News From Around the Web
#10 Ron Desantis Picks Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody to Fill Marco Rubio’s Senate Seat - Matt Dixon for NBC News, Ron DeSantis, AG Ashley Moody, Christina Pushaw, and Reese on X
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed state Attorney General Ashley Moody to the U.S. Senate, setting her up to fill the seat of Sen. Marco Rubio, whom President-elect Donald Trump chose to be secretary of state. Trump selected Rubio shortly after he won the presidential election, handing DeSantis a Senate appointment that is likely to have ripple effects across Florida government and politics. It has widely been expected in recent weeks that Moody would be the pick, while others, including Reps. Kat Cammack and Cory Mills, did talk to DeSantis about the position. DeSantis had said publicly he had reservations about appointing a member of the House because of the GOP’s slim majority there. State Sen. Jay Collins, who served as a Green Beret, also got considerable support from conservatives who wanted DeSantis to pick a military veteran...
#9 Confirmation Hearings Day 3 Highlights: Doug Burgum, Scott Bessent, and Other Cabinet Picks Face Senate Questions - Rebecca Shabad for NBC News, Kanekoa the Great (community note), Charlie Kirk, Gunther Eagleman, Trump War Room, Townhall.com, Breitbart News, and Joey Mannarino on X
During an exchange with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Bessent wouldn't commit to eliminating the debt ceiling but said he would work with Trump on that idea if he's confirmed as treasury secretary. Warren said she supports, as Trump himself has previously, getting rid of the debt limit. In December, Trump had expressed that Congress should get rid of the debt ceiling, saying during a negotiation over government spending that that could be part of the process. “The Democrats have said they want to get rid of it. If they want to get rid of it, I would lead the charge,” Trump told NBC News at the time. Democrats have advocated for eliminating it, arguing that it gambles with the nation's economy and is often taken advantage of for other policy reasons...
#8 Rudy Giuliani Settles Dispute With Georgia Election Workers Over Ownership of His Assets - PBS News, Rudy W. Giuliani, Kyle Becker, and John Solomon on X
Rudy Giuliani settled with two former Georgia election workers on Thursday in a deal that will let him keep his homes and personal belongings in return for compensation and a promise to never defame them again, lawyers and the women said. The trial was supposed to decide the ownership of his Florida condominium and three World Series rings and was supposed to start in the morning with Giuliani’s testimony. But that never happened. An agreement was announced by all parties in the afternoon. The former election workers, Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Wandrea “Shaye” Moss, had been seeking all of Giuliani’s property as part of a $148 million defamation judgment against him. The women won the defamation judgment after saying Giuliani’s lies about the 2020 presidential election being stolen led to death threats that made them fear for their lives.
#7 Sen. Rick Scott Joins Sen. Ted Cruz to Introduce No Tax on Tips Act - Rick Scott Florida's U.S. Senator, Nick Sortor, Eric Daugherty, Libs of TikTok, and John Solomon on X
Today, Senator Rick Scott joined Senator Ted Cruz to introduce legislation to exempt tips from being subject to taxation under the federal income tax, the No Tax on Tips Act. Joining Senators Scott and Cruz are Senators Jacky Rosen, Catherine Cortez Masto, Steve Daines, and Pete Ricketts. Representative Vern Buchanan was joined by Representative Byron Donalds in introducing the companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives Senator Rick Scott said, “During my time as Governor of Florida, I worked to cut taxes over 100 times to help businesses thrive, families keep more of their hard-earned dollars and turn our entire economy around. After four years of President Biden’s skyrocketing inflation making life harder for families, it’s about time we follow Florida’s turnaround playbook and take significant action to cut taxes with the No Tax on Tips Act. President Trump is laser-focused on getting our economy back on track, and passing this bill ASAP will be a great start.”
#6 State Senator Pushed to the Ground, Arrested While Trying to Enter Georgia House Chamber - Michael Dorgan for Fox News, Benny Johnson (community note), Libs of TikTok, George (community note), and Sen. Colton Moore on X
A Georgia state senator and hardline supporter of President-elect Trump appeared to be pushed to the floor before being arrested while trying to enter the state House chamber on Thursday. State Sen. Colton Moore, who previously tried to have Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis impeached for indicting Trump, tried to enter the House floor to attend Gov. Brian Kemp's State of the State Address — but was ultimately led away in handcuffs.
