Donald Trump has hailed the H-1B visa program for skilled workers as “great” claiming to have always been in favor of them.
Speaking to The New York Post, the president-elect sided with two of his top lieutenants, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, after they both defended the need for hiring workers from overseas in tech, engineering, and other sectors.
Ramaswamy, who will lead the outside commission known as the Department of Government Efficiency alongside Musk, blamed 1990s sitcoms for emphasizing the wrong values in U.S. workers.
“A culture that celebrates the prom queen over the math olympiad champ, or the jock over the valedictorian, will not produce the best engineers,” he wrote in a post on X.
“There is a permanent shortage of excellent engineering talent,” Musk wrote on Wednesday on X. “It is the fundamental limiting factor in Silicon Valley.”
The “number of people who are super talented engineers AND super motivated in the USA is far too low,” he later added.
Their statements triggered pushback from “America First” hardliners, including Steve Bannon. They want strict immigration control and a furious war of words erupted on social media.
Key Points
- Trump sides with Elon Musk in MAGA immigration feud over H-1B visas for skilled workers
- Rift over H1-B visas escalates with Musk saying he will ‘go to war on this issue'
- Bannon calls Musk ‘toddler’, tells tech mogul to ‘bring it’ in war over H1-B visas
- Trump shares bizarre Truth Social post claiming Bill Gates asked to come to Mar-a-Lago
- Musk says ‘hateful unrepentant racists’ must be removed from GOP
Man accused of attacking TV reporter and yelling ‘This is Trump’s America now’
22:10
AP
A Colorado man is facing possible bias-motivated charges for allegedly attacking a television news reporter after demanding to know whether he was a citizen, saying “This is Trump’s America now,” according to court documents.
Patrick Thomas Egan, 39, was arrested Dec. 18 in Grand Junction, Colorado, after police say he followed KKCO/KJCT reporter Ja’Ronn Alex’s vehicle for around 40 miles (64 kilometers) from the Delta area. Alex told police that he believed he had been followed and attacked because he is a Pacific Islander.
Continue reading...
Trump deportation plans: Mexico tests app for migrants in U.S. to warn family if they’re detained
21:55
Oliver O'Connell
Mexico is developing a cellphone app that will allow migrants to warn relatives and local consulates if they think they are about to be detained by the U.S. immigration department, a senior official said Friday.
The move is in response to President-elect Donald Trump’s threats to carry out mass deportations after he takes office on Jan. 20.
The app has been rolled out for small-scale testing and “appears to be working very well,” said Juan Ramón de la Fuente, Mexico’s secretary of foreign affairs.
Continue reading...
Trump shares bizarre Truth Social post claiming Bill Gates asked to come to Mar-a-Lago
21:40
Oliver O'Connell
As tensions flare between Elon Musk and Trump’s MAGA allies, President-elect Donald Trump posted what appeared to be a personal message to Musk on Truth Social, claiming that fellow billionaire Bill Gates asked to come to Mar-a-Lago.
In an early morning post on Friday, Trump suggested the Microsoft co-founder had asked to come to Mar-a-Lago. The 78-year-old Republican encouraged him to visit.
Kelly Rissman has the story.
‘Something great’ about Trump wanting to make Canada the 51st state, says Shark Tank star
21:25
Oliver O'Connell
Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary praised President-elect Donald Trump’s continued fascination with annexing Canada as an American state, saying there was “something great” about it because it would form “the most powerful country on earth.”
Justin Barangoa has the story.
Full story: Trump sides with Elon Musk in MAGA immigration feud over H-1B visas
21:05
Oliver O'Connell
Donald Trump has sided with Elon Musk in the feud over H-1B skilled worker visas that has split the American political right over the past few days.
Speaking by phone with The New York Post on Saturday, the president-elect said: “I’ve always liked the visas, I have always been in favor of the visas. That’s why we have them.”
Read on...
