Democrats can't stand the idea of Tulsi Gabbard becoming President Donald Trump's Director of National Intelligence (DNI) and recently made that very clear during a hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee.
According to Real Clear Politics, during the hearing, Sen. Mark Kelly asked her why she repeated "Russian talking points" about the U.S. supporting al-Qaeda, while opposing U.S. intervention in Syria.
Gabbard is expected to pass her confirmation but some believe she could run into trouble with some Senate Democrats and even some Republicans.
The Democrat-turned-Republican admitted during the Senate hearing that she helped investigate an Obama-led program that helped train what would eventually become al-Qaeda-supporting terrorists.
The exchange with Sen. Kelly was intense, as he accused her multiple times of what he claimed to be talking points from Russia and Iran.
"Colonel Gabbard, when Russia was denying Assad's use of chemical weapons, they accused the U.S. of supporting terrorists. This is a line Putin used frequently during the Syrian civil war as he supported Assad. Syrian officials made similar comments. They did it repeatedly, they did it in public and did it at the United Nations," Kelly said.
He pointed out several other things she said over the years related to the issue.
"I am interested to hear, what was your goal in saying these things? Did you consider, before saying them, that Iran and Russia, what their motives may have been making these claims?" Kelly said before allowing her to respond.
She began her response by reminding those in attendance why she chose to enlist in the military in the first place, before expanding.
"When, as a member of Congress, I learned about President Obama's dual programs that he had begun really to overthrow the regime of Syria and, being willing through the CIA’s "Timber Sycamore" program -- now made public -- was working with, arming, and equipping al-Qaeda in an effort to overthrow that regime, starting yet another regime change war in the Middle East," Gabbard said.
She added, "The Department of Defense’s Train and Equip program, also under President Obama, has been widely known, looked at, and studied, and cresulted in over half a billion dollars being used to train what they called "moderate rebels" -- but in reality, they were fighters working with and aligned with al-Qaeda’s affiliate on the ground in Syria.
Gabbard concluded by pointing out that while she "sheds no tears" over the fall of the Assad regime, it only helped create a more radical Islamist extremist regime to take its place.
"Why that should be acceptable to anyone is beyond me," Gabbard said.
Kelly responded with, "It shouldn’t be. I appreciate your answer. My concern has to do with the tendency to repeat Russian and Syrian—and, in some cases, even Iranian—information while discounting what comes from our intelligence community."
President Trump's aggressive push to reform the federal government has reached the FBI, where at least six top officials have been told to resign or face termination.
The individuals affected were at the executive assistant director level or special agent in charge level, CNN reported, and were promoted by former director Christopher Wray, who resigned before Trump took office. Dozens of FBI agents who worked on the prosecutions against Trump are also facing termination, CNN reported.
A current FBI official complained to NBC News that the shakeup is "highly disruptive," a description the Trump administration would probably agree with.
Trump has repeatedly pledged to clean house at the FBI and turn the page on a dark era of weaponized government. The Justice Department has already fired a dozen lawyers who worked with Special Counsel Jack Smith on the unsuccessful, and unprecedented, effort to prosecute Trump during his re-election campaign against former President Biden and, later, vice president Kamala Harris.
The Justice Department ordered an additional round of firings Friday, terminating over a dozen D.C. prosecutors who worked on January 6th cases. Trump's acting deputy US Attorney General Emil Bove blasted "subversive" last-minute attempts by the Biden administration to make those jobs permanent.
“I will not tolerate subversive personnel actions by the previous Administration at any U.S. Attorney’s Office. Too much is at stake,” Bove added.
CNN reported Friday that dozens of FBI agents who worked on the Trump and January 6th cases are also facing termination. The purge has rattled FBI insiders, who say individual agents have little control over their caseloads and in some instances were reluctant to move forward with the politically sensitive investigations.
Still, the FBI's troubling interventions in politics - including the infamous raid of the president's Florida home - have convinced many that a clean slate is needed to restore trust in the agency.
President Trump has been feuding with the FBI for years, beginning with the agency's unprecedented surveillance of Trump's 2016 campaign on the basis of spurious opposition research collected by Trump's rival Hillary Clinton.
The FBI's public reputation was further tarnished by its handling of Hunter Biden's laptop, the notorious raid of Mar-A-Lago, and efforts to combat so-called domestic terrorism that targeted conservative parents and traditional Catholics.
