Donald Trump and Elon Musk have lashed out after House Speaker Mike Johnson’s Plan B congressional spending bill, drafted at their insistence to include a suspension of the debt limit and remove a number of concessions to Democrats, was comprehensively defeated in the House of Representatives on Thursday night by 235 votes to 174.
The result is a major embarrassment for the incoming president and the GOP that leaves the US government once more hurtling towards a shutdown unless an alternative can be agreed by midnight tonight.
The president-elect responded by complaining in a statement: “Nearly every single House Democrat just voted against government funding and to shut down the government.
“These 197 Democrats voted against keeping the government open, disaster relief, and aid for farmers.”
Musk likewise blamed House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries for “rejecting a fair & simple spending bill that is desperately needed by states suffering from hurricane damage!”
Despite their efforts to spread the blame, no fewer than 38 Republicans also refused to back the bill, which sends a frustrated Speaker Johnson back to the drawing board once again with the clock ticking and a bipartisan deal still needed to avert Christmas chaos.
Key Points
- Donald Trump, Elon Musk blame Democrats for tanking spending bill despite 38 Republicans rebelling
- Trump continues to insist on debt ceiling removal despite House defeat
- Elon blows up Congress – and the illusion of Mike Johnson’s power
- Team Trump slaps back at claims Musk is running the show
- Democrat tells Republicans: ‘Put on your big boy pants’
Analysis: Elon blows up Congress – and the illusion of Mike Johnson’s power
09:40
Joe Sommerlad
An agreement was struck. Washington was ready to leave for the holidays having come together on a plan to fund the government and avert a shutdown – albeit with some grumbling on the MAGA right.
But then Elon Musk jumped in.
Here’s John Bowden and Andrew Feinberg on another fine mess the unelected billionaire has gotten the GOP into.
Trump continues to insist on debt ceiling removal despite House defeat
09:20
Joe Sommerlad
These are the latest Truth Social posts from the president-elect, which find him not addressing his defeat directly but digging in his heels nonetheless – and also ramping up his tariff threats against America’s friends and neighbours, perhaps hoping to fund the federal government that way.
Congress must get rid of, or extend out to, perhaps, 2029, the ridiculous Debt Ceiling. Without this, we should never make a deal. Remember, the pressure is on whoever is President.
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) December 20, 2024
Donald Trump Truth Social 01:16 AM EST 12/20/24
I told the European Union that they must make up their tremendous deficit with the United States by the large scale purchase of our oil and gas. Otherwise, it is TARIFFS all the way!!!
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) December 20, 2024
Donald Trump Truth Social 01:09 AM EST 12/20/24
All of which is a long way from yesterday’s triumphalism before the vote, which prematurely hailed: “SUCCESS in Washington!”
SUCCESS in Washington!
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) December 19, 2024
Speaker Mike Johnson and the House have come to a very good Deal for the American People. The newly agreed to American Relief Act of 2024 will keep the Government open, fund our Great Farmers and others, and provide relief for those severely impacted by…
Trump, Musk blame Democrats for tanking spending bill despite 38 Republicans voting against it
08:55
Joe Sommerlad
Good morning!
Donald Trump and Elon Musk have lashed out after House Speaker Mike Johnson’s Plan B congressional spending bill, drafted at their insistence to include a suspension of the debt limit and remove a number of concessions to Democrats, was comprehensively defeated in the House of Representatives last night by 235 votes against to 174 for.
The result is a major embarrassment for the GOP and the incoming president that leaves the US government once more hurtling towards a shutdown unless an alternative can be agreed by midnight tonight.
This is what the president-elect had to say in a statement in response:
“Nearly every single House Democrat just voted against government funding and to shut down the government.
“These 197 Democrats voted against keeping the government open, disaster relief, and aid for farmers.
“As Vice President-elect JD Vance said, Democrats ‘asked for a shutdown and I think that’s exactly what they’re going to get.’”
Elon, the great disrupter, lashed out on X along similar lines:
Shame on @RepJeffries for rejecting a fair & simple spending bill that is desperately needed by states suffering from hurricane damage! https://t.co/TKq65oKdCw
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 20, 2024
None of that is true, however, as Trump and Musk’s bullying tactics also failed to convince no fewer than 38 Republicans.
