That’s actually a pretty good headline for a change: Jack Smith, the special counsel who indicted President-elect Donald J. Trump on charges of seeking to cling to power after losing the 2020 election, said in a final report released early Tuesday morning that he believed the evidence was sufficient to convict Mr. Trump in a trial if his success in the 2024 election had not made it impossible for the prosecution to continue. “The department’s view that the Constitution prohibits the continued indictment and prosecution of a president is categorical and does not turn on the gravity of the crimes charged, the strength of the government’s proof or the merits of the prosecution, which the office stands fully behind,” Mr. Smith wrote. He continued: “Indeed, but for Mr. Trump’s election and imminent return to the presidency, the office assessed that the admissible evidence was sufficient to obtain and sustain a conviction at trial.” The Justice Department delivered the 137-page volume — representing half of Mr.
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Did you vote for any of these people? Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg will attend President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday, according to an official involved with the planning of the event. They will have a prominent spot at the ceremony, seated together on the platform with other notable guests including Trump’s Cabinet nominees and elected officials. That image is going to be iconic. It says everything. By the way, this isn’t just a ceremonial thing for Musk: The New York Times is reporting that Elon Musk is preparing to set up the Department of Government Efficiency in the Eisenhower Building, which is less than a five-minute walk from the White House. It’s still unclear if the billionaire will have complete unfettered access to the West Wing (that requires a “special pass”), but at this point it’s obvious that the CEO—who has billions of dollars in federal and international contracts—will be a full-time cast member in Trump’s second term. It’s still unclear what exactly DOGE will look like in D.C., as it is not an official government department and Musk is not a government employee.
As Louisiana Sinks Slowly Into The Sea House Speaker Mike Johnson (R) of Louisiana said Monday “there should probably be conditions” on any federal aid package to help California recover from the devastation wrought by apocalyptic wildfires. Scripps News Service: Johnson criticized the response of California’s state government, claiming it amounted to dereliction of duty. “Obviously, there has been water resource management, forest management, mistakes, all sorts of problems, and it does come down to leadership, and it appears to us that state and local leaders were derelict in their duty, and in many respects,” he said. “So, that’s something that has to be factored in.” Mr. Speaker, as Arlo Guthrie once said to the sergeant, “you got a lot a damn gall” to talk about California’s water resource management, unspecified “problems,” and dereliction of duty. Large portions of Louisiana parishes, particularly around New Orleans, obviously lie below sea level. Much of your state’s coastline is slowly sinking into the sea.
Just thought you needed to see that he’s as deranged as ever.
Trump: When I was president, I demanded that this guy, the governor, accept the water coming from the north, from way up in Canada. And, you know, the north, it flows down through right through Los Angeles. I mean, massive millions and millions of gallons of water a week,… pic.twitter.com/rnfbadSlkk — Acyn (@Acyn) January 14, 2025 Here’s the whole clip: When I was president, I demanded that this guy, the governor, accept the water coming from the north, from way up in Canada. And, you know, the north, it flows down through right through Los Angeles. I mean, massive millions and millions of gallons of water a week, probably, I think, even a day. Massive amounts coming out from the mountains, from the melts. And even without it, even during the summer, it’s a natural flow of water. They would have had so much water they wouldn’t have known what to do with it. You would have never had the fires. People would have been able to sprinkle their lawns and everything else. You know, the problem is it’s so dry. It was always so dry there. And it’s just it’s just a mess. They could have maintained their forests. He’s brain damaged.
He didn’t use his name, though. Some of the moves, such as the parade of CEOs visiting Trump in Florida, the donations, and the effort to do business with people in his inner circle, appear designed to curry favour with a man famous for attacking companies and executives he dislikes. But the election has also accelerated a wider shift back to more conservative social and political stances and an embrace of unfettered capitalism. Companies are scrapping diversity, equity and inclusion departments, cutting their support for racial diversity charities, and dropping out of climate change groups. They are also scrubbing anything that could be perceived as “woke” from public statements, corporate documents and advertising. The election has empowered some top executives to start speaking out in favour of conservative policies, from tax cuts to traditional gender roles. The article has a ton of examples but this one really got me.
JV Last asks us to consider Pete Hegseth as if he wasn’t a red-pilled, alcohol dependent, rapist and instead is a moderate, pure as the driven snow boy scout. And then consider this: Last is right when he says that Hegseth will get this job not in spite of his noxious personal character or total lack of qualifications but because of them. He quotes from this excellent piece on Hegseth by Rebecca Traister: Some Democrats retain the wan hope that they can persuade a Republican or two to actually defeat Hegseth’s nomination, and they worry that coming in ablaze will impede those efforts. Winning, said several staffers from offices less inclined to light Hegseth up, would mean not leaning in on the rape allegations and instead creating space to oppose him on grounds that Republicans can also oppose him on. Instead of giving Fox News the woke-mob martyrdom its audience craves, they say they can highlight his financial mismanagement and lack of relevant experience. That’s where we are now. If anyone raises the prospect of a nominee’s lack of character it actually helps them get confirmed.
Pete Hegseth is up first As Congress begins confirmation hearings today for Donald Trump’s candidates for key federal posts, I offer simple questions Democrats should ask each. When Donald Trump nominated you, did you consider saying no because you felt unqualified for the job? If not, why not? If yes, why did you accept anyway? Hell, I’m no more qualified for these posts that Trump’s “look good on TV” nominees.
COLLINS: How's the bad behavior of a senator a defense of someone who wants to run the Pentagon? MULLIN: It's not. What I was trying to get to is if you're capable of doing your job and you're able to still drink on the job or late in the evening, don't tell me that Pete can't pic.twitter.com/KgNhlYJUpc — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 15, 2025 KAITLIN COLLINS: How’s the bad behavior of a senator a defense of someone who wants to run the Pentagon? MARKWAYNE MULLIN: It’s not. What I was trying to get to is, if you’re capable of doing your job and you’re able to still drink on the job or late in the evening, don’t tell me that Pete can’t. In other words, Pete Hegseth is so good he can drink all day and all night and do a great job. This is what we’ve come to.
Imagine that The Canadians and Panamanians aren’t too thrilled by it either which, considering our own colonial origins, shouldn’t come as a huge surprise. Nobody’s taking these threats very seriously and I hope that’s correct. But even the rhetoric is toxic. America is now seen by the rest of the world as a bully and a threat. We are very powerful so I suppose most people think there’s no need to worry. But it the rest of the world allies against us, as they might if Trump follows through on his ridiculous tariff scheme or he decides to confront a fellow NATO country like Denmark and seize their protectorate it could get ugly fast.