Asia’s frustrated young men celebrate the return of Donald Trump
Taipei, Seoul, and Manila – Donald Trump’s popularity among young men who frequent the “manosphere” online has been widely cited as a factor in his re-election as president of the United States. After making its mark in voting booths across the US, Trump’s appeal among male influencers and their followers is reverberating much further afield. Across Asia, where countries such as China and South Korea are experiencing a growing gender divide that mirrors similar trends in the West, Trump’s return to the most powerful political office on the planet has been celebrated in male-dominated spaces online. “Honestly, I really admire Trump, because he is not afraid to face his battles head-on,” zhtttyzhttty, a prominent influencer who discusses the challenges facing men on China’s social media platform Weibo, posted the day after Trump’s victory. Sima Nan, an ultranationalist blogger who has more than 44 million followers on social media, welcomed Trump’s win despite his frequent criticism of the US, citing his “transactional mentality” as a positive. Advertisement “To put it bluntly, Trump is a trader. He calls himself a great trader. Trump will cut ties with Taipei and trade with Beijing,” Nan said on Weibo, referring to Beijing’s stance that self-governing Taiwan is part of its territory. “Everything is for sale for him. The key is the price.” Social commentator and intellectual Sima Nan looks on during an interview in Beijing [Wang Zhao/AFP] On Chinese internet forums where many ordinary young men congregate, praise for Trump, who won 49 percent of male voters aged 18-29 in the US election, has been a common theme both before and since the November 5 vote. “Trump is a businessman, and businessmen usher in the best of times,” one Weibo user wrote after Trump’s re-election. “Only Trump tells you everything with certainty and clarity.” When photos of Trump raising his fist moments after being struck in the ear by a would-be assassin’s bullet ricocheted around the world in July, internet users marvelled at the Republican candidate’s act of defiance. “What an amazing photo,” one Weibo user said. “Trump is so strong,” he continued. The admiration for Trump among some young Chinese stands in contrast to the president-elect’s aggressive rhetoric and policies towards their country. Trump has for years cast China as a threat, accusing it of stealing American jobs and blaming it for unleashing the COVID-19 pandemic on the world. During his election campaign and since, he has threatened to slap steep tariffs on Chinese imports – a move that could potentially inflict huge damage to Chinese companies and the Chinese economy. Advertisement As in other parts of the world, young Chinese men report holding increasingly conservative views relative to their female peers. According to an analysis of Chinese survey data published in the International Journal of Comparative Sociology last year, young Chinese women were more than twice as likely to express egalitarian views than their male peers. And while young Chinese women had far more egalitarian attitudes than previous generations of women, according to the analysis, young men had become only slightly more egalitarian over the same timeframe. Qian Huang, an assistant professor who studies digital culture at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, said she was not surprised by the support for Trump from the Chinese internet despite his hawkish stance towards Beijing. “It’s quite similar to 2016 when he was first elected, but it has intensified and more people have joined the conversations,” Huang told Al Jazeera. “Trump projects certain masculine traits that many modern men admire and associate with success, and that includes men outside China as well.” Young Trump supporters react as the Republican arrives for a campaign rally in Greenville, North Carolina on October 21, 2024 [Evan Vucci/AP] Whether in the West or Asia, the “manosphere” is not precisely defined beyond being a segment of the internet that is dominated by men and appeals to their interests. Discussions among male influencers and their followers range from misogynistic diatribes about women and critiques of feminism, to complaints about the struggles of men and advice about fitness and dating. Advertisement In South Korea, Jang Min-seo, who runs RedPillKorea, a YouTube channel focused on dating culture and gender issues that takes inspiration from British-American influencer and self-proclaimed