dChan
Anonymous ID: e6cd74 Dec. 16, 2024, 8:02 p.m. No.22178730   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>8752 >>8916 >>9124 >>9129 >>9134 >>9231

NDAA passed by Republican House allows DHS to sell border wall materials

 

President-elect Donald Trump has called on President Joe Biden to halt the sale of unused border wall components originally intended for projects along the U.S.-Mexico border. The materials, including steel bollards, recently appeared for sale on GovPlanet, a government surplus auction marketplace.

 

During a news conference Monday, Trump expressed frustration with the Biden administration over the auctions, which involved materials left in southern Arizona after Biden paused wall construction early in his presidency.

 

"I'm asking today, Joe Biden, to please stop selling the wall," Trump said, emphasizing the cost of the materials. He accused Biden of increasing expenses by selling the components just as his administration prepares to resume construction.

 

"It's very expensive, and now it's about double the price of what it would have been six years ago," Trump said on Monday. "And the (Biden) administration is trying to sell it for 5 cents on the dollar, knowing that we're getting ready."

 

The auction listings have ignited debate online, with many questioning why the materials were sold when Trump campaigned to finish the wall.

 

Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., told The Daily Wire, which first reported the auctions, that the Biden administration was “purposefully hamstringing” the incoming Trump presidency.

 

Former Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey also criticized the sales, calling them a “last-ditch effort to keep America’s borders open by selling off materials the Trump administration will use to finish the wall.”

 

So why are the materials for the construction of more border fence being moved now?

 

The answer is in the National Defense Authorization Act, a law passed by Congress in the 2024 fiscal year.

 

Why are the materials being sold?

Section 2890 of the National Defense Authorization Act, introduced by Republican lawmakers in the House, requires the Department of Defense to develop a plan to use, transfer or donate all “covered materials” purchased for border barrier construction between fiscal years 2017 and 2022.

 

The law mandated that the Department of Defense submit a plan “to use, transfer, or donate to States on the southern border of the United States all covered materials” within 75 days of the National Defense Authorization Act’s enactment and begin executing it 100 days later.

 

The process continued “until the date on which the Department of Defense is no longer incurring any costs to maintain, store, or protect the covered materials.” This led to the eventual sale of a portion of these materials through GovPlanet, a government surplus marketplace.

 

After fulfilling requests from U.S. Customs and Border Protection and eligible border states, transferring nearly 60% of the materials, the Department of Defense sold the remaining 40% through a competitive sales contract.

 

“The material currently being sold through GovPlanet online auctions no longer belongs to the U.S. Government, and DoD has no legal authority to recall the material or stop further resale of material it no longer owns,” the Department of Defense told The Arizona Republic in a written statement.

 

Texas officials consider buying surplus panels

Among those taking note of the auctions is Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who posted on X that the Texas Facilities Commission reviewed the panels listed for sale.

 

According to Patrick, the commission concluded that the materials up for auction were “mostly junk, with most panels covered in concrete and rust.” He noted that a few usable panels were “not worth the cost of shipping to Texas from Arizona.”

 

Still, Patrick emphasized the state’s willingness to assist the incoming administration if some panels meet their standards. “Make no mistake,” Patrick wrote, “Texas will make every effort, do whatever it takes, to assist the president, and we’re going to secure this border once and for all for the people of America and Texas.”

 

No authority to reclaim once sold

Because the materials have been sold, the Department of Defense can no longer direct their final use. Any future decisions about the materials rest entirely with their new owners, whether private buyers or states willing to pay the cost of transportation and refurbishment.

 

https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/border-issues/2024/12/16/why-biden-administration-selling-border-wall-materials/77029733007/

Anonymous ID: e6cd74 Dec. 16, 2024, 8:03 p.m. No.22178741   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>8916 >>9124 >>9129 >>9134 >>9231

Judge merchan rejects Trump request to toss Bragg charges in New York on basis of presidential immunity

 

Judge Juan Merchan on Monday rejected Trump attorneys' request to dismiss charges brought against him by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg on the basis of presidential immunity.

 

The ruling comes after President-elect Trump and his team in July requested Merchan overturn his guilty verdict in New York v. Trump, citing the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that presidents have immunity for official acts.

 

Merchan ruled that the evidence presented in the trial was related "entirely to unofficial conduct and thus, receive no immunity protections."

