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Gateway Pundit Settles Defamation Case with Fulton County Election Workers
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A settlement has been reached between the Gateway Pundit and two Georgia poll workers who accused the St. Louis-based website of defamation in a civil suit in St. Louis Circuit Court.

Notice of the settlement was filed Monday afternoon. The parties to the dispute “provide notice to the court that the parties have reached agreement to settle all claims and counterclaims asserted in the … action, which settlement shall be satisfied on March 29, 2025,” the notice reads.

“The parties respectfully request that this court vacate the trial date set in this matter,” the notice continues, “and stay this matter until March 29, 2025, at which point the parties will dismiss this matter pending satisfaction of the terms of the Parties’ settlement agreement.”

The terms of the settlement were not disclosed.

A representative of the legal team working for the two poll workers wrote in an email that the settlement offers “mutual satisfaction” and is “fair and reasonable.” The poll workers, Ruby Freeman and her daughter Wandrea “Shaye” Moss, could not be reached.

In June, 2022, the two women provided emotional testimony to the House Select Committee Investigating the January 6th Attack on the Capitol about the harassment, including death threats, that had resulted from allegations they had committed voter fraud on behalf of Joe Biden during the counting of votes on election night in 2020.

The case, first filed in St. Louis Circuit Court in December, 2021, had appeared to be emerging as a high-profile test of the limits of the First Amendment, not unlike the defamation cases filed by parents of children murdered at Sandy Hook against Alex Jones and Dominion Voting Systems’ suit against Fox News.

Both of those cases ended up in huge judgments against the defendants.

A jury in Washington, D.C., awarded the two women more than $148 million in a defamation suit they had filed against former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani for making the same accusations about them.

Some legal observers saw the prospect for a similar judgment by a St. Louis jury against the defendants in the suit here – TGP Communications, which does business as Gateway Pundit; Jim Hoft, the company’s sole owner; and his identical twin brother Joe, who is a contributor to the site.

The trial in St. Louis had been scheduled to start next March 10.

But it appears that the two women have yet to collect a dime from Giuliani, so the prospect of a settlement in the St. Louis case may have appeared to be worth taking. And the apparent settlement in the St. Louis case has a precedent – in April 2022 the two women settled their similar claims with One America News Network. The terms of that agreement were not disclosed. OANN did, however, later broadcast a statement that an investigation by Georgia officials had shown that the women “did not engage in ballot fraud or criminal misconduct while working at State Farm Arena on election night.”

What may have driven the Hofts to settle, one attorney familiar with these kinds of cases said, was the failure last July of their filing for bankruptcy in Florida. Had they been allowed bankruptcy protection, the St. Louis defamation case would have been stayed indefinitely.

But instead the U.S. Bankruptcy Court Southern District of Florida in West Palm Beach dismissed the case as a bad faith filing, “reflect(ing) the use of bankruptcy as a pure litigation tactic.”

During the bankruptcy proceedings, it was revealed that Gateway Pundit had a media insurance policy that carried $2 million in gross benefits, of which $700,000 had already been spent on legal fees in defending the St. Louis case. The attorney who is familiar with similar cases said it was possible the Hofts wanted to use the remaining insurance money to settle or help settle the case and put it behind them, rather than deplete it further by continuing to fight.

It was known, for example, that the lawyers were seeking the company’s financial records and searching for an understanding of how precisely the Gateway Pundit turned clicks on the site’s website into cash.

It was also known that the lawyers were scheduled to depose the Hoft brothers — or perhaps even had by the time of the agreement to settle. Now whatever the Hofts may have said in those depositions, if they occurred, will remain under protective order.

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Melania Declines to Meet with Jill at White House, Citing Mar-a-Lago Raid

Melania Trump declined an offer to head to the White House Wednesday and meet with Jill Biden, citing the Biden administration’s raid on Mar-a-Lago as part of the federal government’s investigation into classified documents.

“She ain’t going,” a source familiar with Melania’s decision told The Post. “Jill Biden’s husband authorized the FBI snooping through her underwear drawer. The Bidens are disgusting,” the source said.

“Jill Biden isn’t someone Melania needs to meet,” the source added.

Melania’s husband, President-elect Donald Trump, will sit with President Biden in the Oval Office Wednesday for a traditional post-election meeting.

Typically, the first lady hosts her successor for tea in the White House.

Melania visited the White House following her husband’s 2016 election win and received a tour from then- first lady Michelle Obama.

After Trump lost his re-election bid in 2020, he failed to invite the Bidens to the White House before the Democrat officially assumed office, breaking the decades-old tradition, according to reports at the time.

The FBI raided Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in August 2022 in its probe of the 45th president’s withholding of classified White House documents.

Melania, 54, has previously voiced her displeasure over the raid at their Palm Beach, Florida, mansion.

“Yeah, it made me angry,” she said on “Fox & Friends” in a September interview, calling it an “invasion of privacy.”

FBI agents scoured Melania’s wardrobe, combed through her 78-year-old husband’s office and even reportedly searched one of her son Barron’s rooms.

“I saw unpleasant stuff that nobody wants to see,” Melania said of her experience returning to her ransacked residence. “And you get angry because, you know, nobody should be putting up with that kind of stuff.”

Trump’s confidential documents case was dismissed by US District Judge Aileen Cannon in July.

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Judge Merchan Delays Decision to Vacate Trump Conviction

A New York judge delayed a Tuesday decision on whether President-elect Trump’s conviction can withstand the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity ruling, following his election victory last week.

Judge Juan Merchan agreed to freeze the case until Nov. 19, newly public court records show, enabling prosecutors to respond to Trump’s demand the case be dismissed entirely now that he is president-elect.

Trump’s sentencing, which would be the first of any former president, is scheduled for Nov. 26. He was convicted on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in connection with a hush money payment made to porn actor Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election to conceal an affair, which he denies.

Trump’s attorneys believe his election as president compels the dismissal of his criminal prosecutions.

“The stay, and dismissal, are necessary to avoid unconstitutional impediments to President Trump’s ability to govern,” Trump attorney Emil Bove wrote in an email to the judge.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s (D) office agreed to delay the proceedings as it assesses how to respond to Trump’s demand.

“The People agree that these are unprecedented circumstances and that the arguments raised by defense counsel in correspondence to the People on Friday require careful consideration,” prosecutor Matthew Colangelo wrote to the judge.

In a statement, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said Trump was elected “with an overwhelming mandate to Make America Great Again.”

“It is now abundantly clear that Americans want an immediate end to the weaponization of our justice system, including this case, which should have never been filed, so we can, as President Trump said in his historic victory speech, unify our country and work together for the betterment of our nation,” Cheung said.

Merchan was slated to rule Tuesday on whether Trump’s guilty verdict must be wiped under the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity decision, which was handed down after the trial.

The high court held that former presidents enjoy absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for exercising core constitutional powers and at least presumptive immunity for other official acts. Unofficial conduct can be prosecuted, but the jury cannot question the motivation behind a presidential decision, the court said.

Trump’s attorneys said prosecutors with the district attorney’s office showed jurors evidence during his seven-week trial that was protected by the justices’ ruling, which the state rejected.

The case is taking a similar path as Trump’s federal prosecution in the nation’s capital, where he stands accused of unlawfully conspiring to subvert the 2020 election results.

Last week, a judge granted special counsel Jack Smith’s office request to suspend all deadlines in that case and provide an update on Dec. 2 about next steps.

The former president’s other two criminal prosecutions are also on ice. Trump’s classified documents case was dismissed by a different federal judge, and his Georgia criminal case is paused indefinitely while an appeals court weighs a challenge from Trump and his co-defendants.

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Trump Picks Kristi Noem to Lead Homeland Security

President-elect Donald Trump has picked South Dakota Republican Gov. Kristi Noem as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday morning.

The department, which oversees U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), will be crucial in carrying out Trump’s central campaign promise to close the southern border and fix illegal immigration.

The department also oversees FEMA, an agency that was recently exposed by The Daily Wire for discriminating against Trump supporters.