Watch: Rick Wilson of the Lincoln Project explains why he believes MAGA is at war with itself
21:02
Oliver O'Connell
You may have heard there's a MAGA civil war underway on social media over the past week, @theRickWilson tells you exactly why here: pic.twitter.com/yJIBFcBOPy
— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) December 28, 2024
Trump’s return to the White House has some critics worried — others are ready for a fight
20:40
Oliver O'Connell
With Donald Trump poised to pack the American law enforcement apparatus with loyalists who could implement an agenda of revenge on his behalf, some of his most prominent critics are bracing for possible impacts they may face.
Recently, Georgia Representative Barry Loudermilk used his perch atop a House Administration Subcommittee to issue a report that called for the incoming Trump justice department to investigate and prosecute former House January 6 committee vice-chair Liz Cheney for what he describes as “witness tampering” — in actuality the then-Wyoming congresswoman’s efforts to help ex-Mark Meadows aide Cassidy Hutchinson find new counsel after she was pressured to withhold information from the panel.
Trump has also called for the entirety of the now-defunct House panel to be jailed, and he has also routinely called for critics and political opponents to face criminal sanctions as well.
Andrew Feinberg reports from Washington, D.C.
Panamanian president dismisses Trump claims China controls Panama Canal
20:20
Oliver O'Connell
President José Raúl Mulino of Panama brushed off U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s baseless claim that Chinese soldiers are “operating the Panama Canal,” calling it “nonsense.”
In a Christmas Day message on Truth Social, Trump sarcastically wished a merry Christmas to “the wonderful soldiers of China, who are lovingly, but illegally, operating the Panama Canal” and “making certain that the United States puts in Billions of Dollars in ‘repair’ money, but will have absolutely nothing to say about anything.”
He then claimed the Panamanian government was “ripping off” the United States at the Panama Canal.
Ariana Baio reports on the Panamanian leader’s response.
Trump sides with Musk over H1-B visas in change of tune from previous administration
19:58
Oliver O'Connell
Donald Trump has sided with Elon Musk in the feud over H1-B skilled worker visas that has split the American political right over the past two days.
Speaking to The New York Post on Saturday, the president-elect said: “I’ve always liked the visas, I have always been in favor of the visas. That’s why we have them.”
He added: “I have many H-1B visas on my properties. I’ve been a believer in H-1B. I have used it many times. It’s a great program.”
In his first administration from 2017-2021, Trump restricted access to such visas and was critical of the program, calling it “very bad” for Americans.
While Trump-supporting tech leaders such as Musk have stressed that H1-B visas are critical to finding skilled workers, “America First” hardliners want a new Trump administration to impose tougher restrictions on immigration at all levels.
Musk vowed to go to “war” on the issue and told one critic to go “f*** yourself in the face.”
Sarah Palin is not happy with Musk’s endorsement of post including slur
19:40
Oliver O'Connell
Former Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin is not happy with Elon Musk’s apparent endorsement of a tweet that called Americans “re***ded” workers who can’t hold a candle to skilled foreign hires in Silicon Valley.
Musk was responding to a post — using a word widely considered a slur — explaining the difference between the “right right” (whom Trump claims to back) and the “tech right.”
Palin, who has a son with Down Syndrome, tweeted out a news item regarding the post and wrote: “Not cool. Do better.”
Palin has a son with Down Syndrome https://t.co/1pV7KneehS
— Eric Michael Garcia (@EricMGarcia) December 28, 2024
Nikki Haley reignites Ramaswamy feud after he bashes American work culture
19:20
Oliver O'Connell
Former UN ambassador Nikki Haley tore into her old rival Vivek Ramaswamy on Thursday, after the entrepreneur and Trump administration adviser wrote a lengthy takedown arguing mainstream U.S. culture doesn’t encourage science and technology excellence, leading companies to hire foreign-born and first-generation workers.
