran uncontested for the top spots in an uneventful race, but Nadler at age 77 may be reaching the point where his caucus feels new leadership would be beneficial.
Elon Musk was already one of the most popular figures in the world, and his alliance with President-elect Donald Trump boosted him to levels even he probably couldn't imagine.
A lot of that newfound popularity, especially with the base MAGA crowd and conservatives in general, is the fact that he'll be heading up a new agency aimed at mitigating and eliminating government waste.
According to JustTheNews, Musk, one of two people in charge of the informal Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) commission, recently polled X users regarding a question about an emergency funding request from the IRS.
The agency asked for $20 billion in funding to keep up with its operations.
What happened?
The results of the poll spoke loudly, with most people leaning toward slashing the agency's budget or eliminating it altogether, and a small amount of respondents saying it should be reduced or even increased.
“Do you think its budget should be: Increased, Same, Decreased, Deleted," Musk asked in the informal poll that reached millions of X users.
The poll's results were clear as fresh glass -- at least 60% of respondents said they wanted the IRS budget "deleted."
The New York Post noted:
Only 3.9% said the federal agency’s budget should remain the same, 5.6% felt it deserved more money and 29.9% said the IRS budget should be decreased.
The poll came after Treasury Department Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo made a desperate public call for more funds for the agency, telling reporters in a call, "The IRS is going to potentially have to make dramatic decisions about stopping hiring and starting to budget for a world in which they don’t have $20 billion, which will stop a lot of their progress."
Social media reacts
Users who responded or commented on the poll weighed in on what they believe Musk should do if he's able to once he's in charge of DOGE.
"America's debt is $36,000,000,000,000 (trillion). That is a lot of F'ing zeros. It is equivalent to $106,000 per person living in America. That is what we are leaving our children. DELETE THE IRS!," one X user wrote.
Another X user wrote, "How about we go to a flat tax with no deductions and delete 99% of their budget so that filing and collecting taxes is the easiest thing of all time? Can’t be that hard."
Only time will tell what Musk will ultimately recommend to President Trump.
Former and incoming First Lady Melania Trump is one of the finest and classiest first ladies to grace the White House in decades.
So it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that she has modeled herself around Jackie Kennedy, who is still known as one of the most beautiful, classy, intelligent, and charming first ladies in American presidential history.
According to the Daily Mail, Melania Trump has channeled Jackie Kennedy on several occasions.
The outlet's piece on the comparisons between the two focuses on Melania Trump's sense of style and fashion.
Jackie's inspiration
The outlet goes on about the two women's sense of fashion and how Melania Trump has clearly drawn inspiration from Jackie Kennedy in how she dresses, especially for important events.
Interestingly, prior to her marriage to Mr. Trump, Melania indicated when asked how she would be as a first lady that Jackie Kennedy would certainly inspire her.
“I would be very traditional, like Betty Ford or Jackie Kennedy,” she said in 2000, when Mr. Trump made his first official run at the White House.
The piece also noted that while Jackie Kennedy preferred pearls (often fake ones) and still looked amazing and timeless, Melania Trump prefers diamonds. Seemingly big ones.
She has two massive ones gifted to her by her husband, one for her engagement ring and another as a gift, both of them worth millions.
"The Jackie Kennedy of her time"
In 2020, former Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro said Melania was the "Jackie Kennedy of her time" during an MSNBC interview, according to The Hill.
The outlet noted:
“I think she’ll deliver a powerful message to the American people,” Navarro said of the first lady, who is set to speak on Tuesday night.
He likened her to the late Jackie Kennedy for her “beauty, the elegance, the soft-spokenness.”
Many of Melania Trump's supporters have likened her to Jackie Kennedy, and politics aside, they're totally fine with that, as many believe there hasn't been much in the way of grace and class in the White House since Melania was last there.
There's no doubt that Melania Trump will bring all of that back to the White House in January, and we can't wait.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Despite pledging he would not do so, Joe Biden pardoned his son Hunter on Sunday after the president's son was convicted in two separate federal cases earlier this year.
"Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter," Biden wrote in a statement.
"From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department's decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted."
