Trump’s FBI choice Kash Patel is compared to Soviet secret police chief as fight for confirmation starts: Live

Donald Trump‘s nomination of MAGA loyalist Kash Patel as FBI director on Saturday night sparked strong reactions from both his supporters and critics.

“I am proud to announce that Kashyap “Kash” Patel will serve as the next Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Kash is a brilliant lawyer, investigator, and “America First” fighter who has spent his career exposing corruption, defending Justice, and protecting the American People,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Patel defended Trump during his first administration amid an FBI investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

The pick was met with enthusiasm from Republicans, including Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., Trump’s pick for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, who called Patel an “America First fighter.”

Critics, however, expressed concern over the nomination.

The Atlantic staff writer Tom Nichols reacted to the news on MSNBC, saying the pick is “incredibly dangerous” and that Trump is “creating an administration of people who really don’t care about the interests of the United States.”

Former National Security Advisor John Bolton later compared Patel to one of the Soviet Union’s most feared and brutal secret police chiefs, Lavrenty Beria, who was appointed to the role by Joseph Stalin.

Key Points

• Trump picks MAGA loyalist Kash Patel as his new FBI director

• Kash Patel’s nomination met with praise from Republicans

• Putin warns that Trump is ‘not safe’ after election victory

• Photos: Justin Trudeau arrives for Mar-a-Lago meeting

Kash Patel’s determination to upend the FBI

19:00 , Mike Bedigan

Though he may be running the FBI in a matter of months, Kash Patel has previously signaled through interviews and public statements a determination to upend the agency and radically reshape its mission.

He’s called for dramatically reducing its footprint and limiting its authority, as well as going after government officials who disclose information to reporters.

In an interview earlier this year on the “Shawn Ryan Show,” Patel vowed to sever the FBI’s intelligence-gathering activities from the rest of its mission and said he would “shut down” the bureau’s headquarters building on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., and “reopen it the next day as a museum of the ‘deep state.’”

“And I’d take the seven thousand employees that work in that building and send them across America to go chase down criminals,” he added.

In a separate interview with conservative strategist Steve Bannon, Patel said he and others “will go out and find the conspirators not just in government but in the media.”

”We’re going to come after the people in the media who lied about American citizens who helped Joe Biden rig presidential elections,” Patel said, referring to the 2020 presidential election in which Biden, the Democratic challenger, defeated Trump. “We’re going to come after you, whether it’s criminally or civilly. We’ll figure that out. But yeah, we’re putting you all on notice.”

DACA immigrants worry their protection from deportation won’t last under Trump

18:30 , Mike Bedigan

Reyna Montoya was 10 when she and her family fled violence in Tijuana and illegally immigrated to the U.S.

Growing up in Arizona, she worried even a minor traffic violation could lead to her deportation. She didn’t feel relief until 11 years later in 2012, when she received a letter confirming she had been accepted to a new program for immigrants who came to the country illegally as children.

But as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to return to the White House, after an unsuccessful bid to end DACA in his first term, the roughly 535,000 current recipients are bracing yet again for a whirlwind of uncertainty. Meanwhile, a years-long challenge to DACA could ultimately render it illegal, leaving people like Montoya without a shield from deportation.

Read more:

DACA recipients worry their protection from deportation won’t last another Trump term

What happens to the current FBI director?

18:00 , Andrea Cavallier

FBI Director Christopher Wray was appointed director by Trump in 2017 and has three years left on his 10-year tenure.

Presidents have typically but not always retained the director who was in place at the time they took office, as Democratic President Joe Biden has done with Wray, the Associated Press reported.

Trump’s announcement of Kash Patel as his pick for FBI director means that Wray can either resign from the job, consistent with the president-elect’s apparent wishes, or wait to be fired once Trump takes office in January.

Either way, the selection of a successor is a clear indication that Wray’s days are numbered.

Bolton compares Kash Patel to brutal Soviet Secret police chief

17:30 , Mike Bedigan

Former National Security Advisor John Bolton has compared Kash Patel, Donald Trump’s nomination for head of FBI, to one of the Soviet Union’s most feared and brutal secret police chiefs.

“Trump has nominated Kash Patel to be his Lavrenty Beria,” Bolton said, speaking to NBC News’ “Meet The Press” on Sunday. “Fortunately, the FBI is not the NKVD. The Senate should reject this nomination 100-0.”

