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As wildfires rage in Los Angeles, Trump doesn’t offer much sympathy. He’s casting blame.– japantoday.com
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As cataclysmic wildfires rage across Los Angeles, President-elect Donald Trump hasn’t been offering much sympathy. Instead, he’s claiming he could do a better job managing the crisis, spewing falsehoods and casting blame on the state’s Democratic governor.

Trump has lashed out at his longtime political foe Gov. Gavin Newsom’s forest management policies and falsely claimed the state’s fish conservation efforts are responsible for fire hydrants running dry in urban areas. Referring to the governor by a derisive nickname, Trump said he should resign.

Meanwhile, more than 180,000 people were under evacuation orders and the fires have consumed more than 45 square miles (116 square kilometers). One that destroyed the neighborhood of Pacific Palisades became the most destructive blaze in Los Angeles history.

Trump To Be America’s First Felon President As SCOTUS Humiliates Him While Denying Sentencing Delay– www.politicususa.com
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President-Elect Donald Trump frantically appealed to the Supreme Court in a last-ditch effort to get sentencing for 34 felonies in the state of New York delayed. Not even a conversation with Justice Samuel Alito that came under scrutiny could sway the court.

 

In a 5-4 decision, the court ruled:

The application for stay presented to Justice Sotomayor and by her referred to the Court is denied for, inter alia, the following reasons.

First, the alleged evidentiary violations at President-Elect Trump’s state-court trial can be addressed in the ordinary course on appeal.

Second, the burden that sentencing will impose on the President-Elect’s responsibilities is relatively insubstantial in light of the trial court’s stated intent to impose a sentence of “unconditional discharge” after a brief virtual hearing.

House Republicans To Pay For Tax Cuts For Rich By Taking Food And Healthcare Away From The Poor– www.politicususa.com
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House Republicans are putting it down on paper. They plan to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations by taking healthcare and food away from lower-income people.

 

Politico reported:

The policy menu suggests Republicans could capture major savings from Medicaid — up to an estimated $2.3 trillion. The list includes so-called per-capita caps on Medicaid for states, meaning the program would be paid for based on population instead of being an open-ended entitlement, and would institute work requirements in the program.

The list also includes a policy to equalize payments in Medicaid for able-bodied adults with those of traditional Medicaid enrollment — those with disabilities or low-income children, which would save up to $690 billion.

It would “recapture” $46 billion in savings from Affordable Care Act health insurance plan subsidies, which are set to expire at the end of the year, setting up a major policy battle. It would also limit eligibility for plans based on citizenship status.

Trump Is a Felon, But Will Not Be Punished – Mother Jones– www.motherjones.com
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Trump in Manhattan criminal court in May.Michael M. Santiago/PA Wire/Zuma

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Donald Trump’s criminal case ended with a sputter on Friday morning as a New York City judge sentenced him to no jail time and discharged his case. While the incoming president received no actual punishment for his 34 convictions for concealing hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, the sentencing did formalize his status as a felon—a first for any American president. Trump did not have to be present in court for the sentencing, but appeared by video from Mar-a-Lago, sitting next to his attorney.

“This defendant… has placed officers of the court in harm’s way.”

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Meta employees criticize Zuckerberg decisions to end fact-checking, add Dana White to board – CNBC
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  • Meta employees took to their internal forum, criticizing the company’s decision to end third-party fact-checking on its services two weeks before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.
  • One worker said it appears Meta is “sending a bigger, stronger message to people that facts no longer matter, and conflating that with a victory for free speech.”
  • The announcement comes a day after Meta announced that UFC CEO and longtime Trump friend Dana White is joining the board.

Poland to hold presidential election on May 18, says parliament speaker who will run in it – Jacksonville Journal-Courier
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The head of Poland’s parliament said Wednesday that the country’s presidential election will be held on May 18, with a runoff on June 1 if needed.

The election will decide whether the pro-European Union Cabinet of Prime Minister Donald Tusk will gain an ally in the presidential palace at a challenging time for Poland and for Europe, with a full-scale war in neighbouring Ukraine.

The incumbent right-wing President Andrzej Duda is at odds with the government, blocking legislation and making strongly critical comments. In the latest spat, Duda chose skiing over attending a concert gala marking the launch of Poland’s rotating presidency in the EU.

Trump Asks Supreme Court to Halt Sentencing in New York Hush Money Case– legalinsurrection.com
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President-elect Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court to halt his Friday sentencing for the hush money case in New York City.

Trump’s lawyers wrote:

This Court should enter an immediate stay of further proceedings in the New York trial court to prevent grave injustice and harm to the institution of the Presidency and the operations of the federal government. The commencement of President Trump’s interlocutory appeal raising claims of Presidential immunity causes an automatic stay of proceedings in the trial court under Trump v. United States, 603 U.S. 593 (2024) (“Trump”), and related case law. This appeal will ultimately result in the dismissal of the District Attorney’s politically motivated prosecution that was flawed from the very beginning, centered around the wrongful actions and false claims of a disgraced, disbarred serial-liar former attorney, violated President Trump’s due process rights, and had no merit. In the meantime, the New York trial court lacks authority to impose sentence and judgment on President Trump—or conduct any further criminal proceedings against him—until the resolution of his underlying appeal raising substantial claims of Presidential immunity, including by review in this Court if necessary.