"Without aggravating factors like use in a crime, multiple purchases, or buying a weapon as a straw purchaser, people are almost never brought to trial on felony charges solely for how they filled out a gun form. Those who were late paying their taxes because of serious addictions, but paid them back subsequently with interest and penalties, are typically given non-criminal resolutions. It is clear that Hunter was treated differently.
"The charges in his cases came about only after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election. Then, a carefully negotiated plea deal, agreed to by the Department of Justice, unraveled in the court room – with a number of my political opponents in Congress taking credit for bringing political pressure on the process. Had the plea deal held, it would have been a fair, reasonable resolution of Hunter's cases.
"No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter's cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son – and that is wrong. There has been an effort to break Hunter – who has been five and a half years sober, even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selective prosecution. In trying to break Hunter, they've tried to break me – and there's no reason to believe it will stop here. Enough is enough.
"For my entire career I have followed a simple principle: just tell the American people the truth. They'll be fair-minded. Here's the truth: I believe in the justice system, but as I have wrestled with this, I also believe raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice – and once I made this decision this weekend, there was no sense in delaying it further. I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision."
Steven Cheung, a spokesman for President-elect Donald Trump said: "The failed witch hunts against President Trump have proven that the Democrat-controlled DOJ and other radical prosecutors are guilty of weaponizing the justice system.
"That system of justice must be fixed and due process must be restored for all Americans, which is exactly what President Trump will do as he returns to the White House with an overwhelming mandate from the American people."
U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., slammed the pardon, saying: "Hunter Biden broke gun laws, he broke the FARA Act, and worst of all, he broke the Mann Act by sex trafficking women across the country.
"This pardon is Joe Biden's admission that Hunter is a criminal. Biden tried to throw President Trump's sons in jail, but he lets his son off free even though he's a convict.
"His FBI and DOJ raided Barron's bedroom and Melania's closet at Mar-a-Lago. Joe Biden is a liar and a hypocrite, all the way to the end."
TMZ reported Biden's decision to pardon Hunter was actually made months ago: "We're told Hunter and his legal team felt the second trial – where he was charged with 9 tax-related charges – was winnable. Yet Hunter entered a guilty plea in September, which at the time was puzzling because he and his lawyers felt they'd get a not guilty verdict.
"Our sources – again, with direct knowledge – tell TMZ when the guilty verdict was entered it was done with knowledge that President Biden would pardon him."
Conservative author Ben Shapiro said, "Joe Biden has always been a venal liar who utilized his political power to pursue familial gain. So of course he's pardoning Hunter. He was always going to pardon Hunter. Hunter was the bagman."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Leftists before and throughout the Joe Biden-Kamala Harris administration have schemed with social media companies to censor political views they don't like.
Evidence shows sometimes the social media companies have been pleased to help, other times they've been targeted by government mandates. One of the biggest scandals was over the FBI's push, targeting legacy and social media, to suppress the accurate reporting during the 2020 election season of the scandals involving the Biden family.
A survey later showed that agenda likely handed the White House to Biden.
But one of those mandate agendas, in the state of California, now is under fire in a courtroom.
"California's war against political speech is censorship, plain and simple. We can't trust the government to decide what is true in our online political debates," explained ADF lawyer Phil Sechler.
"Rumble is one of the few online voices stepping up against this trend of censorship while other platforms and sites cave to totalitarian regimes censoring Americans. Rumble is standing for free speech even when it is hard. Other online platforms and media companies must see these laws for what they are—a threat to their existence."
The case being brought by the ADF on behalf of Rumble is against California's mandates.
"To defend the constitutionally protected right to freely post political content online, Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday on behalf of Rumble and Rumble Canada," the legal team said.
The problem is that California lawmakers have adopted laws recently that target and punish speakers for posting certain political commentary online.
One of the laws, in fact, is AB 2655 which requires also requires large online platforms like Rumble to act as the government's censorship police and remove such content from their sites.
"California is forcing Rumble to alter its speech and censor its users' speech, while also compelling the platform's speech, in violation of the First Amendment," the ADF reported.
The state's infringement on the U.S. Constitution developed a few months ago when Gov. Gavin Newsom lost his cool over a parody video of Kamala Harris.
