Trump ordered all federal health agencies to pause external communications, such as regular scientific reports, updates to websites, and health advisories. The orders were delivered to the US Department of Health and Human Services, the US Food and Drug Administration, the US Centers for Disease Control, and Prevention, and National Institutes of Health. On top of this, the Avian flu is spreading and the US just withdrew from the WHO. Read more
Donald Trump has pardoned one of the most notorious US criminals of this century, Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht. Silk Road was an online black market that mainly dealt in illicit goods and services such as hackers for hire, hitmen, forged documents, pirated media but mainly dealt in illegal drug sales. Ulbricht was serving multiple life sentences without parole for crimes involving narcotics distribution, computer hacking, forgery and money laundering. He was also facing charges related to a murder for hire scheme in which he attempted to contract someone to kill one of his employees but that indictment was dropped after conviction for his other crimes was secured.
With only 15 minutes to go as president, Joe Biden snatched infamy from the jaws of obscurity. With record-low polling and widely viewed as a "failed" president, Biden completed his one-man race to the bottom of ethics by issuing preemptive pardons to members of his own family. The pardons were timed to guarantee that the media would not focus on yet another unethical act by this president. He need not have worried. For four years, the media worked tirelessly to deny or deflect the corruption scandal surrounding the Biden family.
Pete Hegseth, President Trump's pick to run the Pentagon, regularly abused alcohol to the point that he passed out at family gatherings, and once needed to be dragged out of a strip club while in uniform, according to an ex-relative's account of his behavior that was given to U.S. lawmakers and reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. The sworn statement, submitted in response to a request from Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, was signed by Hegseth's former sister-in-law, Danielle Hegseth.
I attended Trump's inauguration yesterday. Here are my thoughts.
Senator Bernie Sanders
Jan 16 (Reuters) - The Republican-led states of Idaho, Missouri and Kansas can proceed with a lawsuit seeking to restrict the availability of the abortion pill mifepristone in the United States, a federal judge in Texas ruled on Thursday. U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk in Amarillo decided, opens new tab that the three states can continue their case against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in his court, where they last year joined a lawsuit originally brought by anti-abortion groups and doctors. Read more
WASHINGTON (AP) -- At the inaugural prayer service, the Right Rev. Mariann Budde, the Episcopal bishop of Washington, made a direct appeal to President Donald Trump to have mercy on the LGBTQ+ community and undocumented migrant workers. Referencing Trump's belief that he was saved by God from assassination, Budde said, "You have felt the providential hand of a loving God. In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now." The Trump administration has already issued executive orders rolling back transgender rights and toughening immigration policies. When he returned to the White House, Trump was asked about the sermon. "Not too exciting, was it?" the president said as he walked with staff toward the Oval Office. "I didn't think it was a good service. They could do much better."
Russia warned President Trump on Tuesday against seizing the Panama Canal, after he reiterated his intent to take control of the strategic waterway in his second inaugural address Monday.
Israeli security forces backed by helicopters raided the volatile West Bank city of Jenin on Tuesday, killing at least eight Palestinians in what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called a "large-scale and significant military operation". Read more
The Dodgers are already well into the fourth and final tier of luxury penalization. Any dollars allocated to Yates will come with a 110% tax, as was the case with Scott. RosterResource already projects the team's luxury tax ledger to sit at a staggering $371MM; the addition of Yates could push their CBT number close to $400MM. The Dodgers were already set to owe around $108MM in overage taxes before the signing of Yates; presuming he gets an eight-figure salary, they'll very likely owe more than $120MM in taxes alone.
According to Israel National News, Trump plans to introduce sweeping sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC) in bid to get the court to cancel arrest warrants against Netanyahu and others. The sanctions will target both ICC personnel, including judges and prosecutors, as well as the institution itself. Read more
Neo-Nazis are celebrating Elon Musk making two Nazi-like salutes during a speech to tens of thousands of President Donald Trump supporters on Monday. "Elections come and go, some elections are important, some are not, but this one really mattered," Musk said during his address inside the Capital One Arena in Washington DC, hours after Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States. "And I just want to say thank you for making it happen. Thank you." The response from the neo-Nazi community across the globe was instant and unanimous. "Incredible things are happening already," Andrew Torba, the founder of Gab, a social media platform popular with antisemites and white supremacists, wrote over a picture of Musk giving the salute.
The wealth of each of the richest ten men has grown by almost US$100 million a day in 2024 on average. Even if you saved $1,000 daily since the first humans 315,000 years ago, you still would not have as much money as one of the richest ten billionaires. If any of the richest ten billionaires lost 99% of their wealth, they'd still be a billionaire. Read more
Rachel Vindman said she was "hurt" by the snub from President Joe Biden when he did not pardon her family for their role in Donald Trump's first impeachment. Vindman is the wife of Trump's impeachment witness and retired Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who was born in Ukraine but immigrated to the United States decades ago. He served under Trump as his director for European Affairs for the U.S. National Security Council from 2018 to 2020 and testified about Trump's Ukraine scandal in 2019. "Whatever happens to my family, know this: No pardons were offered or discussed," Rachel Vindman wrote on Bluesky. "I cannot begin to describe the level of betrayal and hurt I feel." Whatever happens to my family, know this: No pardons were offered or discussed. I cannot begin to describe the level of betrayal and hurt I feel.
Biden, in final act in office, issues pardons to his family members, due to 'unrelenting attacks' from Trump and allies.
A co-leader of Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) will attend the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Jan. 20 just a month before a federal election in Germany, the party said on Thursday. The invitation to Tino Chrupalla follows an endorsement of the AfD by Trump ally Elon Musk and a discussion with co-leader Alice Weidel on social media platform X which fed concern about the U.S. billionaire's ambition to influence European politics.
