National and international media news & headlines compiled by CLG

Polymarket CEO’s Home Is Raided by FBI –“This is obvious political retribution,” said a Polymarket spokesperson. Bloomberg reported that DOJ is investigating the company for letting U.S. users access the site. | 13 Nov 2024 | Federal law enforcement officials raided the home of Polymarket CEO Shayne Coplan on Wednesday. The prediction market was a breakout success in the U.S. presidential election, a platform where billions of dollars worth of bets were placed on the outcome. Polymarket traders viewed Donald Trump as the likely winner, as indeed he was. The raid was confirmed by a Polymarket spokesperson. According to the New York Post, the feds took Coplan’s phone and other electronic devices.

Special counsel Jack Smith stands down in Trump classified docs case, asks court to halt appeal | 13 Nov 2024 | Special counsel Jack Smith asked a federal appellate court on Wednesday to halt his appeal in President-elect Donald Trump’s classified documents case, citing the results of the 2024 election. “As a result of the election held on November 5, 2024, one of the defendants in this case, Donald J. Trump, is expected to be certified as President-elect on January 6, 2025, and inaugurated on January 20, 2025,” Smith wrote to the Atlanta-based 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals. The filing comes after US District Judge Tanya Chutkan froze Smith’s 2020 election interference case against Trump last week, following the prosecutors’ request for a pause in court filing deadlines. Multiple reports indicate that the Justice Department intends to wind down all pending litigation against the 45th president in light of his Election Day victory last week. The New York Times reported that Smith is scrambling to finalize what is left of his work so he can retire before Trump takes office in January and assuredly fires him.

‘Extraordinary circumstances’: NY judge in Trump case pauses all court deadlines, sentencing –The 34 convictions could have placed President-elect Donald Trump in prison for up to 4 years | 12 Nov 2024 | The Manhattan judge overseeing President-elect Donald Trump’s trial agreed to grant a stay on all deadlines associated with the [bogus] felony conviction proceedings against Trump in the final months before he takes office, a closely watched decision that allows Trump to avoid a maximum sentence of up to four years in prison. The judge overseeing the case, Judge Juan Merchan, granted the request, which issues a stay on all deadlines, including the Nov. 26 sentencing date, to consider the effect of his election as president… “The People agree that these are unprecedented circumstances,” prosecutor Matthew Colangelo said in a letter to Judge Merchan. Trump’s attorneys, who had filed a motion to vacate the charges completely, also backed the stay.

Biden congratulates Trump, tells him ‘welcome back’ to White House in historic meeting | 13 Nov 2024 | President-elect Donald Trump and President Biden acted like old friends rather than bitter rivals in the Oval Office on Wednesday, shaking hands and exchanging warm words during Trump’s first trip to Washington since his re-election win. At the start of a meeting that lasted nearly two hours, the pair discussed plans for a peaceful transition of power when Trump takes the oath of office for a second time on Jan. 20. Biden, 81, wore a broad smile as he told Trump “welcome back” after congratulating the Republican on his election win and saying he was “looking forward” to “having a smooth transition” and promising Trump would be “accommodated” with everything he needs. “Politics is tough, and in many cases it’s not a nice world, but it is a nice world today,” responded Trump, 78.

Donald Trump Selects Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy to ‘Lead the Department of Government Efficiency’ | 12 Nov 2024 | President-elect Donald Trump announced he has picked Tesla CEO and X owner Elon Musk and entrepreneur and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to “lead the Department of Government Efficiency.” In a press release from the Trump-Vance transition team, Trump praised Musk and Ramaswamy as being “wonderful Americans” who would “pave the way” for his administration to “dismantle Government Bureaucracy” and “slash excess regulations.” “I am pleased to announce that the Great Elon Musk, working in conjunction with American Patriot Vivek Ramaswamy, will lead the Department of Government Efficiency (‘DOGE’).”

