FBI Director Christopher Wray to resign ahead of Trump inauguration
FBI Director Christopher Wray announced his resignation Wednesday, Dec. 11. He said he would leave office before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration in January.
Trump nominated Kash Patel to lead the bureau, meaning Wray was left with two options: resign or be fired.
During a town hall with FBI employees, Wray said although leaving isn’t easy, it’s the right thing to do for the bureau and Americans.
“This is the best way to avoid dragging the Bureau deeper into the fray, while reinforcing the values and principles that are so important to how we do our work,” the FBI director said.
Wray served seven years of a 10-year term as FBI director.
Trump reacts to Wray’s resignation
“The resignation of Christopher Wray is a great day for America,” Trump wrote in a post to Truth Social.
The president-elect said Wray’s exit will end the weaponization of the FBI.
Senate Republicans joined Trump in calling Wray’s departure good news. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, R, said he was glad Wray made the decision.
Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, R, said the FBI director’s resignation would make Patel’s confirmation more urgent. Hawley called on Wray to resign for over a year.
Washington reacts to Wray’s departure
Democrats expressed disappointment after Wray announced his resignation. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said political pressure influenced Wray’s decision to step down.
“It vastly heightens the hazards of weaponizing the FBI for political or personal ends — which should be an anathema to all my colleagues, regardless of party,” Blumenthal said.
The U.S. Justice Department released a statement on behalf of Attorney General Merrick B. Garland following Wray’s announcement, praising the FBI director’s efforts and his ability to keep America safe.
“He led the FBI’s efforts to aggressively confront the broad range of threats facing our country — from nation-state adversaries and foreign and domestic terrorism to violent crime, cybercrime, and financial crime.”
Statement by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland
Natalie Bara, president of the FBI Agents Association, thanked Wray for upholding the agency’s mission.
“This commitment is at the core of who we are as Special Agents, and it does not waver when there are changes in a presidential administration or when the leadership in the Bureau changes.”
Statement by FBI Agents Association President Natalie Bara
South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds, R, expressed support for Wray, saying he had no complaints about how he led the FBI. He said Trump picked a good man to lead the FBI during his first term.
Wray’s FBI appointment
Trump appointed Wray as the FBI’s director in 2017, and he received an overwhelming confirmation from U.S. lawmakers.
His appointment came on the heels of the former director’s investigation into Trump associates and their connection to Russia’s interference during the 2016 presidential election.
Distance grew between the president-elect and Wray when the FBI conducted searches of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida. The raid led to the recovery of classified documents and a federal indictment of several criminal charges against Trump.
Under Wray’s leadership, the FBI launched an investigation into the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol in 2021. More than 1,500 people were accused of breaking the law that day.
In a recent sit-down interview with NBC News, Trump said he’s unhappy with Wray and crime levels in the United States. He vowed to fire the director once he took office in January 2025.
Wray’s leadership under question
Rumors of Wray’s tenure preceded Wednesday’s announcement as incoming Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, questioned his leadership.
The Iowa senator released a public letter that criticized how the FBI has handled things like congressional oversight cases, sexual harassment claims by female FBI employees and the Afghanistan withdrawal.
Bureau Deputy Director Paul Abbate could step in as FBI director in the meantime. Once Trump is sworn into office, a confirmation hearing can be held to appoint a permanent replacement for Wray.
Currently, there are no announcements about a temporary replacement.
Republican candidate challenges 60k votes in NC Supreme Court race
North Carolina’s Republican candidate for the state’s Supreme Court is arguing that 60,000 ballots should be tossed out following the November election. The Democratic incumbent, Justice Allison Riggs, is expected to hold on to her seat after a partial recount. Results show she won the election by 734 votes.
Riggs’ challenger, Republican Justice Jefferson Griffin, contested the victory, pointing to thousands of people he said illegally voted.
However, a machine recount and partial hand recount of millions of ballots upheld the results, showing Riggs continues to hold the lead.
Griffin, who currently serves as an appeals judge, alleges voters didn’t put a driver’s license number or the last four digits of their social security number when registering to cast their ballot. It’s a requirement, Griffin said, that has been in place for the last 20 years.