 

"Further, even if this Court were to deem all of the contested evidence, both preserved and unpreserved, as official conduct falling within the outer perimeter of Defendant’s Presidential authority, it would still find that the People’s use of these acts as evidence of the decidedly personal acts of falsifying business records poses no danger of intrusion on the authority and function of the Executive Branch, a conclusion amply supported by non-motive-related evidence," Merchan writes.

 

Merchan also argued that the Court said "if error occurred regarding the introduction of the challenged evidence, such error was harmless in light of the overwhelming evidence of guilt."

 

Merchan rejected that request, but has yet to rule on President-elect Trump's formal motion to dismiss the case altogether.

 

"Today’s decision by deeply conflicted, acting Justice Merchan in the Manhattan DA Witch Hunt is a direct violation of the Supreme Court’s decision on immunity, and other longstanding jurisprudence," Trump spokesman and incoming White House communications director Steven Cheung told Fox News Digital. "This lawless case should have never been brought, and the Constitution demands that it be immediately dismissed, as President Trump must be allowed to continue the Presidential Transition process, and execute the vital duties of the presidency, unobstructed by the remains of this, or any other, Witch Hunt."

 

Cheung added: "The sooner these hoaxes end, the sooner our country can unite behind President Trump for the betterment of all Americans."

 

Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree stemming from the yearslong investigation related to alleged hush money payments run by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. Former Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance initiated the investigation, and Bragg prosecuted Trump.

 

After an unprecedented six-week trial in New York City, a jury found the president guilty on all counts.

 

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a former president has substantial immunity for official acts committed while in office.

 

In the formal motion in July, Trump attorney Todd Blanche pointed to the Supreme Court’s immunity decision, and argued that certain evidence of "official acts" should not have been admitted during the trial.

 

Specifically, Blanche argued that testimony from former White House Communications Director Hope Hicks; former Special Assistant to the President Madeleine Westerhout; testimony regarding The Special Counsel’s Office and Congressional Investigations and the pardon power; testimony regarding President Trump’s response to FEC Inquiries; his presidential Twitter posts and other related testimony was impermissably admitted during trial.

 

Meanwhile, Trump attorneys, earlier this month, officially requested to "immediately" dismiss charges against the president-elect in New York v. Trump, declaring the "failed lawfare" case "should never have been brought."

 

Trump attorneys said the case "would never have been brought were it not for President Trump’s political views, the transformative national movement established under his leadership, and the political threat that he poses to entrenched, corrupt politicians in Washington, D.C. and beyond."

 

Trump lawyers said that "wrongly continuing proceedings in this failed lawfare case disrupts President Trump’s transition efforts and his preparations to wield the full Article II executive power authorized by the Constitution pursuant to the overwhelming national mandate granted to him by the American people on November 5, 2024."

 

Bragg, last month, requested to Judge Juan Merchan that the case be stayed until the end of Trump’s second term, but Trump attorneys noted that the Office of Legal Counsel in the Justice Department concluded that "the categorical prohibition on the federal indictment of a sitting president…even if the case were held in abeyance…applies to this situation."

 

They added that Bragg's "ridiculous suggestion that they could simply resume proceedings after President Trump leaves Office, more than a decade after they commenced their investigation in 2018, is not an option."

 

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/judge-rejects-trump-request-toss-bragg-charges-new-york-basis-presidential-immunity

Anonymous ID: e6cd74 Dec. 16, 2024, 8:05 p.m. No.22178753   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>8758 >>8767 >>8916 >>9124 >>9129 >>9134 >>9231

Victoria Spartz will not caucus with Republicans

 

Rep. Victoria Spartz announced Monday that she is opting out from serving on committees next year and will boycott the House GOP conference meetings, a rare move given she also stated her intention to remain a Republican.

 

“I will stay as a registered Republican but will not sit on committees or participate in the caucus until I see that Republican leadership in Congress is governing. I do not need to be involved in circuses,” Spartz wrote on X.

 

The decision to step down confused some Republicans, but others suspected the move had something to do with the House GOP Steering Committee not giving her a coveted post on the House Ways and Means Committee, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter.

 

Spartz, who has had problems with retaining staff, said she’d prefer to “spend more of my time helping” the mission of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, which is meant to help cut government spending.

