Trump Warns Liz Cheney Over Jan. 6 Investigation; Matt Gaetz's ethics report will be published after a secret vote: live

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The results of an ethics investigation into former Congressman Matt Gaetz will be made public after a secret vote to share the report in the final days of 2024.

Members of the House Ethics Committee voted again earlier this month, reversing a decision to suspend the findings of a long-running investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct and drug use.

The report is expected to be released as lawmakers prepare to leave Washington for the holidays, CNN reported. Gaetz, 42, responded on X, arguing that his actions in his 30s were not criminal and that he now lives a different life.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump claimed former Republican congresswoman Liz Cheney could be in a lot of trouble after a House Republican subcommittee called for her to be investigated by the Justice Department on his leadership of the panel that examined the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot, accusing him of witness tampering in collusion with Cassidy Hutchinson over her testimony.

The president-elect posted the taunt on Truth Social, thanking Congressman Barry Loudermilk, who led the subcommittee and produced the interim report, for a job well done.

Cheney herself has previously denied Loudermilks' report, calling it a malicious and cowardly attack on the truth.

British Prime Minister and Trump spoke about global conflicts today

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and President-elect Donald Trump today discussed shared priorities, including Ukraine and the Middle East.

A Downing Street spokesperson said:

The Prime Minister spoke to President-elect Donald Trump from Downing Street this afternoon.

The Prime Minister began by congratulating President-elect Trump on his team's recent appointments and President-elect Trump warmly recounted his meeting with His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales in Paris earlier this month.

Both agreed on their shared ambition to strengthen the close and historic relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States. They looked forward to working together on shared priorities, including international security and economic growth and prosperity.

Regarding global conflicts, the Prime Minister reiterated the need for allies to stand with Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression and ensure that Ukraine is in the strongest possible position .

Regarding the Middle East, the Prime Minister stressed the need to work together to ensure peace and security in the region.

They agreed to stay in touch and look forward to seeing each other again as soon as possible.

Oliver O'ConnellDecember 18, 2024 6:27 p.m.

Where is Trump as the Republican Party struggles with the funding bill?

Oliver O'ConnellDecember 18, 2024 6:25 p.m.

Gaetz trolls Congress as ethics report looms

After his bizarre statement earlier today, Matt Gaetz is back on X and trolling his former congressional colleagues with a new plan.

The former Florida congressman wrote on X:

Someone suggested the following plan to me:

1. Present yourself on 03/01/2025 at the congress

2. Participate in the election of the President (I was elected to the 119th Congress, after all)

4. File a privileged motion to denounce any Me Too paid settlement with public funds (even those of former members)

5. Resign and start my program @OANN at 9 p.m. EST on January 6, 2025.

Oliver O'ConnellDecember 18, 2024 6:17 p.m.

Defense bill passes Senate 85-14 and heads to Biden to sign

The Senate passed a defense bill Wednesday that authorizes significant pay raises for junior military personnel and increases overall military spending to $895 billion while eliminating coverage of transgender medical treatment for military children.

The annual defense authorization bill generally enjoys strong bipartisan support and has failed to pass Congress for nearly six decades, but the Pentagon policy measure has in recent years become a battlefield for cultural issues. This year, Republicans have sought to incorporate the priorities of social conservatives into the legislation, contributing to months-long negotiations over the bill and a decline in Democratic support.

Yet all but a handful of Democratic senators, as well as nearly all Republicans, voted to ultimately pass the bill, sending it to President Joe Biden.

The bill isn't perfect, but it still contains some very good things that Democrats fought for, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a speech. It contains strict provisions for opposing the Chinese Communist Party on the basis of national security.

In the House, a majority of Democrats voted against the bill last week after House Speaker Mike Johnson pushed to add a provision barring the military health system from providing medical care to transgender children. The bill easily passed by a vote of 281 to 140.

Senate Republican leaders argued that the 1% increase in defense spending was not enough, especially at a time of global unrest and challenges to U.S. dominance. Senate Republicans had advocated for a generational increase in defense spending this year, but plan a new push for more defense funding once they control the White House and Congress next year.

The annual defense authorization bill guides key Pentagon policy, but it would still need to be supported by an appropriations package.

House GOP wants votes for funding bill tonight

Oliver O'ConnellDecember 18, 2024 6:04 p.m.

Biden honors the memory of his late first wife and his granddaughter

President Joe Biden on Wednesday honored his first wife and granddaughter 52 years after they died in a car crash in Delaware, marking a defining moment for the lifelong public servant.

Biden's wife, Neilia, 30, had taken their children, Naomi, 1, and sons Beau and Hunter to buy Christmas trees when the car she was driving was hit by a tractor-trailer. Neilia and Naomi were killed. Beau, 3, and Hunter, 2, were seriously injured.

Gaetz launches new PAC to raise money thanks to ethics committee report, report says

Oliver O'ConnellDecember 18, 2024 5:53 p.m.

ICYMI: Trump sues the Des Moines Register and leading pollster

Donald Trump is suing the Des Moines Register, his top pollster J. Ann Selzer, his office and the newspaper's parent group Gannett, alleging that media coverage of the Selzers poll showing Kamala Harris with a surprising lead was used to fraudulently boost his rival in final. days of the 2024 elections.

The lawsuit accuses the newspaper of blatant election interference and consumer protection violations, its latest line of attack against media outlets it disagrees with as it prepares to wage war against a critical press upon his return to the White House.

Oliver O'ConnellDecember 18, 2024 5:40 p.m.

Former White House chef reveals how he would trick Trump into eating and drinking healthier foods

Gustav Kilander has the story.

Oliver O'ConnellDecember 18, 2024 5:30 p.m.

Report: Two Republicans on the ethics committee voted to release the Gaetz report

Oliver O'ConnellDecember 18, 2024 5:26 p.m.

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