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Governor of South Dakota Kristi Noem – Donald TrumpThe nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security and best known for bragging in her memoir about killing her dog Cricket – will finally have a Senate hearing on Friday after abruptly postponed earlier this week.
In the meantime, the newly elected president appointed the actors Mel Gibson, Sylvester Stallone and Jon Voight as his “special ambassadors” to Hollywood on Thursday, calling the Los Angeles entertainment industry the heart of a “great but very problematic place.”
“They will serve as my special emissaries for the purpose of bringing back Hollywood, which has lost a lot of business to foreign countries in the last four years – BIGGER, BETTER AND STRONGER THAN EVER!” Trump he wrote on Truth Social.
President Joe Biden expressed concern about the state of American democracy in his final TV interview as commander-in-chief on Thursday night.
Biden said MSNBC‘s Lawrence O’Donnell he is “concerned about how fragile democracy is”.
“That sounds corny,” he admitted. “But I’m really concerned … because I really think we’re at a turning point in history here.”
Biden also lamented the fact that he “spent too much time on politics and not enough on politics.”
In the pictures: Noem arrives at the hearing in the Senate
The governor of South Dakota has heard a series of flattering testimonials about her character from various silver-haired Republican senators and is now giving her opening remarks, expressing her belief in the importance of interagency cooperation in the interest of keeping America safe.
Evo recently arrived at the hearing.
Joe SommerladJanuary 17, 2025 2:30 p.m
Louisiana governor urges Senate to approve Noem to ease Super Bowl and Mardi Gras safety concerns
Jeff Landry warned the Senate not to delay the nomination of South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to head the Department of Homeland Security — her confirmation hearing is currently taking place — because doing so could negatively impact security arrangements for two major events taking place in the coming weeks in New Orleans, which is still recovering from the terrorist attack on New Year’s Eve.
Joe Sommerlad17 January 2025 14:15
Live: Trump’s homeland security pick Kristi Noem faces confirmation hearing
Joe SommerladJanuary 17, 2025 2:00 p.m
Ron DeSantis says Trump told him inflation was not a major voting issue
The Florida governor claimed that during a round of golf with Trump, the president-elect told him that inflation wasn’t really the issue that got him elected.
“He told me, he said, ‘Look, I know inflation is a big deal, but…’ the number one reason he was elected, he said, was because of immigration and the border issue,” DeSantis said on Dana Show hosted by Dana Loesch.
Trump campaigned on reducing inflation, though, and anger over rising prices for everyday goods was the main reason many Americans voted for him in the 2024 election, at least according to polls.
Gustaf Kilander there are more.
Joe SommerladJanuary 17, 2025 1:30 p.m
Rudy Giuliani settles with defamed election workers after blowing asset-seizure trial
“America’s Mayor” was nowhere to be seen when his trial in a Manhattan federal courtroom was set to begin Thursday morning.
Four hours later, in a social media post, Giuliani celebrated a settlement in a long-running legal battle for control of his property and assets.
Alex Woodward reports from the Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse in Lower Manhattan.
Joe SommerladJanuary 17, 2025 1:00 p.m
Democrat brands Trump ‘alter ego for speaker’ after ousting Intelligence Committee chairman
California Sen. Adam Schiff, whom Trump absolutely hates, mocked House Speaker Mike Johnson for taking orders from the president-elect after Republican breakaway Mike Turner was ousted as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday, allegedly because of his orange opinions.
His House colleague Jaime Raskin had a similar assessment to offer:
Here’s more on removing Turner.
Joe SommerladJanuary 17, 2025 12:30 p.m
Analysis: Will Trump save TikTok from Joe Biden? He will try
The president-elect sees stopping a bipartisan ban on the social video app as an easy way to show he’s getting results.
He’s probably right, he says John Bowden.
Joe SommerladJanuary 17, 2025 12:00 p.m
Inside the crazy Trump inauguration parties in DC, featuring everyone from Snoop Dogg to Joe Rogan
America’s elite will descend on Washington, DC this weekend to ring in the second Trump era by attending a series of lavish and exclusive inauguration parties.
Some of the biggest names in technology and finance will be at celebrations across the city this weekend and next week as the president-elect is sworn in.
Rhian Lubin has a lowdown.
Joe Sommerlad17 January 2025 11:30
The mayor of New York will pay Trump court at Mar-a-Lago
The president-elect will reportedly host Eric Adams at his Florida lair today, and the mayor’s office says they will discuss ways to move the city and state forward.
However, it should also be noted that Adams is under federal indictment and that Trump has expressed sympathy for him as a running mate and promised to consider a presidential pardon.
Joe SommerladJanuary 17, 2025, 11:00 a.m
Prime Minister of Greenland: ‘We don’t want to be Americans’
Niemi Egede appeared on Fox News last night to say that the people of his country “don’t want to be Americans”, no matter how often Donald Trump Jr flies to Nuuk to press meat.
“We will always be part of NATO,” Egede told host Bret Baier.
“We will always be a strong partner for the USA. We are close neighbors. We have been working together for the last 80 years and I think the future has a lot to offer for working together.
“But we also want to be clear. We don’t want to be Americans. We don’t want to be part of the US, but we want strong cooperation together with the US.”
Joe Sommerlad17 January 2025 10:30