This was the immediate reaction from Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries:
Mike Johnson says don't be fooled by Republicans wanting to increase the debt limit -- they're serious about cutting spending and fiscal responsibility pic.twitter.com/ZGDwFuks4g
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 19, 2024
Jeffries: It's been interesting to me that for decades the Republican party has lectured America about fiscal responsibility, about the debt and the deficit. It's always been phony. This bill proves it. pic.twitter.com/Gpyyi2QNuu
— Acyn (@Acyn) December 19, 2024
Here’s a full report from Alex Woodward and Eric Garcia.
WATCH: Fani Willis removed from Trump election case
07:00
Graig Graziosi
Speaker Johnson ‘faces challengers’ in new year as anger grows in GOP over stop-gap bill
06:00
Graig Graziosi
Mike Johnson could be challenged for the speaker’s chair in the new year as Republican critics draw up a list of potential replacements, according to reports.
Some rebels in his party are angry at his handling of the stop-gap bill to fund the federal government through March 14, dubbed a “dumpster fire” by some Republicans.
The bipartisan deal was struck on Tuesday evening and lawmakers have until Friday to approve new spending.
READ MORE
Elon Musk sees massive spike on Polymarket to be the next House speaker after lawmakers float idea
04:59
Graig Graziosi
Billionaire Elon Musk saw a sharp 10 percent increase in his odds of being Speaker of the House on Polymarket, the crypto-based betting platform, after several lawmakers suggested him for the job.
Musk, who has quickly ascended as a close ally of Donald Trump, proved just how powerful political influence is this week when he managed to convince Republicans in Congress to oppose the bipartisan spending bill that, if passed, will prevent the government from shutting down.
Wielding his influence on the social media platform he owns, X, Musk sent out more than 150 posts urging Republicans to break from the bill backed by the current Speaker of the House Mike Johnson.
READ MORE:
Vladimir Putin: Russia is ready to compromise with Trump on Ukraine war
04:00
Graig Graziosi
During boasts about Russia’s military achievements in his annual marathon televised news conference, Vladimir Putin says he is ready to compromise over Ukraine in possible talks on ending his war and has no conditions for starting discussions.
The Russian president told one reporter he was ready to meet Donald Trump, who he said he had not spoken to for years.
The US president-elect has vowed to swiftly end the Ukraine war, without giving any details on how he might achieve that.
READ MORE:
Keir Starmer hits out at ‘dangers’ of tariffs in warning to Donald Trump
03:00
Graig Graziosi
Sir Keir Starmer has hit out at the “dangers” of tariffs, putting the prime minister on a collision course with incoming US president Donald Trump.
The Labour leader said he was “not a fan” as he was grilled by MPs on the Commons Liaison Committee about how he plans to deal with the next occupant of the White House.
Experts have warned of a looming trade war after Mr Trump himself said: “Tariff is my favourite word.”
READ MORE:
Speaker Mike Johnson says House vote is ‘very disappointing’
02:45
Rhian Lubin
Speaker Mike Johnson blamed Democrats for the failed House vote said Republican leaders will find another way through.
“We will re-group and we will come up with another solution. So stay tuned,” Johnson told reporters tonight.
It’s very disappointing to us that all but two Democrats voted against aid to farmers and ranchers, against disaster relief, against all these bipartisan measures that had already been negotiated and decided upon.”
Trump celebrated the deal just hours ago
01:45
Rhian Lubin
Donald Trump celebrated the deal just a few hours ago.
Read his Truth Social post in full.
JD Vance blasts Democrats for voting against the deal
01:30
Rhian Lubin
JD Vance blasted Democrats after the House failed to avoid a government shutdown tonight, CNN reports.
“The Democrats just voted to shutdown the government even though we had a clean CR (continuing resolution), because they didn’t want to give the president negotiating leverage during his first term — the first year of his new term,” Vance said, according to CNN. “And number two because they would rather shut down the government and fight for global censorship b******t, they’ve asked for a shutdown and I think that’s exactly what they’re going to get.”
The network reported that Vance did not respond when asked about the 38 Republicans who also voted against the bill.
