Homocons

The New York Times reports: George Santos is facing his sentencing on Friday with little of his former flair. “Right now, my expectation is I’m going to prison for 87 months,” he said flatly when reached by phone on Wednesday. “I’m totally resigned.” Gone was the pugnacious rhetoric and quick wit that became part of his mystique as he lied …

Politico reports: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday that the Trump administration planned to pursue reforms at the International Monetary Fund and World Bank to achieve a more “sustainable international economic system” that better serves the United States and other countries. Bessent said the Trump administration would not seek to retreat from those institutions but instead push to play a …

The Associated Press reports: George Santos is defending his recent social media tirade to a federal judge who will be sentencing the disgraced former New York congressman later this week on fraud charges. In a lengthy letter ahead of the Friday court date, Santos, 36, said he remains “profoundly sorry” for his crimes but protests that the seven-year prison sentence …

404 Media reports: Last week Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) paid contracting giant Palantir tens of millions of dollars to make modifications to a powerful ICE database and search tool to allow “complete target analysis of known populations” and to update the tool’s targeting and enforcement priorities, according to procurement records reviewed by 404 Media. The records show that Palantir …

The Associated Press reports: Prosecutors are seeking more than seven years in prison for disgraced former U.S. Rep. George Santos after he pleaded guilty to federal fraud and identity theft charges. The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York argued in a court filing Friday that a significant sentence was warranted because the New York Republican’s “unparalleled crimes” …

NOTUS reports: After Rep. Jamie Raskin asked about the Trump administration’s role in bringing to the United States Andrew and Tristan Tate — who were both on house arrest in Romania while awaiting trial on human trafficking charges — Grenell called a Judiciary staffer on Thursday from an unknown number. Grenell, who did not dispute that he called the staffer, …

From the editorial board of the Houston Chronicle: Oh, the irony. “Protect your kids from Marxist gender ideologies in public schools!” cry the voucher crusaders, eager to reroute taxpayer dollars to private schools. And yet, one of their most vocal champions, Corey DeAngelis, has a headline-worthy past: starring in gay porn. In October, on the Christian Broadcasting Network, DeAngelis admitted …

Courthouse News reports: The Second Circuit on Monday was dubious to revive a copyright claim brought by George Santos, who sued late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel last year over the use of his Cameo videos. Kimmel used the platform to poke fun at the expelled Republican congressman, creating fake Cameo profiles to request outlandish custom clips from Santos then …

NBC News reports: An LGBTQ club in Sacramento, California, is banning all “MAGA-related attire” after a patron wore a “Make America Great Again” hat to the popular venue. Badlands owner TJ Bruce announced the new policy on the club’s Instagram page this week, saying the hat “led to discomfort among some patrons.” The customer who donned the MAGA hat, Steven …

First, a reminder about the origin of the phrase: In an interview with popular podcaster Joe Rogan, Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance suggested that he and Donald Trump can win the “normal gay guy vote” and that families with transgender children are looking for an edge in Ivy League college admissions. “I wouldn’t be surprised if me and Trump …

The Daily Beast reports: Joe Maldonado-Passage, also known as Joe Exotic, has attempted to negotiate with Donald Trump from prison, asking the president to release him and his inmate fiancé Jorge Marquez. The star of the Netflix show Tiger King took to X late Monday night to make his case. Appearing to address Trump, whom he endorsed in the 2024 …

“It was a silly question. ‘Can you guarantee there’s not gonna be a recession?’ I can’t guarantee anything. I can’t guarantee that the journalist who asked me the question that her news program is gonna be on in a year. “What I can guarantee that there is no reason that we need to have a recession. I think the economy, …

“This video should challenge us all to commit to making the Kennedy Center a place where everyone is welcomed. It troubles me to see that so many in the audience appear to be white and intolerant of diverse political views. Diversity is our strength. We must do better. We must welcome EVERYONE. We will not allow the Kennedy Center to be …

“It was about 20 years ago, Donald Trump and Rosie O’Donnell had a vicious feud with brutal insults flying back and forth. If we do a status check on that feud, Donald Trump has just been elected president for the second time and Rosie O’Donnell has fled the country. So, I think he probably got the better end of that …

The Hill reports: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Friday the United States economy has become increasingly reliant on excessive government spending. “The market and the economy have become hooked, become addicted, to excessive government spending, and there’s going to be a detox period,” Bessent said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” Bessent added there will be a “natural adjustment” as the Trump …

“Lin Manuel said, ‘I don’t want Republicans coming here. I don’t want to be in a place where Republicans are coming to my shows.’ I think that’s intolerant. And that’s one of the things that Donald Trump has really brought back – into Washington, into America, into the Kennedy Center – is to say everyone is welcome. We’re not gonna …

“Let’s be clear on the facts. [Jeffrey] Seller and Lin Manuel first went to the New York Times before they came to the Kennedy Center with their announcement that they can’t be in the same room with Republicans. This is a publicity stunt that will backfire. The Arts are for everyone – not just for the people who Lin likes …

CNBC reports: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Thursday offered a full-throated defense of the White House’s position on tariffs, insisting that trade policy has to be about more than just getting low-priced items from other countries. “Access to cheap goods is not the essence of the American dream,” Bessent said during a speech to the Economic Club of New York. …

The Washington Post reports: In the Truth Social post announcing his intentions to take over the storied arts institution, Trump had promised to make the center “GREAT AGAIN,” adding, “The Kennedy Center is an American Jewel, and must reflect the brightest STARS on its stage from all across our Nation.” The implication was clear: The performers previously booked at the …

Politico reports: Trump’s special envoy Richard Grenell said there will be strings attached to California wildfire aid. “As a Californian I’m all for it,” Grenell said during a conversation with POLITICO’s Dasha Burns at CPAC on Friday. Grenell said the administration is talking about what these conditions will be. He floated the idea of targeting the California Coastal Commission, which …