The news of Trump's FBI purge was leaked Thursday as his FBI director nominee, Kash Patel, was grilled by Senate Democrats over his loyalty to the president. Patel pledged to "de-politicize" the FBI and disavowed any plans to pursue retribution against Trump's political enemies.
"I have no interest, no desire, and will not, if confirmed, go backwards," Patel said at his confirmation hearing. "There will be no politicization at the FBI. There will be no retributive actions taken."
Barron Trump's university has suspended a dozen students for one year over their role in anti-Israel protests, as President Trump threatens to deport foreign students who sympathize with Hamas.
New York University, where Barron studies business, was a hotbed of protests that swept elite campuses last year over Israel's war with Hamas. University administrators faced criticism for their handling of the unrest, with the presidents of Columbia, Harvard, and UPenn stepping aside over accusations that they coddled anti-Semitic radicals.
On the other hand, student protesters have accused universities of censorship, with NYU facing criticism for suspending a dozen students who participated in a December sit-in at Bobst library.
"In a draconian case of collective punishment, NYU has issued blanket year-long suspensions to students who participated in nonviolent protest on campus on December 11, 2024," NYU's Faculty for Justice in Palestine (FJP) wrote in an Instagram post. "As of today, at least eleven students have been suspended until January 2026."
The school says the students were "not peaceful" and that they violated school policy by disrupting finals week.
"Rather, it was the intentional disruption of a library, over the course of two days, at a critical academic moment — on the eve of finals. This disruption was accompanied by threats of violence directed at senior members of the university community," university spokesman John Beckham told Fox News Digital.
With some universities taking action against their students, President Trump is using the power of the federal government to maintain order on campuses.
Indeed, Trump has said he will deport foreign students who sympathize with Hamas terrorists, part of a crackdown by Trump on anti-Semitism in higher education.
“To all the resident aliens who joined in the pro-jihadist protests, we put you on notice: come 2025, we will find you, and we will deport you. I will also quickly cancel the student visas of all Hamas sympathizers on college campuses, which have been infested with radicalism like never before,” Trump said in a White House fact sheet.
The president's son, Barron Trump, began studying at NYU's Stern School of Business in the fall, and he has become the talk of campus.
"He’s a ladies man for sure. He’s really popular with the ladies," a source told People. "He’s tall and handsome. A lot of people seem to think he’s pretty attractive — yes, even liberal people like him.”
Elon Musk is working with Boeing on speeding up the replacement of Air Force One.
"We've been engaged with Elon," Boeing's new CEO, Kelly Ortberg, told CNBC's Squawk On The Street.
President Trump signed a contract with the company during his first term to replace the president's planes, but Boeing is years behind schedule and $2 billion past its budget, CNBC reported.
The two Boeing 747s were supposed to be completed in 2024, but it's unclear if they will be ready before Trump's second term in office is over.
During his first term, Trump struck a $3.9 billion fixed-price agreement to replace the president's fleet, leaving Boeing on the hook for any extra costs. Trump had threatened to cancel Boeing's contract, accusing the company of ripping off taxpayers with its original deal.
“Boeing is building a brand new 747 Air Force One for future presidents, but costs are out of control, more than $4 billion,” Trump wrote in December 2016. “Cancel order!”
Now that Trump is back in office, the president is anxious to see his deal carried out.
Trump's close adviser Elon Musk, who owns spacecraft manufacturer SpaceX, is working with Boeing on ways to speed things up. Musk is leading President Trump's initiative on eliminating waste in the federal government, the Department of Government Efficiency.
"The president wants those planes sooner so we're working with Elon to see what can we do to pull up the schedule of those programs," Ortberg said.
“They sincerely are looking at things in the contract or in the process that are slowing us down that are not providing value,” he said.
Boeing reported heavy losses last year as a major worker's strike brought manufacturing to a halt. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
The company has been plagued by production problems and safety concerns with its planes. A pair of 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019 killed hundreds of people, and an in-flight door blowout on a 737 MAX last year brought the company under closer scrutiny.
President Trump's fondness for Air Force One is well-known, and he has expressed excitement about putting his personal stamp on the iconic plane, which hasn't been replaced in decades.
The president has long said he wants to update the baby blue color scheme, in use since the Kennedy years.
