Before now-former Special Counsel Jack Smith resigned, he had quite a hard time in the courtroom against President-elect Donald Trump's co-defendants, who made a similar request to Judge Aileen Cannon that the incoming president did.
According to The Hill, the two co-defendants in the case asked the judge to stay the release of Smith's final report, which if granted, would likely keep it under wraps until Trump is in office.
Trump, along with the co-defendants, have worked overtime to attempt to block the release of the final report on the election interference probe.
Valet Walt Nauta and property manager Carlos de Oliveira were denied their request by an appeals court.
Though the two men were denied by the appeals court, the court left in place a ruling by Cannon that prevented the release of the report for three days after the appeals court.
The Hill reported:
Smith’s team before dawn filed a motion asking Cannon to waive the three-day period, likewise asking the 11th Circuit to override that directive from the lower court.
It added:
But lawyers for Trump’s two co-defendants wrote Friday that in failing to address the three-day waiting period in Cannon’s ruling and directing prosecutors to challenge that timeline with the Florida judge, the appeals court was greenlighting additional proceedings before Cannon.
Attorneys for the co-defendants fired back.
"The Government literally asked the Eleventh Circuit to vacate the January 7, 2025 Order, and the Eleventh Circuit refused to do so. For practical purposes, Defendants argument in the Eleventh Circuit that the matter belongs initially in this Court prevailed," they wrote.
They added, "This matter was properly left to the sound discretion of this Court."
Part of the strategy by the two co-defendants is to run out the clock to allow Trump and his incoming Department of Justice to quash the case completely.
Once the case is fully dropped, any notion of the report being released will instantly go away.
Over the weekend, in a bombshell announcement, Jack Smith resigned from his position.
According to Politico, his resignation announcement came in a footnote of a legal filing.
Many in the liberal media and the Democratic wing of Congress have been super quick to blame "extreme climate change" for the raging, historic fires that have ravaged parts of California.
What they're not quick to blame are people starting the fires, which seems to be the case with the Kenneth fire as reported by The Los Angeles Times.
Authorities arrested a man "attempting to start a fire" in the West Hills neighborhood that was burning as a result of the Kenneth fire.
Obviously, the arrest raises questions as to how many of the fires have actually started, with many on social media claiming that arson is likely the culprit for a majority -- if not all -- of them.
The man arrested was Juan Sierra, 33. While he was arrested on suspicion of a probation violation, Ventura County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Monica Smith said Friday that he is a "person of interest" in the Kenneth fire.
Los Angeles Police Department's Topanga Division arrested Sierra earlier this week in a possible connection with the Kenneth fire that had the potential to destroy countless homes and buildings.
The outlet noted:
Fanned by strong Santa Ana winds, the fire had consumed roughly 960 acres of brush by 5:30 p.m. Thursday and was burning south through open space toward homes in the Malibu Canyon area north of the 101 Freeway near Calabasas. But a series of water drops helped slow its advance.
While the blaze is at least 35% contained, the potential destructive path was slowed down by several water drops.
The most important takeaway is that Los Angeles and California authorities have not ruled out arson as the origin of the fire.
The outlet continued:
Police arrested Sierra after he was detained by residents who claimed they saw him setting a fire, according to two law enforcement sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation. He has not been charged with setting the fire.
Social media reacts
Video of the man went viral across social media, and it sparked a mountain of comments.
Not enough probable cause to arrest for arson 🤪
Juan Sierra (33) is still a person of interest in LA Kenneth fire
3 prior arrests, violated probation, won't say if illegalpic.twitter.com/1OGhI7C1BF— MAGA M&M (@MAGAmegaMAGA) January 11, 2025
"Just a homeless guy casually cruising around LA on a bike with a blowtorch during horrific fires. No probable cause here..." one X user wrote, sarcastically.
Another X user wrote, "Riding on a bike with a small bag and a flame torch in a fire area? With prior felony probation violation? No biggie."
President-elect Trump's return to the Oval Office has brought a flurry of speculation about his use of the pardon power - and whether he might try to pardon himself.
