Following her victory in Maryland's Senate race, Democrat Angela Alsobrooks has resigned from her old position as Prince George's County Executive.
“Thank you for your trust and partnership as we worked to build a stronger, united Prince George’s,” Alsobrooks said in a statement. “Serving the residents of this County has been the honor of my lifetime, and I am deeply proud of all we have accomplished together.”
A special election will be set to fil the vacancy in Prince George's County, which borders Washington D.C. The majority-black county is the second most populous in Maryland.
Alsobrooks defeated the state's former Republican governor Larry Hogan, in a closely watched Senate contest.
She will be the first black senator from Maryland, a state with a higher-than-average black population.
Hogan, a Never Trump Republican who was elected twice as governor, fell short in the Senate battle despite his overtures to liberals in the reliably Democratic state.
Alsobrooks' victory also came despite scandal. She was caught claiming tax credits she wasn't eligible for on a property her grandparents previously owned.
In the wake of her resignation, Alsobrooks is being showered with praise by current governor Wes Moore (D) and candidates for her county seat, which will be temporarily filled by Chief Administrative Officer Tara H. Jackson.
Already, three candidates have expressed interest: At-large County Councilmember Calvin Hawkins (D), County Council Chair Jolene Ivey (D), and Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy. All are Democrats.
"Prince George's County is at a crossroads. The next County Executive must tackle the housing affordability crisis, improve our schools, support our businesses, and work with the community and police to reduce crime," Ivey said in a statement.
In a statement, Governor Moore said, “Angela worked tirelessly to make Prince George’s County a safer, stronger place to call home – we’re deeply grateful for her effort and for the results she achieved."
“We look forward to continuing our work together to uplift Maryland families, protect fundamental freedoms, and build a brighter future for our state in her new role as U.S. Senator, as we welcome the opportunity to continue to serve the people of Prince George’s County alongside acting County Executive Tara Jackson."
County officials must formalize a date for the special election, which will probably fall in the winter.
The winner will serve the remaining two years of Alsobrooks' term.
Left-wing Hollywood actor Alyssa Milano has deactivated her X/Twitter account, becoming the latest outspoken liberal to flee the platform after President-elect Trump's shocking re-election.
The Charmed actress was a notable critic of Trump during his first term, but his comeback is apparently something she can't handle.
A message on her former X page says that her account no longer exists, while her podcast Sorry Not Sorry urges users to follow her on BlueSky, touted as a liberal-friendly X alternative.
Milano is just the latest liberal celebrity to flee X, which is owned by Trump ally Elon Musk - with others including director Rob Reiner, author Stephen King, and Star Wars actor Mark Hamill.
The exodus is part of a broader trend of demoralization, as liberal journalists describe themselves as "exhausted" by Trump and the former #Resistance galvanized by his first term appears to splinter.
During Trump's first term, Milano expressed many of the same banal, hateful sentiments as other Hollywood liberals - comparing Trump supporters to members of the KKK and calling for Republicans to be "tried for treason" during the COVID pandemic. She was a prominent part of the Brett Kavanaugh circus, embracing Christine Blasey Ford in "solidarity."
After Musk's controversial takeover of X, Milano pledged to stay on the platform as Musk's critics accused him of emboldening "hate" and "disinformation" by prioritizing freedom of speech.
At the time, Milano claimed Musk was turning X into a platform for "white supremacy" as she boasted about selling her Tesla.
But after Trump's resounding re-election victory, Milano has had a change of heart - with her apparent capitulation drawing mockery from critics.
"Alyssa Milano is the latest celebrity not able to handle social media," one person wrote.
"After saying she'd never leave because 'surrendering is pathetic', guess she had a change of heart," another wrote.
While numerous celebrities have turned to BlueSky, director Rob Reiner complained that "MAGA scum" have already "ruined" the X alternative. Reiner shared he was checking into a "facility" to find peace.
"This platform is vile, racist and evil,” Reiner wrote on BlueSky. “It did not take long for MAGA scum to come spread their lies.”
“I have made the decision to take the next few days to check into a facility for peace and relaxation,” he added. “No phones, social media , no trolls, just calmness to heal my pain.”