Griffin also said overseas voters who never lived in the state were able to cast a ballot, adding that because their parents are residents of the state, they were able to vote on Election Day.
These arguments are expected to go in front of the State Board of Elections on Wednesday, Dec. 11, as Griffin’s lawyers ask for ballot tallies to be corrected, seek another recount or an entirely new election altogether.
Meanwhile, lawyers for Riggs have countered the claims, saying anyone who tried to vote would have had to show a valid ID.
“Whether playing a board game, competing in a sport, or running for office, the runner-up cannot snatch victory from the jaws of defeat by asking for a redo under a different set of rules,” Riggs’ lawyers wrote in a brief.
In response to the numerous filings, the state’s Democratic Party is using its own lawsuit to block the State Board of Elections from throwing out any disputed ballots.
“We are trying to make sure that people are raising their voices, that we are filing lawsuits where we can,” Democratic Party Chair Anderson Clayton said during a press conference on Tuesday, Dec. 10.
Clayton said she’s concerned the Supreme Court will remove the ballots and side with the GOP in this case.
“We are also trusting the process of our Board of Elections officials to do their job and to count every single vote,” Clayton also said.
Griffin’s claims are similar to a lawsuit brought just days before the November election. Both the Republican National Committee and North Carolina’s Republican Party wanted to remove more than a quarter of a million voters for allegedly not properly registering. A federal judge rejected those arguments.
The race in North Carolina is being closely watched as Republicans try to hold on to their majority in the state’s Supreme Court. However, with Riggs’ seat, Democrats could chip away at control over the next several years.
The Associated Press has not officially announced a winner in North Carolina’s Supreme Court race.
‘Risk and uncertainty’ as Syrian rebels oust Assad after decades in power
Syrian rebels oust dictator Bashar al-Assad, who has fled the country after nearly 25 years in power. And the suspected killer of a health care CEO in New York City is still at-large after eluding a massive manhunt for almost a week. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Monday, Dec. 9, 2024.
‘Risk and uncertainty’ as Syrian rebels oust Assad after decades in power
It’s the dawn of a new era in Syria. After more than a decade of civil war in the country, President Bashar al-Assad was ousted after rebel groups overtook the capital in a coup on Sunday, Dec. 8.
Now Syria and its people are left with the question of what comes next as countries around the world, including the United States, react to the changing landscape.
Syrians could be seen celebrating in the streets as word spread that Assad had fled the country. State media reported the president and his family landed in Russia Sunday evening and Assad has been granted political asylum in Moscow.
The toppled leader, who had been in power since 2000 and whose family had ruled for five decades, was forced to vacate after rebel forces quickly captured city after city leading to them taking control of Damascus.
Since the civil war broke out in the wake of the pro-democracy Arab Spring demonstrations of 2011, Assad’s forces have been accused of brutal severe human rights violations, including using chemical weapons against their people. They’ve been held responsible for the deaths of more than 5,000 people and the displacement of millions of others.
The rebels who led to Assad’s ouster were headed by Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, the leader of the group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. Jolani called the coup “a victory for the whole Islamic nation.”
Jolani’s group used to be linked to Al Qaeda. Though it has cut those ties, the U.S. still designates it a terrorist group.
President Joe Biden spoke from the White House Sunday, calling the end of Assad’s regime a “fundamental act of justice.” Biden added the U.S. will support Syria’s neighbors Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq should any threat arise from this period of transition.
Biden referred to this as a time of “risk and uncertainty.”
“We will remain vigilante. Make no mistake, some of the rebel groups that took down Assad have their own grim record of terrorism and human rights abuses,” Biden said. “We’ve taken note of statements by the leaders of these rebel groups in recent days and they’re saying the right things now. But as they take on greater responsibility, we will assess not just their words but their actions.”
Biden said Assad’s downfall came in part due to allies Iran, Russia and Hezbollah being weaker today than when Biden began his term.
President-elect Donald Trump issued a statement on his Truth Social platform Sunday, saying Iran and Russia are in weakened states right now and calling for the end of the war in Ukraine. However, in a post on Saturday, Dec. 7, Trump said the U.S. should not get involved with Syria, saying, “This is not our fight. Let it play out.”