The move comes on the heels of Trump’s pick of Tom Homan as “Border Czar.” Homan previously served as acting ICE director during Trump’s first term in office. The immigration official who also served during the Obama years is known for being an immigration hardliner, which aligns with Trump’s vision.

Noem has visited the U.S.-Mexico border on numerous occasions, and repeatedly criticized the Biden administration for creating a “warzone.”

In January, Noem released a joint statement in support of Texas Gov. Greg Abbot (R-TX) taking state action to secure the border, while President Joe Biden and VP Kamala Harris refused to do. Noem was one of 25 GOP governors to sign the statement.

“President Biden and his Administration have left Americans and our country completely vulnerable to unprecedented illegal immigration pouring across the Southern border. Instead of upholding the rule of law and securing the border, the Biden Administration has attacked and sued Texas for stepping up to protect American citizens from historic levels of illegal immigrants, deadly drugs like fentanyl, and terrorists entering our country,” the statement said.

“We stand in solidarity with our fellow Governor, Greg Abbott, and the State of Texas in utilizing every tool and strategy, including razor wire fences, to secure the border. We do it in part because the Biden Administration is refusing to enforce immigration laws already on the books and is illegally allowing mass parole across America of migrants who entered our country illegally,” the governors added.

Noem has been a staunch supporter of Trump, but has been the subject of some controversy in recent years. More recently, her book sparked outrage for a story she told about putting down a hunting dog that was “untrainable.”

“I can understand why some people are upset about a 20 year old story of Cricket, one of the working dogs at our ranch, in my upcoming book — No Going Back. The book is filled with many honest stories of my life, good and bad days, challenges, painful decisions, and lessons learned,” Noem said via X.

“Whether running the ranch or in politics, I have never passed on my responsibilities to anyone else to handle. Even if it’s hard and painful. I followed the law and was being a responsible parent, dog owner, and neighbor,” she added. “As I explained in the book, it wasn’t easy. But often the easy way isn’t the right way.”

Noem also took heat in 2021 for effectively killing a bill that would ban males in female sports, drawing much criticism from conservatives. She instead issued two weaker executive orders: for public schools, she implemented a mandate for proof of either a birth certificate or affidavit to show the athlete is female, and another EO effectively recommended a ban on males in female sports in higher education.

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Susie Wiles Demands Fast Start: ‘We Only Have Two Years to Execute Our Agenda.’

Susie Wiles, the next White House chief of staff, privately told a group of Republican donors on Monday that President-elect Donald J. Trump would move on his first day in office to reinstate several executive orders from Mr. Trump’s first term that President Biden had revoked, according to two people in the room who insisted on anonymity to describe the closed-door remarks.

The comments by Ms. Wiles, a Florida political strategist who oversaw Mr. Trump’s winning campaign, were some of her first since he chose her last week as his chief of staff. She was speaking and answering questions in Las Vegas at a private, biannual meeting of the Rockbridge Network, a group of conservative donors that was co-founded by Vice President-elect JD Vance and that has strong representation from the tech industry.

It is common for presidents to immediately issue a series of executive orders upon taking office, and Ms. Wiles did not specify which orders from Mr. Trump’s first term would be reinstated. Some of the actions that Mr. Biden revoked included Mr. Trump’s withdrawal from the World Health Organization; his ban on entry to the country from several predominantly Muslim nations; and his exit from the Paris climate accord.

Ms. Wiles emphasized to the group that the window for Mr. Trump to revolutionize government was more like two years, rather than four. So being prepared on Day 1, she said, was critical. It appeared to be an acknowledgment that most presidents face a difficult midterm election cycle after two years in office.

Transitions are both long and short at the same time, Ms. Wiles said, according to one of the people in the room.

Ms. Wiles was the headliner of the three-day Rockbridge conference. She appeared on Monday before a few hundred donors on a panel alongside some other top Trump campaign aides, including Chris LaCivita, the campaign’s co-manager; Meredith O’Rourke, its fund-raising director; and Tony Fabrizio, the campaign’s top pollster.

Other speakers were expected to include Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Donald Trump Jr. and the venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, according to a copy of the agenda seen by The New York Times.

Ms. Wiles and fellow aides also regaled some donors with stories from the campaign trail. At one point, she was asked how the campaign had responded to the first assassination attempt against Mr. Trump. She told the crowd that the campaign had frequently been targeted by hackers and had encountered threats regarding Mr. Trump’s plane.

Ms. Wiles said Mr. Trump had been more willing to present a softer, relaxed public image than during his previous campaigns, sharing photos of him playing golf or with his grandchildren, according to the other person in the room.

The gathering of the Rockbridge Network in Las Vegas was brimming with top Trump aides and donors. The group is likely to emerge as a major power center in Republican politics now that Mr. Vance will occupy the vice presidency.

Ms. Wiles also addressed one open question about Mr. Trump, who will be term-limited: Will he continue to hold rallies, despite not running for office anymore? The answer seemed to be yes.

Ms. Wiles, according to the people in the room, said Mr. Trump’s final rally of this campaign, in Grand Rapids, Mich., “wasn’t the last Donald Trump rally, but it was the last Donald Trump campaign rally.”

The use of executive orders by presidents has increased in recent years as the country’s polarization has led to a Congress frozen with division and inaction. Faced with little opportunity to change laws, presidents have sought to push the limits of the power of their office.

Blocked by Republicans in 2013, then-President Barack Obama tried to reshape immigration policy by issuing executive orders to protect so-called Dreamers, who were brought to the United States illegally when they were young children. When Democrats in Congress frustrated Mr. Trump’s agenda, he turned frequently to executive orders, as did Mr. Biden.

Exercising the power of the Oval Office can have immediate results for a president looking to quickly show voters he is taking action. And they can be effective in accelerating a government bureaucracy that otherwise moves slowly to carry out the nation’s laws.

But governing by executive power has its limits. By their nature, they are not permanent and can be undone by a successor almost as easily as they were put in place. Mr. Trump unraveled many of Mr. Obama’s executive actions, and Mr. Biden did the same to Mr. Trump’s.

Presidential proclamations and orders are also more easily subject to attack in the legal system. Many of Mr. Trump’s orders were quickly challenged in court, held up for months or even years by judges who deemed them unlawful efforts to get around the will of Congress.

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Who is Farhad Shakeri? Afghan Mastermind Behind Iran’s Plot to Kill Trump

The mastermind behind a chilling plot to assassinate Donald Trump and an Iranian-American journalist has been unmasked by DailyMail.com as a father-of-five whose brother is a ‘die-hard’ MAGA supporter.

Farhad Shakeri, 51, was revealed to have admitted to orchestrating the terrifying scheme which was thwarted by the FBI and involved three alleged hitmen who were hired by the feared Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to carry out a hit on the president-elect.

The would-be-assassin previously lived in the US, being brought up in Manassas, Virginia, from the age of nine along with his six siblings after their parents moved the family from Afghanistan for a better life.

Pictured exclusively by DailyMail.com today, Shakeri can be seen posing with his American wife – whose identity is being withheld – in a photo taken shortly after he was deported from the US in 2008.

The couple had five children and had been living in New York when Shakeri was convicted of robbery and kidnapping in 1994 for which he was handed a 21-year sentence before his deportation to Afghanistan.

Sources told DailyMail.com Shakeri then moved his family to Dubai, before moving on to Turkey and spending time in Afghanistan and Iran over the years.

His wife and children would return to the US following the couple’s split in 2015.

Shakeri, meanwhile, would be arrested again in 2019 by the Sri Lanka Police Narcotics Bureau (SLPRB) in Colombo, Sri Lanka, in connection with the seizure of approximately 92 kilograms of heroin.

Authorities say Shakeri confessed to the FBI in five separate phone calls over a two-month period that he helped orchestrate a plot to assassinate Trump weeks before the presidential election.

He claimed the original plan was to carry out killings against Iranian opponents in the US, before receiving new orders on October 7 – the anniversary of the Hamas attacks in Israel – to solely target Trump.

