The White House announced that President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will attend President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20th.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan dismissed federal election charges this week against President-elect Donald Trump after special counsel Jack Smith filed a motion to drop the case. Chutkan ordered the case be dismissed without prejudice and explained that “when a prosecutor moves to dismiss an indictment without prejudice, ‘there is a strong presumption in favor’ of that course.” “Dismissal without prejudice is also consistent with the Government’s understanding that the immunity afforded to a sitting President is temporary, expiring when they leave office,” she added. Smith had charged Trump with four felonies related to the 2020 election, specifically on Trump’s actions after the election and before Congress certified the results on January 7, 2021. In August last year, Trump was indicted on charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights. Trump celebrated the case being brought to close, saying on social media that Democrats wasted taxpayer money to fund their attacks on Trump. “These cases, like all of the other cases I have been forced to go through, are empty and lawless, and should never have been brought,” he said. “Over $100 Million Dollars of Taxpayer Dollars has been wasted in the Democrat Party’s fight against their Political Opponent, ME.” “Nothing like this has ever happened in our Country before,” Trump continued, later adding: “It was a political hijacking, and a low point in the History of our Country that such a thing could have happened, and yet, I persevered, against all odds, and WON. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” Chutkan dismissed the case after Smith filed a motion to dismiss the case because “it has long been the position of the Department of Justice that the United States Constitution forbids the federal indictment and subsequent criminal prosecution of a sitting President.”

President Joe Biden will attend President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration in January, the White House confirmed on Monday. “The president promised that he would attend the inauguration of whomever won the election,” said White House spokesman Andrew Bates. “He and the first lady are going to honor that promise and attend the inauguration,” he continued. “He views that as an important demonstration of commitment to our democratic values, and to honoring the will of the people, as we continue to provide an orderly and effective transition.” Biden and Trump met at the White House two weeks ago following Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential election. Both leaders had promised that there would be a smooth and peaceful transition of power in January. “Politics is tough, and in many cases, it’s not a very nice world. But it is a nice world today, and I appreciate it very much,” Trump said. “A transition that’s so smooth, it’ll be as smooth as it can get.” WATCH: President Donald J. Trump and President Biden meet in the Oval Office pic.twitter.com/ZD9xPt4nyo — Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) November 13, 2024 Trump is ready to hit the ground running shortly after being sworn into office, having already named most of the people that he is nominating for key roles. Those Trump has tapped so far include: Marco Rubio, State; Scott Bessent, Treasury; Pete Hegseth, Defense; Pam Bondi, Attorney General; Doug Burgum, Interior; Brooke Rollins, Agriculture; Howard Lutnick, Commerce; Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Labor; Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Health and Human Services; Scott Turner, Housing and Urban Development; Sean P. Duffy, Transportation; Chris Wright, Energy; Linda McMahon, Education; Douglas A. Collins, Veterans Affairs; Kristi L. Noem, Homeland Security; John Ratcliffe, CIA; Susie Wiles, Chief of staff; Lee Zeldin, Environmental Protection Agency; Russell Vought, Management and Budget; Tulsi Gabbard, National Intelligence; Michael Waltz, National Security Adviser; Elise Stefanik, U.N. Ambassador.

President-elect Donald Trump threatened on Monday to impose tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico as well as China that will remain in place until they stem the flow of drugs and illegal immigration coming into the United States In a post to his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump indicated that he would begin his second term with a flurry of executive orders that would include tariffs on U.S. neighbors. “On January 20th, as one of my many first Executive Orders, I will sign all necessary documents to charge Mexico and Canada a 25% Tariff on ALL products coming into the United States, and its ridiculous Open Borders,” he said. Trump added: “This Tariff will remain in effect until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country! Both Mexico and Canada have the absolute right and power to easily solve this long simmering problem. We hereby demand that they use this power, and until such time that they do, it is time for them to pay a very big price!” With a second post, Trump took aim at China, promising a separate tariff that he said would remain in place until Beijing cracks down on drugs flowing to the U.S. He once again singled out fentanyl. “I have had many talks with China about the massive amounts of drugs, in particular Fentanyl, being sent into the United States – But to no avail,” Trump said. “Representatives of China told me that they would institute their maximum penalty, that of death, for any drug dealers caught doing this but, unfortunately, they never followed through, and drugs are pouring into our Country, mostly through Mexico, at levels never seen before.” He continued: “Until such time as they stop, we will be charging China an additional 10% Tariff, above any additional Tariffs, on all of their many products coming into the United States of America. Thank you for your attention to this matter.” Speculation about Trump reigniting trade wars had already sparked discussion about potential economic impacts. With his tariffs announcement on Monday, discussion got underway about the finer details of what the plan might entail. As noted on X by Heather Long, an economic columnist for The Washington Post, there are “a range of tariffs currently on China,” and therefore it seemed that Trump’s “goal” would be “35%+.” On X, there was a flurry of reactions to Trump’s tariffs ultimatum. Hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, for instance, said on X that using tariffs as a political and  foreign policy “weapon” aligns with Trump’s “America First” agenda. Tech executive Elon Musk, who has been tapped to help lead Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), responded plan by quipping that the price of fentanyl will “rise sharply.”