Trump was indicted four separate times by Democrat-aligned prosecutors as he sought to reclaim the presidency, but only one of the cases made it to a trial - and Trump won re-election anyway after his conviction.
In a past interview while campaigning for re-election, Trump told NBC News that he was not likely to pardon himself because he is innocent.
“I think it’s very unlikely. What, what did I do wrong? I didn’t do anything wrong,” he said at the time. “You mean because I challenge an election, they want to put me in jail?”
The efforts to prosecute Trump ended with a whimper on Friday as he was sentenced to an "unconditional discharge" in New York. That means Trump will not face jails, fines, or any other concrete punishment - but it cements the liberal talking point that Trump is a "convicted felon."
Trump swiftly vowed to appeal, while again denouncing the case as a political sham.
"Today’s event was a despicable charade, and now that it is over, we will appeal this Hoax, which has no merit, and restore the trust of Americans in our once great System of Justice. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" Trump wrote.
Trump has little use for a self-pardon, since his only criminal conviction is at the state level and presidents can only grant pardons for federal offenses.
Both of Trump's federal cases have been dismissed by the prosecutor, Jack Smith, in the wake of Trump's comeback victory.
A separate state prosecution in Georgia is in limbo after the district attorney, Fani Willis, was removed for misconduct in December.
Of course, if Trump had a reason to pardon himself, there would be little Democrats could say against him after Joe Biden's selfish decision to let his own son Hunter off the hook for federal crimes.
Biden said in an exit interview this week that he is still considering pre-emptive pardons for people like Anthony Fauci, as Trump's critics accuse him of harboring plans for retribution.
Some have cautioned Biden against offering pre-emptive pardons, warning they could make the people he is trying to help look guilty.
A man with a machete and multiple knives was arrested at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday.
44-year-old Mel J. Horne, of Washington, D.C., was arrested for multiple counts of Carrying a Dangerous Weapon.
The shocking incident unfolded as former President Jimmy Carter was lying in state at the Capitol Rotunda - and before President-elect Trump made an appearance to pay his respects.
According to Capitol Police, Horne was passing through security at the Capitol Visitor Center when police noticed a machete in his bag. They found three more knives in his possession and took him into custody.
"Security screening was temporarily stopped at the north side of the Capitol Visitor Center, while the USCP investigated, but the checkpoint was reopened approximately an hour later," police said.
No information is available at this time about Horne's motive, but Capitol Police said they would provide more details later on.
"Horne will be interviewed by USCP investigators to determine his motive. At this time there is no on-going threat towards the Congress, the U.S. Capitol, or the public."
The man was arrested before Trump arrived at the Capitol to meet with Republican senators and pay his respects to President Carter, who died last month at the age of 100.
Capitol Police shared a statement on Horne's arrest on social media with a picture of the weapons they retrieved: a rusty machete and three switchblades.
USCP Stops, Arrests Man with Machete & Knives at Security Screening: https://t.co/l3CPimfyAt pic.twitter.com/S1zRwt3vg4
— The U.S. Capitol Police (@CapitolPolice) January 8, 2025
The Capitol was last hit by a deadly attack in April 2021, when a black nationalist rammed his car into a Capitol Police officer, killing him. There have been numerous disturbances since then.
A man was arrested at a Capitol checkpoint in November 2024 with a blowtorch, smelling of fuel.
In a separate incident Wednesday, a Virginia man was arrested for trying to set his car on fire outside the Capitol. The 35-year-old suspect reportedly said to a grounds crew worker, “I have napalm and I’m trying to light it on fire.”
The man lit a bag on fire, which extinguished on its own. Police found accelerants in the bag and took the man into custody.
“Twice today our officers stopped a man who could have been a danger to the Capitol Hill community,” Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger said in a statement. “This vigilance is critical during this time of heightened security.”
The Georgia Republican party expelled the state's former lieutenant governor, Geoff Duncan, for disloyalty in a victory for Donald Trump.