misogynist Andrew Tate, welcomed Trump’s victory, viewing it as a win for freedom of speech and male assertiveness. “I think Trump won the election because many Americans wanted a leader who had a bulldozer personality when it came to doing what they promised,” Jang, 35, told Al Jazeera. As for South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, whose political future is in doubt following his short-lived declaration of martial law last week, Jang likened the politician to US President Joe Biden, who “doesn’t really know what he’s doing”. “I don’t have any expectations for South Korea’s leaders as they’re so incapable by and large,” Jang said. “Most South Korean politicians are limited to roles like inciting the feminism and PC movement. Authentic conservative politicians who get the job done seem to have disappeared with the fall of the military regime.” Eight in 10 South Koreans in their 20s believe that gender conflict is a serious issue, with more than half of those saying that gender issues affected how they voted in the 2022 presidential election, according to a study conducted by the daily newspaper Chosun Ilbo and Seoul National University. Many young South Korean men now believe that women’s march towards equality, including one of Asia’s most visible #MeToo movements, has come at their expense, a perception that Yoon tapped into during his election campaign by pledging to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. Advertisement In a 2021 survey carried out by the Seoul Shinmun newspaper and Hyundai Research Institute, nearly 70 percent of men said that reverse discrimination was a bigger problem than discrimination against women. South Korean women attend a rally to mark International Women’s Day in downtown Seoul on March 8, 2024 [Kim Jae-Hwan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images] “The ministry
Brazil’s President Lula to undergo additional surgery for brain bleed
Hospital says that the Brazilian leader is doing well as he prepares for his second surgery of the week following a fall at home. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is set to undergo a second medical procedure to address bleeding on the surface of his brain, according to medical staff at a Brazilian hospital. Doctors at the Sirio-Libanes hospital in Sao Paulo, Brazil, announced on Wednesday that the minimally invasive procedure would take place the following morning. Called a middle meningeal artery embolisation, the procedure allows medical professionals to enter a patient’s blood vessels using small tubes. The aim is to insert a small blockage to prevent bleeding from the artery, located on the outside of the brain. This new procedure follows a two-hour surgery Lula, 79, underwent on Tuesday to treat health problems stemming from a fall at home in late October. He had been rushed to the hospital overnight. After Tuesday’s surgery, the Brazilian leader was scheduled to remain in intensive care for a period of about 48 hours. Despite the new procedure on Thursday, doctors emphasised Lula was lucid and recovering. Advertisement “He underwent physiotherapy, walked and received visits from family members,” the doctors said in a statement, noting that he had “spent the day well” and is in good condition. Lula’s personal doctor, Roberto Kalil Filho, also told reporters on Wednesday that the procedure is “relatively simple” and “low risk”, taking no more than one hour. “We waited to see that the president was recovering well before deciding to go ahead with the procedure,” he said. Nevertheless, Lula’s recent medical interventions have raised concerns about his health. Lula, who is currently about halfway through his current term as president, is considered Brazil’s oldest sitting president. He was sworn in for his third term in January 2023, at age 77 — and now, at 79 years old, he surpassed the previous record holder, Michel Temer, who was 78 when he left office. Doctors say Lula will return to the capital of Brasilia at the beginning of next week, with no aftereffects anticipated following the two procedures. Lula’s vice president, Geraldo Alckmin, has been recalled to Brasilia to fill in for official duties. Meanwhile, a gathering of supporters met in Brasilia on Tuesday to offer their support for the popular leftist president, who previously served as president from 2003 through 2011. One man dressed as Santa Claus held up a sign of Lula with the caption “Saúde presidente” — a wish for good health, written in Portuguese. Adblock test (Why?)