Adele performed her last show two years after beginning her residency in Las Vegas. It proved to be an emotional night for the Rolling In The Deep Singer, who performed at The Colosseum at Caesar’s Palace for the final time on November 23. Her son, Angelo, and fiancé, Rich Paul, attended that night, and Adele was sure to show them both how much she appreciated their love and support. A fan caught a video of Adele walking through the crowd while singing When We Were Young. She stopped when she reached Angelo and Rich and gave them both a warm embrace before sharing a tearful moment with the audience. Angelo and Rich Paul give a kiss and hug to Adele during When We Were Young @adelllylove pic.twitter.com/DFUyK7ZGHq— Adelettes (@Adelettes2) November 24, 2024 A Fan Captured Sweet Video of Adele Addressing Her Son While on stage, Adele gushed over her son and fiance’. The singer said that Angelo made the decision to play a residency easy. “To my son,” she said through tears, “I chose to do a residency mainly because I f—ing hate touring. But I chose to do a residency so I could keep his life normal, and I did do that.” She then thanked him “for being patient for me” and shared, “I love you to bits.” Adele thanks son for being so patient with her and Rich Paul for always motivating her pic.twitter.com/zwhVGxpqgb— Melinda (@adelllylove) November 24, 2024 Adele also thanked Rich for encouraging her and always making her feel “like I could do whatever I wanted to do.” She then thanked fans for making her show a destination. Adele’s fans commented on their love in the X video. One wrote, “Such a beautiful soul she is. Wishing her all the happiness and rest she deserves.” This person agreed, “What a queen!!!” Variety reported that in addition to taking her son and Rich, Adele also paid homage to Celine Dion, the original residency queen. “I am emotional but also, just so you know, I got closure when Celine Dion came to my show a few weeks ago,” Adele said. “I cried for a whole week … It was just such a full-circle moment for me because that’s the only reason I ever wanted to be in here.” This story’s featured image is by Denise Truscello/Getty Images for AD. The post Adele Shares A Heartfelt Moment With Her Son & Fiancé During The Final Show Of Her Residency appeared first on InspireMore.

'I put together probably one of the best legal teams ever assembled'

This is absolutely insane

The DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee will convene on Dec. 12

Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, met over the weekend with President-elect Donald Trump and his choices to slash billions if not trillions of dollars in federal spending—entrepreneurs Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. The Musk- and Ramaswamy-led Department of Government Efficiency is expected to work closely with the new Trump administration’s Office of Management and Budget to implement recommendations on fiscal policy.  The excellent work of Senator Ernst & like-minded legislators has been very helpful https://t.co/xsIHuCKd4U— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 25, 2024 Ernst, who visited Trump’s Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, leads the Senate’s new DOGE Caucus. The Iowa Republican has been a fiscal watchdog since her election in 2014. She publishes the annual “Squeal Awards,” similar to the late Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., whose annual “Wastebook” highlighted examples of waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government.  “From billion-dollar boondoggles to welfare for politicians and trillion-dollar slush funds, my decadelong investigations have exposed levels of abuse that are almost too insane to believe. The tables are finally turning, the knives are out, and waste is on the chopping block,” Ernst said in a public statement.  “As President Trump, Elon Musk, and Vivek Ramaswamy prepare to take action, the Senate DOGE Caucus is ready to carry out critical oversight in Congress and use our legislative force to fight against the entrenched bureaucracy, trim the fat, and get Washington back to work for Americans,” she added.  The U.S. Government recently approved the following grants:-$45 million for a diversity and inclusion scholarship in Burma-$3 million for “girl-centered climate action” in Brazil-$288,563 for diverse bird watcher groupsSource: https://t.co/DcDRoptLL7— Department of Government Efficiency (@DOGE) November 23, 2024 Congressional support is evident. In addition to Ernst’s Senate caucus, the House Oversight and Accountability Committee has established a subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency to be chaired by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga. However, Musk and Ramaswamy argue that much of the cutting can be done through executive action.   “The two of us will advise DOGE at every step to pursue three major kinds of reform: regulatory rescissions, administrative reductions and cost savings,” Musk, owner of SpaceX, Tesla, and the social media platform X, and Ramaswamy, a pharmaceutical entrepreneur and former Republican presidential candidate, assert in a Wall Street Journal op-ed published Nov. 20. “We will focus particularly on driving change through executive action based on existing legislation rather than by passing new laws.” The group Citizens Against Government Waste—known for publishing an annual “Congressional Pig Book” about pork barrel spending—grew out of the so-called Grace Commission on cutting government.  Nearly all of the recommendations in the 1980s from the Grace Commission were implemented by executive action if they could be, saving $100 billion, said Tom Schatz, president of Citizens Against Government Waste. Among its suggestions were the establishment of a commission on closing military bases and the sale of certain airports.  “President [Ronald] Reagan spent a lot of time talking about the Grace proposal,” Schatz told The Daily Signal. “He took it seriously and made proposals in his budget.” There was also a Grace Commission Caucus in Congress, Schatz noted. The Grace Commission operated for a year and a half (from June 1982 to January 1984), the same time frame contemplated for DOGE. The Musk-Ramaswamy effort is set to complete its work July 4, 2026.  Still, Schatz noted, rolling back government regulations will have to occur under a law called the Administrative Procedures Act.  “On the regulatory side, executive action can undo the focus on climate and DEI,” Schatz said, referring to liberals’ focus on climate change and diversity, equity, and inclusion. “That won’t necessarily save money, but it would make the agencies more mission-focused.” The DOGE cost-cutting effort has the potential for lasting change in tackling the entrenched Washington bureacracy, said author and historian Larry Schweikart, a former professor at the University of Dayton who wrote the book “Dragonslayers: Six Presidents and Their War With the Swamp.” “This can be extremely powerful. Now, it is not a Cabinet-level outfit and some changes would have to be by law,” Schweikart told The Daily Signal in an email Monday. “However, there are a number of tricks or devices they can use.” These could include buying out the top person in a bureau, then permanently ending the vacant position, he said.  “Move as many jobs to contractor ‘Schedule F’ as possible. Again, [it] may be fought at some levels,” Schweikart wrote in the email. “Remove as many job locations from D.C.; this will cause shrinkage by attrition.” Schedule F refers to a reclassification of career federal employees who are involved directly in determining policy that could make it easier to remove poorly performing or overly politicized federal employees.  “Many people can’t just be fired—they are spoils system/patronage positions,” Schweikart said. “But you can make the working conditions so onerous or boring they quit.” Executive action to cut government spending likely would prompt legal resistance, said David Ditch, senior analyst for budget policy with The Heritage Foundation.  “There will be a legal argument that could go all the way to the Supreme Court,” Ditch told The Daily Signal. “Congress does authorize the executive branch to spend billions every year.” “How much of that does Congress dictate versus how much is discretionary spending is the question,” he said. “If it’s discretionary, it could be a significant amount.” DOGE is likely to be a centerpiece of the incoming Trump administration, said Ditch, a former analyst for the Senate Budget Committee. “They will look at programs and subsidies in a way that is less deferential than politicians who will benefit from it,” he told The Daily Signal. “Elon likes to go big and doesn’t tolerate waste. Vivek wants to make his mark in politics.” “Another aspect is the megaphone effect. With past commissions, most of the people who read the reports were inside the Beltway,” Ditch said. “DOGE is blasted out on X to millions of people, which shapes conversations.” In 2010, President Barack Obama named President Bill Clinton’s former White House chief of staff, Erskine Bowles, and former Sen. Alan Simpson, R-Wyo., to co-chair the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform.  Little came of the Simpson-Bowles commission’s suggestions, but this should be different, Ditch said.  “The only time in the last 20 years the government swamp paid attention to the national debt was after the tea party election in 2010, which forced them to care,” he said. “The swamp benefits from this and will only pay attention to the fiscal problems when there is political pressure.” The post How DOGE Could Be Different Than Past Panels to Cut Government Spending  appeared first on The Daily Signal.