Lawmakers regroup after House rejects Trump-backed plan on shutdown
01:15
Rhian Lubin, AP
Minutes after Republicans’ plan to avert a shutdown and raise the debt ceiling failed in the House, congressional leaders regrouped to consider what to do next.
Rep. Steve Scalise, the House Republican leader, said they wouldn’t try to bring the bill back to the floor.
Meanwhile Rep. Chip Roy, who spearheaded Republican opposition to the bill, was defiant outside the chamber.“I’m ambitious to make sure that we actually cut spending. I’m ambitious to do what we said we would do,” he told reporters.
On the opposite side of the Capitol, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, said: “It’s a good thing the bill failed in the House, now it’s time to go back to the bipartisan agreement we came to.”
Elon Musk reacts to failed House vote
00:50
Rhian Lubin
Elon Musk has reacted to the failed House vote tonight, blasting House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Shame on @RepJeffries for rejecting a fair & simple spending bill that is desperately needed by states suffering from hurricane damage! https://t.co/TKq65oKdCw
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 20, 2024
Democrats tank ‘laughable’ Trump-approved spending deal
00:40
Eric Garcia
News of a newly hashed-out deal arrived one day after the world’s wealthiest person and the incoming president commanded members of Congress to reject a bipartisan stop-gap funding bill as lawmakers prepared to vote.
“It’s not serious, it’s laughable. Extreme MAGA Republicans are steering us towards a government shutdown,” Democratic House leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters Thursday of the Trump-backed deal.
“It’s an absolute slap in the face,” Democratic congresswoman Jill Tokuda told The Independent. “It’s disgusting that they would try to use this as a tool to increase the debt limit for two years, which we know will ultimately result in tax credits for the uber wealthy on the backs of our working people.”
Read more below.
Vote is a setback for Trump and Musk
00:30
AP
The House rejected Trump’s new plan to fund federal operations and suspend the debt ceiling a day before a government shutdown.
Democrats refused to accommodate his sudden demands and the quick fix cobbled together by Republican leaders.
In a hastily convened evening vote punctuated by angry outbursts over the self-made crisis, the lawmakers failed to reach the two-thirds threshold needed for passage — but House Speaker Mike Johnson appeared determined to try again before Friday’s midnight deadline.
“We’re going to do the right thing here,” Johnson said ahead of the vote. But he didn’t even get a majority, with the bill failing 174-235.
The outcome proved a massive setback for Trump and his billionaire ally, Elon Musk, who rampaged against Johnson’s bipartisan compromise, which Republicans and Democrats had reached earlier to prevent a Christmastime government shutdown.
BREAKING: Trump-backed spending bill fails in the House
00:11
Reuters
A Donald Trump-backed spending bill has failed in the House vote tonight, which leaves Congress with no clear plan to avert a government shutdown that could bring chaos before Christmas.
By a vote of 174-235, the House rejected the spending package, which was hastily assembled by Republican leaders after Trump and billionaire Elon Musk scuttled a prior bipartisan deal, Reuters reports.
Government funding is due to expire at midnight on Friday.
Trump campaign bosses say Biden calling Trump supporters ‘garbage’ saved president-elect after Madison Square Garden fiasco
00:00
Graig Graziosi
President-elect Donald Trump’s co-campaign manager Chris LaCivita and chief pollster Tony Fabrizio sat for an interview with Politico and revealed what they believed helped Trump secure victory in the 2024 election.
Fabrizo said Trump was unhappy with some of the speakers at his Madison Square Garden rally — a rally during which a right-wing podcaster called Puerto Rico a floating island of garbage and made other disparaging remarks about latinos and Jewish people — but that Joe Biden insulting Trump supporters after the event “saved” the campaign from an extended negative news cycle.
“The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters. His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American. It’s totally contrary to everything we’ve done, everything we’ve been,” Biden said after the rally.
Elsewhere in the interview, LaCivita said he does not believe that the impact of the visual of Trump after the Butler, Pennsylvania assassination attempt has been fully appreciated.
He said the visual of Trump, bleeding, with his fist in the air after the shooting conveyed that “Americans get knocked down, but they always fight back.”