Duncan became a critic of Trump over the 2020 election results, which divided Trump and Georgia Republican leaders like Governor Brian Kemp. However, while Kemp came around to backing Trump in 2024, Duncan actively campaigned for Democrats Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
In a unanimous decision, the state party banished Duncan on January 6th, the same day that Trump's re-election was certified in Washington D.C.
Duncan opted against seeking re-election in 2022 and became a furious critic of his own party, which he called a cult of personality worshiping a "felonist thug" in an appearance supporting Harris at the Democratic National Convention.
Duncan had also supported Joe Biden's scuttled re-election bid, writing an article last year in which he said Trump was disqualified by his conduct before the "horrific" events of the January 6th, 2021, riot at the Capitol.
Trump won the presidency back with a broad popular coalition, delivering the best results for the GOP in decades and leaving the "Never Trump" movement spearheaded by Republican Liz Cheney adrift as voters shrugged at alarmist rhetoric depicting Trump as an aspiring dictator.
In their resolution banning Duncan, the Georgia Republican party said his conduct shows he is not even nominally Republican despite his continued use of the GOP label.
“By his pattern of conduct, Duncan has forfeited any claim to being even a nominal ‘Republican,’” the Georgia GOP's resolution read.
The resolution bars Duncan from seeking elected office as a Republican or calling himself a GOP member in media appearances.
"We have demanded that Duncan cease calling himself a ‘Republican’ and using his false credential as a ‘Republican’ to undermine and sabotage the Republican Party and its candidates," the resolution stated.
Despite his furious criticism of the party, Duncan was displeased with being expelled, calling the move a distraction from more important business.
“Hard to believe this is a good use of time for a party that’s only got a limited amount of time to figure out mass deportations, world peace and global tariffs. Learn how to take a victory lap not light another dumpster fire @JoshMcKoon,” he wrote on X.
President-elect Trump's victory was certified Monday, on the fourth anniversary of the January 6th, 2021, riot. Democrats took the occasion to lecture the country about "our democracy", although it's unclear how many Americans were still listening.
A body positivity activist with millions of social media followers has died after choking on her dinner - with her family watching the horror unfold right before their eyes.
The 27-year-old influencer Carol Acosta, known online as Killadamente, was enjoying dinner with her loved ones in New York City when tragedy struck.
"I love you sister and I will always love you," her sister Khatyan wrote in an Instagram message. "I give thanks to God for giving me a sister like you with your big heart. Rest in peace my sister."
While autopsy results are pending, it is believed that Acosta went into cardiorespiratory arrest during a choking incident.
Her cousin wrote on Instagram, "All I know is that she was having dinner as normal and she began to choke and have difficulties breathing. She had an attack of some kind, she was taken to hospital, but they couldn't save her."
Acosta boasted some six million followers on Instagram, which she used as a platform to advocate against beauty standards. She released a song in 2017 that championed self-acceptance, “Me Amo y No Me Importa,” which translates in English to “I Love Myself and I Don’t Care.”
In a message to her followers, Acosta's family credited the influencer with making an impact on thousands of lives. The family asked her supporters to contribute to funeral expenses if possible.
"On January 3 our dear Carolar better know as Killadamente passed away. The Acosta Gonzalez family shares its pain with everyone who knew her," the family wrote.
“At her young age she managed to help thousands of people through her work but on this occasion we unite and ask for your help in making sure she has the farewell she deserves,” the statement continued.
“If it’s within your possibilities we would appreciate a contribution however small to help go towards funeral costs and help her family and children overcome this enormous loss."
Acosta's death has left an impact on her online fans, who have praised her for sending a liberating message.
"Your departure hurts me, you have taught us to love our bodies just as they are," one follower wrote.
The Dominican content creator leaves behind two daughter, Reina and Legend.
The body positivity movement encourages society to accept people regardless of size. Critics say the movement encourages unhealthy lifestyle choices that lead to serious health complications.
The Biden administration admitted that at least nine telecommunications companies were targeted in a major Chinese intelligence operation that exposed more than a million Americans.
The breach enabled China to access phone audio from top U.S. officials and politicians including Donald Trump, J.D. Vance, and members of Kamala Harris' presidential campaign.