“We want power blue, not baby blue,” Trump told journalists abord Air Force One recently. “Everything has its time and place. We’ll be changing the colors.”
A Washington D.C. judge who oversaw high-profile January 6th cases has lifted restrictions barring members of the Oath Keepers from entering the city.
Judge Amit Mehta, an Obama appointee, issued an order Friday banning Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes and others from entering the Capitol or Washington D.C. after Trump commuted their prison sentences. Trump also granted pardons for some 1,500 January 6th defendants.
Following pushback from the Trump Justice Department, Mehta reversed course and lifted the travel restrictions on the Oath Keepers.
Judge Mehta oversaw the seditious conspiracy trial of Rhodes, who received an 18-year sentence, one of the longest of any January 6th defendant.
In his order reversing the location ban, Mehta took a veiled swipe at Trump while still deferring to his clemency power.
"It is not for this court to divine why President Trump commuted Defendants' sentences, or to assess whether it was sensible to do so," Mehta added.
Initially, Mehta had barred Rhodes and several other Oath Keepers from entering the nation's capital without the court's permission. The restrictions, which were not included in the original sentences, were added Friday after Trump commuted sentences for the Oath Keepers.
Mehta's original ruling had raised eyebrows among experts on constitutional law, who warned it could raise First Amendment issues.
"I think the court is effectively barring these individuals from being able to associate or petition government officials without the prior approval of the court," constitutional law professor Jonathan Turley said. "That could raise questions under the First Amendment."
The judge changed directions after Trump's acting U.S. Attorney for Washington D.C., Edward Martin, filed a motion arguing that Trump's commutations cancelled supervised release terms, in addition to reducing sentencing. Martin invoked President Biden's last-minute pardons to castigate the judge's decision.
"If a judge decided that Jim Biden, General Mark Milley, or another individual were forbidden to visit America's capital—even after receiving a last-minute, preemptive pardon from the former President—I believe most Americans would object. The individuals referenced in our motion have had their sentences commuted – period, end of sentence," Martin wrote.
According to judge Mehta, all parties involved initially acted as if the commutations had no impact on the non-custodial portion of the sentences. After further consideration, Mehta said he found the Justice Department's interpretation of Trump's order to be "reasonable."
Mehta noted that presidents have, in the past, been careful to distinguish when they commute only the custodial portion of a sentence, but Trump's proclamation was "unconditional" in scope.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham (Sc.) is predicting that the Supreme Court will uphold President Trump's order on birthright citizenship.
“I think there’s a good chance,” Graham told Meet The Press. “I introduced legislation to end birthright citizenship years ago."
Trump sparked an immediate legal challenge with the sweeping action, which would end the long-standing practice of automatically granting citizenship to anyone born on U.S. soil.
It's widely anticipated that the legal battle will go all the way to the Supreme Court. Although Trump has a conservative majority, he has faced pushback in the past, and he is not guaranteed a favorable ruling on this contentious issue.
Case in point, a federal judge appointed by President Reagan temporarily blocked Trump's order, calling it "blatantly unconstitutional."
While birthright citizenship is commonly presented as an unquestionable legal right, critics argue the phrase "and subject to the jurisdiction thereof" excludes those with foreign allegiances such as illegal aliens.
Regardless of the legal arguments, birthright citizenship has undeniably played a role in attracting millions of illegal aliens to the United States.
"So, it's a magnet for illegal immigration," Graham said.
"I think when it comes to illegal immigration, if you want to turn off the spigot, change this policy. I think it's a cheap way to award citizenship. You should not be a citizen simply because you were born here. You have to have some connection to the jurisdiction of the United States," Graham added.
According to the Center for Immigration Studies, at least 250,000 people were born to unlawful aliens in 2023, Graham noted.
"That's 7% of all the babies born in the country," he said.
Senator Graham noted that birthright citizenship is relatively uncommon among the world's leading nations.
"Canada, Mexico, and the United States are, like, three of the 20 economic powers in the country. There are three of us that do this. Maybe Brazil," he said.
Advocates of birthright citizenship often invoke its long history in the U.S. and the idea that America is a "nation of immigrants." But America is not obliged to keep the "dumbest immigration policy in the world" out of habit, Vice President J.D. Vance told CBS on Sunday.
"America should actually look out for the interests of our citizens first," Vance said on Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan. "If you're here permanently and lawfully, your kid becomes an American citizen."