“There is nothing wrong with American workers or American culture,” Haley wrote in response on X. “All you have to do is look at the border and see how many want what we have. We should be investing and prioritizing in Americans, not foreign workers.”
The pair previously clashed when both were candidates during the 2024 Republican presidential primary.
Josh Marcus has the story.
As MAGA looks to end federal programs, more Americans believe healthcare is responsibility of government
18:50
Oliver O'Connell
The highest percentage of Americans in over a decade, 62 percent, now say that it’s the government’s job to make sure that all Americans have access to health care, according to a Gallup poll.
In 2013, during the rollout of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, that number was down to 42 percent. Back in 2006, it stood at 69 percent.
The annual Health and Healthcare survey was conducted between November 6 and 20. That same poll found that fewer Americans are rating U.S. healthcare coverage and quality in a positive way.
Gustaf Kilander reports.
Trump congratulates Florida lawmaker on decision to defect to Republican Party
18:35
Oliver O'Connell
Donald Trump has offered his congratulations to Florida lawmaker Hillary Cassel, the second Democratic state representative to switch party affiliation from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party.
A second Florida Democratic lawmaker has switched parties this month, further swelling the legislative Republican supermajority.
Rep. Hillary Cassel of Dania Beach, first elected to the state House in 2022, made the announcement on Tuesday afternoon.
"The decision was not made lightly but comes from a deep sense of responsibility to my constituents and my commitment to the values that guide my service," Cassel said in a social media post, less than two months after winning a reelection in which she ran unopposed.
In a move that drew blowback from Democrats, Tampa state Rep. Susan Valdés shared the same news earlier this month. Valdés said she'd felt "ignored" by her party.
The president-elect wrote on Truth Social today:
Congratulations to Hillary Cassel for becoming the second State Representative from the Great State of Florida to switch her Party affiliation from Democrat to Republican, once more expanding the GOP Supermajority in the State House! I would further like to invite other Disillusioned Democrats to switch Parties, and join us on this noble quest to Save our Country and, Make America Great Again - GREATER THAN EVER BEFORE. THANK YOU HILLARY!
Ramaswamy blames 90s sitcoms for tech companies hiring smarter immigrant workers
18:20
Oliver O'Connell
Vivek Ramaswamy, one of the leaders of the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative, blamed a series of 1990s TV sitcoms for what he saw as a decline in U.S. dynamism in science and technology, leading tech companies to hire more qualified foreign-born and first-generation workers over their mentally lazy American counterparts.
“A culture that celebrates the prom queen over the math olympiad champ, or the jock over the valedictorian, will not produce the best engineers,” he wrote in a post on X.
Josh Marcus reports.
Toy stores fear Trump’s proposed trade tariffs
18:00
Oliver O'Connell
The price of toys may soar if Donald Trump carries through on his vow to impose exorbitant international tariffs, leading to the closure of many independent retailers.
According to industry group The Toy Association, nearly 80 percent of U.S. toys are manufactured in China, one of the countries the President-elect has threatened to target with immediate charges on exports.
Mike Bedigan has the details.
Steve Bannon mocks ‘toddler’ Elon Musk after he tells X user to ‘f*** yourself’ over visa bust-up
17:40
Oliver O'Connell
Steve Bannon joined the MAGA immigration civil war with gusto on Friday, calling Elon Musk a “toddler,” and telling the owner of X to “bring it.”
As Musk doubled down on his support for H1-B work visas and criticism of American workers, Bannon posted on the social media platform Gettr: “Someone please notify ‘Child Protective Services’— need to do a ‘wellness check’ on this toddler.”
The former Trump adviser and War Room podcast host made the post in reaction to Musk telling a critic of his stance on immigration to “f*** yourself in the face.”
Read on...
Yellen warns Congress ‘extraordinary measures’ will be needed to stop US hitting debt limit
17:20
AP
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said her agency will need to start taking “extraordinary measures,” or special accounting maneuvers intended to prevent the nation from hitting the debt ceiling, as early as January 14, in a letter sent to congressional leaders Friday afternoon.