The hacking operation began in mid-2023 and was still active this fall, when it was first reported on by The Wall Street Journal.
As far back as 2019, Chinese hackers have been testing weaknesses in critical U.S. infrastructure, the report said. National security adviser Jake Sullivan told telecommunications and technology executives at a secret White House meeting that hackers were capable of shutting down U.S. ports and power grids.
The ambitious scope and geopolitical nature of China's more recent hacks shows growing sophistication by Beijing, and a desire to cripple the U.S. in the event of a direct conflict over Taiwan's borders, the Journal reported.
A separate cyber-attack targeting telecom companies was focused on the Washington D.C. region, and exposed data for over one million users. The hackers were able to intercept phone audio from prominent individuals including Donald Trump.
The companies targeted, including telecoms giants like Verizon and AT&T, were briefed by government officials in summer 2024.
National security officials told the Journal that the hack was so thorough that it may be impossible to fully reverse. At least nine telecom companies were impacted, Biden's deputy national security adviser for cybersecurity, Anne Neuberger, said.
"They were very careful about their techniques,” said Neuberger said.
In addition to phone records, the hackers accessed the systems telecom companies use for court-ordered surveillance, which exposed a list of suspected Chinese agents being watched by the U.S. government.
The sleuths managed to lurk in the companies' surveillance systems for as long as 18 months until October, after the Journal first reported the breaches.
The hackers involved in the separate infrastructure attack targeted old home office routers belonging to ordinary Americans - like those manufactured by Netgear and Cisco - and used them as digital beachheads, the Journal said.
The FBI received court authorization to break into hundreds of routers remotely and neutralize the hackers, "essentially going into the homes of unsuspecting American victims, who had bought the routers years ago and had no idea their Wi-Fi network was secretly being used as a launchpad for an attack," the Journal noted.
Liu Pengyu, the spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington, said the U.S. is spreading "disinformation" about China's activities for geopolitical purposes.
"The US needs to stop using cybersecurity to smear and slander China, and stop spreading all kinds of disinformation about the so-called Chinese hacking threats," the spokesperson said.
The House of Representatives Speaker race, for a few days at least, looked to be yet another GOP clown show as multiple sides within the party flexed and postured over who might be the next leader of the party in the lower chamber.
But as The Hill reported, all it essentially took to secure Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-LA) second stint as the gavel-holder was an endorsement from President-elect Donald Trump.
The results, which kept the gave in Speaker Johnson's hands, proved that Trump still has significant influence over the House GOP conference.
Unlike the last Speaker vote, which stretched out for an embarrassing amount of time, Johnson was able to clinch a victory in the first round of voting.
The president-elect reported made calls for Speaker Johnson and personally vouched for him as late as Friday morning, just hours before the vote was set to kick off.
Those personal phone calls and endorsements obviously worked exactly as intended, and not only was Johnson able to secure a win, but in reality, the big winner was Trump proving he can call the shots.
And he's not even in office yet.
Johnson had recently experienced a bad round of publicity within MAGA circles after he -- in the eyes of many -- botched the early versions of the spending bill, which turned into its own debacle.
The Hill noted:
Heading into Friday’s vote, questions loomed about Trump’s influence among GOP lawmakers after most in the conference — including Johnson — bucked his demand that Congress include a debt ceiling increase in government funding legislation last month, passing a bill that did not address the borrowing limit.
Several conservatives in the House GOP vowed to band together to prevent Johnson from winning the gavel once more. Clearly, Trump was able to tamp down that fire fairly easily.
As it would turn out, only three House Republicans voted against Johnson, showing that Trump's personal backing worked in the kingmaker-like way he's used to.
The Hill added:
And after last-minute phone conversations with Trump, two of the holdouts — Reps. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) and Keith Self (R-Texas) — switched their vote in favor of Johnson, giving the GOP leader just enough support needed to clinch the gavel.
Several members of the House Freedom Caucus who originally opposed Johnson's reelection to the leadership role wrote a letter after the vote saying they only backed Johnson, "despite our sincere reservations," because of their commitment to Trump.