President Joe Biden and his administration worked overtime to dismantle President Donald Trump's border wall project that he launched during his first term in the White House, but that's all changing now.
Among the many promises kept to the American people within his first week of being back in office, Trump's Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced this week that border wall construction has resumed, according to Breitbart.
Gaps in the border wall in areas around Deming, New Mexico are already being patched thanks to Trump’s new border patrol chief, Michael Banks.
Banks made the announcement over the weekend and elicited mountains of praise from Trump's supporters and from Americans who are sick and tired of what's happening at the southern U.S. border.
In an X post over the weekend, Banks highlighted what's already taking place barely a week into the Trump administration.
"USBP actively strengthens border security by refining strategies to deliver effective impedance and denial capabilities, addressing illegal cross-border activity head-on. Efforts like installing wall panels to fill critical gaps in Deming, New Mexico, exemplify our commitment to enhancing infrastructure and operational effectiveness. Agents drive these solutions by leveraging advanced technology and their ingenuity to adapt to evolving challenges, ensuring a more secure and managed border," he wrote on X.
USBP actively strengthens border security by refining strategies to deliver effective impedance and denial capabilities, addressing illegal cross-border activity head-on. Efforts like installing wall panels to fill critical gaps in Deming, New Mexico, exemplify our commitment to… pic.twitter.com/kCQ4pZwawm
— Chief Michael W. Banks (@USBPChief) January 24, 2025
Trump has several other border wall-related initiatives set to kick off soon.
Breitbart noted:
The expanded concrete-and-steel wall will complement Trump’s many other border measures. Those changes include the deployment of more border guards and the rollout of legal changes that minimize loopholes in the border law.
Experts believe the measures will undoubtedly stem the flow -- perhaps significantly -- of illegal aliens crossing into the United States.
Many users across social media reacted to Banks' announcement.
"Awesome to see this happening again!!!" one X user wrote.
Another X user wrote, "Hopefully the technology will include AI monitoring on the border. So happy will be protected again!"
While stopping the flow of illegals entirely will be difficult under any circumstances, it's these types of measures taken that Americans want to see.
Earlier this week, just days after taking back the White House and working through the night to fulfill a long list of promises to his supporters, President Donald Trump wished his wife, First Lady Melania Trump, a happy 20th anniversary.
As many would understandably have thought 20 years ago, Donald and Melania's marriage could have flamed out just as quickly as any Hollywood marriage, but it didn't.
According to the Daily Mail, in the wake of his 20th wedding anniversary, several "wild" photos emerged from their $2.5 million wedding that the outlet said had a "very surprising guest list."
The two were married on January 22, 2005, at the Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea. Of course, the reception was held at Mar-a-Lago.
Aside from the imagery, the guest list for Donald Trump's wedding to Melania, his third at the time, included guests like former President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary Clinton.
Former Trump lawyer and New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani was also one of the guests at their wedding.
Fox News star "Judge" Jeanine Pirro was a guest at the wedding, too. Pirro, a strong Trump ally, attended his inauguration festivities, "including dancing onstage to a live Village People performance at Turning Point USA's pre-inauguration gala."
Happy 20th Anniversary President Trump and First Lady, Melania!❤️🥂🎉 pic.twitter.com/fyJHISpIcU
— Lisa (@Miamirealtygirl) January 22, 2025
The Daily Mail noted:
The late Barbara Walters attended Trump's wedding, as did disgraced anchor Matt Lauer, who suffered a 2017 sex scandal, removing him from the air.
Other media stars in attendance included Katie Couric, Chris Matthews, Kelly Ripa, with husband, actor and co-anchor Mark Consuelos, Kathie Lee Gifford, with her late husband Frank, as well as Star Jones.
Several top music stars and producers were also present at the wedding, including Billy Joel and the late Tony Bennet.
Users across social media joined the president in wishing his wife a happy anniversary.
"This is the definition of a good, wholesome, Christian family," one X user wrote.
Another X user wrote, "Beautiful couple may God bless you both with lots of love, strength and good health."
"This is beautiful. The love here is genuine. Best President and First Lady ever. Happy anniversary! Wishing you both a lifetime of happiness, good health, and blessings," another user wrote.
The House of Representatives passed a bill that would force doctors to save newborns who survive abortions.
The bill passed along party lines, with only one Democrat, Henry Cuellar (Tx.), voting in favor.