Iran’s president said it is up to the Syrian people to decide the future of their country.
Amid the time of transition in Syria, the U.S. showed it will continue its efforts against ISIS in the region. U.S. Central Command said it launched a series of airstrikes Sunday targeting ISIS camps and leaders in central Syria, confirming 75 “targets” had been hit. U.S. officials said it will not allow ISIS to take advantage of the current situation in Syria.
Trump promises to pardon Jan. 6 rioters on first day in office
In his first network TV interview since winning the election, President-elect Trump touched on some of his biggest campaign promises and his plans to start following through with them immediately when he takes office in January.
In an interview with NBC News’ Kristen Welker for Sunday’s “Meet the Press,” Trump said, “A lot of it will have to do with economics. A lot’s gonna do with energy. A lot’s having to do with the border. We’re gonna immediately strengthen up the border and do a real job.”
Trump also doubled down on his promise to pardon Americans jailed for their role in the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, saying they had no other choice than to plead guilty. Department of Justice records show more than 1,500 people have been arrested or charged in connection with that attack and nearly 900 have pleaded guilty.
While Trump said he will not tell his nominees for FBI director and attorney general to go after his political rivals, he did share his opinion on what should happen to lawmakers who were on the House’s select committee to investigate January 6.
“Everybody on that committee, for what they did, honestly, they should go to jail,” he said.
After that interview, former Congresswoman Liz Cheney (R-WY), who was on the committee, issued a statement saying, “Donald Trump’s suggestion that members of congress who later investigated his illegal and unconstitutional actions should be jailed is a continuation of his assault on the rule of law and the foundations of our republic.”
Trump did reiterate multiple times during Sunday’s interview he has no plans to go after political rivals, but as we’ve reported here at Straight Arrow News, President Biden is considering preemptive pardons for Cheney and others who were part of the House Jan. 6 investigation, as well as Dr. Anthony Fauci and Special Counsel Jack Smith.
Police release new images of suspect in NYC deadly shooting
The manhunt for the killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson enters a new week.
Over the weekend, the NYPD released new images of the apparent suspect. Police identify the man in the pictures as “a person of interest” wanted for questioning for the fatal shooting outside a Hilton hotel Wednesday, Dec. 4.
One image shows the masked man in the back of a taxi. Another shows him walking on the sidewalk outside a vehicle. Police are hoping these images, along with others released last week, will help lead to the gunman.
Authorities reportedly traveled to Atlanta on Saturday, Dec. 7, and have been searching a lake near Central Park. On Friday night, Dec. 6, reports said investigators found a backpack believed to belong to the shooter. Inside they found two items: a Tommy Hilfiger jacket and Monopoly money.
Jay-Z accused of raping 13-year-old girl alongside Diddy
Music mogul Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, has been accused of raping a 13-year-old girl alongside Sean “Diddy” Combs. In a civil suit filed Sunday, the anonymous accuser claimed the assault happened in 2000 at an MTV Video Music Awards after-party.
The federal lawsuit was originally filed in October only listing Combs as a defendant, but it was refiled Sunday to include Carter.
Jay-Z, who is married to Beyonce, denied the accusation and said in a statement directed at the attorney who filed the suit, “These allegations are so heinous in nature that I implore you to file a criminal complaint, not a civil one!!”
Combs’ lawyer also responded, calling the suit a “shameless” publicity stunt.
In September, federal prosecutors in New York criminally charged Combs with racketeering, sex trafficking and other offenses. He is in jail awaiting trial, which is scheduled to start May 5.
Kennedy Center honors Coppola, Grateful Dead, The Apollo
President Biden was among those in attendance — a tradition President Trump did not continue during his first term in office, saying he did not want to be a political distraction as some attendees had threatened to boycott his appearance. As Trump gets ready to start his second term in office, there are questions about whether federal funding for the arts might be on the chopping block.
Reports: Juan Soto, Mets agree on largest contract in pro sports history
Former New York Yankees star outfielder Juan Soto is staying in the Big Apple, but moving leagues in reportedly the largest deal in professional sports history.