“And that visual is as quintessential America as the f****** flag is,” he said.
Nancy Pelosi calles Elon Musk ‘puppet president’ in rebuttal to Republican spending bill
Thursday 19 December 2024 23:16
Graig Graziosi
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi blamed ‘puppet president’ Elon Musk and President-elect Donald Trump for breaking down a bipartisan agreement on a spending bill that would have funded the government through March.
“Elon Musk ordered his puppet President-elect and House Republicans to break the bipartisan agreement reached to keep government open,” she wrote in a post on X. “House Republicans are abdicating their responsibility to the American people and siding with billionaires and special interests.”
Elon Musk ordered his puppet President-elect and House Republicans to break the bipartisan agreement reached to keep government open.
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) December 19, 2024
House Republicans are abdicating their responsibility to the American people and siding with billionaires and special interests.
Kentucky attorney general finds no requirement to use tax dollars to pay for inmate gender surgeries
Thursday 19 December 2024 23:00
Graig Graziosi
Kentucky is under no legal requirement to use taxpayer money to cover the costs of gender-affirming surgeries for people incarcerated in state prisons, Attorney General Russell Coleman said Thursday.
The state’s corrections department requested the opinion from the state’s Republican attorney general as the agency amends its administrative regulations regarding medical care for people in prison.
Coleman was asked whether the constitutional prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment means the department is required to pay for gender-affirming surgeries for transgender people in prison when the procedure is deemed “medical necessary” by medical professionals.
READ MORE:
Kentucky attorney general finds no requirement to use tax dollars to pay for inmate gender surgeries
WATCH: Hakeem Jeffries slams ‘laughable’ spending bill from Trump and Musk
Thursday 19 December 2024 22:50
Graig Graziosi
Protections for rural internet customers and hotel customers stripped from Republican spending bill
Thursday 19 December 2024 22:45
Graig Graziosi
Congressional leaders will vote on a Republican spending bill this evening that would fund the government through March. The bill has removed provisions from previous spending proposals, including the Rural Broadband Protection Act — which is meant to protect internet customers in rural areas from high fees — and the Hotel Fees Transparency Act, which protects consumers from hidden hotel fees. The cuts were reported by MSNBC’s Sam Stein.
good news for those who like hidden hotel fees. the revised bill removed the HOTEL FEES TRANSPARENCY ACT
— Sam Stein (@samstein) December 19, 2024
Vote on government spending bill scheduled for this evening
Thursday 19 December 2024 22:37
Graig Graziosi
The House has been in recess since 9:15am this morning, but has reconvened to vote on a Republican-led funding bill that would keep the government operating until March, push back the debt ceiling deadline for two years, and remove several provisions from previous spending proposals.
The vote is expected sometime during the 6:00pm EST hour.
President-elect Donald Trump celebrated the deal earlier on Thursday, but it’s unclear if Democrats are willing to back the agreement.
Vladimir Putin: Russia is ready to compromise with Trump on Ukraine war
Thursday 19 December 2024 22:30
Graig Graziosi
During boasts about Russia’s military achievements in his annual marathon televised news conference, Vladimir Putin says he is ready to compromise over Ukraine in possible talks on ending his war and has no conditions for starting discussions.
The Russian president told one reporter he was ready to meet Donald Trump, who he said he had not spoken to for years.
The US president-elect has vowed to swiftly end the Ukraine war, without giving any details on how he might achieve that.
READ MORE:
Funding for breast cancer detection, sickle cell treatment, and anti-deepfake porn legislation cut from Republican spending bill
Thursday 19 December 2024 22:23
Graig Graziosi
According to MSNBC’s Sam Stein, several provisions from previous proposed government funding bills have been stripped from a Republican deal that is expected to go to a vote on Thursday.
The provisions stripped from the deal include an anti-deepfake porn bill, funding for research on premature labor, funding for sickle cell disease treatment, funding for breast and cervical cancer early detection, and a program for Down Syndrome research.
Others provisions stripped from the funding agreement
— Sam Stein (@samstein) December 19, 2024
* An anti deepfake porn bill
* Funding for research on premature labor
* $ for treatment of sickle cell disease
* $ for breast and cervical cancer early detection
* a program for down syndrome research
They're now gone.