UN General Assembly demands ‘immediate’ ceasefire in Gaza, supports UNRWA
The United Nations General Assembly has voted overwhelmingly to demand an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and expressed support for the work of the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA). The assembly on Wednesday passed a resolution demanding an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, which was adopted with 158 votes in favour from the 193-member assembly and nine votes against with 13 abstentions. A second resolution expressing support for UNRWA and deploring a new Israeli law that would ban the UN agency’s operations in Israel was carried with 159 votes in favour, nine against and 11 abstentions. That resolution demands that Israel respect UNRWA’s mandate and calls on the Israeli government “to abide by its international obligations, respect the privileges and immunities of UNRWA and uphold its responsibility to allow and facilitate full, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian assistance in all its forms into and throughout the entire Gaza Strip”. Both votes culminated two days of speeches at the UN where speaker after speaker called for an end to Israel’s 14-month war on the Palestinian territory that has killed at least 44,805 people – mostly Palestinian women and children – and wounded 106,257. Advertisement “Gaza doesn’t exist any more,” Slovenia’s UN Ambassador Samuel Zbogar told the General Assembly meeting. “It is destroyed. Civilians are facing hunger, despair and death,” he said. “There is no reason for this war to continue. We need a ceasefire now. We need to bring hostages home now,” he added. Algeria’s deputy UN ambassador Nacim Gaouaoui addressed the world’s inability to stop the war in Gaza: “The price of silence and failure in the face of the Palestinian tragedy is a very heavy price, and it will be heavier tomorrow.” Al Jazeera’s Gabriel Elizondo, reporting from UN headquarters in New York, said “the message is clear with these two resolutions”. “Number one, UNRWA needs to be protected and their mandate needs to be protected and bolstered. Of course, Israel is trying to destroy UNRWA. They’ve made that very clear for many months now,” Elizondo said. “And the second message that it sends is the overwhelming majority of the world is calling for, again, an immediate ceasefire in Gaza,” he said. Israel, US votes against UN resolution Israel and its staunchest ally, the United States, were in a tiny minority of countries and their representatives speaking and voting against the resolutions at the UN. US Deputy UN Ambassador Robert Wood reiterated Washington’s opposition to the ceasefire resolution in advance of the vote and criticised the Palestinians for again failing to mention Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which killed an estimated 1,139 people and saw more than 200 Israelis taken captive in Gaza. Advertisement “At a time when Hamas is feeling isolated due to the ceasefire in Lebanon, the draft resolution on a ceasefire in Gaza risks sending a dangerous message to Hamas that there’s no need to negotiate or release the hostages,” he said. In advance of the UN vote, Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon accused supporters of the resolutions of complicity with Hamas. “By demanding a ceasefire today without addressing the hostages, this assembly will once again side with those who weaponise human suffering,” Danon said. While UN Security Council resolutions are legally binding, General Assembly resolutions are not, though they do reflect world opinion. The Palestinians and their supporters went to the General Assembly after the US vetoed a Security Council resolution on November 20 demanding an immediate Gaza ceasefire. The language of the ceasefire resolution adopted by the assembly is the same as the text of the vetoed Security Council resolution, and demands “an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire to be respected by all parties,” while also reiterating a “demand for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages”. Palestinian UN Ambassador Riyad Mansour said last week, during the first day of debate in the assembly’s special session on the issue, that Gaza is “the bleeding heart of Palestine”. “The images of our children burning in tents, with no food in their bellies and no hopes and no horizon for the future, and after having endured pain and loss for more than a year, should haunt the conscience of the world and prompt action to end this nightmare,” Mansour said. Advertisement Adblock test (Why?)
Federal appeals court upholds $14.25 million fine against Exxon for pollution in Texas
A 2021 ruling found the oil giant committed more than 16,000 violations of the Clean Air Act at its Baytown refinery and plant.
California reparations bills killed as Newsom sought to avoid appearing ‘too progressive’
Reparations activists in California hope their snubbed bills that were shelved in September will be re-introduced by a legislator during the next special session that Gov. Gavin Newsom called in January. “That is one of the primary demands or commands from the community and reparations leaders is for a legislator, it doesn’t even have to be a black legislator, but a legislator to reintroduce those two bills that failed,” California Reparations Task Force Chair Kamilah Moore told Fox News Digital in an interview this week. The bills, SB 1403 and SB 1331, would have established the California American Freedman’s Affairs Agency to oversee reparations programs and create a dedicated fund for implementing reparations policies, respectively. Both were snubbed after backers said the bills would not move forward and be signed by Newsom. PROTESTS ERUPT AT CALIFORNIA STATE CAPITOL AFTER PAIR OF REPARATIONS BILLS SHELVED “I think the reason for Newsom was probably political, like, he didn’t think that these reparations would get so serious so fast,” Moore said. “And then this particular election year when Kamala [Harris] was running for president, and you can’t look too progressive in this political environment we’re in.” The two bills, authored by members of the California Legislative Black Caucus, were pivotal for the reparations task force to carry out its atoning for what supporters said was a legacy of racist policies that drove disparities for Black people, from housing to education to health. The Democrat-led California legislature passed a spate of other bills aimed at remedying past racial injustices, but none of them would provide direct payments to African Americans. “I feel like the caucus and even Newsom were supportive of these bills, and there’s evidence of that. The Black Caucus wrote that letter in June wanting to give $6 million to their friends, the Black freedom Fund, which is problematic,” Moore said. “But the letter also said they wanted to give $6 million to the reparations agency, but then at the last minute, in August, they decided to kill the Reparations Agency Fund bill.” NEWSOM RAILS AGAINST TRUMP’S 25% TARIFF PLAN DURING SOUTHERN BORDER VISIT: ‘IT’S A BETRAYAL’ At the time, then-Sen. Steven Bradford, who is now termed out, said the bills didn’t move forward out of fear they wouldn’t make it past Newsom’s desk. “We’re at the finish line, and we as the Black Caucus owe it to the descendants of chattel slavery, to Black Californians and Black Americans to move this legislation forward,” Bradford said, urging his colleagues to reconsider the bills. When the bills got pulled, a group of protesters were outraged inside the Sacramento Capitol after being promised the bills would receive time. State Republican Assemblyman Bill Essayli accused Democrats in a post on X of going “into hiding” and refusing to bring the bills up for a vote when it came time to pass them despite “promising to pay direct cash reparations to Americans who have been harmed by slavery” for years. Essayli talked to supporters in the Capitol that day and clarified that he did not support California taxpayers paying for the wrongs of slave states but “believed there should be a debate and a recorded vote on the issue.” He then urged the legislature to bring the bills for a floor debate. “I don’t think you can constitutionally justify cash payments based on race,” Essayli told Fox News Digital in an interview this week. “[President-elect] Trump created opportunity zones, which resulted in direct investments into minority communities, so I think there’s other [ways] we can get resources and investments to those who have been harmed by racist policies and slavery long ago.” CALIFORNIA’S UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS SYSTEM ‘BROKEN’ WITH $20B OWED TO FEDS IN LOAN DEBT: REPORT There are two new reparations bills on the California docket that were introduced during the Dec. 2 special session. AB 7, introduced by Democrat Assemblymembers Isaac Bryan and Tina McKinnor, proposes allowing California’s higher education institutions, including the California State University, the University of California, independent colleges and private postsecondary institutions, to consider giving admissions preference to applicants who are descendants of American slavery. AB 57, introduced by McKinnor, seeks to allot a portion of California’s Home Purchase Assistance Program funds for descendants of slaves. Newsom has remained silent on most reparations bills introduced this year but approved a nearly $300 billion budget in June, which included up to $12 million for reparations. The budget did not detail which proposals the funds would support, and his administration has expressed opposition to some of the measures. However, he signed some reparations-related bills, including a “formal apology for California’s historical role in the perpetuation of slavery and its enduring legacy.” “The State of California accepts responsibility for the role we played in promoting, facilitating, and permitting the institution of slavery, as well as its enduring legacy of persistent racial disparities,” Newsom said in a statement in September. “Building on decades of work, California is now taking another important step forward in recognizing the grave injustices of the past – and making amends for the harms caused.” Fox News Digital’s Bradford Betz and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Conservatives tout victory after stopping last-minute Schumer push to confirm key agency head: ‘Outstanding’
Republicans and conservatives on social media are taking a victory lap after Senate Democrats failed in a last-minute attempt to keep control of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on Wednesday after narrowly losing a vote to end debate on re-appointing the board’s chair, Lauren McFerran. Outgoing Democrat Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer had hoped to confirm McFerran, a President Biden pick, to a new five-year term that would have given Democrats control of the influential agency until at least 2026, but the vote failed, 50-49, with independent Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona voting against it. The vote, which conservatives had railed against for days by arguing that President-elect Trump should decide the pick after his November election victory, was celebrated by conservatives. “Working Americans just delivered a massive victory for President Trump and his pro-worker polices, so why on earth would we let Biden choose more NLRB nominees?” Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., told Fox News Digital in a statement. “I’m glad we didn’t, and I look forward to working with President Trump to support policies and nominees that are good for working families and all Americans.” PROGRESSIVE DEMS RAGE AT BIDEN FOR GIVING TRUMP THE SPOTLIGHT DURING FINAL WEEKS IN OFFICE “Lauren McFerran’s abysmal record running the Biden-Harris NLRB includes undermining freelancers, crushing businesses of all sizes, and greenlighting vulgar union harassment of American workers,” Tom Hebert, director of competition and regulatory policy for Americans for Tax Reform, told Fox News Digital in a statement. “Chuck Schumer tried to put the Trump-Vance NLRB under Democrat control by sneaking McFerran’s renomination through the Senate, anticipating Republican absences. Fortunately for American workers and businesses, Republicans showed up and blocked Schumer’s scheme, ensuring the Trump-Vance NLRB is controlled by pro-worker Republicans instead of anti-worker Democrats.” BIDEN, DEMOCRATS BACK AWAY FROM BILL THAT WOULD GIVE TRUMP MORE FEDERAL JUDGES TO APPOINT “I am glad the Senate rejected Democrats’ partisan attempt to deny President Trump the opportunity to choose his own NLRB nominees and enact a pro-America, pro-worker agenda with the mandate he has from the American people,” Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., posted on X. “Outstanding work @SenateGOP and free thinkers @SenatorSinema and @Sen_JoeManchin!” Independent Women’s Voice senior policy analyst Carrie Sheffield posted on X. “Another antagonist of @elonmusk and free speech collapses. Paving the way for @realDonaldTrump to fix harmful policies. Great work.” A point of frustration for Republicans was the fact that Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Chair Bernie Sanders denied a request from Cassidy to hold a public hearing on McFerran before advancing her. McFerran’s nomination has been waiting for consideration since August. In 2021, McFerran’s NLRB ordered Tesla to direct Musk to delete a tweet they said was damaging to a unionization effort at Tesla in a move that was eventually overturned by the U.S. Appeals Court. “The current administration is doing everything possible to prevent government efficiency, but @DOGE is inevitable,” Tesla and Space X CEO Elon Musk posted on X before the vote in response to a post lamenting the Democrat push to advance McFerran. Unlike most similar agencies, members of the NLRB cannot be removed by the president at will simply based on policy goals or changing administrations. “Any member of the Board may be removed by the President, upon notice and hearing, for neglect of duty or malfeasance in office, but for no other cause,” the NLRB website states. In response to the McFerran vote, Democrats pulled the cloture vote for Republican NLRB nominee Joshua Ditelberg, giving Trump the opportunity to fill two seats if nothing changes before inauguration day. Schumer filed cloture on McFerran’s nomination on Monday, setting up a vote on Wednesday. In floor remarks, the New York Democrat did not acknowledge the lame-duck nature of the vote, telling his colleagues, “If you truly care about working families, if you care about fixing income inequality in America, then you should be in favor of advancing today’s NLRB nominees. You can’t say you are for working families, then go and vote ‘no’ today, because the NLRB protects workers from mistreatment on the job and from overreaching employers.” In a statement after the vote, Schumer said, “It is deeply disappointing, a direct attack on working people, and incredibly troubling that this highly qualified nominee – with a proven track record of protecting worker rights – did not have the votes.” Fox News Digital’s Julia Johnson contributed to this report.
Garland lauds ‘principled’ Wray for ‘integrity and skill’ after resignation announcement
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland praised FBI Director Christopher Wray on Wednesday as a leader who served the U.S. “honorably and with integrity” for two decades in the hours after Wray announced his plans to step down at the end of Biden’s presidency. In a statement Wednesday, Garland lauded Wray’s multi-decade career as a civil servant and U.S. prosecutor, including as U.S. assistant attorney general and the head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Chris Wray has served our country honorably and with integrity for decades, including for seven years as the Director of the FBI under presidents of both parties,” Garland wrote Wednesday. PATEL ‘READY TO SERVE’ AS FBI DIRECTOR, SEEKS ‘SMOOTH TRANSITION’ AFTER WRAY RESIGNATION NEWS “In a heightened threat environment, Director Wray has worked tirelessly to protect the American people and to lead an agency of 38,000 dedicated public servants, many of whom put their lives on the line every day to serve their communities,” Garland wrote, praising his role in working to fulfill the Justice Department’s mission “to keep our country safe, protect civil rights, and uphold the rule of law.” “He has led the FBI’s efforts to aggressively confront the broad range of threats facing our country — from nation-state adversaries and foreign and domestic terrorism to violent crime, cybercrime, and financial crime,” Garland said. “There are few leadership positions more central to keeping the American people safe than the Director of the FBI.” The statement came shortly after Wray announced his plans to resign at Wednesday’s FBI town hall in Washington, D.C., which was attended by thousands of FBI employees virtually and in person. President-elect Donald Trump announced shortly after his election victory last month his nomination of Kash Patel to succeed Wray, giving Wray the option to either exit on his own or be fired after Trump takes office. Patel told Fox News on Wednesday that he’s seeking a “smooth transition” to replace Wray. “After weeks of careful thought, I’ve decided the right thing for the bureau is for me to serve until the end of the current administration in January and then step down,” Wray told employees during the town hall. “My goal is to keep the focus on our mission, the indispensable work you’re doing on behalf of the American people every day. In my view, this is the best way to avoid dragging the bureau deeper into the fray while reinforcing the values and principles that are so important to how we do our work.” WHO IS KASH PATEL? TRUMP’S PICK TO LEAD FBI HAS LONG HISTORY VOWING TO BUST UP ‘DEEP STATE’ In his statement, Garland emphasized the role the FBI director plays in protecting the agency’s independence from what he described as “inappropriate influence in its criminal investigations. … That independence is central to preserving the rule of law and to protecting the freedoms we as Americans hold dear.” “Director Wray has done that job with integrity and skill,” Garland wrote Wednesday. “He has my gratitude, the gratitude of the FBI agents and employees whose respect and admiration he has earned, and the gratitude of the American people.”
Fox News Politics: Wray Makes Way
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump transition, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening… -Trump border czar fires back after House Dem promises ‘resistance’ to deportations -New mission for House Republican military veterans: Support Trump defense secretary nominee Hegseth -Red state AG slams Biden admin’s attempt to ‘rewrite’ immigration law: ‘Alice in Wonderland stuff’ FBI Director Christopher Wray announced plans to step down from his post at the end of the Biden administration. Fox News learned just moments before the announcement that Wray would make the announcement during an FBI town hall in Washington, D.C., during which thousands of FBI employees are expected to join virtually across the country. “After weeks of careful thought, I’ve decided the right thing for the Bureau is for me to serve until the end of the current Administration in January and then step down,” Wray said during the town hall. “My goal is to keep the focus on our mission – the indispensable work you’re doing on behalf of the American people every day. In my view, this is the best way to avoid dragging the Bureau deeper into the fray, while reinforcing the values and principles that are so important to how we do our work.”