But should Soto decide not to opt out, his pay will reportedly go up an extra $4 million a year for the remainder of the deal — meaning in the end, this could be an over $800 million deal.
The agreement also reportedly includes a $75 million signing bonus. Soto’s deal surpasses the record set just last year by Shohei Ohtani’s 10-year, $700 million contract.
Note: The headline has been corrected to Assad. A previous version had the incorrect name.
FEC filings reveal Dem finances following most expensive election in US history
One month after the election, new financial details have emerged regarding the Democratic and Republican National Committees and the parties’ top supporting PACs. Political candidates rely on several funding sources, including official party committees, campaigns and super PACs.
A significant amount of attention has focused on the Harris campaign, which reportedly raised more than $1.4 billion. The Democratic National Committee (DNC) reported nearly $50 million in the bank after the election.
Combined with the broader Harris campaign, the DNC and its affiliates had $84 million as of Nov. 25, following weeks of continued fundraising.
Meanwhile, Future Forward, the largest Democratic super PAC, ended the election cycle with nearly $50 million in debt, according to filings reviewed by the Washington Post. The unpaid bills are primarily related to media buys and advertising costs, according to filings.
The massive spending from all fundraising entities has come under scrutiny from high-profile Democratic strategists. James Carville, during a recent appearance on the “Politics War Room” podcast, called for audits of the financial statements.
“Without complete transparency, the campaign — we think — raised a billion and a half dollars,” Carville said. “Okay, we know that Future Forward, the last we saw, was $900 million, so we can assume that they got to a billion before the election. That’s two and a half billion dollars. We’re going to audit the campaign. We’re going to audit Future Forward. We’re going to audit the DNC so people can know.”
On the Republican side, the Republican National Committee and Trump’s campaign reported $124 million in cash following the election, according to FEC filings.
Billionaire Elon Musk contributed more than $250 million to support Trump and other Republican candidates. Filings state his donations went through the “America” super PAC and other affiliated groups.
House Republicans block release of Matt Gaetz ethics report
Republicans block efforts by their Democratic colleagues to release the House Ethics Committee’s report on its investigation into former Congressman Matt Gaetz. And the manhunt continues for the gunman in the killing of the UnitedHealthcare CEO. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Friday, Dec. 6, 2024.
House Republicans block release of Matt Gaetz ethics report
The House Ethics Committee’s report on its investigation into former Congressman Matt Gaetz will not be made public — at least for now. Thursday, Dec. 5, House Republicans blocked two separate Democratic resolutions to release the report, voting to refer the matter back to the committee.
Lawmakers voted along almost entirely party lines to table an effort from Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL) to force the report’s immediate release, saying the former Florida congressman is no longer under the House’s jurisdiction because he resigned.
Gaetz left Congress last month after President-elect Donald Trump announced he was nominating the Republican lawmaker to become the nation’s next attorney general. That all happened just days before the ethics report was supposed to be released.
Gaetz later withdrew from consideration for the job after it became clear he would not get the Senate support needed to win confirmation, amid allegations of sexual misconduct with a minor and illicit drug use. He’s also denied those allegations.
Another effort by Democratic Congressman Steve Cohen of Tennessee was also blocked.
Casten blasted the House’s decision in a statement after the vote, saying, “Today, the majority of the House of Representatives took the easy way out. They could have ensured a vote on whether or not former members should be held accountable when they face serious and credible allegations of sexual misconduct — including having sex with minors. Instead, the House voted to sweep these allegations under the rug and set an unfortunate precedent that, if you are ever facing scrutiny, resigning from Congress can make your problems go away.”
Casten added he will continue to try to get the report released.
Tonight the House of Representatives voted to sweep credible allegations of sexual misconduct under the rug.
I retain options to pursue the release of the Gaetz Report.
Congressman Michael Guest (R-MS), the committee chairman, said there no longer is the same urgency to release the report because Gaetz has left Congress and stepped aside as Trump’s choice to head the Justice Department.
Elon Musk spent more than $250 million getting Trump re-elected
Billionaire Elon Musk spent almost a quarter of a billion dollars in supporting Donald Trump’s reelection, according to Federal Election Commission filings released late Thursday, Dec. 5. While that accounts for just a fraction of Musk’s wealth as the richest man in the world, it’s a massive amount to come from just one single donor.