Senator Elizabeth Warren calls Republican spending proposal ‘terrible deal'
Thursday 19 December 2024 22:15
Graig Graziosi
Senator Elizabeth Warren weighed in on a reported Republican spending deal that would fund the government through March but also push the debt ceiling deadline back by two years.
She said in a post on X that the deal was “terrible,” just hours before a vote is expected to be called on the agreement.
A two-year increase in the debt limit to grease the wheels for Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans' tax handouts for billionaires is a terrible deal. https://t.co/1sfiSQQr1M
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) December 19, 2024
Elon Musk sees massive spike on Polymarket to be the next House speaker after lawmakers float idea
Thursday 19 December 2024 22:06
Graig Graziosi
Billionaire Elon Musk saw a sharp 10 percent increase in his odds of being Speaker of the House on Polymarket, the crypto-based betting platform, after several lawmakers suggested him for the job.
Musk, who has quickly ascended as a close ally of Donald Trump, proved just how powerful political influence is this week when he managed to convince Republicans in Congress to oppose the bipartisan spending bill that, if passed, will prevent the government from shutting down.
Wielding his influence on the social media platform he owns, X, Musk sent out more than 150 posts urging Republicans to break from the bill backed by the current Speaker of the House Mike Johnson.
READ MORE:
Watch: Vladimir Putin says he is ‘ready’ to meet with Donald Trump
Thursday 19 December 2024 22:00
Gustaf Kilander
Democratic House Rep Hakeem Jeffries calls Republican spending plan ‘laughable'
Thursday 19 December 2024 21:54
Graig Graziosi
Democratic Congressman Hakeem Jeffries has called a new Republican-led funding deal that would keep the government open until March and push the debt ceiling back by two years “laughable,” according to a report.
According to ABC News’s Jay O’Brien, Jeffries referred to the agreement as the “Trump/Musk/Johnson proposal.”
Trump celebrated the agreement earlier on Thursday in a Truth Social post, but Democrats have not agreed to support the new deal.
.@RepJeffries just called Speaker Johnson’s new funding plan “laughable.”
— Jay O'Brien (@jayobtv) December 19, 2024
Called it the “Trump/Musk/Johnson proposal.”@marykbruce now hearing chants of “hell no” coming from a closed door House Dem meeting.
Republicans would almost certainly need Dem votes to pass this.
A vote on the deal is expected tonight.
House Democrats reportedly meeting to discuss new Republican spending deal
Thursday 19 December 2024 21:43
Graig Graziosi
House Democrats are scrambling to respond to a new Republican deal that aims to fund the government through March, but which will also push the debt ceiling deadline back until January 2027 — a move Donald Trump demanded from House Speaker Mike Johnson.
According to a recent Axios report, Democrats met Thursday afternoon to discuss the deal, which is expected to go a vote later this evening.
A senior House Democrat reportedly told Axios that they believe the party will ultimately back the Republican’s proposed deal.
“Honestly, if they put what they are proposing right now on the floor three weeks ago, it would’ve gotten a lot of votes,” the source reportedly said.
Elon Musk posts racist images of Elizabeth Warren
Thursday 19 December 2024 21:30
Gustaf Kilander
Elon Musk posted racist images of Elizabeth Warren after the Massachusetts senator called for President-elect Donald Trump to hold the billionaire to the ethics standards set for government officials.
Musk took to X Tuesday to post images that seemingly had been generated by artificial intelligence to make Warren appear in Native American attire. DNA results from 2018 showed that Warren likely has a Native American ancestor but that the overwhelming majority of her heritage is European.
One of the images showed Warren wearing a beaded headdress with bird feathers and a buckskin shirt with a leather fringe. Several other posts showed Warren in Native American attire while eating cake and smiling at the viewer.
Read more:
Trump approves newest Republican spending deal — but Democrats have yet to weigh in
Thursday 19 December 2024 21:29
Graig Graziosi
House Republicans have struck a deal on a short-term funding bill 24 hours after Elon Musk and Donald Trump derailed a resolution and steered the government into a shutdown the weekend before Christmas.
