Soon-to-be First Lady Melania Trump talked about her collection of ornaments on Fox & Friends on Friday, letting the audience know that the proceeds of any ornaments sold goes to charity.
“After I left the White House, I established my Web3 and Web2 platforms where I design, where I have collectibles like ornaments every season,” Trump said.
“This is the third season and many other collectibles that are available now,” she added.
The ornaments are made more collectible because some are retired each season.
The 2024 collection is titled "Merry Christmas, America!" and has four ornaments that have the first lady-to-be's signature on them. A golden star with “USA” in the middle sells for $90 while the other three--a golden version of Lady Liberty, a red, white and blue snowflake and a golden clover--sell for $75 each.
Trump said she supports foster children with the proceeds of her sales.
“So with those, I have students from a foster community that I sponsor and I’m very proud of, and we have many of them so their life changes because they will have an education,” she said.
The ornaments are inspired by some of her experiences; for instance, the Lady Liberty ornament is modeled after a necklace she got while modeling in her younger years.
A similar necklace is also available on MelaniaTrump.com, she said.
Trump is expected to resume her duties supervising the White House Christmas decor when President-elect Donald Trump takes office again in 2025.
Most first ladies are responsible for decorating the White House for the holidays, and her previous efforts were always simple and elegant.
In contrast, current First Lady Jill Biden chose a circus theme this year that has others laughing about the ironic nature of the choice.
Last year, Biden chose a theme that featured items from childrens' books that some thought were gaudy and cheap-looking.
A return to the elegance of Trump will be something for us all to look forward to next season.
Police arrested a man with a knife, handcuffs, tape, and a prop gun outside the Swedish Royal Family's residence on Wednesday.
Fox News reported that the man was arrested outside of the official residence of Crown Princess Victoria, her husband Prince Daniel, and their two children, Princess Estelle, and Prince Oscar.
The man was first spotted by castle guards early in the evening who then reported the suspicious man to the Swedish police.
Per Fahlström, a spokesperson for Stockholm Police issued a statement on the arrest saying, "It is a man who has been in the area and behaved strangely and who was then checked. A knife was found."
That statement is frustratingly lacking any details and for many, it appears that police are being deliberately short with information about what appears to be a highly concerning situation.
Violence and rising crime are serious concerns in Sweden which has become increasingly unstable and beset by gang violence.
Over the past decade, Sweden has gone from an idyllic and quiet northern European country to an increasingly violent and unsafe country. Things are becoming so bad that even the Royal Family is being affected by suspicious characters carrying weapons.
The Guardian reported that since 2013, fatal shootings in the country have more than doubled, and drug and gun crimes have steadily increased since the beginning of the 2000s.
Fatal shootings are steadily rising despite Sweden's robust gun control laws which are often cited by American leftists as evidence that gun control prevents crime. The opposite is true as Sweden is learning that criminals have nothing to fear from disarmed citizens.
Sweden's largest cities of Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö and Uppsala have all been beset by rising crime largely due to a massive influx of migrants who have created ethnic enclaves creating social unrest and disruption.
The Royal Family's residence is located in Stockholm which has been particularly hard hit by the rise in crime. The Royal Family may have to invest in increased security as the situation continues to deteriorate.
Sweden has some of the most lax asylum systems in Europe which has led to many immigrants coming to Sweden to take advantage of the Scandinavian country's extensive social safety nets.
This massive amount of immigration has been aided by leftist political groups that have allowed thousands of immigrants into the country with little to no vetting and little to no restrictions. This has led to ghettos forming in Sweden's cities and the emergence of no-go zones for police.
Those no-go zones have been the subject of much political misinformation as leftist politicians have outright denied their existence despite extensive evidence.
While it remains to be seen if the man arrested outside of the Royal Family's residences was targeting the family, this incident has cast the spotlight on Sweden's rising crime and social dysfunction that should serve as a warning to other western countries.
Romania’s Constitutional Court has overturned the outcome of the country's presidential election after Romania's intelligence agency claimed that foreign interference had changed the outcome of the election.