Musk donated most of that money to his America PAC, making three donations of $25 million each in the final weeks of the race. Over the course of the campaign, he gave America PAC a total of $239 million in cash and in-kind contributions.
Musk also spent more than $40 million on checks to voters in swing states who signed a petition in support of the Constitution.
According to the filings, Musk also put $20 million into a PAC named after the late liberal Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. That PAC was behind political ads claiming Trump does not support a federal abortion ban and he and Ginsburg had that in common.
New images released as manhunt continues in UnitedHealthcare CEO killing
Police have released new information about the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson as the manhunt continues for the gunman. Investigators released new images Thursday of a hooded man who they say is “a person of interest” wanted for questioning in the slaying of the health insurance executive.
Police sources confirmed to multiple news outlets the images were taken from a surveillance camera inside a hostel on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Officials said the man used a fake New Jersey ID to check into the hostel.
The sources said the suspect is believed to have traveled from Atlanta to New York City on a Greyhound bus the Sunday before Thanksgiving, Nov. 24, then later checked in to the hostel. Greyhound is reportedly cooperating with the investigation.
The gunman shot Thompson multiple times at point-blank range as he was walking into a New York City Hilton hotel. He was taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead. Authorities said the shooting was “premeditated” and a “brazen, targeted attack.”
According to multiple reports, the bullet casings located at the scene had the words “deny,” “defend” and “depose” written on them. The gun used in the shooting has not been recovered.
Police are still searching for a motive in the deadly shooting.
Aftershocks rock California after magnitude 7 earthquake
Dozens of aftershocks have been reported in California after a powerful 7.0 magnitude earthquake rattled a large part of the west coast Thursday. The epicenter of the earthquake was around 50 miles southwest of the northern port city Eureka in the Pacific Ocean.
A tsunami warning briefly went into effect from Oregon down to central California, but that has since been canceled. Evacuation orders have also been lifted.
California’s governor signed a state of emergency and said damage assessments are underway. So far, only minor damage and no injuries have been reported.
NASA delays next two manned moon missions
We’ve waited decades to see an astronaut walk on the moon again, and now, we’ll have to wait a little longer.
NASA announced Thursday it is delaying its next two Artemis moon missions to address an issue with the Orion crew capsule that will be housing the astronauts and its heat shield. The agency said the Artemis II mission that will fly a crew around the moon has been pushed from September of this year to no earlier than April of 2026.
The Artemis III mission, which will see the first moon landing in more than 50 years, set for 2026 will now happen no earlier than mid-2027.
Taylor Swift’s recording-breaking Eras tour ends this weekend
The tour kicked off in March of last year with Swift putting on the 3.5-hour concert more than 150 times in front of sold-out crowds across five continents.
President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Peter Navarro as the senior counselor for the Office of Trade and Manufacturing. Trump made the announcement through a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, Dec. 4.
Navarro is no stranger to the White House. He previously served in a similar role during Trump’s first term as president.
Further in the announcement, Trump said Navarro will “help successfully advance and communicate the Trump Manufacturing, Tariff and Trade Agendas.”
In the weeks following his presidential win, Trump has threatened a 25% tariff on Mexico and Canada, and a 60% tariff on Chinese imports.
Navarro wanted more aggressive tariffs during Trump’s initial administration. He aided the former president during trade deals between South Korea and the United States. Trump also credited Navarro with enforcing his rules to buy American products and hire American workers.
NAFTA was later replaced during Trump’s term with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. The USMCA took effect in 2020 and Trump claimed he replaced NAFTA with the USMCA to “help grow the North American economy.”
Trump also claimed Navarro was “treated horribly by the Deep State,” referencing Navarro’s recent stint in a Miami federal prison. Navarro served four months for going against a subpoena from the House committee as it investigated the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
Within a day of the announcement, Navarro released an opinion post on the Washington Times. In it, he described his conviction as unjust and expressed his frustration for Hunter Biden’s sweeping pardon.