 

Some Republicans are happy about her decision to boycott the conference meetings, according to two people familiar with the situation, as some had privately complained about her speaking too much during the internal GOP meetings.

 

https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2024/12/16/congress/spartzs-boycott-panel-meetings-gop-00194642

Anonymous ID: e6cd74 Dec. 16, 2024, 8:09 p.m. No.22178767   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>8916 >>9124 >>9129 >>9134 >>9231

>>22178753

Rep. Victoria Spartz

@RepSpartz

I will stay as a registered Republican but will not sit on committees or participate in the caucus until I see that Republican leadership in Congress is governing. I do not need to be involved in circuses. I would rather spend more of my time helping

@DOGE and @RepThomasMassie to save our Republic 🇺🇸, as was mandated by the American people.

 

https://x.com/RepSpartz/status/1868794043259330773

Anonymous ID: e6cd74 Dec. 16, 2024, 8:11 p.m. No.22178776   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>8916 >>9124 >>9129 >>9134 >>9231

CNBC Poll: 73 percent of Americans support deploying U.S. Military at southern border

 

Americans say they are ready to support President-elect Donald Trump in his second term, and majorities give a green light to some of his controversial promises on the campaign trail, according to the CNBC All-America Economic Survey.

 

Yet the survey also found the public is flashing yellow and red warning lights on some parts of the Trump agenda.

 

Overall, the survey found that 54% of the public are “comfortable and prepared to support” Trump as president. That’s down 2 points from when he took office in 2016. Some 41% are not comfortable, up 5 points from 2016.

 

So, despite having won the popular vote in this election compared with 2016, Trump takes office for the second time with somewhat less net support in the poll.

 

“In 2016, there were a few more people who said, ‘I’m not sure,’ and took a kind of a wait-and-see approach,” said Jay Campbell, partner at Hart Research, the Democratic pollster for the survey. “Those numbers have dropped by half or more … People know what to expect with Donald Trump now.”

 

The survey of 1,000 people nationwide was taken Dec. 5-8. It has a margin of error of +/- 3.1%.

 

The survey found 60% say deploying the military to the border to stop illegal drugs and human trafficking should be a 2025 priority for the new administration, with an additional 13% saying it should still be done but later in the term. The proposal is only opposed outright by 24%, including 51% of Democrats, 12% of independents and 3% of Republicans.

 

Majorities of those surveyed also support cutting individual taxes, increasing deportation of undocumented immigrants, reducing the size of government, drilling for more oil on federal lands, and cutting taxes and regulation for business.

 

Where the potential agenda gets more contentious is most obvious in Trump’s plans to pardon those convicted of crimes in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Just 43% support the move, with 50% opposing it, including 87% of Democrats, 46% of independents and 18% of Republicans. It’s the issue with the single largest Republican opposition.

 

Support for raising tariffs is also more lukewarm, with 27% backing it outright and 24% saying it can be done later in the term. It’s opposed by 42% of respondents.

 

Americans overall are more upbeat about the economic outlook for the second Trump presidency than they were the first, the survey found. More than half, or 51%, say they expect their personal financial situation to improve, 10 points higher than when he was elected in 2016; the same percentage, 51%, also say they expect the U.S. economy to improve, up 5 points from 2016.

 

There were also gains in the percentage believing they would be worse off, suggesting Trump is even more polarizing now than he was in his first term.

 

President Joe Biden, meanwhile, leaves office with Americans fairly downbeat on the economy, according to the poll. Just 25% believe the economy is excellent or good, and 73% say it’s fair or poor. Biden’s final economic approval rating comes in at 36%, with 58% disapproving. His -22 net positive rating is improved from his worst numbers in 2022 but are still deeply negative and a long way from the +5 when his term began.

 

But Americans are considerably more hopeful on the economic outlook, charged by Republican enthusiasm in the wake of the election. Forty-six percent of the public expect the economy to improve in the next year, up nine points from October, driven by a switch of Republicans and, to a lesser extent, independents from pessimistic to optimistic. At the same time, 33% say the economy will get worse, up 16 points, driven entirely by deeper downbeat views of Democrats.

 

“Trump’s walking into his second term with more sour moods about the current economy, but more hopeful attitudes about what’s to come,″ said Micah Roberts, partner at Public Opinion Strategies, the Republican pollster for the survey.