The court overturned the election results after a declassified report from its intelligence agency was released that alleged foreign interference via TikTok. This marks the first major instance of a country overturning an election due to allegations of foreign interference.
The recent election saw Călin Georgescu, 62, who ran without a party and made no campaign appearances, come in first in the first round of elections with 22.9% of the vote.
His stunning victory shocked every political observer as his campaign was entirely conducted through TikTok.
Politico noted that Georgescu's TikTok had garnered over 3.8 million likes and 298,000 followers, while his videos routinely received millions of views which propelled him to the top. However, Georgescu's populist rise to the top as a total outsider is running into trouble as the Romanian court system is attempting to stop him.
If Georgescu is to be believed, the Romanian court system and intelligence community are working together to stop a populist political movement, similar to how Democrats and American intelligence agencies have united against President-elect Donald Trump.
Georgescu issued a statement following the decision overturning the election saying, "Today, the Romanian state has trampled on democracy. We wrote history. It is time to show that we are a brave people. Democracy is under attack. … On this day, the corrupt system made a pact with the devil. I have only one pact — with the Romanian people and God.”
The declassified report named many of Georgescu's biggest supporters on TikTok promptly inciting outrage as it appears that the Romanian government is trying to intimidate Georgescu's supporters.
Călin Donca, a pro-Georgescu TikToker with 680,000 followers who was on the report, said "I appear on the declassified lists as the largest account that supported Călin Georgescu and I also appear as one of the people who continue to support him. And I support him, I don’t back down, I walk alongside him."
In yet another striking similarity to Trump, Georgescu's opponents claim that it was Russia that was behind his meteoric rise to fame and prominence.
A recount was held after the country’s largest party, the Social Democratic Party, demanded one alleging widespread voter fraud. After none was found, they instead resorted to claims that Georgescu was propped up by Russia.
George Simion, the leader of the right-wing Alliance for the Union of Romanians, expressed outrage over the decision saying, "Constitutional Court just annulled the entire electoral process for the presidential elections, i.e. both rounds. SHAMEFUL!!! Coup d’etat in full force! We are not taking to the streets, we will not be challenged, this system must fall democratically! God bless Romania!"
Georgescu was elected through an organic populist campaign that circumvented the establishment and they won't let it stand without a fight.
This situation is rapidly evolving and Americans ought to keep an eye on it as this could get ugly quickly. The Romanian establishment may do everything in their power to stop populism and preserve their power.
Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch recused himself from an environmental case involving a former client of his, billionaire Philip Anschutz, after Democrats said he had a conflict of interest.
Anschutz is not directly involved in the case, but filed a brief arguing that his company, Anschutz Exploration, would be affected by the outcome.
Early in Gorsuch's career, he represented Anschutz and reportedly has close ties with him.
After reviewing the court's newly adopted code of conduct, Gorsuch said he would not adjudicate the case.
He didn't really give a reason for his recusal but published the announcement on his website.
The case is about whether to consider the environmental impacts of oil and gas production and refining when deciding whether to build a railway line in Utah.
The other eight justices will decide whether federal environmental reviews are warranted in such projects.
The recusal is ammunition the justices can use about the new code of conduct being effective as a self-policing mechanism.
Democrats had argued that it lacked any method of enforcement and that legislation codifying it should be passed, but it seems to be working in this case.
When Gorsuch was an appeals court judge, he recused himself from several other cases involving Anschutz.
The author of the letter by the Democrats asking for Gorsuch's recusal, Rep. Hank Johnson (GA) took credit for the recusal in this case, however.
"I applaud Justice Gorsuch for doing the right and honorable thing," Johnson said in a statement. “It is important that the court show the public that it is not in the pocket of billionaire benefactors."
But much of the Democrats' indignation seems misplaced, since Gorsuch was refusing himself from cases with Anschutz long before that letter.
It only makes sense that the nation's most powerful jurists would have ties to other wealthy and powerful people, and courts have been dealing with such conflicts for many years before any laws were made about it.
Possible changes coming to the White House press corps have many in the media in an uproar.
