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

Former Florida congressman says ‘not criminal’ that he partied in his thirties, and now lives a different life

Oliver O'Connell,Joe Sommerlad,Gustaf Kilander
Wednesday 18 December 2024 14:05 EST
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Donald Trump says ‘something strange is going on’ with drone sightings

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The results of an ethics investigation into now-former congressman Matt Gaetz will be made public after a secret vote to share the report in the final days of 2024.

Members of the House Ethics Committee voted again earlier this month, reversing 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 as lawmakers prepare to leave Washington for the holidays, CNN reported. Gaetz, 42, responded on X, arguing his actions in his thirties were “not criminal” and he now leads a different life.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump has claimed ex-Republican congresswoman Liz Cheney “could be in a lot of trouble” after a House GOP subcommittee called for her to be investigated by the Justice Department over her stewardship of the panel that examined the Capitol riot of January 6, 2021, accusing her of witness tampering by “colluding” with Cassidy Hutchinson on her testimony.

The president-elect posted the taunt on Truth Social, thanking Congressman Barry Loudermilk, who led the subcommittee and produced the interim report, for “a job well done”.

Cheney herself has already rubbished Loudermilk’s report as “a malicious and cowardly assault on the truth”.

TikTok ban in numbers: Why the block could change the world even more than we thought

After amassing more than 170 million users in the country in less than seven years, TikTok is now facing an outright ban in the US.

On 19 January, just one day before Donald Trump is set to be inaugurated as president, the country is set to become the latest to completely ban the Chinese-owned app.

TikTok’s parent company ByteDance is still attempting to reverse the ruling, and has three potential ways to avoid the nationwide ban. The first is to ask the US Supreme Court to intervene, which it did on Monday. The second is to convince Trump to reverse the decision when he comes into office, with TikTok chief executive Shou Zi Chew reportedly meeting with the incoming president on Monday. And the third – though this appears increasingly unlikely – ByteDance can abide by the ruling and sell TikTok to a US-based owner.

Read more:

TikTok is about to be banned – it could change the world even more than we thought

More than 3 billion people are already blocked from using the app, writes Anthony Cuthbertson

Anthony Cuthbertson17 December 2024 18:30

Live: Immigration activists call on Congress to oppose Trump deportation plans

Gustaf Kilander17 December 2024 18:07

Don Jr insists he will always ‘care for’ Kimberly Guilfoyle

Donald Trump Jr has said he will always “care for” Kimberly Guilfoyle and that the couple retain “a special bond” amid reports that they have ended their four-year engagement and parted ways.

While the couple has still not officially confirmed the split, the president-elect’s eldest son, 46, was recently pictured with Florida socialite Bettina Anderson celebrating her 38th birthday at Buccan, an exclusive Palm Beach restaurant, and enjoying a romantic evening stroll along the beach.

The photos, published by The Daily Mail, coincided with Guilfoyle, 55, being picked by President-elect Donald Trump to be his next US ambassador to Greece, leading to jokes from the likes of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel that she had effectively been exiled to Athens to avoid an embarrassing break-up.

Now, Don Jr has told Page Six he and Guilfoyle “will never stop caring for each other” – though he stopped short of confirming their relationship is over.

“Kimberly and I will never stop caring for each other and will always keep a special bond,” he said.

Don Jr insists he will always ‘care for’ Kimberly Guilfoyle

President-elect’s eldest son has still not officially confirmed the split but was pictured last week with Florida socialite Bettina Anderson

Joe Sommerlad17 December 2024 18:00

US embassy damaged in Vanuatu earthquake

The US embassy was damaged Tuesday in an earthquake striking Port Vila, the capital of the South Pacific Ocean nation Vanuatu.

The 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck at about 12.53 p.m. and there were following “aftershocks,” an embassy alert said.

“There are also reports of landslides in the Port Vila area. People are advised to avoid entering buildings as they may be damaged or unstable,” the embassy added. “The U.S. Embassy in Port Vila has sustained considerable damage during the earthquake and is closed until further notice.”

Gustaf Kilander17 December 2024 17:30

Electoral college certification today

Presidential electors are meeting in all 50 states and Washington D.C. to ratify President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory over Vice President Kamala Harris.

In a mostly ceremonial voting process, 538 electoral votes will be handed down. Thirteen of the electors are Republicans who took part in the fake electors plot in 2020, and some of them face criminal charges.

Gustaf Kilander17 December 2024 17:13

Connolly beats AOC in race for ranking member slot on Oversight Committee

Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly has beaten Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for the ranking member spot on the House Oversight Committee.

Connolly received 131 votes to Ocasio-Cortez’s 84.

Gustaf Kilander17 December 2024 17:10

RFK Jr and Tulsi Gabbard head to the Hill for meetings with senators

HHS secretary nominee Robert F Kennedy Jr. and the nominee to serve as the director of national intelligence, former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard are on the hill Tuesday to drum up support for their respective nominations.

Former U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard from Hawaii, (R) President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for Director of National Intelligence, arrives for meetings in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on December 16, 2024 in Washington, DC
Former U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard from Hawaii, (R) President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for Director of National Intelligence, arrives for meetings in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on December 16, 2024 in Washington, DC (Getty Images)
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be Secretary of Health and Human Services, arrives for a meeting with Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) in the Hart Senate Office Building on December 17, 2024 in Washington, DC
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be Secretary of Health and Human Services, arrives for a meeting with Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) in the Hart Senate Office Building on December 17, 2024 in Washington, DC (Getty Images)
Reporters follow Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be Secretary of Health and Human Services, as he arrives for a meeting with Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) in the Hart Senate Office Building on December 17, 2024 in Washington, DC
Reporters follow Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be Secretary of Health and Human Services, as he arrives for a meeting with Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) in the Hart Senate Office Building on December 17, 2024 in Washington, DC (Getty Images)
Gustaf Kilander17 December 2024 17:00

Congressional Republicans say government funding deal reached, report says

Congressional Republicans have reached a deal in principle to fund the federal government, according to CNN.

Speaker Mike Johnson has said he hopes to release the on Tuesday afternoon. It reportedly includes almost $100 billion in disaster aid and another $10 billion in banking relief for farmers.

The deal also includes an extension of the farm bill for one year, a provision aiding biofuels, a measure extending telehealth flexibilities, and another measure for pharmacy benefit managers, the network noted.

Leaders of both parties remain confident that a government shutdown will be averted before Friday.

Gustaf Kilander17 December 2024 16:45

Trump lashes out at New York justice: ‘A completely illegal, psychotic order’

Donald Trump lashed out at Acting Justice of the New York State Supreme Court Juan Merchan after he rejected the president-elect’s attempt to throw out his hush-money case conviction based on the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity.

“In a completely illegal, psychotic order, the deeply conflicted, corrupt, biased, and incompetent Acting Justice Juan Merchan has completely disrespected the United States Supreme Court, and its Historic Decision on Immunity,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Tuesday.

Calling Merchan a “radical partisan,” the former president went on to claim that he wrote, “an opinion that is knowingly unlawful, goes against our Constitution, and, if allowed to stand, would be the end of the Presidency as we know it.”

“I am the only Political Opponent in American History not allowed to defend myself,” Trump added in a subsequent post after nominating some of his own defense lawyers to top roles at the Department of Justice.

Gustaf Kilander17 December 2024 16:30

Mallory McMorrow is not running for DNC chair

Rising Democratic star Mallory McMorrow isn’t running for DNC chair — she went viral for a Michigan Senate speech against anti-trans attacks and “groomer” panic and was on the stage during this year’s Democratic National Convention.

Alex Woodward17 December 2024 16:00

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