 

Forty percent of those surveyed say now is a good time to invest in stocks, with 27% saying it’s a bad time, the most positive Americans have been on stocks since 2019. It was a massive swing from last quarter and the past 3½ years when Americans have been neutral to deeply negative on stocks. It was driven by a complete about-face by Republicans on the stock market in the wake of the election. They are now 56 points more positive on whether this is a good time to invest in stocks compared with August.

 

Separately, the survey also found that while cryptocurrencies may be the hottest thing on Wall Street, that’s not true on Main Street, at least not yet. The survey shows just 13% of the public saying they own crypto and 15% saying it’s the best investment right now. That’s up 4 points since CNBC last asked the question in 2022, but it trails well behind real estate, stocks, gold and even savings accounts in the best-investment contest. Just 7% of the public say they would accept their wages in crypto, but another 22% said they might someday. Slightly more than 3 in 5, or more than 61%, say they will never accept their wages in crypto.

 

One-third of crypto owners are in the youngest cohort, ages 18 to 34. Just 9% are 65 and older.

 

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/12/15/majorities-in-poll-give-trump-green-light-for-some-controversial-policies.html

Anonymous ID: e6cd74 Dec. 16, 2024, 8:14 p.m. No.22178791   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>8793 >>8797 >>8916

Libs of TikTok

@libsoftiktok

Canada’s Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland has resigned.

 

Here she is laughing about freezing the bank accounts of truckers who protested Trudeau’s tyrannical Covid policies.

 

Good riddance!

 

https://x.com/libsoftiktok/status/1868678946029813821

Anonymous ID: e6cd74 Dec. 16, 2024, 8:22 p.m. No.22178823   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>8895 >>8916 >>9124 >>9129 >>9134 >>9231

Trudeau faces frustrated MPs after Chrystia Freeland's shock resignation

 

-At caucus meeting, some Liberal MPs tell PM he has to step down after Chrystia Freeland's shock resignation.

-Trudeau says he will take time to reflect on caucus concerns, sources say.

-At least seven Liberal MPs, including a former cabinet minister, publicly say Trudeau must resign.

-Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc has been sworn in as Canada's new finance minister.

-Despite the drama, fall economic statement was tabled — showing a big deficit of more than $60B.

-Freeland says PM told her Friday he no longer wanted her to serve as finance minister.

-Rather than accept a job change, Freeland resigned Monday.

-In letter to Trudeau announcing her resignation, Freeland denounced Trudeau's "costly political gimmicks."

-Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says Trudeau must call an election right away.

-NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says Trudeau must resign.

-NDP House leader Peter Julian tells CBC News the party will vote non-confidence in the Liberal government if -Trudeau stays on into the new year.

-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faced frustrated MPs at a hastily arranged caucus meeting late Monday following Chrystia Freeland's shocking decision to resign from cabinet just before she was to deliver the government's much-anticipated fall economic statement.

 

About 15 MPs took to the microphone to address Trudeau at that meeting, according to one Liberal MP who was in the room.

 

Most of the speakers said he has to step down after mismanaging his once-crucial relationship with Freeland, the outgoing deputy prime minister, the MP said.

 

Liberal sources told CBC News that Trudeau said he heard their concerns and would take time over the next few days to reflect on his future.

 

Trudeau said much the same thing after nearly two dozen MPs called on him to leave earlier this fall. He ended up rejecting those calls to leave the next day.

 

But this time, sources said, Trudeau hasn't decided what to do.

 

"I can say we're not united. There's still a number of our members who think we need a change in leadership and I'm one of them," Liberal Ontario MP Chad Collins told reporters after the caucus meeting.

 

The best way to stop what he called Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's "Make Canada Great Again" agenda is to push Trudeau out, Collins said.

 

"I think the only path forward for us is to choose a new leader and present a new plan to Canadians with a different vision," he said.

 

Trudeau's only public comments on Monday came during a holiday party for Liberal donors. The prime minister said it had "not been an easy day" but otherwise didn't discuss Freeland's resignation or the caucus meeting.

 

Dominic LeBlanc was sworn in as finance minister following abrupt Freeland's departure — an apparent attempt by Trudeau to deploy a close confidant as he struggles to shore up his shaky government and restore some stability.

 

LeBlanc, who has been friends with the prime minister since childhood, is one of Trudeau's most trusted lieutenants.