Moore is currently banned from entering the chamber after he blasted the state Senate's decision last year to consider a resolution to name a building at the University of North Georgia after the now-deceased former speaker David Ralston...
#5 Ohio Man Arrested for Assaulting Law Enforcement and Other Offenses During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach - United States Attorney's Office, Steve Friend, WLWT, Breanna Morello/msvodkadiva on X
An Ohio man was arrested today for allegedly assaulting law enforcement and other offenses related to his alleged conduct during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. His alleged actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election. Frederick Breitfelder, 60, of Harrison, Ohio, is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with felony offenses of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers and obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder. In addition to the felonies, Breitfelder is charged with several misdemeanor offenses, including entering and remaining; disorderly and disruptive conduct; and, engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds...
#4 Breaking Down Hochul’s State of the State Address - Rebecca C. Lewis and Austin C. Jefferson for City and State New York, Amuse, Sam Israel, Peter Oberacker, City Journal, and The New York Post on X
Entering her fourth full year in office, Gov. Kathy Hochul presented her agenda for the year in her annual State of the State address in Albany on Tuesday. She touted middle-class tax cuts and rebates in the form of direct checks while pledging to assign police to patrol subway cars overnight in New York City. Hochul’s address came after a tough election year for the Democratic Party across the country and an unusually strong showing for President-elect Donald Trump throughout the state, though Democrats managed to flip some congressional seats in New York. Republican inroads seemed largely tied to one thing: the economy. At the same time, high-profile incidents of random violence on the subway recently have heightened fears about public safety, which Republicans have historically run better on...
#3 Biden Defends Inflation Policies, Says ‘Red States Really Screwed Up’ Their Economies in Final Interview - Lindsay Kornick for Fox News, Ron DeSantis/RNC Research, johnny maga, Ainsley Earhardt, and Pat on X
President Biden defended his administration by insisting inflation was down and that "red states" were screwing up their own economies. Biden sat down with MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell for the last interview of his administration before officially leaving office on Monday. The two discussed many topics, including Biden’s handling of the economy and the threat of inflation. The president dismissed criticisms of how he handled inflation by claiming the alternative was to lose jobs. Rejecting warnings from economists like Larry Summers that his COVID stimulus spending would cause more inflation, Biden claimed otherwise "the only way to deal with inflation is to create unemployment and another recession."
#2 Governor Newsom Extends State Property Tax Deadlines for LA Firestorm Communities Until April 2026 - Governor Gavin Newsom, Paul A. Spyzula, Heckler Pix, and Pollard on X
LOS ANGELES — Governor Gavin Newsom today, as part of continued support for the Los Angeles communities impacted by the recent firestorms, issued an executive order to suspend penalties, costs, and any interest accrued on late property tax payments until April 10, 2026, for properties in areas affected by the firestorm. This has the effect of extending the deadline for residents in those areas. In addition to the immediate and automatic relief provided by the Governor’s executive order, property owners may seek disaster relief to have property destroyed or damaged in the fires reassessed, and property taxes adjusted downward, based on its current state, by filing a claim with the Los Angeles County Assessor’s Office within 12 months from the date the property was damaged or destroyed.
#1 A Polar Vortex Is Set to Grip Much of the U.S. What Does That Mean? Jaclyn Diaz for NPR, Concerned Citizen, Ben Noll, Fox Weather, and Michael on X
Bone-chilling temperatures will envelop millions of Americans this weekend, shepherding in days of frigid temperatures and life-threatening conditions for next week. People living "basically anywhere from the Rockies eastward will see below-normal temperatures over the next several days," said Zack Taylor, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center. "Particularly the Rockies, the northern Plains, the Upper Midwest, are expected to see those wind chill readings as low as minus 30 to perhaps as low as minus 40 or minus 50 by this weekend into early next week." Temperatures so low pose a great risk of hypothermia and frostbite to any exposed skin, Taylor warned...
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