NKVD refers to the interior ministry and secret police of the Soviet Union, which was in place from 1934 to 1946.

Lavrentiy Beria was appointed by Joseph Stalin as deputy chief of the Soviet secret police and was head of the Soviet atomic bomb project, according to the Atomic Heritage Foundation.

He is known for his violent tactics, including kidnapping, torture and rape, which he used to advance within the ranks of the secret police.

Progressive Democrats try and chart a path after Trump

17:00 , Andrea Cavallier

Trump’s victory saw his Republican allies flip the Senate and hold the House of Representatives by the thinnest of majorities, giving Democrats plenty of time to lick their wounds, sift through the ashes of defeat and figure out what comes next.

As various factions play the blame game, progressive Democrats who remain in Congress, albeit in the minority, are trying to offer an appealing alternative to the voters who ditched their party in November.

Eric Garcia reports:

Progressive Democrats try and chart a path after Trump

Who is MAGA loyalist Kash Patel?

16:00 , Andrea Cavallier

Donald Trump has announced he will nominate MAGA loyalist Kash Patel to lead the FBI.

Trump announced his pick of Patel, who has pledged to go after Trump’s enemies in the media, on Saturday evening.

A conspiracy theorist who wants to restrain federal law enforcement agencies, Patel has advocated for firing workers and going on a prosecution spree to fulfill Trump’s promise of retribution. He is a Trump loyalist who has railed against the so-called “Deep State.” Even among the most staunch MAGA loyalists, he is viewed as a controversial figure.

Read more:

Trump picks MAGA loyalist Kash Patel as his new FBI director

Critics say nomination of Patel is ‘as dangerous as it gets’

15:00 , Andrea Cavallier

Critics expressed concern over Trump’s pick of Kash Patel to lead the FBI.

In reaction to the news, the Atlantic staff writer Tom Nichols said he “believes in nothing except serving” President-elect Donald Trump and described the nomination as “as dangerous as it gets.”

“I suppose if we still have the ability to be shocked, it’s shocking,” Nichols said. “But I think this is something … many of us saw it coming and, you know, shouldn’t be that surprising. But it’s an incredibly dangerous development.”

Far-left commentator Mehdi Hasan accused Patel of being a “deeply strange and alarming and sycophantic figure.”

MSNBC’s Morning Joe previously called Patel the “personification of MAGA rage about the Justice Department and the FBI.”

Andrew McCabe, who briefly served as acting FBI director under Trump in 2017 before being fired for allegedly leaking to the media and a “lack of candor,” called the nomination “a plan to disrupt, to dismantle, to distract the FBI.”

“It’s a terrible development for the men and women of the FBI and also for the nation that depends on a highly functioning, professional, independent Federal Bureau of Investigation,” McCabe said on CNN. “The fact that Kash Patel is profoundly unqualified for this job is not even, like, a matter for debate.”

Kash Patel’s nomination met with praise from Republicans

14:20 , Andrea Cavallier

Trump’s nomination of Kash Patel as FBI director was met with enthusiasm and instant praise from Republicans.

Patel, longtime Trump loyalist, is a critic of government corruption and has blasted the bureau in the past, saying he would “shut down the FBI Hoover Building on day one and reopen the next day as a museum of the deep state.”

Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., Trump’s pick for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, called Patel an “America First fighter.”

Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, wrote: “Kash was INSTRUMENTAL in President Trump’s first term and will be EVEN GREATER in his second! Time to clean this place up, and Kash is the man to do it!!! MAGA!”

Elon Musk names financial watchdog government agency he wants to ‘delete’

13:01 , Graeme Massie

Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur turned political adviser, announced on X he intends to push Donald Trump’s administration to get rid of the Consumer of Financial Protection Bureau, a financial watchdog agency.

The noteworthy announcement, made in a nine-word response to a clip from The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, is part of Musk’s new role co-leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) – the committee advising Trump on how to cut down on government spending.

Ariana Baio has more:

Elon Musk names financial watchdog government agency he wants to ‘delete’

Pundits rip Pete Hegseth after his own mom calls him ‘an abuser of women’ then tries to take it back

12:05 , Graeme Massie

Pete Hegseth, the man tapped by Donald Trump to become Defense Secretary, has come under fire from Democrats and other liberal pundits after he was branded as an “abuser of women” by his own mother.