“Treasury expects to hit the statutory debt ceiling between January 14 and January 23,” Yellen wrote in a letter addressed to House and Senate leadership, at which point extraordinary measures would be used to prevent the government from breaching the nation’s debt ceiling — which has been suspended until Jan. 1, 2025.
The department has in the past deployed what are known as “extraordinary measures” or accounting maneuvers to keep the government operating. But once those measures run out the government risks defaulting on its debt unless lawmakers and the president agree to lift the limit on the U.S. government’s ability to borrow.
“I respectfully urge Congress to act to protect the full faith and credit of the United States,” she said.
Continue reading...
Trump claims victory over border wall ruling
17:18
Oliver O'Connell
Donald Trump is claiming victory after a judge ruled that the Biden administration must turn over purchasing records accounting for $1.4 billion Congress allocated to build a wall on the Mexico border, a federal judge in Texas said Friday.
The records will help track materials that Texas alleges the federal government auctioned off in violation of a court order, Bloomberg Law reports.
Judge Drew Tipton of the US District Court for the Southern District of Texas, a Trump appointee, demanded the records at the end of a virtual hearing that Texas requested to determine if the federal government had unlawfully gotten rid of wall materials in anticipation of Trump’s reelection.
The president-elect wrote on Truth Social:
BREAKING: In a major, crucial WIN for America, and our National Security, a Federal Judge in Texas, based on papers we filed just a few days ago, has PROHIBITED the Biden Administration from selling any materials designated for the Border Wall, that has been wrecked by Biden and his cronies, and which I am going to rebuild in order to protect our Country from violent migrant crime, fentanyl smuggling, sex trafficking, terror attacks, and other heinous, Nation ending disasters. The Judge has also ordered an investigation into the illegal selling of the materials, which will expose just how corrupt and anti-American Radical Democrats are. I am honored to be joined in this vital case by the Great States of Texas and Missouri, and applaud Judge Drew Tipton for doing the right thing for our Country. We have to protect our Borders, and Save America. MAGA!
ICYMI: Laura Loomer lays into Elon Musk and loses her blue check on X
17:06
Oliver O'Connell
Another volley has been fired in the ongoing MAGA civil war that’s been playing out online between hardcore “America First” acolytes and Trump-backing Silicon Valley oligarchs over an immigrant worker visa program — and now Elon Musk is being accused of personally punishing his critics.
Laura Loomer and other far-right activists who have railed against the X (formerly Twitter) owner and his DOGE co-chair Vivek Ramaswamy for supporting H-1B visas and criticizing American work culture allege that Musk removed their X verification badges and ability to monetize their accounts in an act of retribution.
Justin Barangoa reports.
Online debate over foreign workers in tech shows tensions in Trump’s political coalition
16:40
Oliver O'Connell
An online spat between factions of Donald Trump‘s supporters over immigration and the tech industry has thrown internal divisions in his political movement into public display, previewing the fissures and contradictory views his coalition could bring to the White House.
The rift laid bare the tensions between the newest flank of Trump’s movement — wealthy members of the tech world including billionaire Elon Musk and fellow entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and their call for more highly skilled workers in their industry — and people in Trump’s Make America Great Again base who championed his hardline immigration policies.
Read on...
Supply chain ‘freak out’ over Trump tariff threats
16:20
Oliver O'Connell
President-elect Donald Trump’s continuing threats of massive tariffs are sparking global supply chain concerns as both American and European companies are frontloading orders and considering raising prices while Chinese factories look for buyers outside of the U.S.
Businesses across the world are pushing out orders ahead of Trump’s inauguration January 20, choosing not to wait to see which products or countries will be on the list of targets in Trump’s expected trade war.
