“Everybody can describe this however they want, the president has the pardon and commutation authority, it’s his decision, and I think what was made clear all along was that peaceful protests and people who engage in that should never be punished. There was a weaponization of the Justice department. “There was a weaponization of the events the following, you know, …

The Hill reports: President Trump is facing backlash after he and first lady Melania Trump launched two cryptocurrency tokens just days before his inauguration. “It undermines the seriousness of any liberalization of regulations that Trump undertakes for the crypto space because it makes it look self-interested,” said Nic Carter, a founding partner at crypto investment firm Castle Island Ventures. But …

The right wing Washington Free Beacon reports: The Trump State Department implemented a landmark “One Flag Policy” policy, barring U.S. outposts at home and abroad from flying any other flag but the Stars and Stripes. The newly issued order, a copy of which was obtained by the Washington Free Beacon, effectively bans American facilities from displaying flags affiliated with left-wing …

“I like both sides of the argument, but I also like very competent people coming into our country, even if that involves them training and helping other people that may not have the qualifications they do. But I don’t want to stop, and I’m not just talking about engineers. I’m talking about people at all levels. We want competent people …

Via press release from the Brady Campaign: Brady, the nation’s oldest gun violence prevention organization, responded today to President Trump’s apparent shuttering of the landmark White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. The office – which opened in September 2023 under the leadership of President Biden – was responsible for managing a first-ever coordinated federal response to mass shootings and …

Just in via press release: The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) have had long standing and positive relationships with both President Trump and President Biden and have greatly appreciated their support of the policing profession. However, the IACP and FOP are deeply discouraged by the recent pardons and commutations granted by …

Mint reports: Debate around the nationality of Kamala Harris resurfaced this week as US President Donald Trump sought to end birthright citizenship. The executive order signed by Trump on Monday seeks to revoke birthright citizenship for children born to foreign passport holders in the United States. Such a rule (had it existed at the time of Harris’ birth) would have …

Newsweek reports: Florida’s 24-hour snowfall record has been surpassed as a “historic” winter storm swept along the Gulf Coast. According to The National Centers for Environmental Information, the previous Florida record for the most snow in 24 hours was set in Milton, Santa Rosa County, on March 6, 1954, when four inches was recorded. This record was smashed after more …

Axios reports: President Trump’s sweeping pardons for 1,500 Jan. 6 criminals and defendants were a last-minute, rip-the-bandage-off decision to try to move past the issue quickly, White House advisers familiar with the Trump team’s discussions tell Axios. Trump’s move to “go big” on the pardons sheds light on his unpredictable decision-making process, and shows his determination to fulfill a campaign …

NBC News reports: The Trump administration is ordering all federal employees in diversity, equity and inclusion roles placed on paid leave by Wednesday evening, according to a new memo from the Office of Personnel Management. The memo, issued Tuesday to heads of departments and agencies, sets a deadline of no later than 5 p.m. ET Wednesday to inform the employees …

The New York Times reports: An ex-sister-in-law of Pete Hegseth’s submitted a sworn statement to senators on Tuesday that accused Mr. Hegseth, President Trump’s nominee for secretary of defense, of being so “abusive” toward his second wife that she once hid in a closet from him and had a safe word to call for help if she needed to get …

Washington DC’s NBC affiliate reports: As a D.C. police officer, Mike Fanone devoted more than 20 years to protecting his neighbors. Now, he’s trying to protect himself and his family. Fanone went to the Prince William County Courthouse on Tuesday to seek protective orders against the five men who pleaded guilty to violently assaulting him during the Jan. 6, 2021 …

Variety reports: An average of 24.6 million viewers watched Donald Trump‘s inauguration as the 47th president of the United States on Monday per Nielsen. That’s a lower total than what was achieved by both of the two most recent inauguration broadcasts: 27% below the 33.8 million viewers who tuned into Joe Biden’s presidential inauguration in 2021, and 21% below the …

The Guardian reports: Donald Trump’s nominee for US ambassador to the United Nations has endorsed Israeli claims of biblical rights to the entire West Bank during a Senate confirmation hearing, aligning herself with positions that could complicate diplomatic efforts in the Middle East. The New York congresswoman Elise Stefanik, a Republican, was confronted on Tuesday over her backing of a …

The Associated Press reports: Rupert Murdoch’s U.K. tabloids made a rare apology to Prince Harry in settling his privacy invasion lawsuit and will pay him a substantial sum, his lawyer announced Wednesday. News Group Newspapers offered a “full and unequivocal apology to the Duke of Sussex for the serious intrusion by The Sun between 1996 and 2011 into his private …

The Arizona Republic reports: U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs announced Tuesday that he is considering a run for Arizona governor in 2026, setting up a fight with President Donald Trump’s pick for the job. Biggs, R-Ariz., a longtime ally of Trump, began his political career in the state Legislature, rising through the ranks to become president of the Arizona Senate. He …

Politico reports: U.S. President Donald Trump hit out Wednesday at a bishop who directly called on him to show mercy to immigrants and LGBTQ+ people. During the inaugural prayer service Tuesday at the Washington National Cathedral attended by Trump, Vice President JD Vance and their families, the Right Rev Mariann Budde delivered a sermon in which she appealed to Trump …

Variety reports: Netflix is increasing subscription prices in the U.S. and other markets — including the first hike on its ad-supported plan. The streamer revealed the price increases along with its Q4 2024 earnings results Tuesday, when it announced its biggest-ever quarterly increase in subscribers with a gain of 18.9 million for the period. Under the new pricing in the …

Politico reports: Senators should reject Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination to lead the government’s health agencies because he’s an anti-vax conspiracy theorist, former heroin addict, supporter of marijuana and psychedelic drug legalization, and backer of abortion rights, a conservative group is arguing. Advancing American Freedom, the advocacy group founded by Mike Pence, is throwing everything at the wall in a …

“You know, when the so-called robber barons came in, for the hundred years before that, wages were like this [makes downward motion]. After this, they went like that for 100 years. Oh, when the robbers came in — robber barons came in, life expectancy in America was like this; all of a sudden, it went like this [makes upward motion.] …