A report from The New York Times featured a 2018 email to the former Fox News anchor from Penelope Hegseth, where she said she had “no respect” for her son and that he needed “take an honest look at yourself.”

Read more here:

Pundits rip Pete Hegseth after his own mom calls him ‘an abuser of women’

Trump and his GOP friends focus on tax breaks and deportations in his first 100 days

11:03 , Graeme Massie

Having won the election and sweeping to power, Republicans are planning an ambitious 100-day agenda with President-elect Donald Trump in the White House and GOP lawmakers in a congressional majority to accomplish their policy goals.

Read more here:

Trump and his GOP friends focus on tax breaks and deportations in his first 100 days

Trump threatens 100 percent tariff on several nations if they try to undermine the U.S. dollar

10:05 , Graeme Massie

President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday threatened 100 percent tariffs against a bloc of nine nations if they act to undermine the U.S. dollar.

His threat was directed at countries in the so-called BRIC alliance, which consists of Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates.

Read more:

Trump threatens 100% tariff on nations if they try to undermine the U.S. dollar

Joe Rogan claims a ‘media psy-op’ is responsible for people having a negative view of Trump

08:01 , Graeme Massie

Joe Rogan has claimed that a “media psy-op” is responsible for creating a negative image of Donald Trump that has “distorted” people’s perceptions of the president-elect.

The MMA commentator and popular podcast host noted an apparent shift in media treatment of the President-elect dating to a time before his first presidential term.

Read more here:

Joe Rogan claims a ‘media psy-op’ is responsible for people’s negative view of Trump

Dems want Harris to stop sending fundraising emails after burning through $1.4bn in campaign funds

07:01 , Graeme Massie

Dems want Harris to stop fundraising emails after burning through $1.4bn in campaign

Cheryl Hines posts cringe video promoting MAHA brand as her husband RFK Jr. takes a shower

06:26 , Graeme Massie

Curb Your Enthusiasm star Cheryl Hines showed off her self-care and “MAHA” products in front of her showering husband, in a new cringeworthy video posted to Instagram.

The 59-year-old actor and co-owner of the self-care brand Hines + Young, which she founded with her daughter Catherine Young, was filming a video to promote the company’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals at the same time Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was taking a shower.

Inga Parkel has more:

Cheryl Hines posts cringe video promoting MAHA as husband RFK Jr. takes a shower

Watch: Justin Trudeau flies to Florida to meet with Trump

05:05 , Graeme Massie

ICYMI: Pundits rip Pete Hegseth after his own mom calls him ‘an abuser of women’ then tries to take it back

04:15 , Graeme Massie

Pete Hegseth, the man tapped by Donald Trump to become Defense Secretary, has come under fire from Democrats and other liberal pundits after he was branded as an “abuser of women” by his own mother.

A report from The New York Times featured a 2018 email to the former Fox News anchor from Penelope Hegseth, where she said she had “no respect” for her son and that he needed “take an honest look at yourself.”

Read more:

Pundits rip Pete Hegseth after his own mom calls him ‘an abuser of women’

Trudeau all smiles as he dines with Trump and other top Republicans

03:00 , Mike Bedigan

Justin Trudeau was all smiles as he dined with Donald Trump and a number of other top Republicans at the President-elect’s Mar-a-Lago residence.

The Canadian PM was pictured in the dining hall sat next to Trump, seated at the table with Senator-elect Dave McCormick and Doug Bergum – tapped by Trump to head up the US Interior Department.

Michael Moore says ongoing U.S. support for Israel will cost Dems ‘more elections’

02:01 , Graeme Massie

Filmmaker Michael Moore has weighed in on the continuing U.S. support for Israel in the onging war with Hamas in Gaza, suggesting that if Democrats continue to support the Jewish State, “more elections” will be lost.

“Democratic senators should know better. And their behavior in supporting this aggression will only cost them more elections,” Moore wrote in his Substack article on Saturday.

“Voters under 45 and people of color combined (making up nearly half the electorate), have no interest in war and would rather our government spend our money on our schools, our elderly, and our broken health care system.”