The vote was largely a messaging exercise, as Republicans have little chance of passing the bill through the Senate, where it was blocked Wednesday by Democrats.
Democrats claim the bill is redundant because it is already illegal under federal law for doctors to kill or neglect newborns. The bill, however, adds new criminal penalties making it clear that doctors who fail to perform their duty could face serious consequences: up to five years of prison and fines.
"Requiring medical care for babies born alive after a failed abortion isn’t controversial, it’s common sense," House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Mn.) said.
"The fact that Democrats would rather support infanticide than vote in favor of this bill shows how extreme and out-of-touch their party has become," Emmer said.
Democrats condemned the bill, warning it would intimidate doctors providing emergency care to women with dangerous or non-viable pregnancies.
Arguing against the bill, Democrats repeated familiar claims that late-term abortions are rare and performed exclusively for medical reasons.
"No one goes through pregnancy and all that comes with it…and then after eight or nine months of that is like ‘nah, I don’t want to do this,’" Rep. Sara Jacobs, (D-Ca.) said during debate on the bill. "It is because of a serious fetal abnormality or the health of the mother."
Despite this sweeping generalization, about 1% of the roughly 1 million abortions performed every year in the U.S. are in the third trimester. In other words, thousands of late-term abortions occur annually - which is hardly a "rare" or morally inconsequential figure. While it is difficult to know how many are elective, the number is certainly higher than zero.
Abortion has proven a difficult issue for Republicans politically since the Supreme Court's repeal of Roe v. Wade in 2022, which was credited with the party's underperformance in midterm elections that year. President Trump downplayed abortion during his successful re-election bid, but he has not forgotten his pro-life supporters.
A day before the annual March For Life rally in Washington D.C., Trump pardoned over 20 individuals who were prosecuted by the Biden administration for protesting at abortion clinics.
Ivanka Trump made a bold statement at her father Donald Trump's second inauguration, in a departure from her generally reserved public posture since leaving the White House four years ago.
The First Daughter - who has sworn off a return to politics since working as a senior adviser during Trump's first term - danced with husband Jared Kushner in a ball gown inspired by Hollywood muse Audrey Hepburn.
The elegant black-and-white floral dress, designed by Hubert de Givenchy, was originally worn by Hepburn in her movie Sabrina, co-starring William Holden. But Ivanka customized the look, swapping Hepburn's iconic long, white gloves for black ones.
The White House said in a statement that Ivanka is "honored" to pay homage to one of her idols.
“She views it as a great privilege to honor her legacy in this way, and is incredibly grateful to the team at Givenchy for bringing this moment to life," the statement said.
Ivanka shared a photograph of her wearing the dress with her X followers, prompting a response from Elon Musk: "Make fashion beautiful again."
— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) January 21, 2025
During a recent podcast appearance, Ivanka said she is prioritizing being a mother, and has no desire to go back into the "dark" world of politics.
"I love policy and impact. I hate politics. And unfortunately, the two are not separable…There is a darkness to that world that I don’t really want to welcome into mine," she told The Skinny Confidential's Him+Her podcast.
Ivanka's desire to honor Hepburn is "no surprise," Sean Hepburn Ferrer, 64, told the Daily Mail, noting his mother has inspired generations of women.
“Over the past 71 years her legacy has grown to become transgenerational and transnational,” he continued. “Her elegance, which has its roots in her inner beauty and spirit, is often a reference point, an anchor, for many celebrities, actresses and models in these times in which we appear to have somewhat lost our way.”
He noted that Ivanka's mother, Ivana, dated Italian aristocrat Rofredo Gaetani, whose father, Lorian Gaetani, was a lifelong friend of Hepburn. Also, Marla Maples, Ivanka's stepmother and the second wife of President Trump, sat on the Audrey Hepburn Children's Fund advisory board in the early 1990s. The fund once held a charitable event to mark the first birthday of Ivanka's sister, Tiffany, that drew inspiration from Breakfast at Tiffany's.
Hepburn was born the daughter of a Dutch baroness, Ella van Heemstra, and a British-Austrian businessman, Joseph Hepburn-Ruston. In the 1950s and 60s, she became a global icon with movies like My Fair Lady, Sabrina, and Breakfast at Tiffany's, and later won praise for her charitable work through UNICEF.
She died in 1993 at age 63 from abdominal cancer.