Matt Gaetz admits to womanizing and partying too much as he slams House’s move to release ethics report: Live

New details have emerged about Disney’s swift decision to settle Donald Trump’s defamation lawsuit against ABC News for $15 million last week, which saw the corporation criticized for declining to fight its corner and for potentially emboldening the president-elect to pursue further legal actions against his media enemies.

Joe Sommerlad has the details.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is already grappling with a contentious moment for his leadership and Donald Trump is adding fuel to the fire, taunting Trudeau with the prospect of making his country the 51st US state.

Trump’s familiar bullish approach to the United States’s typically friendly foreign leaders has returned full-fledged over the last week as Trudeau faces a leadership crisis amid low approval ratings.

At 3am on Wednesday, Trump hopped on Truth Social to troll the prime minister by doubling down on his pitch to make the U.S.’s northern neighbor the “51st State”.

Ariana Baio reports.

Matt Gaetz admits he “probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked” more than he should have in his 30s as the 42-year-old former congressman lambasted an imminent report from a long-running ethics investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct with underage girls and drug use while he was in office.

House Ethics Committee members are now expected to publicly release the results in the coming days after holding a secret vote last month.

Alex Woodward reports.

The Supreme Court has agreed to take up the emergency appeal by TikTok to stop the app being banned in the U.S., with briefs due by December 27, replies due by January 3, 2025, and oral arguments set for January 10 — just nine days before the ban is supposed to go into effect.

You can read the filing here

Here’s what you need to know about the case:

Eric Garcia writes:

opular progressive Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made her play. While her policy positions never changed, some noted that she seemed to push to the political middle during the campaign season. It was a move to seemingly curry favor with some of the party’s power brokers.

When she tried to play that chip on Tuesday for a powerful position on a House committee, it showed her progressive label still rankles in Washington. Even in her own party.

On Tuesday, Ocasio-Cortez lost her bid to lead the Oversight Committee to Gerry Connolly after Democratic leadership stated its preference for the 74-year-old from Virginia. The vote wasn’t even close, with Connolly winning 131 votes to Ocasio-Cortez’s 84 votes. The panel has broad powers and will help keep oversight of President-Elect Donald Trump.

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Former congressman Matt Gaetz has released the following statement regarding the upcoming public release of the House ethics committee report on his alleged sexual misconduct and drug use.

He posted the following statement on X:

The Biden/Garland DOJ spent years reviewing allegations that I committed various crimes.

I was charged with nothing: FULLY EXONERATED. Not even a campaign finance violation. And the people investigating me hated me.

Then, the very “witnesses” DOJ deemed not-credible were assembled by House Ethics to repeat their claims absent any cross-examination or challenge from me or my attorneys. I’ve had no chance to ever confront any accusers. I’ve never been charged. I’ve never been sued.

Instead, House Ethics will reportedly post a report online that I have no opportunity to debate or rebut as a former member of the body.

In my single days, I often sent funds to women I dated — even some I never dated but who asked. I dated several of these women for years. I NEVER had sexual contact with someone under 18. Any claim that I have would be destroyed in court — which is why no such claim was ever made in court.

My 30’s were an era of working very hard - and playing hard too.

It’s embarrassing, though not criminal, that I probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked more than I should have earlier in life. I live a different life now.

But at least I didn’t vote for CR’s that fuck over the country!

Incoming US president Donald Trump threatened to impose reciprocal tariffs on India as he reiterated his longstanding complaints of New Delhi charging high tariffs.

Mr Trump made the comment at a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, standing alongside his commerce secretary pick Howard Lutnick.

The former president, who has threatened tariffs on several countries as part of his “America First” approach, ended preferential trade status for India during his first term in 2019.

Shweta Sharma reports.

House lawmakers are expected to publicly release the results of an ethics investigation into now-former congressman Matt Gaetz after a secret vote last month to share the report in the final days of 2024.

House Ethics Committee members reportedly held a secret vote earlier this month, reversing course on a decision to withhold the findings of a long-running probe into allegations of sexual misconduct and drug use.

The report is expected to be made public after the House’s final day of votes this week as lawmakers prepare to leave Washington, D.C., for the holidays, according to CNN.

Alex Woodward reports.