“Time to cut Bibi off,” he said, referring to the nickname for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Trump picks Florida sheriff to run DEA

01:01 , Graeme Massie

Donald Trump has picked Florida sheriff, Chad Chronister, to run the Drug Enforcement Agency. Chronister is the sheriff of Hillsborough County, which covers the Tampa Bay area.

“I am pleased to nominate Sheriff Chad Chronister for Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA),” Trump posted on Truth Social on Saturday evening.

“For over 32 years, Sheriff Chad Chronister has served the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, and received countless commendations and awards for keeping his community SAFE. A proud graduate of the FBI National Academy’s 260th Session, Chad is Co-Chairman of the Regional Domestic Security Task Force for Region IV Tampa Bay, Council Member of the Florida Attorney General’s Statewide Council on Human Trafficking, Chairman of the Criminal Justice Sub-Committee, Vice-Chairman of the Hillsborough County Public Safety Coordinating Council, and Vice-Chairman of the Hillsborough County Public Schools Citizen Oversight Committee.

“As DEA Administrator, Chad will work with our great Attorney General, Pam Bondi, to secure the Border, stop the flow of Fentanyl, and other Illegal Drugs, across the Southern Border, and SAVE LIVES. Congratulations to Chad, his wife Nikki, and two wonderful sons!”

Trump picks MAGA loyalist Kash Patel as his new FBI director

00:23 , Graeme Massie

Patel previously served during Trump’s first term as chief of staff at the Department of Defense.

Trump picks MAGA loyalist Kash Patel as his new FBI director

MAGA loyalist Kash Patel picked as FBI director by Trump

00:09 , Graeme Massie

The president-elect announced Patel to the job on Saturday evening.

“I am proud to announce that Kashyap “Kash” Patel will serve as the next Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Kash is a brilliant lawyer, investigator, and “America First” fighter who has spent his career exposing corruption, defending Justice, and protecting the American People,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“He played a pivotal role in uncovering the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, standing as an advocate for truth, accountability, and the Constitution. Kash did an incredible job during my First Term, where he served as Chief of Staff at the Department of Defense, Deputy Director of National Intelligence, and Senior Director for Counterterrorism at the National Security Council. Kash has also tried over 60 jury trials.

“This FBI will end the growing crime epidemic in America, dismantle the migrant criminal gangs, and stop the evil scourge of human and drug trafficking across the Border. Kash will work under our great Attorney General, Pam Bondi, to bring back Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity to the FBI.”

Trump official says ‘do not underestimate’ AOC as some insiders push for her to lead Democrats

00:00 , Mike Bedigan

A former member of Donald Trump’s administration has warned fellow Republicans not to “underestimate” Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as the liberal congresswoman is touted as a possible contender to lead the Democratic party.

Speaking on Fox News on Friday, Monica Crowley, a former public affairs official in the Treasury Department during the first Trump administration, said AOC had “real grassroots support” through her early adoption of social media.

Trump official says ‘do not underestimate’ AOC as some push for her to lead Democrats

Trump hails ‘very productive’ meeting with Justin Trudeau

Saturday 30 November 2024 22:40 , Mike Bedigan

Watch: Fox News host gets ‘realistic’ about impact of Trump’s tariffs

Saturday 30 November 2024 21:40 , Mike Bedigan

Trump announces his son-in-law’s father, who he pardoned in 2020, as ambassador to France

Saturday 30 November 2024 20:40 , Mike Bedigan

Donald Trump has announced that Charles Kusher, the father of his son-in-law Jared Kushner, will be the new US ambassador to France.

“He is a tremendous business leader, philanthropist, & dealmaker, who will be a strong advocate representing our Country & its interests,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Saturday.

“Charlie is the Founder & Chairman of Kushner Companies, one of the largest & most successful privately held Real Estate firms in the Nation.

“Congratulations to Charlie, his wonderful wife Seryl, their 4 children, & 14 grandchildren. His son, Jared, worked closely with me in the White House, in particular on Operation Warp Speed, Criminal Justice Reform, & the Abraham Accords. Together, we will strengthen America’s partnership with France, our oldest Ally, & one of our greatest!”

In 2005, Kushner – an attorney – was convicted of illegal campaign contributions, tax evasion, and witness tampering, and was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment. As a convicted felon, he was also disbarred in three states.

He was later pardoned by Trump during his first term, in December 2020.