According to reports from those close to President-elect Donald Trump, his previously tenuous relationship with the media is likely to get even more fragile after possible changes to the press briefing room, as The Hill reported.
Journalists are in an uproar as news that the incoming administration will change not only who has access to the president, but the seating position in the briefing room could reflect the value that Trump puts on various members of the media.
There have been rumors that podcasters, internet personalities and media deemed less left-leaning could replace major outlets like television networks, The New York Times and The Washington Post in the room’s front rows.
When asked about their reactions to the idea, reporters covering the White House expressed feelings of annoyance, frustration, and dread in conversations with The Hill this week.
Historically, the first row of the James Brady Briefing Room has been occupied by the four major networks of NBC, CBS, ABC, and Fox, as well as The Associated Press, CNN, and Reuters.
The second row is occupied by seats from other larger outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, CBS News Radio, NPR, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Bloomberg. However, certain news organizations lack formal seating in the room.
Numerous journalists declined to provide on-the-record comments or requested anonymity in order to speak candidly about the potential for a significantly altered press room and the resulting controversy.
“It would be a total mess,” one White House reporter told The Hill this week.
“I would expect people would probably boycott the briefings, though that would put certain outlets in a tough spot deciding if they want to go along with what the Trump people are trying to pull.”
While The White House has always prioritized major news organizations when dealing with the press, Trump has not traditionally held that position.
In an effort to limit off-camera press briefings, the first Trump administration sought to exclude outlets it deemed unflattering. Among these were CNN, the BBC, Politico, and the New York Times.
A number of reporters from Politico, Axios, and Puck News were among those his campaign barred from attending last week's election watch event in Mar-a-Lago.
At present, the briefing room can accommodate 49 reporters from various outlets. Current publications would have to be targeted if pro-Trump sites like Steve Bannon's War Room were to be granted access to daily press briefings.
Although press credentials are decided by the White House, the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) formally controls seating.
After conservative news network One America News Network (OANN) failed to comply with WHCA COVID regulations in 2020, the WHCA famously removed it from the daily White House briefing rotation.
As the migrant issue continues to strain finances, Chicago residents criticized progressive Mayor Brandon Johnson for proposing a property tax increase during a city council meeting.
P-Rae Easley, host of the "Black Excellence Hour" podcast, has gone viral for her angry comments, Breitbart News reported.
"Typically, I'm here, and I'm fussing. I want to say thank you to the city council. Our mayor is embarrassing us around the world, and you all took the power back from him to say the city of Chicago is out of the business of funding illegals," she said, donning a red MAGA hat.
Easley said later in an interview that the main issue for Chicago residents is their "bottom line," indicating concern about household budgets.
New data shows the Windy City has spent $574.5 million on migrants, joining New York City, Boston, and Denver.
"We're not going to work to pay for illegals. They chose to come here illegally, and we don't allow people to feast off of their criminality," Easley said during the interview, pushing forward the "America first" agenda.
Johnson stated last month that "Black families" are also included in President-elect Trump's mass deportation threats, alongside "new arrivals and undocumented families."
The statements infuriated Easley, who referred to them as "very disrespectful." He criticized them for their negative impact.
"Our people are not immigrants. We are migrants, of course, in the very literal sense because our grandparents came here during the Great Migration," she said.
"This is why we're really pushing for an end to race. Because when you say Black, that can mean anybody…. There are Black people who will be deported, but that has nothing to do with the American people. Our goal is to get this border closed and to get every unnecessary expense off of the budget lines in the city of Chicago. We can't afford it anymore."
There is a $1 billion budget gap that Johnson is attempting to close before the year ends.
At the city council meeting that took place on Monday, other attendees did not hold back when they addressed the mayor: "I got a great way what we can do with this budget. First, let's start with cutting off illegals getting free everything, free housing, free schooling, free food. Yeah, let's start with that. That'll save us a lot of money," said a woman wearing a "Chicago Flips Red" shirt
"Let's start there. Then, let's start with you. Your salary. You are going down in history as the worst mayor in America. Let's start with cutting yours. You're making too much money," she continued.