Trump nominates Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz for attorney general in surprise pick | 13 Nov 2024 | President-elect Donald Trump selected Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) to serve as his Attorney General Wednesday in a surprising pick. “It is my Great Honor to announce that Congressman Matt Gaetz, of Florida, is hereby nominated to be The Attorney General of the United States,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social announcement. “It will be an honor to serve as President Trump’s Attorney General!” Gaetz responded on X. Gaetz, 42, had not been reported as in contention for the powerful administration spot, but has been a loyal supporter of the 45th president and has been trying to influence the administration choices being made at Mar-a-Lago.

Trump names Stephen Miller, Dan Scavino to senior White House staff | 13 Nov 2024 | Trump 2024 campaign senior advisors Dan Scavino and Stephen Miller are among four new cabinet picks announced by the Trump-Vance transition team on Wednesday as the president-elect continues to fill up his incoming administration at breakneck speed. Scavino will return to the White House as an assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff. He was the director of social media for the Trump 2016 presidential campaign and has worked alongside the president-elect ever since, including serving as the White House’s director of social media in Trump’s first term in office. Miller has been named as the deputy chief of staff for policy and Homeland Security advisor. Miller previously served in the Trump White House as senior advisor to the president for policy, where he helped craft many of Trump’s hard-line speeches and plans on immigration.

Trump picks Sen. Marco Rubio as his secretary of state | 13 Nov 2024 | Florida’s senior senator is getting a promotion. President-elect Donald Trump nominated Sen. Marco Rubio as his secretary of state. The conservative lawmaker is a noted hawk on China, Cuba and Iran, and was a finalist to be Trump’s running mate this summer. On Capitol Hill, Rubio is the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He has pushed for taking a harder line against China and has targeted social media app TikTok, because its parent company is Chinese.

President-Elect Donald Trump Picks GOP Rep. Mike Waltz to Be National Security Adviser | 11 Nov 2024 | President-elect Donald Trump selected Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL) to serve as his National Security Adviser, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal. A source familiar to Breitbart News confirmed the WSJ’s report that Trump had asked Waltz to serve as the National Security Adviser. The role, which is appointed by the president, “doesn’t require Senate confirmation,” the WSJ’s report explained. Waltz, who is a retired Green Beret colonel and Afghanistan War veteran, has represented Florida’s 6th Congressional District since 2019.

Trump taps Stefanik to be UN Ambassador | 11 Nov 2024 | Donald Trump has chosen Republican Representative Elise Stefanik to serve as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, the president-elect said in a statement shared with Reuters on Monday. “I am honored to nominate Chairwoman Elise Stefanik to serve in my Cabinet as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Elise is an incredibly strong, tough, and smart America First fighter,” Trump said. Stefanik, 40, a New York representative and House Republican Conference chair, has been a fierce Trump ally.

President-Elect Trump Picks Tom Homan to Oversee Border Security, Deportations | 11 Nov 2024 | Border hawk Thomas Homan is getting a coveted border security job in the new administration, incoming President Donald Trump said in a message via his Truth Social media network. Homan is an experienced border officer who served as acting chief of the vital Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency in 2017 and 2018. The agency is responsible for finding, arresting, and deporting illegal migrants. Homan strongly supported Trump during the 2024 election. However, the statement did not say Homan would be nominated to run the Department of Homeland Security or the ICE agency. Instead, the statement suggests he will serve as a “Border Czar,” and will play an advocacy and coordinating role within the White House staff.

Connecticut Official Runs Fraudulent Marriage Factory for Migrants | 11 Nov 2024 | A Connecticut bureaucrat is being accused of running an immigrant marriage scam to push Joe Biden’s migrants into legal status before President-elect Donald Trump takes office. And she is not the only one. Wanda Geter-Pataky, who is a justice of the peace at New Haven City Hall, has allegedly been caught officiating at a string of controversial weddings that some assume are meant to fraudulently push migrants into legal status. She allegedly officiated more than 100 of these marriages a month during the Biden regime, according to the CT Mirror. The Mirror added that many of these marriages are between migrants and American citizens who do not even live in her state. Recently, she married couples from Texas, New York, and Virginia, the news group said.