He said the video should be outlawed, and the Democrat-controlled California legislature then fast-tracked its agenda, which Newsom quickly signed.,
AB 2839 censors speech by using vague standards to punish people for posting certain content about elections, including political memes and parodies of politicians, and AB 2655 requires large online platforms to censor much of that speech, the legal team said.
ADF said in the lawsuit one law deputizes Rumble to restrict others' speech, and also puts the company under the requirement to alter the content and viewpoint of its own speech.
"The law forces Rumble to train its team to remove and label content based on inherently subjective terms that pollsters and government officials can't even agree on, like what harms electoral prospects or what undermines confidence in an election. And if Rumble doesn't comply, AB 2655 authorizes officials to file suits against it," the ADF said.
The action follows a similar legal charge against the state, on behalf of the Babylon Bee and California lawyer Kelly Chang Rickert, that was filed earlier.
California officials admitted as a result of that filing they cannot enforce AB 2839 after a federal district court ruled that the law likely violates the First Amendment.
President-elect Donald Trump announced that he would be appointing Charles Kushner, Ivanka Trump's father-in-law, as the ambassador to France.
Trump confirmed the selection of Kushner in a post to Truth Social praising him as a “tremendous business leader,” who would “be a strong advocate representing” the U.S. and “its interests.”
Charles Kushner's son, Jared Kushner, is married to Ivanka Trump and previously worked for Donald Trump during his first term in the White House.
Jared Kushner stated before the election that he would not be returning to the White House prior to Trump winning the election and it appears that there are no plans to bring the younger Kushner back for Trump's 2nd term.
Kushner is supremely qualified as a business leader and Trump wants his ambassadors to build functional business relationships that will generate trade and value for the U.S.
Kushner's Background
Trump had high praise for Kushner writing in his Truth Social announcement that, "Charlie is the Founder & Chairman of Kushner Companies, one of the largest & most successful privately held Real Estate firms in the Nation."
Trump continued by stating, “He was recognized as New Jersey Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young, appointed to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council, & served as a Commissioner, & Chairman, of the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, as well as on the Boards of our top institutions, including NYU.”
Another component of Kushner's selection to work in Trump's administration is his loyalty to Trump.
Kushner was pardoned by Trump back in 2020 for his 2005 conviction on charges of tax evasion, witness tampering, and illegal campaign donations which landed Kushner a two-year sentence in prison.
Trump's decision to pardon Kushner of his 2005 conviction has earned Trump the assurance of loyalty and loyalty is the most important thing to Trump going into his 2nd term.
Trump is staffing his administration with people he can trust, qualifications and records are secondary concerns.
Many of the most qualified and experienced individuals who Trump would have used in 2016 have shown themselves to be untrustworthy and tools of the deep state that Trump has set out to dismantle.
Trump's Mandate From Americans
Trump ran on a platform to clean up Washington D.C. and to tear down the corrupt system that has grown like a cancer in America's institutions.
Americans turned out in record numbers and made Trump the first Republican to win the popular vote in decades in order to hit back at the corrupt status quo. Trump has a mandate from the American people to purge the deep state and he needs people who will be loyal to his agenda.
Kushner will likely not play a huge role in Trump's anti-corruption agenda, rather he will be key to pushing American interests abroad as Trump returns to an "America First" economic strategy.
Americans can expect many of Trump's ambassador selections to look similar to Kushner's as Trump is working to return America to economic dominance.
It seems that Vice President Kamala Harris' devastating loss to President-elect Donald Trump has triggered flashbacks for others in the political world who have lost horribly to Trump, namely the Clintons.
According to the New York Post, former President Bill Clinton, in a memoir released earlier this month, revealed that "he couldn’t sleep for two years" and was prone to "outbursts of rage" in the wake of his wife's loss to Trump in 2016.
Clinton added in the memoir that at the time of Hillary Clinton's loss, he wasn't "wasn’t fit to be around."
The 42nd president even apologized for having two years of "outbursts of rage."
What happened?