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.
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 New York Times interviews Melania Knauss, 29-year-old Slovenian girlfriend of real estate mogul and 2000 Presidential candidate Donald Trump, to ask whether she thinks she would make a good First Lady.
“I would be very traditional, like Betty Ford or Jackie Kennedy,” Knauss… pic.twitter.com/eSFLxTxBye
— 1999 Live (@25YearsAgoLive) December 1, 2024
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.
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.
The political scene in Connecticut was rocked last week after the death of a high-profile Democrat was announced.
According to Middletown Press, former state Rep. Joe Serra, referred to by some as "Mr. Middletown" and described by the outlet as a "man of the people," has died.
He was 84, according to the report.
Serra, also describe as a politician who was "larger than life," served in the state's 33rd House District for nearly 30 years, cementing his legacy as a memorable face in the state's political scene.
Serra's closest friends, including former House speaker Richard Balducci, said that Serra valued family -- and especially his wife -- over everything else, with Balducci saying family was at the top of his proverbial list.
"Nothing came before them," Balducci said, referring to Serra's love of family.
The outlet noted:
Serra and his wife Marie have four children and many grandchildren. The two met 60 years ago at City Hall when Marie Serra worked there over the summer, his daughter Lauriann Serra said.
They had just celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary, she added.
Serra valued the area he represented, and it was noted that when someone in his district would lose a family member, they'd call Serra and he would recall his own fond memories of that person.
A kind man who spent many late nights talking with me about boxing and his pal, Willie Pep, in the back of the House chamber
RIP, Joe.
Former state Rep. Joe Serra remembered as 'Mr. Middletown,' a man of the people with a big heart https://t.co/gEzSW5PYJS via @Middletownpress
— Fred Camillo 🇺🇸 (@fcamillo) November 29, 2024
"What drove him in politics were the people and helping them," Lauriann Serra said.
Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz released a statement on Serra's passing, praising him for his years of public service.
"He loved his hometown, relished public service and developed an encyclopedia knowledge of all things Middletown,” Bysiewicz said in a written statement.
“He knew every inch of each of our city’s diverse neighborhoods and formed friendships with thousands of residents over the course of his life. He held court on a daily basis at Ford News Diner on Main Street regaling patrons with stories of Connecticut politics, and trips to Stop & Shop for milk would often take hours due to the conversations he would have or the constituent services he provided along the way."
Clearly, Serra's legacy will live on, and he obviously had a major impact on the area in which he served for so long.
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.
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.
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.
Matt Gaetz announced Thursday that he will withdraw his nomination to serve as attorney general, saying he wants to spare President-elect Donald Trump the distraction of a contentious confirmation battle.
The shocking reversal came just days after Trump chose Gaetz to head the Justice Department, sending a shockwave through Washington D.C.
The Republican had abruptly resigned from Congress last week after Trump announced he was choosing him to shake up the Justice Department, which has targeted Trump and his supporters for years.
But Gaetz's nomination met a cool reception from Republican senators, and he appeared to be heading for a contentious confirmation hearing as lawmakers in both parties demanded to see a House Ethics report on his alleged sexual misconduct with a 17-year-old girl.
The Justice Department spent years looking into the same claims and declined to charge Gaetz, who has long said he is the victim of a smear campaign.
The House Ethics Committee failed to agree on releasing its report Wednesday, giving Gaetz what seemed like a boost on his path to confirmation.
But in a stunning statement on X, Gaetz said the controversy over his nomination had become an unhelpful "distraction" for President-elect Trump.
"I had excellent meetings with Senators yesterday. I appreciate their thoughtful feedback - and the incredible support of so many. While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition," Gaetz wrote.
"There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus I'll be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as Attorney General."
"Trump's DOJ must be in place and ready on Day 1. I remain fully committed to see that Donald J. Trump is the most successful President in history. I will forever be honored that President Trump nominated me to lead the Department of Justice and I'm certain he will Save America."
The chairman of the House Ethics Committee, Michael Guest (R-MS), said Gaetz dropping out should end the controversy over the committee's report.
"He is no longer a member of Congress, and so I think that this settles any involvement that the ethics committee should have in any matters involving Mr Gaetz," he said.