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Ukraine says ready to replace Hungary in EU and NATO – Al Jazeera English
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Ukraine has declared that it is ready to replace Hungary in the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) should Budapest prefer to join Russian-led blocs.

The statement was released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine on Wednesday. While clearly tongue-in-cheek, it also reflects the serious tension that has built up between Ukraine and Hungary, with Budapest offering support for Moscow’s narratives over the war in Ukraine and obstructing the Western bodies’ efforts to bolster Kyiv.

Kyiv’s statement, which was also posted on X, was made in response to “[t]he latest manipulative statements from the leadership of Hungary regarding Ukraine’s decision not to extend the transit agreement with the aggressor state, Russia, from 2025 onwards”, it said.

 

Here’s How DEI-Crazed Officials Made The LA Fire More Deadly– thefederalist.com
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As relentless fires burn in Los Angeles, thousands of residents who fled their homes are just learning how poorly public officials prepared for such an event. Emergency response leaders following bad public policy have been too focused on sending firefighting equipment to Ukraine, keeping the homeless safe, protecting fish, and adopting green policies to focus on things like making sure there is enough water to feed fire hydrants and guaranteeing that the strongest, best-trained, most-skilled firefighters are leading operations.

Officials seem to believe that when fire forces you to flee your home, there is just one thing on your mind: the skin color and cultural experience of the firefighters who will bring you to safety. Will they be diverse enough to rescue you? Never mind if they are the best for the job, are they anything but straight white men?

That has been a major priority of the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), which, in 2022, launched its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Bureau (DEI), purportedly “focused on ensuring a safe, diverse and inclusive workplace for all.”

In January 2022, then-Mayor Eric Garcetti checked multiple DEI boxes by appointing Kristin Crowley as fire chief, the first female, LGBT chief in Los Angeles. That year, according to LAFD data, “of the more than 6,500 applicants to LAFD, 70% were people of color and nearly 8% … were female,” which was “double the … percentage of female firefighters within the Department” at the time.

The LAFD Girls Camp is one avenue for recruitment for female firefighters, hosting girls between 14 and 18 to explore career opportunities in the department.

Capitol Police Stop Potential Trump Attacker Hours Before Senate Visit– trendingpoliticsnews.com
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A man attempting to enter the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center (CVC) on Wednesday was stopped and arrested after security officers discovered a machete and multiple knives in his bag. The incident unfolded just hours before President-elect Donald Trump’s scheduled appearance on Capitol Hill to meet with Senate Republicans, marking a dramatic moment in the otherwise routine proceedings of the day. According to a statement from the U.S. Capitol Police, the man was apprehended around 2 p.m. at the north doors of the CVC during standard security screening.

Officers monitoring the X-ray machine noticed the machete in his bag, prompting an immediate halt to the screening process. A subsequent search of the bag uncovered three additional knives, all of which were secured by police before the suspect was taken into custody. The individual, whose name has not yet been released, was charged with multiple counts of carrying a dangerous weapon.

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Bill Gates Calls for ‘Death Panels’ to Euthanize Citizens Not ‘Worthy of Healthcare’– slaynews.com
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As nations around the world push to introduce and expand liberal euthanasia laws, the plans are sounding eerily similar to the “assisted suicide” agenda billionaire Bill Gates has been promoting for several years.

The Microsoft co-founder argues that it is not cost-effective to provide individuals with long-term healthcare.

Instead, Gates believes his fellow human beings should be euthanized to reduce healthcare costs so that the money that would have been used for treatments can be spent elsewhere.

In 2010, Gates weighed up the cost of keeping “terminally ill” Americans alive versus paying for teachers’ salaries.

Gates lamented that Americans are unwilling to question if spending money on people in “the last three months” of their lives was cost-effective.

He suggested there wasn’t a benefit in end-of-life care and a decision should be made to end people’s lives instead of providing costly palliative care.

He argued that a panel of bureaucrats should decide whether a person deserves to receive treatment, with those who are not “worthy of healthcare” being euthanized by the government to save money.

“That’s called the ‘death panel’,” he said of the group who would decide whether people get to live or die.

Gates made the remarks during an interview at an Aspen Ideas Festival in 2010.

US House quietly drops ban on men using women’s bathrooms from new rules package– www.lifesitenews.com
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On the heels of the November election that delivered both Houses of Congress and the White House to Republicans, and that also saw the election of Democrat “Sarah” McBride of Delaware – the first transgendered person to the U.S. House of Representatives – House Speaker Mike Johnson instituted a ban on biological males using female restrooms throughout the extensive U.S. Capitol complex.