Despite his admissions, Shakeri is still on the loose in Tehran, as Iran does not have an extradition agreement with the US and tensions remain at an all-time high between the two nations.

American authorities therefore have no legal means to order Shakeri to return to the United States or give himself up to face punishment.

But sources say his shocking high-stakes admissions have left his family – who are currently in the US – shell-shocked and ‘terrified’ for their lives here.

They have gone completely to ground since news of his plot broke, with one relative threatening to call police on reporters when they were approached for a comment.

Shakeri’s younger brother is a huge supporter of Donald Trump and would never have condoned the plot, sources told DailyMail.com, insisting that the rest of the clan were ‘very peaceful.’

‘Farhad is just a wild card’, one source said. ‘His entire family are a very peaceful and very loving and kind family. They meet up every week and go to mosque, they are Muslims.

‘I don’t think they had any idea about any of this. No one can get hold of them at all right now.

‘Farhad is the only one who never really stopped with the bad behavior, but I’m in shock that he could be capable of something like this. His mother will be heartbroken.’

The FBI have had five high-stakes discussions with Shakeri over the phone in the span of two months.

Bureau officials have not revealed why Shakeri volunteered so much explosive information to them.

He reportedly had ‘issues’ in his life early on, well before his 1994 conviction for robbing a gun store in New York aged just 20.

Shakeri and three other men were charged in connection with stealing 80 firearms and kidnapping a store clerk from T.D. Gun Range in Medford in March 1994.

A probe at the time discovered some of the stolen weapons at Shakeri’s home, with investigators accusing the gang of holding the clerk of the store up at gun point before stealing the cache of weapons.

They reportedly ‘argued’ over weather or not to kill their victim, but ultimately dumped him 60 miles away from the store – threatening to harm his family if he identified them.

Shakeri was handed a 21-year-prison sentence, but deported after serving just 14.

Authorities gave him the option to serve the rest of his sentence in a US prison – which he declined.

After being deported in 2008, Shakeri moved his life to the UAE, before moving on to Turkey – with sources saying he lost contact with some of his family after again being jailed in 2019.

The last time many of the family heard from would-be-assassin, he was being held in Afghanistan on death row, and some were unaware that he had fled to Iran.

‘He spent a lot of time on death row’, the source added. ‘His mother had no clue about him being on death row, she just thinks that he has been deported.

‘His brother was very disappointed in his behavior, he could no longer look up to him, and that is a big deal in the Muslim community.

‘Farhad is really nasty. It just shocks me, because how did he keep getting out of death row – he must have been making deals with the worst of the worst to be getting out.’

His family reportedly wanted a relationship with the father-of-four, but struggled after hearing about the ‘heinous acts’ he was committing overseas.

‘The world fell on his younger brothers’ shoulders’, a source claimed. ‘Farhad was meant to be the eldest, but he just didn’t act like it and didn’t stop his behavior.’

Shakeri told authorities he met a senior member of the Revolutionary Guard through his work in Tehran in the ‘oil and fuel businesses.’

The man was referred to by others around him as Majid Soleimani, but Shakeri said he has no way of knowing whether the man is connected to late Iranian military officer Qassem Soleimani, who was assassinated under Trump’s watch in 2020.

When Majid learned that Shakeri used to live in New York, he offered him a large sum of money to investigate – and ultimately kill – Iranian-American activist and journalist Masih Alinejad.

In his initial calls with the FBI, Shakeri denied that he agreed to have Alinejad killed, and said he merely offered his services to have her investigated.

By his last correspondence with authorities on November 7, he accepted that he had enlisted a former prison buddy, Carlisle Rivera, to kill her.

According to the criminal complaint seen by DailyMail.com, Rivera was waiting on a $100,000 payment from the IRGC to carry out the assassination.

But Shakeri said by mid-late September, this IRGC official had told him to ‘put aside his other efforts on behalf of the IRGC and focus on surveilling, and ultimately assassinating, Donald Trump.

Shakeri warned Majid that such a feat would cost ‘a huge amount of money’, and said he was reassured that ‘money is not an issue.’

On or about October 7, Shakeri was given a seven-day deadline to devise a thorough plan to carry out the assassination attempt.

He was told if he could not come up with a plan in this timeframe, the attempt would be put on the back burner until after the election, because officials in Iran assumed Trump would lose the election and then have less protection.

In September, the Trump campaign revealed it had been briefed on the threat from Tehran.

‘Big threats on my life by Iran,’ Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. ‘The entire US military is watching and waiting.

‘Moves were already made by Iran that didn’t work out, but they will try again.’

Questions have been raised about whether an effort is underway to also secure the arrest of Shakeri, given his involvement in the plot.

Shakeri met Rivera in prison while he was serving time for first-degree robbery and Rivera doing time for second-degree murder.

He also enlisted the help of another former inmate, but that person was not named in the criminal complaint and instead was identified as ‘co-conspirator one.’

Co-conspirator One helped to locate and investigate Alinejad, according to the documents. He and Shakeri are long-time associates.

After they were both released from prison, they were arrested in January 2019 together in Sri Lanka following the seizure of 92 kilograms of heroin.

The disturbing documents unsealed by the Department of Justice last week revealed the arsenal of weapons the would-be assassins had at their disposal and the texts messages they sent each other to concoct their plan.

Shakeri explained in his FBI interviews that he had been tasked with surveilling and killing Trump to avenge the devastating drone strike that killed Soleimani, the leader of Iran’s elite Quds Force, in January 2020.

Shakeri – along with New Yorkers Carlisle Rivera, 49, and Jonathan Loadholt, 36, – are also accused of targeting an Iranian-American activist and were offered $500,000 to kill two Jewish businessmen living in the US.

He allegedly confessed to the FBI that the Iranians had been devoting as much money as possible to ensure efforts to kill Trump were carried out.

The other two men are both in US custody and made a court appearance in New York on Thursday.

Trump has already survived two attempts on his life, including avoiding death by a fraction of an inch when he was shot in the ear at an election rally in Pennsylvania in July.

Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement that there are ‘few actors’ in the world that ‘pose as grave a threat to the national security of the United States as does Iran.’

‘The Justice Department has charged an asset of the Iranian regime who was tasked by the regime to direct a network of criminal associates to further Iran’s assassination plots against its targets, including President-elect Donald Trump.’

‘We have also charged and arrested two individuals who we allege were recruited as part of that network to silence and kill, on U.S. soil, an American journalist who has been a prominent critic of the regime.

‘We will not stand for the Iranian regime’s attempts to endanger the American people and America’s national security.’

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RFK JR: 600 NIH Employees Will Be Fired

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. argued Saturday that the incoming Trump administration should “act fast” to implement massive changes at the National Institutes of Health, including replacing as many as 600 people at the federal agency.

“We need to act fast, and we want to have those people in place on Jan. 20, so that on Jan. 21, 600 people are going to walk into offices at NIH and 600 people are going to leave,” Kennedy said during an appearance at the Genius Network Annual Event in Scottsdale, Ariz.

The Democrat-turned-Donald Trump ally has long argued that federal health agencies have been “captured” by the pharmaceutical industry that they are supposed to regulate, likening it to “corruption” that has had a negative impact on the health and safety of Americans.

Kennedy, 70, noted at the Genius Network event that he’s working to raise $10 million before President-elect Trump’s inauguration to help fill key Department of Health and Human Services roles, according to ABC News.

“We need to be able to respond very quickly and need to have a really, really good crack staff right now — we have the people, [but] we need to get them paid, we need to get them housing in Florida, so they can be right there when we walk into these transition meetings day after day,” he said.

Kennedy also provided insight into how Trump, 78, is going about considering people to staff his incoming administration.

“He comes into the meeting and he very quickly — you know, there are eight giant screens and each person has a picture of themselves on the screen, they have a biography next to them, you can press a button and see three different clips of that person … and he goes through them very, very quickly and he says, ‘I want that guy,’” the former environmental lawyer said.

“He listens to what people say, but he makes the decisions and he gets very, very firm ideas. And he decides very quickly. And the meetings are very quick when he comes in,” Kennedy explained.