Just like his wife, the former president had a long list of situations and people to blame for his wife's devastating loss to Trump some eight years ago, including blaming the Russians and hostial "political press" for influencing the outcome of the election.
"I apologize to all those who endured my outbursts of rage, which lasted for years and bothered or bored people who thought it pointless to rehash things that couldn’t be changed," Clinton wrote.
The former president described the 2016 election as the "darkest election possible in the United States."
Clinton wrote, "Almost two years after the election, Kathleen Hall Jamieson, a highly regarded social scientist said Russia’s cyber attacks piled on top of Comey’s interventions were effective enough to persuade voters in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin to vote for third parties or stay at home."
He also blamed then-FBI Director James Comey for the email investigation, claiming it was a factor in Hillary being defeated by Trump.
Breaking silence
Interestingly, Clinton also addressed his relationship with his former associate, Jeffrey Epstein, writing that he wished he'd "never met him."
"The bottom line is, even though it allowed me to visit the work of my foundation, traveling on Epstein’s plane was not worth the years of questioning afterward. I wish I had never met him," the former president wrote.
"I had always thought Epstein was odd but had no inkling of the crimes he was committing,” Clinton wrote, adding that he'd never visited the deceased sex-trafficker's private island.
“He hurt a lot of people, but I knew nothing about it, and by the time he was first arrested in 2005, I had stopped contact with him. I’ve never visited his island."
With President-elect Donald Trump set to begin his 2nd term in January, all eyes are on his deportation agenda which will be the keystone of his 2nd term.
While Democrats have promised to fight back against Trump's mass deportation plan, Trump has scored the support of local sheriffs around the nation who are ready and willing to support Trump's plans.
The Wall Street Journal spoke to multiple local sheriffs including Chuck Jenkins, a sheriff in Frederick County, Maryland, and Richard Jones, a sheriff in Butler County, Ohio.
They confirmed their agencies are ready to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its agents in carrying out Trump's plans.
For the past four years, President Joe Biden's administration has let in millions of illegal immigrants while hamstringing ICE and other agencies that would normally conduct deportations. Now all of that will be completely reversed with Trump in charge.
Massive Undertaking
Trump's promises to deport the millions of illegal immigrants let in by the Biden administration will require the support of local and state agencies to succeed.
The Trump administration has confirmed that they plan to begin the deportations the day that Trump is sworn into office.
Sheriff Jenkins made it clear that he's locked and loaded for action saying he and his department is "willing to support” Trump “100 percent,” and that he wants “to do more, within the law.”
Sheriff Jenkins and hundreds of other Sheriffs around the nation will be the key to Trump's plan as he will reportedly be utilizing ICE’s 287(g) program.
That program will give "sheriffs and other agencies certain ICE powers,” allowing them to supplement ICE in the deportation plan which would otherwise require a massive expansion of the agency which would likely require Congressional approval.
Trump doesn't want to wait for Congress as it will inevitably take months for that kind of action to make it through both chambers of Congress. So instead, the nation's Sheriffs will be on the frontline of Trump's biggest battle yet.
Sanctuary Cities
While Sheriffs around the nation are ready and willing to help Trump, leftist "sanctuary" cities will be a massive roadblock that will need to be cleared.
Multiple leftist mayors like Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and Denver Mayor Mike Johnston have already promised to oppose the Trump administration. These promises to harbor illegal immigrants have earned them the attention of incoming Trump border czar Tom Homan.
Homan has promised to bring the full force of the law against those who stand in the Trump administration's way in much the same vein that the previous administration did against Republican officials.
Swedish actor Dolph Lundgren has declared himself cancer-free after a lengthy treatment journey spanning nearly a decade.Dolph Lundgren, internationally renowned for his iconic role in "Rocky IV," recently celebrated a significant milestone in his personal health battle, Fox News reports. From his hospital room at UCLA, the actor shared exhilarating news about his recovery from cancer, marking an end to his arduous nine-year fight against the disease.
In 2015, Lundgren was first diagnosed with a kidney tumor, which was promptly removed. This initial diagnosis was only the beginning of what would become a prolonged battle with cancer involving multiple tumors.