John Thune Elected Senate Republican Leader in Tight Race | 13 Nov 2024 | [Deep-state dirt-bag] Sen. John Thune will replace Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) as Republican Senate Majority Leader after a close contest Wednesday that took two ballots to resolve. Thune, McConnell’s top deputy and an establishment favorite, must guide a conference hungry for changes after McConnell’s iron grip. He’s also tasked for guiding President Donald Trump’s agenda through the Senate, advancing his nominees swiftly and moving Trump’s aggressive legislative agenda. Thune received 23 votes on the first ballot — four short of locking up a victory. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) received 15, and Sen. Rick Scott 13.

New Australian law, if passed, will make the gov’t the ‘sole arbiter of truth’ –The main purpose of the legislation is to silence critics of the Australian government’s response to the Covid-19 crisis. What they have done instead is demonstrate that Australia does not have adequate protection for free speech, nor is it a democracy. (Life Site News Op-Ed) | 11 Nov 2024 | In a crushing blow to free speech in Australia, the lower house of federal parliament has passed an amendment, known as the Misinformation and Disinformation Bill, to the Broadcasting Services Act 1992. It imposes obligations on digital communications platform providers to prevent the dissemination of content “that contains information that is reasonably verifiable as false, misleading or deceptive, and is reasonably likely to cause or contribute to serious harm of a specified type (misinformation and disinformation).” Several dissenting politicians have expressed outrage and incredulity at the legislative move. Nola Marino, a member of the right-wing opposition Liberal Party said that she did not think that Australia, a liberal democratic society, would ever be “debating a bill that is explicitly designed to censor and silence the Australian people.”

Houthis claim attack on U.S. aircraft carrier | 12 Nov 2024 | Yemen’s Houthis launched a “successful” missile attack on the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea on Tuesday, according to a statement posted on X by spokesman Yahya Saree. A second attack targeted two American naval destroyers in the Red Sea, he said. The Houthis are a Shia group styling themselves as the Yemeni government and who control the capital Sanaa and northwest of the country. They have been disrupting Israeli and Western shipping in the Red Sea for almost a year, in an effort to pressure Israel to stop attacking Gaza. Tuesday’s strikes involved “a number of cruise missiles and drones” and were conducted “while the American enemy was preparing to carry out hostile operations” targeting Yemen, the Houthi statement said.

Russia’s closest ally becomes BRICS partner | 11 Nov 2024 | Belarus has officially become a partner country of the BRICS economic bloc, the Foreign Ministry in Minsk announced in a statement on Monday. One of Russia’s closest allies, Belarus has become a target of Western sanctions over the Ukraine conflict. Belarusian Foreign Minister Maksim Ryzhenkov has delivered a letter addressed to Russian President Vladimir Putin and written by the country’s president Alexander Lukashenko, to Moscow’s ambassador in Minsk Boris Gryzlov, the ministry’s press service has said. The new “partner country” status was approved as a result of the BRICS summit in the Russian city of Kazan last month. It provides for permanent participation in special sessions of the bloc’s summits and foreign ministers’ meetings, as well as other high-level events.

Michigan woman who was fired for refusing COVID vaccine wins $12m | 12 Nov 2024 | A woman who was fired for refusing the Covid-19 vaccine has been awarded more than 12 million in damages after suing her former employer. Lisa Domski, 66, who worked at health insurance company Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM) for more than 30 years, said she was a victim of religious discrimination. The company in October 2021 did not grant an exemption from its vaccine policy, despite her insistence that it clashed with her Catholic beliefs. The insurance company implemented a vaccine policy requiring staff to be fully vaccinated or to apply for a religious or medical accommodation… Despite following protocol, BCBSM refused Mrs Domski’s request and allegedly threatened to terminate her if she didn’t comply. Her attorney, Jon Marko, said the decision to deny her request was even stranger as she worked 100 percent remotely as an IT specialist during the pandemic and 75 percent before COVID-19 hit in 2020.