The former presidential candidate noted that he, his daughter-in-law Amaryllis Fox Kennedy, and billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk are among the people in the room when Trump is making personnel decisions.

“These are all alpha people,” Kennedy said. “They’re, you know, they have very strong ideas about what should happen, but [Trump] makes the decisions.”

Kennedy is expected to have some sort of major health policy-related role in Trump’s administration.

Prior to the election, however, Trump’s White House transition co-chair Howard Lutnick dismissed the possibility of RFK Jr. becoming HHS secretary.

“That’s not what he wants to do,” Lutnick said last month. “He just wants data, and he wants to prove things [about vaccines] are wrong. And he says, ‘If I can’t prove they’re wrong, that’s fine. But if I can, I can save millions of Americans’ lives and make their lives better.’”

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MSNBC, CNN Ratings Collapse After Election While Fox News Flourishes

The epic meltdown of far-left corporate media following the presidential election continues to gain momentum as CNN and MSNBC viewerships implode. Next up: layoffs.

Puck’s Dylan Byers reports that CNN newsroom will likely be hit with another round of layoffs over the next few months. This time, as Byers noted, big talent could be on the chopping block:

In the next few months, I’m told, CNN will implement another round of layoffs that will impact hundreds of employees across the organization, including those whose TV production talents won’t necessarily be needed in the new digital-first landscape. Reporters and correspondents will be asked to assume more of the responsibilities once handled by teams of producers and production assistants, redundant assignments will be nixed, and various divisions will be reduced or even eliminated. Some of the on-air talent are also likely to be affected.

It’s unclear at the moment if top talent such as Anderson Cooper, Jake Tapper, Wolf Blitzer, John Berman, and or Kaitlan Collins will be axed.

The NYPost noted about a month ago that CNN’s Jake Tapper and Wolf Blitzer were reportedly denied salary raises while Chris Wallace may be forced to take a pay cut.

CNN currently has 92 people as on-air “reporters and correspondents.”

While X and alternative media were very impactful this election cycle, outgunning legacy media in an all-out info war, Axios CEO Jim VandeHei had a meltdown over Elon Musk’s “you are the media” comments:

Well, legacy media, if you had done your job correctly and refrained from calling Trump and over half the country “Nazis” and “Hitler” 24/7 for the better part of a decade…

… there would have been no need to reform legacy media by pushing new, innovative ways to convey news truthfully (without gov’t far-left propaganda) through X and alternative media.

MSM nuked their own brands by promoting around-the-clock misinformation and disinformation, from Hunter Biden’s laptop to Covid origins to endless wars to inflation to border crisis to Biden’s mental acuity to cheerleading Kamala Harris as the next messiah.

Mainstream propaganda outlets MSNBC and CNN have seen an absolute collapse in viewership following the 2024 presidential election.

According to Neilsen data, last Thursday’s total views on Fox News came in at 2.6 million – of which 375,000 were in the coveted 25-54 age demographic, Mediaite reports. In comparison, MSNBC only had 596,000 / 71,000 25-54 viewers and CNN brought in 419,000 / 91,000 25-54.

Fox News was up some 60 percent year over year for the day, while MSNBC and CNN were down 23 and 40 percent – respectively. In prime time the news was even more bleak for CNN and MSNBC as they shed 30 percent and 54 percent of their viewers, respectively, compared to the same day last year. MSNBC host Alex Wagner had her lowest-rated show ever in terms of total viewers, while Chris Hayes’s show brought in its worst numbers since May of 2016.

On Friday, seven MSNBC shows recorded their lowest Friday ratings for the year. While Fox averaged 4.4M viewers Wed-Fri in prime time and 701,000 in that key demographic, MSNBC had just 808,000 total viewers for the same period (90k in demo), and CNN had 611,000 total average prime time viewers (159k in demo).

No wonder CNN’s Chris Wallace is about to explore podcasting.

Fox’s Elizabeth MacDonald breaks down the carnage at MSNBC by time slot between Oct. 30 and Nov. 8:

  • Morning Joe 1st hour – down 39.6%
  • Morning Joe 2d hour – down 36.9%
  • Andrea Mitchell – down 39.7%
  • Ari Melber – down 49.6%
  • Joy Reid’s Reidout – down 54.6%
  • All-in w Chris Hayes – down 47.2%
  • Alex Wagner Tonight- down 53.6%
  • Lawrence O’Donnell – down 60.6%
  • Stephanie Ruhle – down 67%

Three weeks ago Axios, citing Gallup, pointed out that Americans’ trust in media has plummeted to a historic low…

What’s interesting is that Democrats have the highest trust in mass media, yet their networks are ghost towns.

As Outkick.com reports further;

CNN and MSNBC’s futures are bleak.

The two networks maintained relevancy during Trump’s first term by aggressively promoting the Russia hoax. Though the networks could try to manufacture another phony scandal, who would believe them?

Trump’s decisive victory demonstrated that the left-wing cable news networks have lost their influence. CNN and MSNBC exhausted every resource at their disposal to stop Donald Trump from achieving victory, eventually stooping to a plot to depict him as the second coming of Adolf Hitler, the most ruthless dictator in modern world history.

It didn’t work. The lies, the hysteria, and the besmirchment only made Trump more popular and sunk CNN and MSNBC deeper.

Here is how race lady Joy Reid is handling the results:

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LA Times Owner Fires Editorial Board

Los Angeles Times is slated to create a new editorial board, billionaire owner Patrick Soon-Shiong announced Sunday — a directive that has been met with hostility with current editorial staffers.

Following Soon-Shiong’s Sunday announcement, an L.A. Times insider told TheWrap Monday that “the newsroom is pissed,” as it seems likely the three remaining L.A. Times Guild members on the editorial board will soon be ousted.

The billionaire newspaper owner emphasized in his tweet over the weekend the importance of “fair and balanced” journalism in light of President-elect Donald Trump’s win over Democratic nominee Kamala Harris. “When the president has won the vote of the majority of Americans, then all voices must be heard,” he wrote.

He further indicated his newspaper will monitor coverage that appears slanted left.

“Proud that we posted this letter from one of our readers on X,” he wrote after retweeting a letter to the editor from a white woman in Oxnard, who did not vote for Trump, but objected to LZ Granderson’s column, “There’s no mystery. White women handed Trump the election.”

Read the full tweet below:

The owner continued, “I will work towards making our paper and media fair and balanced so that all voices are heard and we can respectfully exchange every American’s view … from left to right to the center. Coming soon. A new Editorial Board. Trust in media is critical for a strong democracy.”

Soon-Shiong’s decision to pull the paper’s traditional presidential endorsement this year rather than back Harris already angered staffers, leading to the resignations of editorial page editor Mariel Garza, Pulitzer Prize winner Robert Greene and Karin Klein, a board member who wrote about education, environment, food and science.

Another Guild statement issued on Oct. 25 cited their ethics policy, which called into question the paper’s credibility after the canceled endorsement: “Credibility, a news organization’s most precious asset, is arduously acquired and easily squandered. It can be maintained only if each of us accepts responsibility for it,” the statement read in part, indicating that Soon-Shiong was not keeping up his end to keep the paper credible.

In the aftermath of the non-endorsement, Soon-Shiong tweeted, “The Editorial Board chose to remain silent and I accepted their decision.”

Although he has donated to Democrats in the past, including $50,000 in donations to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign, Soon-Shiong was quick to congratulate Trump on his first presidential win, tweeting, “Incredible honor dining w/Pres-elect @realDonaldTrump last night. He truly wants to advance #healthcare for all.”

On Election Night 2024, his reaction to Trump’s win wasn’t as jubilant as that of Amazon and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos. “The American people have spoken and L.A. Times will take the lead to provide factual and balanced coverage as the country heals its division,” he said.

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Republicans Win House, Delivering Trump a Trifecta

Republicans are projected to keep control of the House of Representatives, handing the party total control of Washington with President-elect Trump back in the White House in January.