A Journey Through Misdiagnosis and Complex Treatments
Following his kidney tumor removal, the situation grew more complicated in 2020 when several more tumors were discovered. This time, they were located around his kidney and liver, including one tumor the size of a lemon that was initially deemed inoperable. The challenges were exacerbated by initial treatment missteps, attributed to unchecked biopsies leading to incorrect treatment approaches.
Lundgren's ordeal took a turn for the better in 2022 when a UCLA doctor re-evaluated his biopsies. The new assessment led to a revised treatment plan, significantly improving his condition and allowing for more targeted interventions.
Throughout 2023, Lundgren underwent various procedures, including freezing and radiation techniques, to tackle the remaining tumors, culminating in a lung ablation procedure to eradicate the last known tumor.
Lundgren’s Reflective Outlook on His Cancer Journey
"Here I am at UCLA, I’m about to go in and get rid of that last tumor. Since there are no cancer cells in my body anymore, I guess I’ll be cancer-free so I’m looking forward to this procedure," Lundgren shared enthusiastically before his final treatment.
The actor expressed a renewed appreciation for life, shaped profoundly by his health struggles. "It’s been a rough ride and really taught me how to live in the moment and enjoy every moment of life. I mean, it’s the only way to go," he reflected.
His journey was not without its moments of despair, as evidenced by a grim prognosis received in London, urging him to cease working and focus on family time. However, Lundgren’s resilience shone through, as he sought further opinions and continued his fight.
Gratitude and Resilience Define Lundgren's Recovery
"Thank you for all of your wonderful messages and supportive comments," Lundgren gratefully acknowledged the support from fans and well-wishers throughout his treatment.
The star also shared his determination in the face of adversity, stating, "It’s gonna take a little more to break me." This sentiment underscores his unwavering spirit and commitment to overcoming his health challenges.
Lundgren now looks forward to a semblance of normalcy, with regular scans every three months to ensure his continued health. "And then, you know, now I'm living a normal life, I would say. Except I gotta go and do a scan every three months. But everything else is kind of back to normal. So, it was scary and magical at the same time," he concluded.
Michelle Obama said she has "no sympathy" for Melania Trump as the future first lady confesses she doesn't agree with her husband Donald about abortion.
In a 2016 interview, Obama told Stephen Colbert that she does not feel sorry for political spouses who are not in perfect alignment with their other halves.
Obama's shocking remarks resurfaced after Melania Trump shared in her new memoir that she is a firm believer in a woman's right to an abortion.
“Restricting a woman’s right to choose whether to terminate an unwanted pregnancy is the same as denying her control over her own body. I have carried this belief with me throughout my entire adult life," Melania wrote in her book.
Obama's sick statement
The confession shocked the nation, given President-elect Trump's role in ending Roe v. Wade. Despite her differences with Donald, Melania steadfastly defended him against attacks on the campaign trail, blasting comparisons between her husband and Hitler and blaming his opponents for inciting two assassination attempts against him.
While Melania played a subdued role in support of her husband, Michelle and Barack Obama raved from the progressive, feminist hymnal in their failed bid to elect Kamala Harris.
Indeed, Michelle Obama dropped her famous pledge to "go high" as she called Trump a "weak man" and Barack cracked jokes about Trump and diapers.
Years earlier, Michelle Obama explained her view that political spouses should agree 100%, adding she has "no sympathy" for Melania Trump.
"No…you know, you have to be, you know, in it. If you’re in it, and if you don’t agree, you should have agreed before they ran. Bottom line is, if you didn’t agree with what Barack was saying, I would not support his run," she said at the time.
"So I stand there proudly, and I hope they are, too, standing with their spouses proudly. So no, no sympathy," she added.
Pure hypocrisy
Despite her past sentiments about political solidarity within marriages, Michelle Obama urged wives in pro-Trump households to vote for Harris in secret.
“If you are a woman who lives in a household of men that don’t listen to you or value your opinion, just remember that your vote is a private matter,” Michelle Obama said in October.
In the end, the voters rejected the divisive message the Obamas were sending and re-elected Trump with a resounding mandate, putting the Obamas' political legacy in serious doubt.
Now, the Obamas can quietly seethe over their defeat - together.
