Trump Uses Image of Jill Biden in Creepy Attempt to Sell Cologne

 https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-uses-image-of-jill-biden-in-creepy-attempt-to-sell-cologne/

President-elect Donald Trump used an image of himself and first lady Jill Biden attending the reopening of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris over the weekend to hawk the latest line in his seemingly never-ending list of Trump-branded products. Taking to Truth Social on Sunday, Trump announced the launch of his new line of perfumes and colognes, dubbed, “Fight, Fight, Fight,” because, according to Trump, “they represent us WINNING.” The product’s website, states: “This scent is your rallying cry in a bottle.” The photo of Biden and Trump was taken during a ceremony to mark the re-opening of the landmark in central Paris on Dec. 7. The first lady, sitting one seat away from Trump, can be seen talking to him, with what appears to be a smile on her face. In the caption of the Trump post, it reads, “A FRAGRANCE YOUR ENEMIES CAN’T RESIST!” Biden has so far made no comment on Trump’s post, though Trump told the New York Post that the chat between the pair was, “very nice. She couldn’t have been nicer.” He added: “She was very nice and we had a very nice conversation.” Trump’s cologne—or women’s perfume—retails at $199 a bottle.

Trump Vows to Deport U.S. Citizens in New Immigration Policy

 https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-vows-to-deport-us-citizens-in-new-immigration-policy/

Trump told Meet the Press‘ Kristen Welker that he wanted to avoid the family separation scandal that plagued his first administration. But to do so, he said, will require mixed-immigration families—those with undocumented immigrants with children who are U.S. citizens—to leave together.

“I don’t want to be breaking up families, so the only way you don’t break up the family is you keep them together and you have to send them all back,” he said.

Liz Cheney Claps Back at Trump’s Jail Threat

 https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/liz-cheney-claps-back-at-trump-s-jail-threat/ar-AA1vuMMn?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=NMTS&cvid=1ae2dbb438954b20a6389c90b682be7b&ei=29

In a statement reported by The New York Times, Cheney responded to Trump’s claims, describing them as an “assault on the rule of law and the foundations of our republic.”

“Here is the truth: Donald Trump attempted to overturn the 2020 presidential election and seize power,” Cheney said. “He mobilized an angry mob and sent them to the United States Capitol, where they attacked police officers, invaded the building and halted the official counting of electoral votes. Trump watched on television as police officers were brutally beaten and the Capitol was assaulted, refusing for hours to tell the mob to leave.”

“This was the worst breach of our Constitution by any president in our nation’s history,” she continued. “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.”

Pete Hegseth’s Crusade to Turn the Military into a Christian Weapon

 https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/12/06/pete-hegseth-defense-religion-christian-00192117

Hegseth represents an old-school and still powerful soldier archetype: white, masculine and God-fearing. According to 2019 Department of Defense data, approximately 70 percent of active duty service members are Christian. It’s the people who look, talk and pray like Hegseth who are most receptive to his tirades against the military’s elevation of women to combat roles, a fierce and largely unresolved debate thanks to a limited and conflicting tranche of research on the topic. Hegseth frames the issue in extreme and unfounded ways, asserting that integration destroys morale and loses wars, when, in fact, women have been serving in productive military roles for more than 200 years. Hegseth derides DEI and CRT initiatives for similar reasons, calling them discriminatory ideologies that “turn off the young, patriotic, Christian men who have traditionally filled our ranks.”

Donald Trump's Jan. 6 'Jail' Warning Sparks Alarm From Critics

 https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trumps-jan-6-jail-warning-sparks-alarm-critics-1997320

Kinzinger responded on Sunday via a Substack article titled "Bring It On, Donald: The January 6 Committee Stands on Truth."

"Let me be clear: we did nothing wrong," Kinzinger wrote. "The January 6 Committee's work was guided by facts, the Constitution, and a commitment to accountability—principles that seem foreign to Trump."