Decision Desk HQ projected the GOP would hold the House by winning its 218th seat on Monday, the number needed for a majority in the lower chamber.

The result is a major win for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who skyrocketed up from obscurity to lead the House GOP not only legislatively, but also in a large role in its campaign infrastructure.

Republicans saved some of their most vulnerable incumbents, like Reps. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) and David Valadao (R-Calif.), while defeating several vulnerable Democratic incumbents. State Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-Pa.) unseated Rep. Susan Wild (D-Pa.), while businessman Rob Bresnahan defeated Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-Pa.).

Those results made up for some GOP losses. Three first-term New York Republicans — Reps. Anthony D’Esposito, Marc Molinaro and Brandon Williams — lost their reelection bids, as did Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.).

The final House breakdown is uncertain, with ballots still being counted for several races in California. But Republicans are expected to have another slim majority heading into the new Congress.

Those exact numbers will matter a lot for Johnson’s political future, for which policies Republicans can enact, and how the lower chamber will function — or not function.

Trump gave the Speaker a shoutout in his victory speech from Palm Beach, Fla., in the early hours of Wednesday: “It also looks like we’ll be keeping control of the House of Representatives. And I want to thank Mike Johnson. I think he’s doing a terrific job.”

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) and House GOP Chair Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) also joined Trump at Mar-a-Lago to celebrate his victory, in an indication of the House GOP’s strong commitment to backing the Trump administration.

Top House Republicans have been working with Senate Republicans for months on legislative plans that they can swiftly send to Trump in the first 100 days of total Republican control. Those include extending the tax cuts passed in Trump’s first term, boosting border wall funding, repealing climate initiatives and promoting school choice.

But there are likely to be plenty of obstacles for Republicans’ ambitious agenda. The last two years of the historically slim House GOP majority was marked by intraparty disputes that, at times, brought legislative activity to a halt. That chaos was headlined by the historic ouster of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).

Uncertainty about Republicans’ margin also raises immediate questions about Johnson’s future.

The Speaker has been explicit about his intention to seek the gavel again if Republicans win unified control of government. But he has faced opposition from a few hard-line conservatives and already survived one attempt to remove him earlier this year, led by Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.). House Democrats helped halt that attempt.

To keep the gavel, Johnson will need to secure a majority vote on the House floor when it convenes on Jan. 3, 2025, requiring near-unanimous Republican support.

Johnson told The Hill in an interview on the campaign trail in October that he intends “to have my party’s support for Speaker” on the House floor.

The GOP victory also notably denies House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) the opportunity to rise to be the first Black Speaker of the House.

The battle for the House was considered nearly as close as the race for the White House, with battleground districts stretching from coast to coast, the bulk of which were in states that were not competitive in the presidential election. Democrats would have needed a net gain of at least four seats to win control of the House and had hoped to get a boost from voters concerned about the Republicans’ position on reproductive rights.

In an interview on Election Day, National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) Chair Richard Hudson (R-N.C.) — who is seeking another term in the position — pointed to several areas of focus for the House GOP campaign arm that gave him confidence about the election.

Splitting the cost of television ads with candidates in a way that allowed them to take advantage of lower candidate rates allowed them to make each dollar go farther, Hudson said. And he also pointed to the NRCC opening more than 40 field offices, or “battle stations.”

“I feel like the last couple cycles, national parties have gotten away from ground game, and we made a major investment in our ground game this time around,” Hudson said.

The electoral result is likely to influence the legislative fights that remain in the final weeks of the 118th Congress. Hard-line conservatives will be eager to delay consideration of must-pass proposals until the new year, when a Republican Senate and White House could result in more conservative policies and lower spending levels.

The House will have to take action on a number of items in the lame-duck period. Government funding, for instance, runs out on Dec. 20.

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Trump Picks Florida Rep. Michael Waltz as National Security Adviser

President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Rep. Mike Waltz to be his national security adviser, according to two people familiar with the matter.

By picking Waltz, Trump is tapping a Green Beret combat vet to oversee what promises to be a realignment of U.S. posture around the globe, including a nearly three-year-old war in Ukraine and a broadening conflict in the Middle East.

Waltz didn’t play a central role in Trump’s day-to-day campaign, but he has been close with the president-elect and his team since their first term. During this summer’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Waltz delivered a podium-pounding, red-meat speech extolling Trump’s fitness as commander-in-chief while shredding President Joe Biden’s “woke” legacy at the Pentagon and the bloody, confused withdrawal from Afghanistan.

That kind of movement between policy and politics, coupled with the ability to make the case for Trumpism in a plain-spoken manner, is the kind of one-two punch that eluded some of Trump’s past national security advisers in his first term in office, including H.R. McMaster and John Bolton.

Both of the individuals who confirmed Waltz as the pick were granted anonymity to discuss internal developments.

The Wall Street Journal previously reported that Waltz was Trump’s choice.

Waltz will enter a White House that on day one will be handed the ongoing war in Ukraine, dozens of nervous allies in Europe to deal with, Trump’s promised plan to end the war on his first day back in office, and an ally in Israel fighting a war on several fronts including directly — for the first time — with Iran.

As a longtime China hawk, the 50-year-old retired Army Green Beret and National Guard colonel will also lead the charge for formulating plans for confronting China’s massive military buildup, something Trump and his team have made a central part of the election campaign.

Waltz, who has spent time as a Pentagon and White House policy official, has also been front and center in the military culture wars and in slamming Biden’s foreign policies from his perch on the House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees.

As a member of Congress, Waltz was a frequent visitor to the White House during Trump’s first term, advising him on national security issues behind the scenes, quietly becoming one of the then-president’s closest advisers on defense issues. Before being tapped as national security adviser, he was also a top contender to be Trump’s defense secretary.

“He’s the Trump defense policy whisperer, period,” said Mackenzie Eaglen, a former Pentagon and congressional staffer now at the American Enterprise Institute.

Since national security adviser is not a Senate-confirmed position, Waltz will be able to start shaping Trump’s policy directly after he takes office.

The national security adviser is traditionally one of the president’s closest advisers and confidantes. Trump had high-profile falling outs with his past national security advisers from his first term, including McMaster and Bolton — but Waltz is much closer with the former president.

In recent years, under both Republican and Democratic administrations, the National Security Council has subsumed more authority over foreign policy from the State Department. That trend is likely to continue in the Trump administration given the president’s distrust of the U.S. diplomatic corps, meaning Waltz would play an outsized role in defining Trump’s approach to global affairs.

Like a number of prominent Republicans, Waltz has rejected sending more U.S. military aid to Ukraine while demanding Europe step up support, and while backing a peace plan that will allow Ukraine to pull closer to the West and further isolate Vladimir Putin.

That view isn’t uniform within the party however. Many Senate Republicans continue to back more aid for Ukraine, along with the majority of Democrats in both houses of Congress.

He has also echoed Trump’s call to “let Israel finish the job” in defeating Hamas, and to bring back a maximum pressure campaign against Iran to damage its proxies across the Middle East and ensure it does not build nuclear weapons.

While Waltz has been a solidly Republican member of the House, he has reached across the aisle on a number of legislative issues, and flashed a more personal style in inviting members from both parties to do things like wash the Vietnam memorial and parachute into France on the latest D-Day commemoration.

Waltz has a long record of opposing Biden’s policies regarding Iran and Ukraine, hewing to Trump’s complaints about being overstretched militarily with little benefit to the American people.

In a recent interview on C-SPAN about his new book outlining the leadership lessons he took from his time in combat in Afghanistan, Waltz tried to sand down some of Trump’s rougher edges, comparing him to tech moguls (and Trump supporters) who might not always say popular things but get the job done.

He rejected complaints that Trump is too brash, saying “we like these policies, the new NAFTA, all of these deals that he got done or even minority opportunity zones that he also got done, but we don’t like the leader.”

“Well, that’s like saying, OK, we want SpaceX, but we don’t like Elon. We like Apple and everything that they did, but we don’t like Steve Jobs.’ Well, oftentimes, disruptors aren’t the nicest of guys and I think you get someone who is willing, and as a businessman has the capability to disrupt the same old same old in Washington, D.C., that a lot of Americans feel like is not serving them.”