Navarro obtained a doctorate degree in economics from Harvard University and later worked as a professor in California.
He also previously ran for San Diego mayor in the ’90s and later as a Democratic nominee for Congress.
Democrats win final House race of 2024 election, Republican margin narrows
Four weeks after Election Day, the make-up of the House of Representatives is now known. The last race has finally been called.
Democrat Adam Gray has defeated incumbent Republican Rep. John Duarte in California’s 13th Congressional District. Officials have counted all ballots.
Gray’s victory puts the current election tally in the House at 220 Republican wins to 215 Democratic victories. However, three seats will soon be open after President-elect Donald Trump nominated three Republican House members to his cabinet, dropping the majority to a very slim 217-215 margin in favor of the GOP.
Within days after the election, Trump nominated Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz to be attorney general. Gaetz resigned from the House and later removed his name from consideration. There’ll now be a special election in northwest Florida. It’s set for April 1, 2025.
Another Republican, Florida Rep. Mike Waltz, is slated to become the Trump administration’s national security adviser and leave Congress on Jan. 20. A special election in the Daytona Beach area of Florida is also set for April 1.
In northern New York, Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik is Trump’s pick for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. She hasn’t announced when she is leaving Congress.
In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul is required, by law, to set the date for a special election within 10 days of Stefanik’s resignation, and that election has to happen within 70 to 80 days.
The departure of the Republicans and uncertainty of who wins the special elections leave the GOP with almost no wiggle room to push their agenda forward in Congress in early 2025.
House Speaker Mike Johnson has supposedly urged President-elect Trump not to tap any more House Republicans for cabinet jobs.
Newsom to propose $25M in special session to ‘Trump-proof’ California
California lawmakers are meeting Monday, Dec. 2 for a special session with Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom set to propose a so-called “Trump-proof” legal defense fund. Newsom is trying to protect his state’s progressive policies. He called for the special session just days after President-elect Donald Trump won a second term.
The proposed $25 million plan is an effort to defend California’s investments, including federal disaster grants and clean air protections, as well as protecting climate change laws, abortion rights and immigration policies.
Trump responded to Newsom’s announcement in November on Truth Social.
“He is using the term “Trump-proof” as a way of stopping all of the GREAT things that can be done to “Make California Great Again,” but I just overwhelmingly won the Election. People are being forced to leave due to his, & other’s, INSANE POLICY DECISIONS,” Trump wrote.
Newsom and Trump have a history of going back and forth on issues and trading insults. Trump gave Newsom the nickname “Newscum,” with Newsom calling Trump “deranged” and “unhinged.”
According to the Governor’s office, Newsom’s $25 million request for the California Department of Justice will go toward increasing staff and supporting ongoing legal challenges.
The state sued Trump’s administration during his first term more than 120 times, winning cases that protected California’s stricter vehicle-emission standards and protected the legal status of migrants brought to the U.S. as children.
“We will work with the incoming administration and we want President Trump to succeed serving all Americans,” Newsom said in a statement Monday, Dec. 2. “But when there is overreach, when lives are threatened, when rights and freedoms are targeted. We will take action.”
Republican lawmakers, including California Rep. Vince Fong, criticized Newsom over the special session.
“Gavin Newsom’s actions are tone-deaf to the concerns of Californians who disapprove of the direction of our state and country,” Fong said in a video on social media.
Newsom said he wants the funding in place before Trump’s inauguration.
Mexico’s president refutes Trump’s claim she promised to close the border
President-elect Donald Trump said Mexico has agreed to stem the tide of migrants flowing into the United States, but Mexico’s president is now saying that’s not quite accurate. And Amazon workers are using Black Friday to make a statement about their labor situation. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Friday, Nov. 29, 2024.
Mexico’s president refutes Trump’s claim she promised to close the border
As President-elect Donald Trump gets ready to return to office, he’s already making moves to follow through on some of his biggest campaign promises. After announcing this week his plans to impose tariffs on goods from China, Canada and Mexico, he turned his attention to another hot-button issue: immigration.
It’s a bit of a case of “he said, she said” after Trump had a call with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Wednesday, Nov. 27. President-elect Trump posted on his Truth Social platform after the call saying Sheinbaum agreed to stop migration into the U.S. through Mexico, “effectively closing our southern border.”