The former congressman continued: "If Donald wants to pursue this vindictive fantasy, I say bring it on. I'm not intimidated by a man whose actions on January 6th showed a cowardly disregard for democracy and the rule of law. A man too frightened to serve in the military, and a who requires a strong man like Putin to feel secure. While his supporters were attacking the Capitol, Trump sat in the White House, watching in glee as law enforcement and elected officials scrambled to protect our republic."

The Bitcoin Boom and Easy Money

 https://www.wsj.com/opinion/bitcoin-prices-microstrategy-markets-assets-federal-reserve-810db1b9?mod=hp_opin_pos_5#cxrecs_s

Our friends in the financial press are chalking up the Bitcoin rally as a bet on a more crypto-friendly Trump Administration. No doubt the prospect of friendlier regulators contributed to the cryptocurrency’s 124% surge this year. But asset prices are high across the board—gold, junk bonds, stocks—often fueled by speculative and leveraged bets.

Patriot or business Investment

 https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5026691-elon-musk-donates-trump-campaign/

Tech billionaire Elon Musk spent at least $250 million to help propel President-elect Trump back into the White House, the latest reports filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) show. 

Throughout the 2024 election cycle, the Tesla and SpaceX executive donated nearly $239 million, including in-kind contributions, to America PAC, his super PAC that backed Trump’s Oval Office bid, according to FEC reports filed Thursday night.

That includes three $25 million contributions in the final two weeks of October, the records showed. 

‘Enormous heist’: Hayes on the ‘audacious scheme’ to reward big donors

Lawfare or Blackmail?

Syria’s collapse: An opportunity and a risk for Israel – editorial

 https://www.jpost.com/international/article-832463

The fall of Assad, an implacable foe of Israel who turned Syria into a staging ground for Iranian threats and weapons transfers to Hezbollah, is not something Israel would lament. However, the composition of the rebel forces threatening Assad’s regime is not an alliance that the Jewish state can applaud.

A $6.2m banana, a crypto empire and Trump's potential conflicts

 https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gzz5wdg41o

During his first term as president, the Trump International Hotel in Washington, DC became a symbol of the issue, as a go-to place for lobbyists, foreign diplomats, and allies to stay and spend.

Critics argued that the hotel created a way for Trump to profit indirectly from his office. He faced accusations and lawsuits alleging he violated the US Constitution's ban on presidents receiving foreign emoluments – or profiting from their office.

But experts said the growth of his business empire, which now includes a publicly traded social media company, a cryptocurrency firm, and ties to a Saudi-backed golf league, makes it possible for anyone hoping to curry favour to move money more quietly and in much greater sums.

Trump Prepares for Legal Fight Over His ‘Birthright Citizenship’ Curbs

 https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/trump-birthright-citizenship-executive-order-battle-0900a291?mod=hp_lead_pos4

Many constitutional scholars and civil-rights groups have said a change to birthright citizenship can’t be done through executive action and would require amending the Constitution—a rare and difficult process. The most recent amendment was ratified in 1992, more than 200 years after it was first proposed.

Governing in an Age of No Majorities: Bill Clinton’s mission for a second term

 https://www.brookings.edu/articles/governing-in-an-age-of-no-majorities-bill-clintons-mission-for-a-second-term/

What are politicians to do with an election whose mandate was, in so many ways, negative? President Clinton rebuilt his standing not by proposing bold new programs, but by promising to protect the country from the excesses of the Republican Congress. In the end, the Republicans hung on to Congress by presenting themselves as the people who would save the country from the excesses of unified Democratic government.

Trump allies chafe at Senate GOP resistance to nominees

 https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5027134-trump-nominees-senate-gop/

Trump’s critics have pushed back on the idea that the incoming administration has a sweeping mandate from the public. While Trump won the seven battleground states in November, he did not crack 50 percent support nationally, and his popular vote margin was under 2 percentage points.

“To the extent that there was any mandate that has emerged from this most recent election, it is that the American people want us to work hard to lower the high cost of living and to bring down grocery prices, gas prices, the cost of childcare, and housing costs,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) told reporters Friday.