NBC News reports: The Senate voted Thursday to begin debate on the Laken Riley Act, clearing a key hurdle to advance a Republican-led bill aimed at cracking down on illegal immigration that has garnered significant support from Democrats. With a vote of 84-9, the bill easily cleared the 60-vote threshold to advance in GOP-controlled Senate. But many Democrats have suggested …

The Root reports: The internet is outraged after a clip of a Virginia church service has now gone viral. In the video, Pastor Terry W. Jackson of True Vine Apostolic Church brings a young, unidentified woman to the podium to apologize to the whole congregation for being pregnant out of wedlock. “We don’t condone sin,” the pastor told the congregation …

The Huffington Post reports: On Wednesday, Rudy Giuliani told a federal judge in Washington, D.C. that it could be dangerous for him to attend an upcoming contempt hearing tied to his defamation case with election workers due to ongoing issues with his knee, heart and lungs, as well as what he said were death threats linked to his criticisms of …

The Charlotte Observer reports: The Salisbury man who died Monday after he was shot by two Kannapolis police officers over the weekend was the ‘Pizzagate’ gunman arrested in Washington, D.C., in 2016 after he terrified people with a loaded AR-15 inside a restaurant. Edgar Maddison Welch, the man killed, made national headlines in 2016 when he entered Comet Ping Pong, …

Today in our ever-expanding infighting is funny file: A pro-Trump commentator who goes by the name “Cat Turd” threatened to sue Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) on Wednesday after Massie called him one of “the most nenarded paid influencers” on social media. The cat feces-named social media influencer threatened to file “a slam dunk defamation lawsuit” against Massie after the two …

Reuters reports: Elon Musk, who U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has tapped to oversee a government cost-cutting effort, acknowledged that his declared goal of cutting $2 trillion in spending from the $6.8 trillion federal budget would be a long shot. “I think if we try for $2 trillion, we’ve got a good shot at getting $1 trillion,” Musk, the world’s richest …

“When California, in a couple of weeks, comes crawling back for federal assistance, Trump should say, listen, I’m not gonna give you a dime unless you fire the lesbian [fire chief Kristin Cowley] Kristens. You mandate the proper forest management and stop controlled burns that Newsom has stopped. “You cut it out with California’s failed diversity, equity, inclusion homeless spending. …

Politico Europe reports: A senior Greenlandic politician slammed Donald Trump Jr.’s visit to the island as “staged,” and warned the United States not to “invade us” given its historical treatment of Alaska’s indigenous people. Pipaluk Lynge, an MP from Greenland’s largest party and chair of the parliamentary foreign and security policy committee, told POLITICO that Greenland wants “our own independence …

The Daily Telegram reports: A retired Adrian pastor accused of molesting boys has been charged with a new offense and will be appointed a new attorney. Michael Ronald Goble, 76, already faced four counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a person younger than 13 and two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a detained juvenile. He was arrested …

The Hill reports: Ohio’s Republican Gov. Mike DeWine signed legislation Wednesday requiring educators to reveal a student’s gender identity to their families and allow parents to opt their kids out of lessons that touch on sexuality and gender. House Bill 8, known to its critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill because of its similarities to a 2022 Florida law, …

CBNC reports: Google donated $1 million to President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration fund, becoming the latest major tech company to try and curry some goodwill with the incoming administration. “Google is pleased to support the 2025 inauguration, with a livestream on YouTube and a direct link on our homepage. We’re also donating to the inaugural committee,” Karan Bhatia, Google’s global head …

The Christian Post reports: An Alabama pastor and church planter who led Landmark Church in Phenix City is being held in the Russell County Jail after he was arrested last month in connection with an armed bank robbery along with a female accomplice. A representative with the Russell County Court confirmed on Wednesday that 40-year-old former Landmark Church Lead Pastor …

“Please do not be fooled by what you’re hearing from the media. These are not once-in-a-generation wildfires. This is not climate change. In Los Angeles, it’s the exact same story. Death by DEI, this time with their brand new fire chief. “This coming right from the city’s website. ‘Kristin Crowley is the 19th fire chief of the Los Angeles Fire …

Mediaite reports: The RNC jumped to brand Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA) a “scumbag” after falsely alleging he “didn’t mention the wildfires” in Los Angeles once during his primetime interview on MSNBC – except he did, for almost six minutes, during the opening segment of his interview. As wildfires continue to destroy neighborhoods in Southern California, Schiff appeared on The ReidOut …

Florida Politics reports: Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis said he doesn’t live in Florida’s 1st Congressional District because of partisan gerrymandering. But that insinuation upset Joel Rudman, a former state lawmaker who faces Patronis in a Special Election to represent the district in Congress. Patronis made the remark at a debate for candidates running in the Special Election to succeed …

NPR reports: Political leaders in Washington will honor the life of former President Jimmy Carter with a funeral service at the National Cathedral this morning. Carter, who died on Dec. 29 at 100, was the nation’s longest-living president. Thursday’s event marks the final public tribute to Carter, following additional funeral services and ceremonies since Saturday at the U.S. Capitol, the …

ABC News reports: The New York Court of Appeals, the highest court in the state, has denied President-elect Donald Trump’s request to halt his sentencing Friday in his criminal hush money case. Trump on Wednesday launched an eleventh-hour request to New York’s highest court to pause the hush money case, on the same day that he also asked the U.S. …

The Guardian reports: Robert F Kennedy Jr has been accused of committing voter fraud in November’s presidential election by casting his ballot from a New York address that a court had previously ruled was not his place of residence. The complaint, filed by Accountable.US, a left-leaning watchdog group, could complicate Kennedy’s confirmation as Donald Trump’s nominee to be health and …

“I can tell you this right now, that DEI nonsense that that LA Fire Department chief supports, that stuff is going to end January 2025. To have DEI, to have social justice in the fire department, this is ridiculous, Sean. And you know what, zero containment after two days. “I’ll say this out loud, they have no intention of putting …

CBC News reports: A man convicted and sentenced to nine months in jail for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol was arrested in Whistler, B.C., four years to the day after the riot. Rather than reporting to jail in the U.S., Antony Vo headed north to seek asylum in Canada. On Wednesday, a spokesperson …