Trump choose for DEA walks away from job as Hegseth scandals threaten protection position: Live

John Bowden writes:

Pete Hegseth’s nomination for defense secretary is looking increasingly tenuous as new revelations about the ex-Fox host’s past history with women come to light.

Almost certain to face unified Democratic resistance, Hegseth can only afford three defections from his own party. The question now: Will the same senators who tanked Matt Gaetz’s nomination with their “implacable” resistance to his selection be the ones to take Hegseth down?

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Iowa officials on Tuesday sued the Biden administration for access to information on the citizenship status of more than 2,000 registered voters they had questioned in the weeks leading up to the 2024 election.

The complaint details a back and forth with the federal government after state election officials checked voter rolls against a list of people who identified themselves as noncitizens with the state’s Department of Transportation. The vast majority of the 2,176 names had subsequently registered to vote or voted, meaning that some of those people could have become naturalized citizens in the lapsed time.

Secretary of State Paul Pate’s office requested information from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on the citizenship status of those individuals but did not get it, the complaint alleges. The Associated Press left email messages with DHS on Tuesday seeking comment on the lawsuit.

Federal authorities’ “failure meant that the State had to rely on the best — imperfect — data it had available to ensure that no Iowan’s vote was canceled by an illegal, noncitizen vote,” a joint statement from Pate and Attorney General Brenna Bird said.

Two weeks before Election Day, when early voting was already underway, Pate told county elections officials to challenge those voters’ ballots and have them cast a provisional ballot instead.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa then sued Pate on Oct. 30 on behalf of four voters who are naturalized citizens but were named on the list, calling into question the accuracy of the DOT’s information and alleging Pate infringed upon their right to vote. Their request for a stop to the ballot challenges was denied by a federal judge on Nov. 3.

It is illegal for non-U.S. citizens to vote in federal elections, but there is no evidence that it is occurring in significant numbers, though Iowa and some other states say they have identified dozens of such cases.

The video, posted Sunday on X, captures a ripped RFK Jr pulling himself up before performing a flip over an exercise machine to the beat of Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger.” The 70-year-old completes the pull-up-rollover without knocking into another shirtless man, in sweatpants and a hat, doing a headstand on the machine above him.

Kelly Rissman has the story.

Bernie Sanders has praised Elon Musk over plans by the tech billionaire’s new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to cut defense spending.

“Elon Musk is right. The Pentagon, with a budget of $886 billion, just failed its 7th audit in a row. It’s lost track of billions,” he wrote. “Last year, only 13 senators voted against the Military Industrial Complex and a defense budget full of waste and fraud. That must change.”

Musk responded to Sanders’s post on Sunday with two American flag emojis.

Mike Bedigan has the story.

In late October, Trump had hinted that he might consider pardoning the political scion, calling him a “bad boy”. Biden, meanwhile, previously insisted he wouldn’t intervene in his son’s criminal cases.

Presidents can issue pardons (removing a punishment after a court decision) and commutations (a reduction in punishment for a crime) as they see fit for federal convictions, but not for state crimes.

Now, Trump,with his own felony conviction, is just weeks away from returning to the White House and a raft of fellow convicted felons are already knocking at the door begging him to pick up his pardoning pen.

Disgraced politicians, January 6 rioters and reality TV celebrities are among those already clamoring for a Trump pardon.

Here are the key names who have asked to be on the list:

Despite the Trump transition announcement that it had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Justice Department that will permit names of incoming administration personnel to undergo background investigations by FBI agents and receive interim security clearances, it’s unclear to what extent President-elect Donald Trump intends on relying on the nation’s preeminent law enforcement agency to vet his appointees.

The move appears to be aimed at blunting criticism from senators of both parties who expect to see FBI background check reports on cabinet nominees before they hold confirmation hearings but the transition statement does not say whether Trump will move forward with plans discussed among transition officials to bypass the FBI entirely for some administration personnel and instead have Trump grant them clearances by executive fiat upon taking office next month.

Pete Hegseth, the former Fox News host who is currently President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Defense, once drunkenly shouted “kill all Muslims!” in the middle of a bar while serving as the president of a veterans’ group, The New Yorker reports.

This is just one of many jaw-dropping allegations included in Jane Mayer’s deep-dive investigation into Hegseth’s unprofessional and lewd behavior while leading two separate non-profit advocacy organizations, which includes claims of constant intoxication, financial mismanagement and inappropriate sexual conduct that prompted both groups to eventually boot him from leadership.

Justin Barangoa reports.

Hunter marks the 26th person that the president has pardoned since he entered the White House in 2021, records show.

A host of Congress members have urged Biden to pardon certain groups and people in his last 50 days in office.

The White House Press has said more pardons can be expected before Inauguration Day.