Waltz has also favored the U.S. military taking a more active role in border security and battling Mexican criminal cartels, saying in that interview that the U.S. has capabilities to weaken the gangs that it hasn’t used yet.

He said that would not entail “putting the Marines in Mexico City,” but as with the U.S. military’s assistance to the Colombian government disrupting the operations of cartels there, “with a very small footprint you can bring in offensive cyber, you can start jamming their communications…and putting them on their back foot.”

In an op-ed in The Economist published days before the election with Matthew Kroenig from the Atlantic Council — who worked in the Pentagon during the Bush, Obama and Trump administrations — Waltz listed priorities for the use of American power globally, demanding that the U.S. shift its focus from the Middle East to the Indo-Pacific and specifically, China.

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Trump Picks Lee Zeldin to Lead EPA

Former Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) will join the second administration of President-elect Donald Trump as head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Trump announced on Nov. 11.

“Lee, with a very strong legal background, has been a true fighter for America First policies,” Trump told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement. “He will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses, while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet. He will set new standards on environmental review and maintenance that will allow the United States to grow in a healthy and well-structured way.”

“It is an honor to join President Trump’s Cabinet as EPA Administrator,” Zeldin wrote on the social media platform X.

“We will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI. We will do so while protecting access to clean air and water.”

The EPA administrator with the longest tenure during Trump’s first term was Andrew Wheeler. He served until President Joe Biden took office in January 2021. The current administrator is Michael Regan, who was appointed by Biden and has been in office since March 2021.

Zeldin’s appointment will need to be approved by the U.S. Senate, which will be controlled by Republicans starting in January 2025, before he becomes administrator.

Zeldin, 44, represented New York’s 1st Congressional District, which includes most of Long Island, in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2015 to 2023. Zeldin opted against running for another term and instead ran for governor of New York in 2022. He won the GOP primary but lost to Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, by about 378,000 votes out of 5.9 million cast, including a majority of the vote outside New York City.

Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.), who now represents the district, said on X: “Lee Zeldin’s vision for the EPA focuses on economic growth while protecting our environment. His plan to restore energy dominance, create jobs, and protect clean air & water makes him an ideal choice to lead the EPA.”
More recently, Zeldin has chaired the China Policy Initiative and Pathway to 2025 at the America First Policy Institute.

Prior to his time in Congress, Zeldin was in the U.S. Army and deployed to Iraq. He then served in the state Senate before becoming a congressman.

Zeldin’s votes on climate proposals include, in addition to all other House Republicans, voting against the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, which included funding for improving the supply of water in western states.

Zeldin has a 14 percent score from the League of Conservation Voters, an advocacy group, due to his voting record.

The group in the past criticized Trump’s first administration over its positions on the environment and climate, and poured $115 million into the effort to elect Vice President Kamala Harris.

Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance have been announcing various appointments since they won the election. They have announced that Susie Wiles will be White House chief of staff, Stephen Miller will be deputy chief of policy, and Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) will be the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

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Trump Expected to Name Marco Rubio as Secretary of State

President-elect Trump is expected to nominate Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) to serve as secretary of State, according to multiple reports and one source familiar with the matter who spoke to The Hill.

Rubio’s selection to serve as Trump’s top diplomat completes a drastic turnaround from 2016, when the two were fierce rivals in a GOP presidential primary. Earlier this year, Trump nearly chose Rubio as his running mate before selecting Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio).

The New York Times first reported Trump planned to nominate Rubio.

Multiple lawmakers and Trump allies took to social media to congratulate the senator.

“He will restore American leadership around the world, especially in Latin America, as he represents the United States with dignity and courage!” Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) posted on X. “It’s been an honor to serve the people of Florida alongside him and look forward to continuing our work together.”

The Florida senator is seen as a foreign policy hawk who is tough on China and Iran. In a September interview with NBC, Rubio said it was apparent the war between Ukraine and Russia would end “with a negotiated settlement.”

Trump has vowed to quickly restore his “America First” foreign policy vision upon taking office. He has expressed skepticism about continued U.S. support for Ukraine in its war against Russia and called for European allies to do more to aid Kyiv and to support their own defense through the NATO alliance.

Rubio’s selection comes as Trump has rapidly rolled out his national security team after winning last week’s election. He has chosen Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) as his ambassador to the United Nations and tapped Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) to serve as his national security adviser.

Rubio is expected to be confirmed by his colleague. His departure will narrow an expected GOP majority in the Senate. The party has secured 52 seats, with David McCormick (R) leading in Pennsylvania in a race that is still too close to call.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) will appoint a replacement for Rubio to fill the seat until the next statewide election.

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History of Veterans Day

President Joe Biden laid a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday for Veterans Day as thousands marched through the streets of New York. Smaller parades were held across the nation to honor Americans who have served in the U.S. military.

The Veterans Day holiday began more than a century ago, albeit under a different name, as a celebration of the end of World War I. Over time its name and purpose evolved into a day of recognition for U.S. veterans of all wars as well as those currently serving in uniform.

It’s also day off for U.S. postal workers and other federal government employees, as well as many schoolchildren. Numerous stores and businesses offer giveaways and discounts.

Here’s a look at how the United States celebrates Veterans Day and how it started:

What’s the history behind Veterans Day?

It began as Armistice Day to celebrate the agreement between the Allied nations and Germany to cease all fighting during World War I that took effect at 11 a.m. on Nov. 11, 1918.

The U.S. marked its first Armistice Day under President Woodrow Wilson in 1919. Congress made Nov. 11 an official federal holiday in 1938.

A holiday dedicated to those who fought in what had been known as “the war to end all wars” got a reevaluation after World War II. In 1954, Congress changed the name to Veterans Day, reflecting a broader purpose to honor veterans of all wars.

Other changes weren’t so well received, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ website. Federal Veterans Day observances were moved to Mondays in the early 1970s, causing confusion as some states stuck with the Nov. 11 date.

In 1975, President Gerald Ford signed a law moving federal observances back to Nov. 11. The U.S. has celebrated Veterans Day on that date ever since.

How is Veterans Day commemorated?

Communities around the U.S. have held parades celebrating war veterans on Nov. 11 dating back to the first Armistice Day in 1919.

The nation’s largest Veterans Day parade is held in New York with a procession along Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. According to the United War Veterans Council, which organizes the parade, an estimated 20,000 marchers were taking part in 2024.

U.S. presidents lay a wreath during a ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery outside Washington. In remarks at the cemetery’s memorial amphitheater Monday, Biden said it had been his life’s honor to serve as commander in chief of “the finest fighting force in the history of the world.”

Other countries including the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia also honor veterans on or near Nov. 11. They call their day of commemoration Remembrance Day.

How does Veterans Day differ from Memorial Day?

While Veterans Day events tend to focus on giving thanks to all U.S. military veterans, both living and dead, Memorial Day observances traditionally have been about memorializing those killed during wars.

Memorial Day got its start after the Civil War, with the first national observance of what was then called Decoration Day on May 30, 1868. An organization of Union Army veterans called for decorating war graves with flowers.

Since 1971, the U.S. has marked Memorial Day on the last Monday in May rather than on May 30. The resulting three-day weekend has led to some complaints that the day’s true purpose of somber remembrance has been undermined by its more leisurely recognition as the unofficial start of summer.

What’s open and what’s closed on Veterans Day?

Because it’s a federal holiday, the U.S. Postal Service doesn’t deliver the mail on Veterans Day. Federal courts and other government offices are closed as well.

Most banks in the U.S. take the day off, as do many public schools.

The New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq remain open, though bond markets are closed.

Though some private businesses observe Veterans Day, most retailers remain open, with many offering special deals. Many restaurants offer free meals to veterans and current members of the military, who also benefit from Veterans Day discounts from retailers. Some zoos and museums waive admission, while certain shops give away haircuts and automobile oil changes, according to a list compiled by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

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Chris Wallace Leaving CNN

CNN host Chris Wallace is leaving the cable television network to work on an independent platform in a shocking move that was reported Monday.