The president-elect’s threat of universal tariffs has set off a scramble to get orders out that’s creating bottlenecks and higher costs.
Gustaf Kilander reports.
Trump asks Supreme Court to block TikTok ban
16:00
Oliver O'Connell
Donald Trump is asking the Supreme Court to block a federal law’s imminent ban on TikTok in the United States if the popular app’s Chinese parent company doesn’t sell it by next month’s deadline.
The nation’s highest court will hear arguments in the case on January 10.
Alex Woodward has the details.
What’s in store for Trump and Putin in 2025? Here’s what Peruvian shamans believe...
15:40
Oliver O'Connell
Bannon calls Musk ‘toddler’, tells tech mogul to ‘bring it’ in war over H1-B visas
15:31
Oliver O'Connell
Steve Bannon has some thoughts on Elon Musk’s stance on H1-B visas. The War Room podcast host wrote on Gettr:
Someone please notify ‘Child Protective Services’— need to do a ‘wellness check’ on this toddler
ICYMI - Bannon called Elon a “toddler” over his H-1B Visa war declaration pic.twitter.com/fRH7HWU1VA
— The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) December 28, 2024
In other posts, he wrote:
American Jobs for American Workers : H1B Visas are a TOOL of the Tech Oligarchs to Keep Wages Down While Destroying the Spirit of American Citizens ….
And:
American Citizens Have Never Bent the Knee—to the British Empire , the Bolsheviks, the Nazis —Ain’t About to Start with South Africa….
At one point, Musk wrote on Twitter:
America rose to greatness over the past 150 years, because it was a meritocracy more than anywhere else on Earth.
I will fight to my last drop of blood to ensure that it remains that land of freedom and opportunity.
Bannon replied: “Bring.It.Dude—All of It.”
Musk says ‘hateful unrepentant racists’ must be removed from GOP
15:20
Oliver O'Connell
Elon Musk has declared that “hateful, unrepentant racists” should be removed from the Republican Party “root and stem” as the in-party feud over H-1B visas intensifies.
Conversations around H-1B visas have divided Donald Trump’s party, with his Department of Government Efficiency heads Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy on one side and other allies like Laura Loomer on the other. The Space X founder escalated the feud on Friday night when he called for some “contemptible fools” in the GOP to be removed.
Musk made the statement in response to a post on X by Neera Tanden, President Joe Biden’s director of the U.S. Domestic Policy Council.
Kelly Rissman reports.
Man accused of attacking TV reporter and yelling ‘This is Trump’s America now’
15:00
AP
A Colorado man is facing possible bias-motivated charges for allegedly attacking a television news reporter after demanding to know whether he was a citizen, saying “This is Trump’s America now,” according to court documents.
Patrick Thomas Egan, 39, was arrested Dec. 18 in Grand Junction, Colorado, after police say he followed KKCO/KJCT reporter Ja’Ronn Alex’s vehicle for around 40 miles (64 kilometers) from the Delta area. Alex told police that he believed he had been followed and attacked because he is Pacific Islander.
Continue reading...
Trump shares bizarre Truth Social post claiming Bill Gates asked to come to Mar-a-Lago
14:49
Oliver O'Connell
As tensions flare between Elon Musk and Trump’s MAGA allies, President-elect Donald Trump posted what appeared to be a personal message to Musk on Truth Social, claiming that fellow billionaire Bill Gates asked to come to Mar-a-Lago.
In an early morning post on Friday, Trump suggested the Microsoft co-founder had asked to come to Mar-a-Lago. The 78-year-old Republican encouraged him to visit.
Kelly Rissman has the story.
Trump attacks Democrats over Beyoncé, Oprah, Rev Al campaign appearances
14:44
Oliver O'Connell
Perhaps in an attempt to change the subject as the MAGA visa rift continues, here’s what Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social this morning:
Are the Democrats allowed to pay $11,000,000, $2,000,000, and $500,000 to get the ENDORSEMENT of Beyoncé, Oprah, and Reverend Al? I don’t think so! Beyoncé didn’t sing, Oprah didn’t do much of anything (she called it “expenses”), and Al is just a third rate Con Man. So what is going on here??? Totally against the law, and I have heard there are many others!!!