Another resident, an immigrant who entered the U.S. legally, said she feels "very, very embarrassed for what my other fellow Latin American citizens are doing in this city on behalf of the people that work, on behalf of the people that pay taxes, on behalf of the people that contribute to the city."
She continued, "I like to make clear that not everyone is the same. These people came with a wide door open, and they feel entitled to many things that nobody has. There are U.S. citizens suffering from poverty," she said. "There are U.S. citizens on public aid, and these people are here just enjoying the benefits, becoming delinquents, and they have no consequences."
President-elect Donald Trump's energy secretary nominee Chris Wright will resign from Oklo, a nuclear energy company in California backed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman that has received $2.7 million in federal grants since 2023, the Trump-Vance team said.
It is considered a conflict of interest for any government official to sit on the board of a company that gets federal funding.
A Trump-Vance transition official told the Washington Examiner that Wright would be resigning from all corporate boards he sits on upon his confirmation to the position.
That includes Liberty Energy, where he is chairman of the board, and EMX Royalty Corp.
“All nominees and appointees will comply with the ethical obligations of their respective agencies,” Brian Hughes, a Trump-Vance transition spokesman, also said in a statement.
Trump's team finally signed transition documents on Tuesday pledging to work with the Biden administration on a transfer of power, and part of that pledge was to avoid conflicts of interest.
The energy secretary under Biden, Jennifer Granholm, came under fire for her husband owning stock in Ford Motor Company that she did not disclose.
She claimed she did not know about the stock until her husband sold it in May 2023.
She also got into trouble over whether she boosted electric busmaker Proterra's stock using her official position. She used to sit on the board of Proterra.
Back in 2021, Granholm had to sell 240,000 shares of Proterra for $1.6 million to avoid conflict of interest accusations.
A watchdog group filed a complaint against her, which brought both situations to light.
Granholm's ethical issues may be feeding the current anxiety over Wright.
“Unfortunately, given the track record of the current Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm allegedly flouting rules to divest of Ford stock and Proterra, it is natural for outside observers to be uneasy about how this will play out under a new administration,” Protect the Public’s Trust Director Michael Chamberlain told the Washington Examiner.
In Wright's case, Liberty Energy stock has gone up 6% since he was announced as a Trump nominee. If that doesn't tell us how much of an impact these conflicts can have, nothing will.
Police in Boulder, Colorado said this may be the year they finally solve the murder of JonBenet Ramsey, a six-year-old beauty queen whose case shocked the nation when her body was discovered in the basement of the family home in 1996.
Newly appointed Boulder police chief Stephen Redfearn has reportedly made solving the 28-year-old case a top priority.
"We f****d the case up from the start, and now with new blood, we can finally fix it," an inside source at the police department told the New York Post.
"He wants it solved and off the books," the insider claimed. "He's assigning officers and resources to solve the murder, which has been a black mark on the Boulder PD."
"I'm not sure what it will take to bust it wide open but it feels like it's within reach. We're hoping for 2025; this is our year," the insider added.
Ramsey was found on a pile of clothes with a skull fracture and stabbed by a paintbrush fragment.
Suspicion initially was cast on her parents John and Patsy or brother Burke, but DNA evidence excluded them in 1997.
DNA found at the scene has been repeatedly tested, but nothing definitive has been found.
A multi-agency task force was established in 2023 to work on the case, and a new documentary on Netflix has refocused attention on the case.
'The killing of JonBenét was an unspeakable crime, and this tragedy has never left our hearts,' Redfearn said last week.
"We are committed to following up on every lead and continuing to work with DNA experts and our law enforcement partners around the country until this tragic case is solved," he added.
The victim's father John Ramsey has not kept quiet about his frustration with the way the case was handled.
"There have been horrible failures, but I believe it can be solved if police accept help from outside their system. That's been their flaw," he said during a recent interview on "Today."
Ramsey, now 80, said he was hopeful the new police chief would accept the outside help needed to finally solve the horrifying case.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.