The 77-year-old broadcaster revealed his future plans in an interview with the Daily Beast after spending the past three years at CNN.

He said he wants to pivot to streaming or podcasting, claiming that’s “where the action seems to be,” according to the outlet.

The transition for Wallace comes at the end of a three-year contract with CNN. He had previously spent nearly 20 years working at Fox News.

“This is the first time in 55 years I‘ve been between jobs,” he reportedly said.

“I am actually excited and liberated by that.”

CNN bosses wanted to keep Wallace, the son of famed newsman Mike Wallace, but he decided to take the plunge before contact talks got underway.

“I have nothing but positive things to say. CNN has been very good to me,” he told the Daily Beast.

“Chris Wallace is one of the most respected political journalists in the news business with a unique track record across radio, print, broadcast television, cable television and streaming,” CNN CEO and Chairman Mark Thompson said in a statement to the outlet.

“We want to thank him for the dedication and wisdom he’s brought to all his work at CNN and to wish him the very best for the future.”

Wallace, who started out at a local Chicago station in the early 1970s, said he doesn’t have plans to be either “a hard-right or hard-left advocate.”

“It’s just absent from my DNA,” he reportedly said, adding he’s still figuring out what streaming or podcast format he’ll put together.

Wallace was quick to point out early into election night that Vice President Kamala Harris would need a miracle to beat Donald Trump as early exit polls trickled out.

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Nick Fuentes Doxxed Following ‘Your Body, My Choice’ Tweet

The address of a Chicago-area home that appears to belong to Nick Fuentes was posted on X after the right-wing influencer celebrated Trump’s election victory by mocking women on abortion.

“Your body, my choice. Forever.” Fuentes posted on X.

Social media users unhappy about the 26-year-old internet troll’s remarks responded by posting photos and property records showing where Fuentes appears to live. Images posted online indicate Fuentes’ critics have begun harassing him at home.

“Nick Fuentes has been fully doxed and it’s being shared to millions of women across every social media platform,” an account associated with the hacker collective Anonymous posted over the weekend.

One woman claims she was pepper sprayed when she rang his doorbell.

Fuentes shared a post from fellow right-wing influencer Tristan Tate showing support.

“If a man turned up at a ‘pro choice’ woman’s house to confront her about her views she could literally shoot him dead and nobody would care,” Tate wrote. “I’d also totally agree with her and her right to defend her home. Nobody should be turning up at any bodies house uninvited. Harassment.”

On Friday, in the midst of the harassment against him, Fuentes joked online that his provocative tweet drew more views than defeated Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris got votes. More than 90 million people saw his message, according to X metrics. Harris is estimated to have received around 72 million votes, though the final count is pending.

The house believed to be Fuentes’s place of residence has been blurred on Google Maps.

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‘Cancer Jews’: Trams Set Alight, Violence Erupts in Amsterdam in Second Wave of Violence

Violence erupted on the streets of Amsterdam on Monday night in the second wave of antisemitic attacks to hit the Dutch capital over the last week, according to local media reports.

Watch:

One of the city’s famous trams was set alight by rioters dressed in black and armed with fireworks, according to De Telegraaf. The rioters threw debris and shouted “Kanker Joden” (cancer Jews), but it is used to mean “f*** the Jews.”

Rioters reportedly burned a tram in the city’s western suburbs and clashed with police earlier in the day.

A police spokesman said a tram at the ’40-’45 Square in the west part of Amsterdam had caught fire, likely caused by fireworks thrown at it. The windows of the tram were shattered.

No one was injured in the incident, as the tram had been empty, the spokesman said.

Masked men reportedly roamed the streets yelling “Free Palestine.” De Telegraaf reported that journalists witnessed a bystander being ripped from his bike and beaten by the rioters.

It was later reported that private vehicles and bikes were destroyed.

The young rioters reportedly actively sought to confront officers.

Geert Wilders, leader of the PVV, responded to the events by saying, “After the Jew-hunt, the Intifada.”

Wilders has been a strong defender of Israel and the Netherlands’s Jewish population while being deeply critical of Dutch immigration and integration policy.

Wilders heads the Dutch Parliament’s largest party, the Party for Freedom (PVV); however, due to being an extremely controversial figure within Dutch politics, he was blocked from becoming Prime Minister or even a minister.

Instead, Wilders helped organize the ruling bloc and assisted in steering policies, in effect being the de facto Prime Minister.

Amsterdam pogrom

Amsterdam was rocked by a pogrom that targeted Jews and Israelis in the city immediately after the soccer match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and the Dutch team Ajax.

Pro-Palestine protestors had clashed with riot police on Monday at Amsterdam’s central Dam Square, leading to over 50 arrests, according to Deutsche Welle.

Following the attack, the city announced a three-day ban on all demonstrations to maintain public order. Furthermore, the government had announced it would hold stricter border control until December 9.

Hundreds of people defied the ban, which had been upheld by a local court earlier in the day.

They chanted “Free Palestine” and “Shame on you” and called for an end to the war in Gaza.

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Trump’s New ‘Border Czar’ Tom Homan Issues Warning to Illegal Immigrants

Former acting ICE Director Tom Homan is “honored” to be tapped as the “border czar” for the incoming second Trump administration, and he’s prepared to do what it takes to get the crisis under control.

“I’ve been on this network for years complaining about what this administration did to this border. I’ve been yelling and screaming about it and what they need to do to fix it. So when the president asked me, ‘Would you come back and fix it?’ Of course. I’d be a hypocrite if I didn’t. I’m honored the president asked me to come back and help solve this national security crisis, so I’m looking forward to it,” he told “Fox & Friends” Monday in his first interview since being tapped for the role.

“I think the calling is clear,” he continued, “I’ve got to go back and help because every morning… I’m pissed off with what this [Biden] administration did to the most secure border in my lifetime, so I’m going to go back and do what I can to fix it.”

Illegal border crossings surged under the Biden administration, with nearly 3 million in fiscal year 2024, according to Homeland Security’s website.

There have been more than 10.8 million illegal encounters since FY 2021.

Trump has made illegal immigration an issue integral to his campaign messaging since 2016.

This election cycle, as illegal migrants flooded communities across the U.S. and sidelined major cities like New York City, he offered an alternative vision to that of the Biden-Harris administration, focusing on calls for mass deportation and border wall construction as well as reinstating since-rescinded executive orders from his previous term.

Homan said this tough border stance would mean prioritizing illegal immigrants who pose public safety or national security threats. He specifically mentioned drug cartels and sex trafficking.

“I know exactly what I’m doing, and this is the second time I’ve come out of retirement for this president, because it matters. I was a Border Patrol agent, I wore that uniform, and I’m proud that I wore that uniform. I was an ICE agent. I was the first ICE director that came up through the ranks, so the 20,000 men and women that worked for me, I didn’t ask them to do anything I wouldn’t do myself, because I was one of them,” he said.

Since Friday, Homan has been inundated with calls, texts and emails amid rumors he was returning. Many came from ICE agents that he said are excited about his return.

“But more importantly, thousands of retired agents, retired military [have called] that want to come in and volunteer to help this president secure the border and do this deportation operation,” Homan added.

Death threats have also surfaced, however, but he remains determined not to give in to the pressure.

“That’s something we’re going to deal with. They’re not going to shut me up. They’re not going to make me go away. This is the biggest national security vulnerability this nation has seen since 9/11. We have to fix it.”

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Trump: Senate GOP Leader Candidates Must Agree to Recess Appointments

President-elect Trump demanded Sunday that the next Senate GOP leader allow him to make recess appointments, which would effectively let him fast-track his nominees and appointments without needing Senate approval.

Recess appointments, which are intended for emergencies, can last for up to two years, without the Senate ever giving their advice and consent. Trump on Sunday suggested using the practice as a way to avoid facing opposition in the Senate to his picks.

“Any Republican Senator seeking the coveted LEADERSHIP position in the United States Senate must agree to Recess Appointments (in the Senate!), without which we will not be able to get people confirmed in a timely manner,” Trump wrote in a post on the social platform X.