Rift over H1-B visas escalates with Musk saying he will ‘go to war on this issue'
14:23
Oliver O'Connell
The MAGA rift over H1-B visas continued apace overnight with this memorable retort from Elon Musk when criticized on X about his support for the skilled worker program.
The reason I’m in America along with so many critical people who built SpaceX, Tesla and hundreds of other companies that made America strong is because of H1B.
Take a big step back and F*** YOURSELF in the face. I will go to war on this issue the likes of which you cannot possibly comprehend.
It doesn’t sound like this issue is going away. Donald Trump takes office in 23 days.
The reason I’m in America along with so many critical people who built SpaceX, Tesla and hundreds of other companies that made America strong is because of H1B.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 28, 2024
Take a big step back and FUCK YOURSELF in the face. I will go to war on this issue the likes of which you cannot…
U.S. homelessness crisis surges to record levels alongside rising rents and immigration
14:00
Alex Woodward
More people experienced homelessness in the United States in 2024 than at any other point within the last two decades since the federal government began tracking the crisis.
Nearly 772,000 people were experiencing homelessness across the country on a single night, marking an increase of more than 18 percent from 2023, according to an annual point-in-time survey from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The crisis has been fueled by the compounded effects of a lack of affordable housing, inflation, stagnant wages, high costs of living, discrimination, natural disasters, public health crises and safety nets that fail to meet rising demands for support, according to the report.
Read more:
Shark Tank star says there’s ‘something great’ about Trump wanting to make Canada the 51st state
13:00
Justin Baragona
Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary praised President-elect Donald Trump’s continued fascination with annexing Canada as an American state, saying there was “something great” about it because it would form “the most powerful country on earth.”
Having spent the past few weeks taunting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau by offering to make him a “governor” of “the 51st state,” the incoming president upped the ante with a Christmas message to the United States’ neighbor to the north. Besides recommending that hockey great Wayne Gretzky run to be “the Governor of Canada,” Trump also claimed that Canadians’ taxes would massively drop if they joined the American union.
“But if Canada was to become our 51st state, their taxes would be cut by more than 60 percent,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. “Their businesses would immediately double in size and they would be militarily protected like no other country anywhere in the world.”
Read more:
Joe Rogan convinced that Trump knows ‘something’ about UFOs - but won’t say what
12:00
Ariana Baio
Podcast host Joe Rogan said he believes that current and past presidents, such as President-elect Donald Trump, know “something” about extraterrestrial life but won’t reveal what it it.
Rogan told filmmaker James Fox, whose documentaries often focus on unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), that he caught that feeling after asking Trump about it.
“When I confronted Mr. Trump, he was very cagey,” Rogan said on Tuesday’s episode of The Joe Rogan Experience. “Very cagey.”
Read more:
MAGA civil war ramps up as Trump ally Laura Loomer lays into Elon Musk — and loses her blue check
11:00
Gustaf.Kilander
Another volley has been fired in the ongoing MAGA civil war that’s been playing out online between hardcore “America First” acolytes and Trump-backing Silicon Valley oligarchs over an immigrant worker visa program — and now Elon Musk is being accused of personally punishing his critics.
Laura Loomer and other far-right activists who have railed against the X (formerly Twitter) owner and his DOGE co-chair Vivek Ramaswamy for supporting H-1B visas and criticizing American work culture allege that Musk removed their X verification badges and ability to monetize their accounts in an act of retribution.
“[Musk] has removed my blue check mark on X because I dared to question his support for H1B visas, the replacement of American tech workers by Indian immigrants, and I questioned his relationship with China,” Loomer posted on Thursday night.
Read more:
