Friday, January 24, 2025

​ January 24, 2025 Good morning, Welcome to the news for independent thinkers ​ Leading the News . . . ​ Hegseth clears Senate hurdle and advances to a final confirmation vote . . . Pete Hegseth cleared a procedural hurdle Thursday for a final Senate vote to advance his confirmation to lead the Department of Defense, setting up a high-stakes showdown. A motion to invoke cloture, or begin up to 30 hours of debate, passed 51-49. Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, voted no on advancing Hegseth's confirmation, Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., voted yes. Hegseth's nomination was dealt another hurdle this week when reports emerged that his ex-sister-in-law alleged that Hegseth had abused his second wife. Fox News​ ​ The vote will be a nailbiter. Two GOP senators opposed, and a few others uncertain. Politics Hunter Biden's name, signature, and shared bank account showed up in $60M fraud investigation . . . When a million-dollar securities fraud wrapped up two of Hunter Biden's business partners at Burnham Asset Management, Hunter Biden escaped scrutiny. However, bank records and corporate document drafts now show one of the future first son's shared bank accounts was used in the fraudulent bond transaction. Just the News​ ​ Biden Commuted Sentence Of 'Non-Violent' Drug Dealer Convicted In Killings Of Mother, 8-Year-Old . . . On Friday, outgoing President Joe Biden commuted the sentence of Adrian Peeler, who was convicted in the murders of Clarke and Brown. Peeler was reported to have killed the pair on the orders of his brother, Russell Peeler Jr., who also was convicted in their murders. Despite an eyewitness, Adrian Peeler eventually was only convicted of conspiring to kill the mother and son. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison, then remained in prison for a 35-year sentence for drug-dealing. Connecticut Post​ ​ It's clear nobody was seriously vetting these. Staffers were probably doing whatever they wanted as Biden faded away. ​ Lawmaker unveils constitutional amendment to give Trump third term . . . Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., is pushing a new amendment to the Constitution that would give a president three terms in office, but no more than two consecutive four-year stints. The amendment would say, "No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than three times, nor be elected to any additional term after being elected to two consecutive terms, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice." Fox News​ ​ Judge Blocks Trump's Birthright Citizenship Executive Order . . . A federal judge Thursday temporarily blocked President Donald Trump's recent executive order ending birthright citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants. Trump signed the executive order earlier this week, and almost immediately a coalition of nearly two dozen states filed a series of lawsuits to block the order. Daily Signal​ ​ ​New Bill Would Codify Trump's Birthright Citizenship Executive Order Into Law​ ​ House Republicans pass 'born-alive' abortion bill . . . House Republicans on Thursday passed their version of a "born-alive" abortion bill one day after Democrats blocked the Senate version from advancing. The bill requires health care practitioners to provide the "same degree of professional skill, care, and diligence" for a child born alive during an attempted abortion as they would during normal childbirth. The Hill​ ​ Sen. Ricketts to Introduce Bill to Protect Dignity of Aborted Unborn Babies . . . "A few years ago, the remains of over 2,200 aborted babies were discovered at an Indiana abortionists' home," Ricketts, R-Neb., told The Daily Signal. "It's horrifying that human remains would be treated like common medical waste." The Dignity for Aborted Children Act, sponsored by eight Senate Republicans, would require abortionists to dispose of the remains of the unborn with the same respect as any other human being who dies. Daily Signal​ ​ ​Rand Paul to reintroduce 'Defund Planned Parenthood Act' on day of annual pro-life march​ ​ Former VP Harris reportedly asking Hillary Clinton for advice on what to do after losing to Trump . . . As she grapples with navigating next steps, Harris has spoken with family and close friends, including the one other person who has been in her exact position: Hillary Clinton, New York Magazine reported. The two have reportedly spoken several times since Harris' defeat. Some have speculated that she will stage a gubernatorial run next year in California, as her close friend, Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom, is limited on terms and can't run again. Others think she still has her eye on the Oval Office and will launch another bid for the presidency. Fox News​ ​ Seems like she should be crying on Bill's shoulder, not Hillary's, since he knows how to win elections. ​ Trump staff 'furious' after Musk trashes AI project . . . A White House official said Musk "very much" got over his skis when the tech tycoon launched a daylong screed against the AI project. One Trump ally said Musk abused his closeness to the president. Another Republican close to the White House went further, saying Trump's staff is "furious" over Musk using his massive social media platform to pour cold water on the infrastructure deal that Trump called "tremendous" and "monumental" just a day prior. Politico​ ​ Karine Jean-Pierre kept secret because 'society doesn't allow women of color to be vulnerable at work' . . . Former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre revealed Tuesday that she kept her mother's cancer battle a secret from almost everyone — except former President Joe Biden — because as a black woman, she felt she wasn't allowed to be "vulnerable at work." Jean-Pierre, in a piece for Vanity Fair, cited her mother's intense privacy, and her own belief that sharing the diagnosis would have been seen "as an excuse," as reasons she kept her "second full-time job" of coordinating her mother's care close to the vest. New York Post​ Culture Pro-life agenda finally gets moving under GOP with Trump pardons, legislation and SCOTUS petition . . . On the eve of Friday's March for Life, President Donald Trump added 23 abortion sit-in convicts to his pardon list, complementing the legislative efforts of congressional Republicans and legal defense for pro-life pregnancy centers. A New Jersey pregnancy center network allegedly harassed by Democratic Attorney General Matthew Platkin, a Planned Parenthood ally who consulted the abortion giant on the wording for his "consumer alert" against pro-life centers, asked the Supreme Court Tuesday to let it sue him in federal court before Platkin's state-level proceedings against it conclude. Just the News​ ​ Spirit Airlines no longer allowing passengers with inappropriate clothing or tattoos to fly . . . The update, which became effective on Jan. 22, says a passenger can be denied boarding or removed from a flight because of their clothing or offensive tattoos. The additions to the contract now specify that passengers who are inadequately clothed, such as wearing see-through clothing that exposes breasts, buttocks, or other private parts, are subject to being grounded. Fox Business​ ​ National Security Under Trump, ICE Arrests 460 Illegal Immigrants Accused of Violent Crimes in 33 Hours . . . In a 33-hour period under the Trump administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested more than 460 illegal immigrants, including those with violent criminal histories. Between midnight Jan. 21 and 9:00 a.m. Jan 22, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) arrested illegal immigrants accused of sexual assault, aggravated assault, drugs and weapons offenses, burglary, robbery, resisting arrest, and domestic violence, according to information obtained by Fox News Digital. Breitbart ​ ​ Border encounters drop sharply as Trump launches crackdown on illegal immigration . . . The number of Border Patrol encounters at the southern border in the first three days of the Trump administration is 35% lower than the final three days of the Biden administration, the sources said. The numbers do not include encounters at the northern border, or encounters at ports of entry by Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) Office of Field Operations. Fox News​ ​ ​Haitian Migrant Arrested by ICE: 'Thank Obama for Everything He Did for Me!'​ International Congress Considers Bill Sanctioning Palestinian Government Over 'Pay-to-Slay' Program . . . Republicans in the House and Senate jointly introduced the bill with broad backing, signaling that the measure is an early priority in both legislative chambers. The legislation would impose sanctions on the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) for providing millions of dollars to imprisoned terrorists and their families. It also would sanction any "foreign persons" known to facilitate these payments or help the Palestinian government administer the program. Washington Free Beacon​ ​ Imagine the reaction from the Left if the Israeli government was paying terrorists who killed civilians . . . You should also know Trump will visit disaster zones in North Carolina and California on the first trip of second term . . . President Donald Trump is heading to hurricane-battered western North Carolina and wildfire-ravaged Los Angeles on Friday, using the first trip of his second administration to tour areas where politics has clouded the response to deadly disasters. The Republican president has criticized former President Joe Biden for his administration's response in North Carolina, and he's showered disdain on California leaders for water policies that he falsely claimed worsened the recent blazes. Associated Press​ ​ ​Newsom to crash Trump's visit​ ​ Trump orders release of JFK, RFK and MLK assassination records . . . President Donald Trump has ordered the release of thousands of classified governmental documents about the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy, which has fueled conspiracy theories for decades. The executive order Trump signed Thursday also aims to declassify the remaining federal records relating to the assassinations of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. The order is among a flurry of executive actions Trump has quickly taken the first week of his second term. Associated Press​ ​ Burchett says he believes aliens have underwater bases on earth . . . Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) said Wednesday he believes aliens have underwater bases on Earth. "I just think travelin' light years, I think it happens. I think it's possible in the vastness of God's great universe. I mean, light years, you know, the light from those stars that we see at night left there before the time of Christ," Burchett said on former Rep. Matt Gaetz's (R-Fla.) One America News show, in a clip highlighted by Mediaite. The Hill​ Guilty Pleasures 'Hot garbage': Australians react to smell of 'corpse flower' in bloom . . . Almost 20,000 people have visited Sydney's Botanic Gardens to catch a whiff of an endangered plant known as the "corpse flower" as it bloomed. Dubbed Putricia, the titan arum plant emits a putrid smell likened to "something rotting" or "hot garbage" for 24 hours after blooming. BBC​ ​ ​ ​ Help CTTN reach more people by forwarding it to your family and friends! Click below to write your message and share the signup link by email. ​ Or, you can share it on social media. ​​​​ Got this from a friend? Subscribe here and get Cut to the News sent to your Inbox every morning. ​ Have a great day! ​ Follow us ​​​​ 2302 Gallows Road #625, Dunn Loring, VA 22027 Unsubscribe · Preferences​ ​