“Sometimes the votes can take two years, or more. This is what they did four years ago, and we cannot let it happen again. We need positions filled IMMEDIATELY!”

Trump’s post comes as attention centers on the three-way race to succeed Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

The race is set between Senate Republican Whip John Thune (R-S.D.), Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), who served as Senate GOP whip during Trump’s first two years in the White House.

Scott, whose bid to replace the outgoing Senate leader has long been seen as a long shot, has gained momentum in recent days among some allies of Trump’s, after his victory helped boost GOP chances in the upper chamber.

Scott immediately embraced Trump’s view on recess appointments, writing on X, “100% agree. I will do whatever it takes to get your nominations through as quickly as possible.”

Thune and Cornyn took a more measured approach but still stressed the importance of getting Trump’s picks confirmed and installed in their offices.

“We must act quickly and decisively to get the president’s nominees in place as soon as possible, & all options are on the table to make that happen, including recess appointments. We cannot let Schumer and Senate Dems block the will of the American people,” Thune wrote on X.

“It is unacceptable for Senate Ds to blockade President @realDonaldTrump‘s cabinet appointments. If they do, we will stay in session, including weekends, until they relent. Additionally, the Constitution expressly confers the power on the President to make recess appointments,” Cornyn wrote on X, citing the section of the Constitution granting the president to fill vacancies while Congress is in recess.

Trump also called for Republicans to try to block judges appointments for the remainder of the year, until Republicans retake control of the White House and Senate.

“Additionally, no Judges should be approved during this period of time because the Democrats are looking to ram through their Judges as the Republicans fight over Leadership. THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. THANK YOU!” Trump wrote.

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Schumer Won’t Allow McCormick at Senate Orientation

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is not allowing Senator-elect Dave McCormick of Pennsylvania to attend Senate orientation in the coming week, pointing to outstanding ballots in the state, even though the race has already been called.

Two sources with knowledge confirmed to Fox News Digital that McCormick was not invited to orientation, despite having been projected by the Associated Press to win the Pennsylvania Senate race.

When reached by Fox News Digital, a Schumer spokesperson said in a statement, “With over 100,000 ballots left to be counted in Pennsylvania, the race has not been decided. As is custom, we will invite the winner once the votes are counted.”

Several Republican senators took to X on Sunday to slam Schumer for not inviting McCormick. “@AP declared @DaveMcCormickPA winner of #PASen 3 days ago. Denying legit election results & blocking @DaveMcCormickPA from participating in Sen. orientation this week is outrageous & a disservice PA & the country. Casey should concede. He has no path to overturn these results,” wrote National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Chairman Steve Daines, R-Mont.

Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., who is also running for GOP leader this week, added, “Dave McCormick is the new senator for Pennsylvania. The idea that Schumer would not allow him to participate in Senate orientation is beyond unacceptable. The voters of Pennsylvania have spoken. Looking forward to having Dave’s strong voice in the Senate Republican Conference.”

“Schumer and Senate Democrats are denying the election results in #PASen. Trying to block @DaveMcCormickPA from attending Senate orientation this week is an outrage. Casey must concede immediately or Senate Democrats face consequences,” said Senate Republican conference Chairman John Barrasso, R-Wyo.

The Pennsylvania Senate race was called by the AP on Nov. 7, two days after Election Day. McCormick currently leads his incumbent opponent by more than 30,000 votes in the state.

On Saturday, a spokesperson for Casey said in a statement, “Each day, counties across the Commonwealth are confirming there are more ballots that need to be counted. We know there are more than 100,000 ballots left to be counted including tens of thousands of provisional ballots in counties favorable to Senator Casey, and the McCormick campaign has acknowledged these provisional ballots could impact the outcome of the election while pursuing unsuccessful lawsuits to get them thrown out. Pennsylvanians deserve to have their voices heard, and as state officials have made clear, counties across Pennsylvania need more time to tabulate remaining votes.”

In a Thursday statement, Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt said, “Throughout the day, the Department has communicated with counties who continue to conduct a secure election where every eligible vote is counted. We estimate there are at least 100,000 ballots remaining to be adjudicated, including provisional, military, overseas, and Election Day votes. We urge patience as election workers continue to do this important work, especially in contests where the margins are very close.”

However, critics have cast doubt on Casey’s ability to make up the difference with the current outstanding votes.

Pennsylvania Republican strategist Mark Harris claimed on Saturday that, “The votes for Casey to win are just not there,” citing Republicans’ record with the type of ballots that are still being counted.

Schumer’s office shared with Fox News Digital that Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., has not been invited to orientation either. The Arizona Senate race is still ongoing and has not been called by the AP.

A spokesperson for the majority leader also noted that Sen. Al Franken did not attend orientation in 2008 due to the close nature of his election. However, Franken’s election was won by only a few hundred votes, while McCormick is leading by tens of thousands.

Notably, even a member of Schumer’s caucus referred to McCormick as the senator-elect on Sunday. “While we are losing a good person and colleague in Senator Bob Casey, I believe the Senate will be gaining another good man in Senator-Elect David McCormick,” wrote outgoing Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., in a post to X.

Manchin has been known to occasionally go against the Democrat caucus during his tenure.

Several current GOP senators offered to escort McCormick to the Capitol on Tuesday so that he could attend, despite not being invited.

In a post on X on Monday, McCormick said, “Looking forward to joining the Senate freshman class of 2025 for orientation this week! I’m honored to represent the people of Pennsylvania, and will fight hard to make sure their voices are heard in Washington. Let’s get to work!”

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Trump to Tap Stephen Miller as Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy

President-elect Donald Trump is expected to announce in the coming days that Stephen Miller, his top immigration adviser, will serve as White House deputy chief of staff for policy, two sources familiar with the plans told CNN.

Miller, who served as a senior adviser to Trump and was his lead speechwriter during his first administration, has been a leading advocate for a more restrictive immigration policy and is expected to take on an expanded role in the president-elect’s second term.

He’s been closely involved in Trump’s transition process and will have a key role in future staffing decisions. During the campaign, he frequently traveled to rallies with Trump on his private plane and was increasingly visible as a speaker at events in recent months.

Miller is also a lead architect of the president-elect’s plans for mass deportations of undocumented immigrants. He has said that a second Trump administration would seek a tenfold increase in the number of deportations to more than 1 million per year. In an interview on Fox News last week, Miller expressed eagerness at the prospect of beginning mass deportations as soon as possible.

“They begin on Inauguration Day, as soon as he takes the oath of office,” he said.

Asked about the expected announcement, Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told CNN, “President-elect Trump will begin making decisions on who will serve in his second administration soon. Those decisions will be announced when they are made.”

A longtime hardliner on immigration, Miller was instrumental in setting up immigration restrictions during the first Trump administration, advocating for child separation in migrant detention facilities and a travel ban targeting people from majority-Muslim countries.

After Trump left office, Miller started an advisory group called America First Legal, which went on to contribute to Project 2025, the sweeping conservative blueprint for the next Republican president created by the Heritage Foundation. On the campaign trail, Trump repeatedly distanced himself from Project 2025, claiming that he had no idea who was behind it, despite its close ties to Miller and other crucial figures in Trump’s orbit.

In an interview with The New York Times last year, Miller said that under a second Trump term, the military would build detention centers to house immigrants who have been arrested and are facing deportation. The new camps would likely be built “on open land in Texas near the border,” he told The Times.

Miller told The Times that Trump’s immigration plans are being designed to avoid having to create new substantial legislation.

During Trump’s first term, he relied heavily on executive orders to implement immigration policy. Many of those moves were challenged in the courts, something Miller acknowledged would likely happen again in a second Trump term.

In his comments last year, Miller was up-front about his belief that Trump would not hesitate to implement harsh immigration measures in a second term.

“Any activists who doubt President Trump’s resolve in the slightest are making a drastic error: Trump will unleash the vast arsenal of federal powers to implement the most spectacular migration crackdown,” Miller said at the time.

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