However, U.S. House Rep. Nancy Mace’s proposed resolution requiring that Capitol Hill employees use restrooms “corresponding to their biological sex” was, with no explanation, omitted from the official rules of the new House session after Johnson had assured Mace it would be included.

It remains unclear why Mace’s resolution was dropped and what that means regarding the ban announced by Johnson in November.

“We welcome all new members with open arms who are duly elected representatives of the people,” Johnson said before last week’s vote on the rules for the 119th Congress, appearing to have perhaps softened on his earlier stringent declaration banning males who identify as females from using women’s restrooms, changing rooms, and locker rooms at the Capitol.

“I believe it’s a command that we treat all persons with dignity and respect,” Johnson added.

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Trump Says Gavin Newsom’s Attempt to Protect an ‘Essentially Worthless Fish’ Caused Fire Disaster– www.westernjournal.com
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President-elect Donald Trump accused California Gov. Gavin Newsom of being partly to blame for Los Angeles firefighters not having the water they needed to fight wildfires that erupted on Tuesday.

“Governor Gavin Newscum refused to sign the water restoration declaration put before him that would have allowed millions of gallons of water, from excess rain and snow melt from the North, to flow daily into many parts of California, including the areas that are currently burning in a virtually apocalyptic way,” Trump posted on Truth Social.

“He wanted to protect an essentially worthless fish called a smelt, by giving it less water (it didn’t work!), but didn’t care about the people of California. Now the ultimate price is being paid,” the president-elect continued.

“I will demand that this incompetent governor allow beautiful, clean, fresh water to FLOW INTO CALIFORNIA! He is the blame for this. On top of it all, no water for fire hydrants, not firefighting planes. A true disaster!” Trump wrote.

Special counsel’s Trump report should be partially released, Justice Department tells appeals court – CBS News
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The Justice Department urged a federal appeals court in Atlanta on Wednesday to clear the way for the release of a portion of special counsel Jack Smith’s report detailing his investigations into President-elect Donald Trump.

In court documents filed with the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, the government wrote that Attorney General Merrick Garland has determined not to release the volume of Smith’s report that deals with the classified documents case, so long as criminal proceedings involving co-defendants Walt Nauta and Carlos de Oliveira are pending.

Garland does, however, plan to submit to Congress and the public the first volume of Smith’s report, which relates to his investigation and prosecution of Trump stemming from the 2020 presidential election.

“Because the Attorney General has determined not to release to the public Volume Two of the Final Report to the public while defendants’ case remains pending—the volume that concerns the proceedings against defendants—an injunction is unnecessary,” prosecutors wrote, urging the 11th Circuit to deny the emergency request for an injunction.

Georgians hold anti-government protest on Orthodox Christmas – Napoleon Northwest Signal
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Thousands of Georgians marched through the streets of Tbilisi late on Monday on Orthodox Christmas Eve, gathering in front of parliament for a 40th day of anti-government demonstrations.

Mass protests have shaken the Caucasus country since November 28, when Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced that the government would not pursue the launch of European Union membership talks until 2028.

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Ecuador’s Noboa names acting president so he can campaign – Reuters Canada
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Ecuadorean President Daniel Noboa said in a decree on Tuesday that interim vice-president Cynthia Natalie Gellibert will serve as acting president from Thursday to Sunday so he can participate in campaigning for his re-election.
A debate about who would act as president if Noboa were to take time out for the campaign has made waves in the country amid a long-running spat between him and elected vice-president Veronica Abad.

Mexico president trolls Trump with “Mexican America” map after his “Gulf of America” name change proposal– www.cbsnews.com
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Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum responded sarcastically on Wednesday to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s proposal to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America.”

Standing before a 17th-century world map in her daily press briefing, Sheinbaum proposed dryly that North America should be renamed “América Mexicana,” or “Mexican America,” because a founding document dating from 1814 that preceded Mexico’s constitution referred to it that way.

“That sounds nice, no?” she added with a sarcastic tone. She also noted that the Gulf of Mexico had been named that way since 1607.

Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum speaks during her daily conference at the National Palace in Mexico City on January 8, 2025.. She suggested that the United States should be called “Mexican America,” in response to Trump’s proposal to rename the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America.”

Taiwan demonstrates sea defenses against potential Chinese attack as tensions rise with Beijing– abcnews.go.com
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KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan — Taiwan on Thursday demonstrated its sea defenses against a potential Chinese attack as tensions rise with Beijing, part of a multitiered strategy to deter an invasion from the mainland.

The island’s navy highlighted its Kuang Hua VI fast attack missile boats and Tuo Chiang-class corvettes in waters near Taiwan’s largest port of Kaohsiung, a major hub for international trade considered key to resupplying Chinese forces should they establish a beachhead on the island.

The Kuang Hua VI boats, with a crew of 19, carry indigenously developed Hsiung Feng II anti-ship missiles and displayed their ability to take to the sea in an emergency to intercept enemy ships about to cross the 44-kilometer (24-nautical mile) limit of Taiwan’s contiguous zone, within which governments are permitted to take defensive action.