Sheinbaum appeared to contradict Trump in a post of her own on X, saying in part, “Mexico’s position is not to close borders…”
She did, however, lay out Mexico’s “comprehensive strategy” for addressing the migration issue. In a separate post on X, Sheinbaum said during the call, she told President-elect Trump, “No caravans are arriving at the border because they are being attended to in Mexico.”
En nuestra conversación con el presidente Trump, le expuse la estrategia integral que ha seguido México para atender el fenómeno migratorio, respetando los derechos humanos. Gracias a ello se atiende a las personas migrantes y a las caravanas previo a que lleguen a la frontera.…
The two leaders also talked about how they’re addressing the U.S. fentanyl crisis.
The call was scheduled after Trump unveiled plans to slap 25% tariffs on all imports from Mexico to the U.S. as part of the effort to stem the flow of illegal drugs into the U.S. through Mexico.
Not only would that impact the prices of avocados and agave — both very popular in the U.S. — Mexico’s economy secretary said Wednesday 88% of all North American pickup trucks come from Mexico. Sheinbaum then suggested Mexico could retaliate with tariffs of its own.
“I hope he rethinks it,” Biden said. “I think it’s a counterproductive thing to do. You know, one of the things you’ve heard me say before is that we are – we have an unusual situation in America. We’re surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, and two allies: Mexico and Canada. The last thing we need to do is begin to screw up those relationships.”
Economists forecast Trump’s planned tariffs would increase prices for American shoppers, costing the average U.S. household about $2,600 per year, according to an estimate from the Peterson Institute for International Economics.
Israel and Hezbollah both claim ceasefire violations
Barely three days into a 60-day ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon, both sides are claiming violations.
Yesterday, Hezbollah had a precision-guided missile manufacturing site—today, they don’t.
Hezbollah’s largest precision-guided missiles manufacturing site, 1.4km wide and 70m underground, was struck and dismantled by IAF fighter jets yesterday.
Lebanese authorities also said two people, who were trying to return to southern Lebanon, were shot and wounded by Israeli forces. Lebanon’s health ministry said they were civilians, but the IDF claimed they were suspected of violating terms of the truce.
The agreement, brokered by the United States and France, includes an initial two-month ceasefire during which Hezbollah militants will withdraw north of the Litani River and Israeli forces are to return to their side of the border.
Thousands of Amazon workers to strike from Black Friday to Cyber Monday
Amazon workers in more than 20 countries, including the U.S., are on strike on some of the busiest pre-Christmas shopping days across the world. It started on Black Friday, Nov. 29, a day for bargain hunters to score some of the biggest discounts from stores across the country as holiday shopping kicks into high gear.
Organizers told the United Nations the so-called “days of resistance” are to hold Amazon accountable for alleged labor abuses, as well as “environmental degradation and threats to democracy.” According to ABC News, the strike could delay holiday deliveries.
The organizers said this is their fifth year of labor action against Amazon during the beginning of the holiday shopping season.
In a statement, Amazon said the group that organized the strikes is being “intentionally misleading” and promoting a “false narrative.” Management said the company offers great pay and benefits.
Canada sues Google over control of online ads
Canada’s antitrust watchdog said it is suing Google over alleged anti-competitive conduct in the company’s online advertising business. They’re calling for Google to sell off two of its ad tech services and pay a penalty.
The Competition Bureau said it’s necessary because an investigation into Google found the company “unlawfully” tied together its ad tech tools to maintain its dominant market position. Google insists the online advertising market is a highly competitive sector and is fighting the allegations.
This comes just a week after the U.S. Department of Justice asked a federal judge to force Google to sell its Chrome web browser, saying it continues to crush the competition through its dominant search engine.
America facing a live Christmas tree shortage again
As millions of Americans get ready to begin their search for the perfect Christmas tree, growers are having historic challenges getting them to sale lots, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The day after Thanksgiving is usually the biggest day for live tree sales, but since Thanksgiving came so late this year, it’s a very short selling season. On top of that, a nationwide shortage is expected thanks to severe weather across the country this year, such as a northeastern drought and North Carolina floods caused by Hurricane Helene. North Carolina is the second-biggest supplier of Christmas trees in the country.