The Ethics Committee no longer has jurisdiction over Gaetz, since he is a private citizen. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has opposed releasing the report, saying it would be inappropriate to publicize an investigation into a former lawmaker.
Trump shared his appreciation of Gaetz in a post on Truth Social.
"I greatly appreciate the recent efforts of Matt Gaetz in seeking approval to be Attorney General. He was doing very well but, at the same time, did not want to be a distraction for the Administration, for which he has much respect. Matt has a wonderful future, and I look forward to watching all of the great things he will do!"
While this is a temporary setback for Trump, Gaetz has left Trump with ample time to find another nominee with less baggage.
As Democrats try to cope with Donald Trump's political comeback, Michelle Obama is trying to make a buck off of her party's despair.
In a message to her social media following, the Former First Lady urged her fans to purchase her new book Overcoming, which she called a "timely" holiday gift that would help readers deal with "anxious times."
Without mentioning Trump directly, Obama suggested her book would help her liberal readership manage stress after the most recent election, which has left Democrats demoralized and in the political wilderness.
"This is a timely gift or purchase for yourself, because this is a workbook that takes you through some techniques and exercises based on some of the insights I shared with you all in The Light That We Carry," Obama said.
“So I encourage you, particularly during this time, during the holiday season, during a time where we feel a little out of sorts, a little anxious,” she added.
Michelle Obama has never been one to hide her feelings, especially on the subject of Trump. She previously shared that she cried when her husband Barack Obama handed over the White House to Trump in 2017.
Despite her own admitted psychological fragility, she now promises to help readers become more resilient.
Her book comes with "creative activities, reflective writing prompts, habit tracking tools, and more to provide the ultimate guide to unlocking your small power, sharing your whole self, showing up in relationships, and of course, ‘going high.'”
The Obamas campaigned against Trump's re-election, throwing their vaunted star power behind vice president Kamala Harris. But Trump won in a historic comeback - placing the Obamas' political legacy in apparent jeopardy.
With their clout waning, the Obamas are at risk of becoming little more than rich lifestyle influencers - at least, that's what Obama's latest fluffy book would suggest.
“This is a fabulous idea! Spend decades NOT teaching people how to cope, and then sell them a diary to help them cope," one user wrote sarcastically.
"Next book you can write – How to overcome the destruction and divisive culture you and your husband have left behind," another wrote.
The Former First Lady's new book comes as Democrats are consumed in a blame game over the election results - with the party locked out of power for at least two years in D.C. and Trump's approval ratings surging.
While Obama's book will not help Democrats out of their current morass, it will certainly enlarge her bank account. And they say Trump is a con artist!
The attorneys general of 24 Republican states have urged the Supreme Court to stop allowing boys in girls' sports - just the latest shot in a culture war that appears to be finally breaking in the favor of conservatives.
The petition asks the Supreme Court to allow Arizona to enforce a law protecting women's sports that was frozen by a lower court.
The 9th Circuit Appeals court said the law may violate the Equal Protection Clause, which was ratified in the 1860s - a century and a half before the definition of a woman was ever a point of political contention.
A group of 24 Republican states, led by South Carolina, asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the 9th Circuit's absurd ruling.
"Arizona’s law restricting girls’ sports teams to biological females is just common sense, and it protects girls from competing against bigger, stronger males who identify as females," they wrote.
"In sports, equal access means a level playing field," the attorneys general added in their brief.
"And a level playing field usually means sports teams divided by sex so that girls can compete against other girls."
The other states backing the petition are Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wyoming.
It is just common sense that males have an unfair biological advantage against female athletes, but leftists have dismissed this simple reality - even after the Democrats' shellacking in this year's election made it clear Americans are ready to move on from woke craziness.
Public opinion on this subject is now clear - but the Supreme Court shouldn't keep males out of women's sports just because it's popular. There is a clear legal issue for them to address.
The Republican AGs are asking the court to "make it clear that the Constitution does not prohibit states from saving women’s sports from unfair competition and providing meaningful athletic opportunities for girls and women."