…Read more PARTING GIFTS: Biden admin extends $10B Iran sanctions waiver 2 days after Trump election win…Read more WIDESPREAD DISAPPROVAL: Biden flip-flop on pardoning son Hunter is wildly unpopular with Americans, poll finds…Read more BIG REPORT DROPS: House small business panel releases year-end report on ‘partisan’ Biden agency electioneering allegations…Read more ‘SORRY’: Outgoing Treasury Sec. Yellen ‘sorry that we haven’t made more progress,’ believes deficit must be decreased…Read more BENCHED: Biden, Democrats back away from bill that would give Trump more federal judges to appoint…Read more FINAL GOODBYES: Biden could pardon these Trump antagonists amid Dem fears that ‘revengeful first year’ is looming…Read more ‘TENS OF BILLIONS’: Mast blasts Blinken over ‘tens of billions’ of US taxpayer dollars sent to Taliban post-Afghanistan withdrawal…Read more MONEY MOVES: Trump Treasury pick reveals whether Fed Chair Powell will finish term…Read more POST-PRESIDECNY SENTENCING?: Bragg pitches post-presidency Trump sentencing in renewed push urging Judge Merchan to keep conviction alive…Read more ‘FUELING OBESITY’: GOP governor calls on incoming Trump officials to ban junk food in food stamps: ‘Make America Healthy Again’…Read more CHIPS DEPLOYED: Top DOGE senator demands answers on plan to exhaust CHIPs Act funds before Trump arrives…Read more COMING BACK?: Former Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner, convicted of illicit contact with minor, files to run for NYC Council…Read more TIME IS MONEY: House GOP fiscal hawks warn Trump tax cuts in danger of expiring under new Senate-backed plan…Read more HANDICAPPING TRUMP: Manchin, Sinema tank Schumer lame-duck effort to secure Dem majority on top labor board…Read more ‘GOING CRAZY’: Outgoing Rep. Jamaal Bowman issues ‘Dear White People’ thread following Daniel Penny acquittal…Read more ROOTING OUT WOKE: Democrats in a bind over defense bill that bans transgender surgeries for minors but boosts enlisted pay…Read more ‘COMMON GROUND’: Hakeem Jeffries says he’s ‘prepared to find common ground’ with Trump next year…Read more WORKING REMOTE: Nation’s largest labor union for federal employees rebukes GOP’s efforts to end telework…Read more ‘REWARD’: ‘DeSanta Claus’ strikes again: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announces extra days off for state workers…Read more D.A. DOUBLES DOWN: Fani Willis declines to share Jack Smith, Jan. 6 records, citing legal exemptions…Read more FIGHTING BACK: Federal judge who refuses mental evaluation at age 97 fights suspension…Read more E STREET SHUFFLE: Dem NJ gubernatorial candidate cops to faking playlist to feature Bruce Springsteen…Read more ‘WASTING TAXPAYERS’ MONEY’: New Yorkers protest removal of 400 migrants from Albany hotels…Read more Get the latest updates on the Trump presidential transition, incoming Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
Longtime Biden adviser rips ‘rationale’ of Hunter pardon: ‘Attack on our judicial system’
Longtime Biden confidante and former senior adviser Anita Dunn criticized the president’s handling of his son Hunter’s pardon on Wednesday, saying that she disagreed with the “timing” and the “rationale” while describing it as an “attack on our judicial system.” “Had this pardon been done at the end of the term in the context of compassion the way many pardons will be done, I’m sure, and many commutations will be done, I think it would have been a different story,” Dunn told a New York Times panel at the DealBook Summit 2024. “So I will say, I absolutely agree with the president’s decision here, I do not agree with the way it was done, I don’t agree with the timing, and I don’t agree frankly with the attack on our judicial system.” When asked by the moderator to elaborate on her “attack on our judicial system comment,” Dunn said, “I think the president’s statement has to be taken at its face value and clearly, like everyone else in the world, he has the prerogative of changing his mind, and that is indeed what he kind of said and he did there.” BIDEN’S THREE BIGGEST LIES ABOUT HIS FAMILY’S SHADY BUSINESS DEALINGS “I think that from a Democratic Party perspective, from a Democratic perspective, as we were in the midst of the president-elect rolling out his nominees and in particular in the middle of a Kash Patel weekend, kind of throwing this into the middle of it was exceptionally poor timing, and that the argument is one that I think many observers are concerned about a president who ran to restore the rule of law, who has upheld the rule of law, who has really defended the rule of law, kind of saying, ‘well, maybe not right now,’” she said. Dunn, who served as a political strategist and adviser to Biden on his 2020 campaign and a senior adviser in the Biden White House until leaving for the Harris campaign this summer, went on to reiterate that she agrees with the pardon, but disagreed with the “timing,” the “argument” and the “rationale.” ‘MOST DAMNING EVIDENCE’: HUNTER BIDEN’S FULL PARDON RESURFACES DECADE OF CONTROVERSIES, ‘INFLUENCE-PEDDLING’ Fox News Digital reached out to White House but did not immediately receive a response. Dunn added that she was never part of any conversation at the