A newly hashed-out deal arrived Thursday after the world’s wealthiest person and the incoming president commanded members of Congress to reject the bipartisan, months-in-the-making stopgap funding bill as lawmakers prepared to vote.
Following news of the deal, Trump hailed “SUCCESS” in Washington, D.C., and called on lawmakers to vote in support “tonight.”
READ MORE:
Trump celebrates funding deal, but report says Dems haven’t agreed to anything
Thursday 19 December 2024 21:17
Graig Graziosi
Donald Trump celebrated a “very good Deal for the American people,” and announced on Truth Social that Congress has come to an agreement on the American Relief Act of 2024, which will fund the government and provide emergency hurricane relief for areas of the country affected by storms earlier this year.
Trump was also pleased that the debt ceiling deadline will be pushed back by two years — to January 30, 2027 — as part of the deal.
“A VERY important piece, VITAL to the America First Agenda, was added as well - The date of the very unnecessary Debt Ceiling will be pushed out two years, to January 30, 2027. Now we can Make America Great Again, very quickly, which is what the People gave us a mandate to accomplish,” Trump wrote.
Despite Trump’s celebration, it seems as though Democrats may not have been aware such a deal was struck.
Axios’s Stephan Neukam wrote in a post on X that sources familiar with the Democrat’s stance on the deal “have been left in the dark,” and that any deal that was struck was between House Republicans.
Can't emphasize enough that whatever "deal" has been reached within House Republicans is strictly between House Republicans.
— Stephen Neukam (@stephen_neukam) December 19, 2024
Dems, especially in Senate, have been in the dark, per sources. These were not bipartisan discussions.
Republicans ‘concerned’ about Musk’s influence over Trump, reporter says
Thursday 19 December 2024 21:00
Gustaf Kilander
Maggie Haberman Says Republican Sources 'Concerned' About Elon Musk's Influence Over Trump https://t.co/xjs8n5xGcq via @mediaite pic.twitter.com/4bKjGFShn8
— Tommy moderna-vaX-Topher (@tommyxtopher) December 19, 2024
Trump campaign bosses say Biden calling Trump supporters ‘garbage’ saved president-elect after Madison Square Garden fiasco
Thursday 19 December 2024 20:37
Graig Graziosi
President-elect Donald Trump’s co-campaign manager Chris LaCivita and chief pollster Tony Fabrizio sat for an interview with Politico and revealed what they believed helped Trump secure victory in the 2024 election.
Fabrizo said Trump was unhappy with some of the speakers at his Madison Square Garden rally — a rally during which a right-wing podcaster called Puerto Rico a floating island of garbage and made other disparaging remarks about latinos and Jewish people — but that Joe Biden insulting Trump supporters after the event “saved” the campaign from an extended negative news cycle.
“The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters. His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American. It’s totally contrary to everything we’ve done, everything we’ve been,” Biden said after the rally.
Elsewhere in the interview, LaCivita said he does not believe that the impact of the visual of Trump after the Butler, Pennsylvania assassination attempt has been fully appreciated.
He said the visual of Trump, bleeding, with his fist in the air after the shooting conveyed that “Americans get knocked down, but they always fight back.”
“And that visual is as quintessential America as the f****** flag is,” he said.
Biden takes part in MeidasTouch interview
Thursday 19 December 2024 20:30
Gustaf Kilander
President Joe Biden took part in an interview with MeidasTouch, recorded on December 16:
ICE says deportations at highest level since 2014
Thursday 19 December 2024 20:15
Graig Graziosi
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement released a new report showing that deportations are at their higest level since 2014.
According to the report, ICE deported 271,484 immigrants to nearly 200 countries in the last fiscal year, making 2024 the year with the highest number of deportations in the last decade.
The report covered a time period of October 1, 2023 through September 30, 2024.
UK PM hits out at ‘dangers’ of tariffs in warning to Donald Trump
Thursday 19 December 2024 20:00
Oliver O'Connell
Sir Keir Starmer has hit out at the “dangers” of tariffs, putting the prime minister on a collision course with incoming US president Donald Trump.
The prime minister said he was “not a fan” as he was grilled by MPs on the Commons Liaison Committee about how he plans to deal with the next occupant of the White House.