Trudeau and Trump dine with other GOP bigwigs

Saturday 30 November 2024 19:40 , Mike Bedigan

Trump tariffs and NATO with Trudeau as Canadian Prime Minister visits Mar-a-Lago: reports

Saturday 30 November 2024 19:10 , Mike Bedigan

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau discussed a wide variety of subjects with Donald Trump as the pair sat down for a three-hour dinner at Mar-a-Lago on Friday, days after the President-elect threatened Canada and other international trading partners with sweeping tariffs.

Neither Trump nor Trudeau publicly announced the meeting, but the Canadian official was seen exiting a hotel in the area and told reporters that he and Trump had enjoyed an “excellent conversation.”

Read more here:

Trump talks tariffs with Trudeau as Canadian PM visits Mar-a-Lago: reports

How small businesses are already preparing for Trump’s second presidency

Saturday 30 November 2024 17:40 , Mike Bedigan

Small businesses are already taking steps to mitigate potential fallout from Donald Trump’s second presidency, less than two months out from his inauguration.

Owners of such businesses are already making moves to avoid expected cost increases, caused by the President-elect’s threatened tariffs — or weighing whether to take a financial hit or pass it on to customers.

Beatrice Barba runs Tabor Place, a San Francisco Bay Area maker of nontoxic cups and lunch boxes for children. She told NBC News that she intended to spend 2025 innovating new styles of her signature cups, but has dropped those plans and stockpiling as much of her basic inventory as she can.

Her entire product line is made in China, one of the countries that Trump has vowed to hit with heavy import tariffs.

Barba did not expect Trump to win, and doubted his commitment to imposing the tariffs if he did. Over the next couple of months, she’s hoping her Chinese suppliers can churn out a single $200,000 order for the whole year — and get it through U.S. ports — before the President-elect takes office.

“That at least buys me a little bit of time to weather the storm,” she told NBC. “There’s a sense of urgency, and I’m very nervous.”

Trump must not dodge FBI checks on cabinet picks, say two former Senate counsels

Saturday 30 November 2024 17:10 , Mike Bedigan

Two former US Senate counsels are urging President-elect Donald Trump and officials not to avoid FBI checks for incoming cabinet picks.

The former officials made the suggestion in a New York Times op-ed published on Friday.

Michelle Del Rey has more:

Trump must not dodge FBI checks on cabinet picks, say two former Senate counsels

Democratic Senator suggests New York state becomes part of Canada

Saturday 30 November 2024 16:40 , Mike Bedigan

Following the outcome of the presidential election, New York State Senator Liz Krueger has floated an interesting idea for her state… join Canada.

Krueger, whose district includes Manhattan, has suggested New York secede from the United States and become a province of Canada to protest Donald Trump’s policies on things like mass deportation.

“It’s not unreasonable to think outside of the box,” Krueger said to Politico this month.

The Senator first proposed a secession in September.

“I thought I would suggest to Canada that instead of us all trying to illegally cross the border at night without them noticing, which is pretty hard because there’s a lot of us, that they should instead agree to let us be the southeast province, a new province of Canada,” Krueger said in an interview at the time.

Watch: Canada PM In Florida To Meet Trump

Saturday 30 November 2024 16:10 , Mike Bedigan

Trump signed the law to require presidential ethics pledges. Now he is exempting himself from it

Saturday 30 November 2024 15:40 , Mike Bedigan

A bipartisan bill to boost transparency and make sure incoming presidents stick to an ethics plan was so uncontroversial that it passed the Senate by a voice vote in 2020. Donald Trump then signed it into law.

But now, after blowing past deadlines to adhere to the law after winning the White House a second time, Trump appears to have excluded himself from those same ethical guidelines.

Alex Woodward has the details.

Trump exempts himself from ethics pledge as watchdogs sound alarms

Trump wants to seal Israel-Gaza ceasefire before he takes office, key Senate ally says

Saturday 30 November 2024 15:10 , Mike Bedigan

President-elect Donald Trump is said to be hoping to secure an Israel-Gaza ceasefire before he takes office.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina confirmed the incoming president’s position in an Axios interview.

Michelle Del Rey has more:

Trump wants Israel-Gaza ceasefire before he takes office, ally says

For one night only. Trudeau leaves Florida hotel

Saturday 30 November 2024 14:39 , Mike Bedigan

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is seen leaving a hotel in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Saturday, following a meeting with Donald Trump on Friday.

Bill Maher and Stephen A Smith explain why Trump won over Black voters

Saturday 30 November 2024 14:10 , Oliver O’Connell

Bill Maher and Stephen A. Smith have revealed why Donald Trump increased his support with Black voters this presidential election cycle.

In a wide-ranging conversation for Maher’s podcast, Club Random Podcast, the two media personalities dissected how the president-elect’s language impacts voters of color.

Ariana Baio reports.

Bill Maher and Stephen A Smith explain why Trump won over Black voters

These local sheriffs are already preparing to help Trump carry out his mass deportation plans

Saturday 30 November 2024 13:40 , Oliver O’Connell

Donald Trump’s plan to immediately carry out the largest deportation operation in U.S. history upon taking office is banking on a key ally: conservative sheriffs.

There are some 6,000 federal immigration agents in the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE), but the incoming administration is counting on sympathetic local law enforcement to be its eyes and ears in communities and jails across the country.

While police chiefs are appointed, sheriffs are often elected and exercise broad powers, including running county jail systems. Many right-leaning sheriffs, whose own partisan politics align with the new administration’s, are eager to join forces.

Josh Marcus reports.

Local sheriffs are preparing to help Trump carry out his mass deportation plans

Putin full of praise for ‘intelligent and experienced’ Trump

Saturday 30 November 2024 13:10 , Oliver O’Connell

Russian President Vladimir Putin has heaped praised on Donald Trump and suggested the incoming administration will “find a solution” to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.

“As far as I can imagine, the newly elected president is an intelligent and already quite experienced person. I think he will find a solution,” Putin said on Thursday.

Putin also commended the president-elect as a “real man” after an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in July.

Alex Woodward reports on Thursday’s remarks.

Putin full of praise for ‘intelligent and experienced’ Trump after election victory

Trump unveils new strategy to stop Americans taking fentanyl

Saturday 30 November 2024 12:40 , Oliver O’Connell

Donald Trump has unveiled a new strategy for dealing with the fentanyl crisis.

“I will be working on a large-scale United States Advertising Campaign explaining how bad fentanyl is for people to use —Millions of lives being so needlessly destroyed,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday. “By the time the campaign is over, everyone will know how really bad the horror of this drug is.”

Trump did not provide further details about what the campaign would look like.

Michelle Del Rey reports.

Trump unveils new strategy to stop Americans taking fentanyl – an ad campaign

ICYMI: Laura Loomer goes on hours-long tirade against Mark Zuckerberg

Saturday 30 November 2024 11:40 , Oliver O’Connell

Far-right personality and Donald Trump enthusiast Laura Loomer spent hours on X ranting about Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg‘s visit to Mar-a-Lago.

Loomer posted at least 16 times on the social media platform in which she directly mentioned Zuckerberg, complaining that the Facebook founder allegedly “censored” the assassination attempt on Trump, according to the Daily Beast.

Graig Graziosi has the story.

Laura Loomer goes on hours-long tirade against Mark Zuckerberg’s Mar-a-Lago visit

Trump’s tariffs in his first term did little to alter the economy. This time things could be very different

Saturday 30 November 2024 10:40 , AP

Donald Trump loved to use tariffs on foreign goods during his first presidency. But their impact was barely noticeable in the overall economy, even if their aftershocks were clear in specific industries.

The data show they never fully delivered on his promised factory jobs. Nor did they provoke the avalanche of inflation that critics feared.

This time, though, his tariff threats might be different.

Trump’s tariffs in his first term didn’t alter the economy. Thing could be different

Silicon Valley Democrat urges liberals to stay on X

Saturday 30 November 2024 09:40 , Oliver O’Connell

After Donald Trump won the 2024 election, roughly one million users signed up for social media site Bluesky, many of them in protest of X’s increasing right-wing tone and owner Elon Musk’s alliance with the Republican candidate.

However, according to one prominent progressive, liberals shouldn’t jump ship from X just yet.

Josh Marcus reports from San Francisco.

Silicon Valley Democrat urges liberals to stay on X as they abandon it for Bluesky

Kamala Harris’ slammed for ‘self-congratulatory’ review of election defeat

Saturday 30 November 2024 08:40 , Oliver O’Connell

Democratic officials and voters have accused Kamala Harris and her top team of failing to realistically assess why her campaign collapsed.