Now, it's on Johnson to prove that Trump made the right call. Only time will tell.
Like other conservative Supreme Court justices, Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh dealt with a scary incident in 2022 after a man showed up outside of his private residence with the intent to assassinate him.
According to The Hill, new details have emerged regarding the suspect, including that he told authorities killing Kavanaugh would "make the world a better place" and admitted that he had planned the assassination attempt for a month prior to the incident.
The new details emerged from fresh court documents released on Friday.
The suspect, Nicholas Roske, will face trial beginning in June. There was no plea deal reached and he was charged with one count of attempting to assassinate a Supreme Court justice.
The transcript of Roske's conversation with authorities came after he filed a motion "arguing his statements are inadmissible and he was unconstitutionally searched."
He reportedly told a special agent at the local police station, "My plan was to kill Mr. Kavanaugh and then myself."
The Hill noted:
His public defenders argue Roske was not read his constitutional rights before police questioned him outside the conservative justice’s home. When authorities interviewed him at the police station hours later, Roske hadn’t validly waived his rights, his attorneys said.
The new documents shed light on Roske's mental health issues. For example, Roske connected his intention to kill Kavanaugh with being "actively suicidal."
Not surprisingly, Roske was sparked to go through with the attempt after expressing frustration over the leaked Supreme Court draft that indicated the high court was set to overturn Roe v. Wade.
"I’ve been suicidal for a long time, and when I saw that the leaked draft, it made me upset and then it made me want to — I don’t know. I was under the — I was under the delusion that I could make the world a better place by killing him," the suspect told authorities at the time.
Roske also told cops that he was frustrated at the high court's consideration of "loosening gun restrictions."
"Hearing that this person that I was already upset with was planning on making it easier for people to do stuff like that, you know," Roske said.
Roske had previously been placed on three psychiatric holds.
Roske’s public defenders wrote, "Here, the government does not claim that there was a search warrant for any of the searched items. Thus, the search of the suitcase, backpack, and gun case along with the seizure of their contents are only lawful if the police officers’ conduct fits within one of the narrow exceptions to the Fourth Amendment’s warrant requirement."
A federal appeals court has struck down President Biden's attempted revival of so-called net neutrality regulations, putting a years-long debate on the issue to rest.
The push for net neutrality began during the Obama presidency, when progressives embraced regulating internet service providers in the name of keeping the internet open and equal.
The issue lost much of its salience after President Trump repealed his predecessor's net neutrality rules in 2018. Trump's reversal led to outrage among liberals who declared the death of the "open internet."
That dramatic outcome never materialized, but it did not stop the Biden administration from attempting to revive net neutrality last year.
Now, an appeals court has affirmed that the government does not have the authority to regulate internet providers like public utilities, likely relegating the issue to the past.
The demise of net neutrality was primed by a landmark ruling of the Supreme Court last year, Loper Bright, which significantly curtailed the power of federal agencies in the so-called administrative state. The ruling clarified that courts must stop deferring to agencies' own interpretations of the law.
Armed with Loper, the all-Republican Sixth Circuit said it was time to rule plainly on net neutrality and stop the FCC's reversals between administrations.
"Applying Loper Bright, means we can end the FCC's vacillations," the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals said.
The ruling has divided the FCC, with Biden's chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel urging Congress to write net neutrality into law.
“Consumers across the country have told us again and again that they want an internet that is fast, open, and fair,” said Rosenworcel. “It is clear that Congress now needs to heed their call, take up the charge for net neutrality and put open internet principles in federal law.”
In a blistering statement, Republican FCC member Brendan Carr celebrated the ruling as a setback for Biden's "power grab" of the internet.
Carr, who is set to lead the FCC in the second Trump administration, dismissed net neutrality as a "quixotic" crusade that distracted time and resources from real problems like expanding internet access for rural Americans.
"Indeed, it has now been 1,145 days since President Biden signed his $42 billion plan for expanding Internet access into law. But today, not one home or business has been connected through that program," Carr said.