Experts have warned of a looming trade war after Mr Trump himself said: “Tariff is my favourite word.”
Kate Devlin, The Independent’s Whitehall editor, filed this report today:
Trump lashes out at Texas Republican Congressman Chip Roy for opposing government shutdown
Thursday 19 December 2024 20:00
Graig Graziosi
President-elect Donald Trump has lashed out at a Texas Congressman — and a fellow Republican — who is opposing GOP efforts to force a government shutdown.
“The very unpopular “Congressman” from Texas, Chip Roy, is getting in the way, as usual, of having yet another Great Republican Victory - All for the sake of some cheap publicity for himself,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Republican obstructionists have to be done away with.”
Ray Epps, Trump supporter who sued Fox News for defamation, will sue again after first suit dismissed
Thursday 19 December 2024 19:50
Graig Graziosi
Ray Epps, the Trump supporter who became the center of a right-wing conspiracy theory accusing him of being a federal plant meant to incite Trump loyalists to violence, appears to be planning to sue Fox News again for defamation.
Epps’ first lawsuit, filed in 2023, accused Fox News of defaming him by allegedly spreading the conspiracy theory on its network. His case was dismissed earlier this year for “failure to state a claim.”
Fox News celebrated the ruling at the time.
“Following the dismissals of the Jankowicz, Bobulinski, and now Epps cases, FOX News is pleased with these back-to-back decisions from federal courts preserving the press freedoms of the First Amendment,” Fox News said in a statement
Now it appears Epps is planning to file an amended complaint to push the issue. Fox News’s attorneys plan to petition for the case to be dismissed, arguing that the amendments “fail to cure the defects the Court identified in the original complaint.”
Giuliani ordered back to court to explain why he hasn’t turned over assets to defamed election workers
Thursday 19 December 2024 19:30
Oliver O'Connell
A federal judge in Manhattan is hauling Rudy Giuliani back to court to explain why he shouldn’t be held in contempt for repeatedly evading court-ordered attempts to relinquish property to a pair of election workers he owes nearly $150 million.
Attorneys for defamed election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss say the former New York City mayor “has not turned over a single dollar,” nor has he turned over a “number of specific items of personal property that he has been unambiguously ordered” to hand over — including the title to Mercedes Benz convertible, keys to his Manhattan penthouse, valuable sports memorabilia and home furnishings.
“It is unclear at this point even where those possessions are located,” they wrote in court filings on Wednesday.
Alex Woodward has the full story.
Hegseth says he hasn’t heard from West Point since admission letter ‘mistake’ – and he wants an apology
Thursday 19 December 2024 19:30
Graig Graziosi
Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary nominee, said he has not received a personal apology from the U.S. Military Academy West Point after they mistakenly claimed Hegseth had never applied or attended the school.
Though the military academy issued a statement to news outlets apologizing for the mishap last week, Hegseth told Fox News on Tuesday, “I haven’t heard from West Point.”
“Nothing,” Hegseth added.
Last week, Jesse Eisinger, an editor at the news outlet ProPublica said they were planning to report that Hegseth had never applied to West Point, despite saying so, because the military academy affirmed to the outlet twice they had no record of this.
READ MORE:
Possible vote tonight on government funding plan
Thursday 19 December 2024 19:01
Gustaf Kilander
We’re hearing there could be a floor vote in the House TONIGHT on a government funding plan. Big desire by leadership to get this over with as soon as possible. But it’s still unclear what, exactly, they will be voting on.
— Melanie Zanona (@MZanona) December 19, 2024
Trump meets with Bezos and Musk in latest meeting with billionaires visiting Mar-a-Lago
Thursday 19 December 2024 19:00
Oliver O'Connell
President-elect Donald Trump dined with fellow billionaires Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk at Mar-a-Lago Wednesday night - as the Amazo founder became the latest billionaire to visit Mar-a-Lago.
Bezos, who also owns The Washington Post, has been appearing to attempt to end his feud with Trump, including by pulling the paper’s expected endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris before the election.
The former CEO of Amazon was seen at the president-elect’s private Florida club in images shared across social media on Wednesday. He was joined by his fiancé Lauren Sanchez.
Gustaf Kilander has the story.