One Democratic National Committee adviser who participated in a recent call with top donors said she was “stunned that there was no sort of postmortem or analysis of the disastrous campaign.”

Alex Woodward reports.

Democrats slam Kamala Harris’ ‘self-congratulatory’ review of election defeat

Unelected bureaucrat rages about unelected bureaucrats

Saturday 30 November 2024 07:40 , Oliver O’Connell

Failed Republican primary candidate Vivek Ramaswamy stepped on a rake when he told Americans they should be afraid of unelected bureaucrats, after which a smattering of responders pointed out that he is, in fact, an unelected bureaucrat.

Graig Graziosi reports.

Vivek Ramaswamy rages against ‘unelected’ bureaucrats despite being one himself

Joe Rogan claims Democrats drove him away

Saturday 30 November 2024 03:40 , Oliver O’Connell

Joe Rogan claimed that Democrats are scrambling to create a liberal version of his hit podcast show following Donald Trump’s 2024 election win.

Kamala Harris was invited to appear on The Joe Rogan Experience, but her campaign was unable to agree on certain terms, such as location and length, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Harris campaign aides recently told podcast Pod Save America that she couldn’t take the time away from battleground states. Rogan did sit down for lengthy conversations with vice president-elect JD Vance, Elon Musk as well as Trump , and also endorsed the Republican on election day.

Despite this, Rogan claimed that we was on the Democrats side at one point, according to Huffington Post.

Graig Graziosi reports.

Joe Rogan claims he was ‘on Democrats side’ before they drove him away

‘Nauseating’ last-ditch attempt by Trump to toss fraud case mentions Washington and Lincoln

Saturday 30 November 2024 02:40 , Oliver O’Connell

After successfully delaying Donald Trump’s chances of facing criminal consequences before he returns to the White House, his legal team is making another last-ditch effort to block a massive civil fraud judgment against him.

Trump has appealed that judgment, but his attorney D. John Sauer — the man Trump has nominated for the next solicitor general of the United States — is urging the state of New York to drop the case entirely as “necessary for the health of our Republic.”

Alex Woodward has the story.

Trump makes ‘nauseating’ last-ditch attempt to toss his New York fraud case

Trudeau’s Friday night Trump tie-up

Saturday 30 November 2024 01:46 , Josh Marcus

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrived in Palm Beach, Florida on Friday evening, part of reported plans to dine with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, after the president-elect threatened Canada with sweeping tariffs earlier this week.

Neither Trump nor Trudeau publicly announced the meeting, but the Canadian official was seen exiting a hotel in the area. He reportedly traveled to Florida alongside Canadian public safety minister Dominic LeBlanc.

Earlier this week, Trump threatened Canada and Mexico with 25 percent tariffs, in what the Republican said was an attempt to crack down on illegal immigration and drug smuggling.

The proposal, which would likely cause massive economic disruption, alarmed officials in Canada.

More details in our full story.

Trudeau makes Friday visit to Mar-a-Lago to meet Trump after threat to tariff Canada

ICYMI: Despite Trump’s claims, Mexican president denies country is closing border

Saturday 30 November 2024 01:40 , Oliver O’Connell

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum is pushing back on Donald Trump’s claim she promised to effectively close her country’s northern border with the United States after the incoming American leader alleged that she’d pledged to stop all migration through the country.

On Wednesday, Trump took to his Truth Social platform to claim that Sheinbaum had made such a promise during a phone call earlier in the day. He wrote that she had “agreed to stop Migration through Mexico, and into the United States, effectively closing our Southern Border.”

Andrew Feinberg reports.

Mexican president denies country is closing border despite Trump claims

Why might Trump ditch Musk? Maggie Haberman has an idea…

Saturday 30 November 2024 00:40 , Oliver O’Connell

New York Times journalist and author Maggie Haberman has revealed the one reason she believes Donald Trump could end up ditching Elon Musk.

Haberman discussed the relationship between the billionaire, who has been at Trump’s side almost constantly since his election victory more than three weeks ago, and the president-elect during an appearance on CNN on Wednesday.

Rhian Lubin reports.

Maggie Haberman reveals the one reason Trump could end up ditching Musk