Trump teases management of Greenland and Panama as Matt Gaetz fires again at explosive report: Live updates | EUROtoday

Congress Narrowly Averts Government Shutdown — And Rejects Trump’s Debt Ceiling Commands

Donald Trump is signalling his incoming administration’s readiness to broaden U.S. territory, with latest out-of-nowhere snipes at Panama and Greenland.

After seemingly joking about Canada turning into the “51st” state, the incoming president fired off ominous messages alleging the Panama Canal and Greenland pose severe financial and nationwide safety threats to the United States.

He claimed the Panama Canal is a “rip-off” that the nation “will immediately stop,” and that the “ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity” — rattling diplomatic relationships lower than a month earlier than he returns to the White House.

Meanwhile, allies of House Speaker Mike Johnson are urging the president-elect to reaffirm his help for the Republican chief after Democrats and a few Republicans blocked the Trump- and Elon Musk-led marketing campaign to derail the stop-gap funding invoice earlier than Christmas, averting a authorities shutdown.

The House of Representatives can also be reeling after an ethics committee report into former congressman Matt Gaetz “determined there is substantial evidence” that he paid tens of hundreds of {dollars} for intercourse and used illicit medication whereas he was a member of Congress.

Trump administration would possibly let police reform stall much more than it did underneath Biden

In the ultimate weeks of his administration, Joe Biden has sought to shore up his legal justice legacy, issuing pardons and commutations to reformed offenders, whereas eradicating most individuals from federal dying row.

However, in one other key space, policing, the Biden administration’s progress may stall as soon as Trump takes over.

During the final 4 years, the Biden administration has secured only one federal oversight settlement, generally known as a consent decree, with a division investigated for misconduct.

The DOJ has investigated 12 departments this administration, however to this point solely this month’s settlement with Louisville has translated into extra long-lasting, binding reform steps.

Trump, who has ceaselessly known as for harsher, law-and-order-style policing, and who has been vital of previous police reform efforts, is unlikely to do as a lot as Biden on this entrance, leaving the longer term standing of those agreements unsure.

Biden additionally did not go a long-sought police reform invoice after the homicide of George Floyd by Minneapolis police in 2020.

Here’s extra on Biden’s dying penalty coverage because the administration involves a detailed.

Josh Marcus25 December 2024 01:30

Biden flips the script on drone drama with aerial Christmas tour

The Biden administration has spent weeks attempting to guarantee the general public there’s nothing to worry about drones and plane noticed buzzing over New Jersey and different states.

On Christmas Eve, it highlighted a distinct form of drone, taking viewers on an aerial tour by way of the White House’s Christmas decorations.

It could not quell the raging conspiracy theories concerning the drones, however it’s nonetheless a reasonably cool video.

Josh Marcus25 December 2024 01:17

‘It’s clear he’s in cost now’: Lawmakers react to Trump’s ‘unprecedented’ involvement forward of inauguration

As President Joe Biden winds down his presidency, Trump is behaving as if he’s already in workplace, writes Rhian Lubin.

Within the final week, Trump launched a marketing campaign towards final week’s non permanent invoice and issued threats towards the Panama Canal and Greenland.

Alex Woodward25 December 2024 01:00

Texas buys billboards in Central America warning migrants of hazard of rape and abuse on journey to US

The state of Texas is paying an estimated $100,000 to put in on blunt and at-times graphic billboards throughout Mexico and Central America within the coming weeks within the hopes of deterring future unlawful immigration.

The Independent’s Josh Marcus stories:

Josh Marcus25 December 2024 00:30

ICYMI: Here are all of the allegations towards Matt Gaetz

As a sitting member of Congress, Matt Gaetz paid for intercourse with a 17-year-old highschool scholar, used cocaine and ecstasy, and spent hundreds of {dollars} on sex- and drug-fueled partying, in keeping with a bombshell report from the House Ethics Committee.

Monday’s report discovered “substantial evidence” the now-former Republican congressman “regularly” paid for intercourse and met girls by way of a “sugar dating” web site by way of a former affiliate who has since pleaded responsible to intercourse trafficking.

We combed by way of the report.

Alex Woodward25 December 2024 00:00

Trump continues posting debunked January 6 conspiracy concept

Donald Trump is the newest distinguished Republican to assert a latest Justice Department watchdog report vindicates theories that the federal authorities someway provoked or guided the January 6 riot on the U.S. Capitol.

In a Truth Social submit on Tuesday, Trump shared a video of sports activities commentators Stephen A. Smith making an identical level.

In truth, the Justice Department report in query discovered “no evidence” undercover FBI brokers joined in on the riots, although confidential bureau sources had been close to the riot on January 6.

Here’s what it is advisable to know concerning the precise FBI presence that day.

Josh Marcus24 December 2024 23:44

Video: Aspiring MAGA congresswoman performs mock ‘execution’ of migrant

In the video, posted to X on Monday, Gomez is seen firing a handgun into the again of the pinnacle of a dummy tied to a chair with a black bag over its head.

“It’s that simple, public executions for any illegal that rapes or kills an American. They don’t deserve deportation, they deserve to be ended,” she says.

Josh Marcus24 December 2024 23:24

Canal threats, money-laundering claims and a lodge battle: Trump’s lengthy, bizarre historical past with Panama

Trump rattled North American diplomatic relations over the weekend with a risk to retake the Panama Canal, two-and-a-half many years after the U.S. transfered management of the important international commerce path to Panama.

The Independent’s Josh Marcus dives into Trump’s lengthy unusual journey with the Central American nation:

Alex Woodward24 December 2024 23:00

Colombia’s president denounces ‘American fascist’ Colombian-American calling for public executions of immigrants

Far-right Republican determine Valentina Gomez, who has made headlines for stunts like taking a flamethrower to banned books, is now calling for public executions for any immigrant within the nation illegally who “rapes or kills an American.”

“They don’t deserve deportation. They deserve to be ended,” she says in a video moments after taking pictures an effigy tied to a chair behind the pinnacle.

The caption reads “Public executions for any illegal that rapes or kills an American.” The video posted on X has been flagged for probably violating the platform’s “rules against Violent Speech.”

Gomez, who’s Colombian-American, got here sixth in an eight-person main for Missouri’s secretary of state, and final week she mentioned she’s shifting to Texas to problem congressman Dan Crenshaw’s seat

Colombia’s personal president known as her an “American fascist.”

“She is not just an American fascist. She is Colombian,” Gustavo Petro wrote in Spanish. “And being a migrant, what she wants is to unleash hatred against migrants. Most Americans are killed by Americans.”

Alex Woodward24 December 2024 22:37

Trump’s Christmas Eve message guarantees to broaden dying penalty

Trump, who touts himself as America’s “most pro-life” president, continues to assault Presidnet Joe Biden after he introduced the biggest single-day commutation of federal dying row inmates in fashionable historical past.

The White House introduced early Monday morning that the president would commute the sentences of 37 inmates awaiting execution within the federal jail system, which Trump has pushed to expedite as soon as in workplace.

Biden explicitly mentioned in his announcement that he couldn’t let Trump try this.

“In good conscience, I cannot stand back and let a new administration resume executions that I halted,” he wrote.

On Christmas Eve, Trump hpromised to direct the Department of Justice to “vigorously pursue the death penalty” as quickly as he enters workplace.

“As soon as I am inaugurated, I will direct the Justice Department to vigorously pursue the death penalty to protect American families and children from violent rapists, murderers, and monsters,” he wrote on Truth Social.

Alex Woodward24 December 2024 22:30

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-greenland-panama-news-christmas-gaetz-musk-updates-b2669617.html