White House about pardoning Hunter besides what to tell the press, which she says was a one-word answer: “No.” Dunn’s comments come as recent polling shows that Biden’s decision to pardon Hunter after previously vowing on several occasions he would not give his son a pass has the approval of only 20% of Americans. Dunn’s comments drew immediate reaction on social media, including from former Jill Biden press secretary Michael LaRose, who posted on X, “Yikes.” President Biden attempted to make the case when he pardoned his son earlier this month that Hunter had been unfairly prosecuted. “Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter,” Biden wrote in a statement at the time. “From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department’s decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted.” “Without aggravating factors like use in a crime, multiple purchases, or buying a weapon as a straw purchaser, people are almost never brought to trial on felony charges solely for how they filled out a gun form,” Biden added. “Those who were late paying their taxes because of serious addictions, but paid them back subsequently with interest and penalties, are typically given non-criminal resolutions. It is clear that Hunter was treated differently.” The president also referenced his son’s battle with addiction and blamed “raw politics” for the unraveling of Hunter’s plea deal. “There has been an effort to break Hunter — who has been five and a half years sober, even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selective prosecution,” the 82-year-old father wrote. “In trying to break Hunter, they’ve tried to break me — and there’s no reason to believe it will stop here. Enough is enough.”
Marine critic of Afghan withdrawal to lead rank-and-file enlistees in Senate visits promoting Hegseth
EXCLUSIVE: A Marine lieutenant colonel from Ohio who publicly spoke out against the Afghanistan withdrawal will lead rank-and-file service members door-to-door in the Senate next week in support of defense nominee Pete Hegseth. Stuart Scheller, who was imprisoned in a Jacksonville, N.C., brig for his public criticisms of military brass, told Fox News Digital Wednesday he is organizing enlisted men and women to engage with senators next Wednesday. Scheller stressed that service members who are participating are not prominent fellows at think tanks or in any governmental or related seats of power. “Pete has made public comments that he wants to move to a meritocracy, and he believes that we need more courage in the ranks. So, I’m not saying that I wouldn’t have been reprimanded [if he was secretary],” Scheller said. MCCAUL: SADLY IRONIC THAT MARINE HELD IN BRIG AT LEJEUNE WHILE BIDEN WH LACKS ACCOUNTABILITY “I still think there probably was some reprimand that needed to happen, but it would go across the board. “The difference is, if Pete was the secretary of defense, the general officers would have also been held accountable [for the botched withdrawal], and I would not have had to go to the lengths that I had to go to bring attention to the situation.” Scheller said that, in the last decade or two, the U.S. military is “not winning anything, and we need to turn it into a winning organization.” Scheller said Hegseth has planned to hold accountable Pentagon leaders who have “become stagnant” in the lieutenant colonel’s words. SCHELLER ATTORNEY RIPS ‘PUNITIVE’ GENERALS He also stressed that Hegseth is the first Pentagon nominee in decades who is not from the officer corps or defense contracting firms. Outgoing Secretary Lloyd Austin III is a retired CENTCOM general but also came from the board of Raytheon. “Forty years to become a four-star general really removes you from the forces,” Scheller said of the past several officer-corps secretary choices overall. “Pete’s middle management — a major. I mean, he’s like the perfect guy … and he’s been sitting here talking to veterans when he was developing his book, trying to understand their pulse and the heartbeat. So, that book that he wrote probably prepared him in terms of the current culture and sentiment and frustrations more than any other secretary of defense.” As for his plans for the Hill next week, Scheller said he and fellow service members are focused on those who may appear to be on the fence about Hegseth. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “I’m looking for more [of] the right people than the total quantity,” he said. Scheller will also release a video announcing his Wednesday mission. “[Hegseth] is a combat veteran from our generation and … he’s not a puppet for the military industrial complex. He’s not going to end up on one of their boards like every general officer of our generation,” Scheller says in the video. “I’m going to be in Washington, D.C., walking through the halls of the U.S. Senate, talking to all the U.S. senators, advocating for peace.”