Indeed, the 14th Amendment was obviously not meant to allow men to dominate women in athletic competitions, and the mere suggestion that the Amendment's framers countenanced this scenario is completely deranged.
The Supreme Court has an opportunity to make it clear that novel attempts to stretch the 14th Amendment's meaning and purpose have a logical limit.
Enough of this insanity.
In a setback for Joe Biden's racist and hateful agenda, the University of Georgia is rolling back "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion" and restoring policies based on merit and equal treatment under the law.
The Board of Regents said it will no longer impose arbitrary ideological requirements, such as pledges to back "diversity - and will instead prioritize an applicant's qualifications for admission.
DEI policies gained traction nationwide after the death of George Floyd in 2020, which sparked a violent "racial reckoning" that saw riots in many cities as corporations and institutions of higher education scrambled to be more "inclusive."
But a backlash against "woke" ideology and ideas like DEI culminated in this month's election, which saw Democrats get shut out of power in D.C. as Donald Trump won a historic second term.
On the state level, Republican-controlled governments have already taken steps to rolling back DEI policy. Georgia is the latest, with new changes set to apply to 26 public colleges and universities and the Georgia Public Library Service.
"All admissions processes and decisions shall be free of ideological tests, affirmations, and oaths, including diversity statements," the Board of Regents said in a November 12 memo.
"No applicant for admission shall be asked to or required to affirmatively ascribe to or opine about political beliefs, affiliations, ideals, or principles, as a condition for admission."
The university system is also making a commitment to "remain neutral on social and political issues unless such an issue is directly related to the institution’s core mission.”
Meanwhile, the University of Georgia will require students to learn about founding documents like the U.S. Constitution, which has come under increasing attack from the left as an obstacle to so-called progress.
Other historic documents, such as the Gettysburg Address and Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous letter from Birmingham Jail, are also included in the new curriculum.
“The proposed revisions among other things would make clear that student admissions and employee hiring should be based on a person’s qualifications, not his or her beliefs," the Board said in a statement.
During his presidency, Biden championed DEI and related "equity" policies that gave preferential treatment to certain racial groups.
With Trump returning to the White House, a shift towards equal treatment in federal policy is coming next - and it's long overdue.
The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) took a major hit from the Department of Justice (DOJ) last week after it ordered the agency to stop conducting certain kinds of searches.
According to Breitbart, the Justice Department ordered the DEA to "suspend searches of passengers at airports and other places" in the wake of a bombshell report from a watchdog group that uncovered "concerns" regarding how the DEA agents were going about the searches.
The report, published by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General, found that the agency wasn't in compliance with its own policies regarding the searches.
The Justice Department issued a press release detailing why it took the action against the federal law enforcement agency.
The OIG's office found that the agency being out of compliance with its own policies regarding those passenger searches "resulted in DEA and DEA Task Force Group personnel creating potentially significant operational and legal risks."
DOJ suspends DEA searches at airports over civil rights concerns https://t.co/3GFxKhVkrm pic.twitter.com/Gt2OlnjBF3
— New York Post (@nypost) November 23, 2024
Breitbart noted:
Examples of how the DEA was “creating potentially significant operational and legal risks,” were the DEA not documenting “each consensual encounter,” and required training for DEA and DEA Task Force Group personnel being suspended since 2023.
A press release issued by the DOJ detailed what happened in the lead-up to the decision to suspend the searches.
"In 2023, the DEA suspended the transportation interdiction training required by DEA policy and has not restarted it,” the press release said.
"As a result, the DEA was not ensuring that all DEA Task Force Group personnel conducting transportation interdiction activities completed that required training, despite the DEA’s prior representations to the OIG, in connection with resolution of a recommendation in a 2015 OIG report, that the DEA would do so, creating significant risk that DEA Task Force Group personnel will conduct transportation interdiction activities improperly."
Users across social media shared their opinions on whether or not the searches should continue, with some saying that DEA agents should continue to be allowed such searches to prevent incidents on flights.
Others applauded the Justice Department's decision.
"The DOJ halts DEA airport searches amid worries about civil rights violations. A significant step toward ensuring accountability in law enforcement practices," one X user wrote.
Another X user wrote, "Yeah why not, what could possibly go wrong."