Shoppers bought roughly 21.6 million real Christmas trees in the U.S. last year, according to the National Christmas Tree Association. The Department of Agriculture said the number of trees harvested in the U.S. has declined 30% since 2002, while the American population has grown 16% over the same period.
Alaska native air drops Thanksgiving turkeys to families in remote areas
In the most remote parts of Alaska a Thanksgiving turkey is hard to come by. So, one woman made sure families in roadless parts of the state had their holiday feast.
Pilot Esther Keim calls it “Alaska Turkey Bomb.” She flies in a small plane to off-the-grid homes and air drops frozen turkeys for families to enjoy for Thanksgiving.
Keim said it’s a tribute to a family friend who did the same thing for her family when she was growing up.
She started the tradition in 2022 after somebody that she knew told her they did not have much of a holiday dinner — and no turkey at all. Since then, she has delivered 30 to 40 turkeys every year to families living in remote areas of Alaska.
Nebraska judge rules medical marijuana ballot initiatives are valid
A ruling during the week of Nov. 24 brings Nebraska one step closer to a growing list of states where medical marijuana is legal. Although voters across the state approved ballot initiatives earlier this month by more than a two-thirds majority, the resolution was challenged and sent to the courtroom.
The Nebraskans for Marijuana campaign has been at the center of a lawsuit brought by Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen, the Attorney General’s Office and former State Sen. John Kuehn.
According to court documents, they allege there were issues with how thousands of signatures were collected.
Per Nebraska’s Constitution, ballot sponsors needed 86,499 signatures for both initiatives, which were certified ahead of Election Day by the Secretary of State’s Office.
One initiative focuses on how cannabis is regulated and the other on legalizing its use. Both passed with 67% and 71% of voter approval, respectively, when Nebraskans cast their ballots on Nov. 5.
One of the paid circulators for the campaign was criminally charged for his role in falsifying 164 signatures. That raised questions about the other collected signatures and whether they were properly notarized.
Michael Egbert admitted to forging signatures and illegally adding names to both petitions using a phonebook.
Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana pushed back and said even if some signatures were faulty, the group still has close to 90,000 valid signatures on both petitions.
District Judge Susan Strong agreed with the group and released a 57-page order stating that in order to show fraud, the plaintiffs would have to prove more than 3,000 signatures on each petition were invalid.
However, according to the order, the “presumption of validity” was lost because the plaintiffs could only show less than a thousand signatures were invalid.
Strong wrote her decision wasn’t the result of the exclusion or inclusion of petitions and both Evnen and Kuehn would still fall short of the challenged signatures.
Judge Strong further said she could not find sufficient evidence of widespread wrongdoing through the campaign and the plaintiffs’ arguments were not made during court proceedings.
Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana had previously spent three years working to get these measures on the ballot but weren’t able to meet the signature requirements.
In 2020, the campaign came close before facing another legal issue when the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled the measure was unconstitutional because it violated the “single subject rule.”
Crista Eggers, the statewide campaign manager for Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana, helped push for the legalization of cannabis to help her son, who suffers from severe seizures and epilepsy.
“Many years of hard work have gone into this effort, from volunteers, patients and families across the state.”
Crista Eggers, Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana.
In response to the recent decision, she said she hopes the election results will be upheld and that she’s happy with Strong’s ruling. She also looks forward to the safe, regulated use of medical marijuana.
The Attorney General’s Office could file an appeal on the judge’s ruling but the general election results are set to be certified on Dec. 2.
A spokesperson for the AG’s office said they are reviewing the decision and are determining what the next steps are.
Voters in Florida, South Dakota and North Dakota pushed back on legalizing recreational cannabis, denying ballot measures on Election Day.
In 2023, Ohio joined 24 other states – including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, New York, Oregon, Virginia, Alaska and Arizona – that legalized recreational marijuana use for adults.
The growing support is also prompting the federal government to redefine marijuana. The Drug Enforcement Administration has started the process of reclassifying the drug as less dangerous.