 

The New Brunswick MP and cabinet minister recently joined Trudeau for dinner with U.S. president-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago. He had been tasked with drafting the government's billion-dollar border plan to appease American concerns about drugs and migrants coming into the U.S. from Canada.

 

Speaking to reporters after taking on his new role, LeBlanc said he will temporarily retain his public safety and intergovernmental affairs duties while also serving as finance minister — an enormous workload.

 

Despite serious questions about Trudeau's future given what transpired today with Freeland, LeBlanc said the prime minister is focused on tackling persistent affordability and cost of living concerns — and dealing with the incoming Trump administration.

 

But the most immediate challenge for Trudeau is to appease an increasingly restless Liberal caucus and backbench MPs who want someone else in the top job.

 

Liberal MP Wayne Long, who was part of an earlier effort to oust Trudeau, said roughly a third of the 153 sitting Liberal MPs want the prime minister to go right away, while another third are on the fence and the remaining third are professed Trudeau loyalists.

 

Long said Trudeau must resign right away and trigger a leadership election to replace him.

 

"He's messing with his legacy and it's time to move on," Long told CBC News. "Canadians are screaming, caucus is vocal — it's just time, come on."

 

Freeland's resignation is a disastrous development for the government. It throws its economic agenda into a tailspin and leaves a huge gap on Trudeau's front bench at a time when Liberal Party support has collapsed in the polls.

 

Freeland's jaw-dropping move to leave just before tabling the economic statement is unprecedented. The statement is supposed to be the government's fiscal road map at a time of great uncertainty, as Canada stares down Trump's tariff threat.

 

In a letter to Trudeau that was subsequently posted to her social media account, the outgoing deputy prime minister said she had no choice but to resign after Trudeau approached her Friday about moving her to another cabinet role — minister without a portfolio with some responsibility for the Canada-U.S. relationship.

 

"On Friday, you told me you no longer want me to serve as your finance minister and offered me another position in the cabinet," Freeland wrote, addressing Trudeau. "Upon reflection, I have concluded that the only honest and viable path is for me to resign from the cabinet."

 

Freeland also took a jab at Trudeau's handling of the country's economy, denouncing what she called the government's "costly political gimmicks" and imploring him to work collaboratively with the country's premiers to take on Trump's tariffs.

 

She conceded that she and Trudeau have been "at odds" in recent weeks.

 

A senior government official told CBC News that Freeland's announcement was not expected today.

 

Just last week, at an event celebrating women in politics, Trudeau said he's a "proud feminist" and cited his appointment of Canada's first female finance minister.

 

"I've touted the adage, 'Add women, change politics,' which to us is more than just words," he said.

 

Two days later, Trudeau would ask Freeland to leave that post, effectively pushing out the most senior woman in government.

 

The resignation derailed the fall economic statement and left officials at a media lockup scrambling to figure out what to do after the person who was set to present the statement abruptly quit.

 

After an hours-long delay, the embargoed reading for reporters went ahead and the document was quietly tabled in Parliament without the usual pageantry.

 

The statement revealed Canada's finances are in worse shape than expected. The deficit for 2023-24 came in at $61.9 billion — billions more than the roughly $40 billion Freeland had promised it would be.

 

read moar:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-faces-frustrated-mps-after-chrystia-freeland-s-shock-resignation-1.7411380

Anonymous ID: e6cd74 Dec. 16, 2024, 8:26 p.m. No.22178840   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>8916 >>9124 >>9129 >>9134 >>9231

SoftBank CEO and Trump announce $100 billion investment in U.S. by firm

 

-SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son announced a $100 billion investment in the U.S. over the next four years during a Monday visit to President-elect Donald Trump’s residence Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.

-The billionaire investor promised in the joint announcement with Trump to create 100,000 jobs focused on artificial intelligence and related infrastructure.

 

SoftBank

CEO Masayoshi Son announced a $100 billion investment in the U.S. over the next four years during a Monday visit to President-elect Donald Trump’s residence Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.

 

The billionaire investor and founder of the Japanese tech-investing firm promised in the joint announcement with Trump to create 100,000 jobs at a minimum focused on artificial intelligence and related infrastructure. The money will be deployed before the end of Trump’s term.

 

“My confidence level to the economy of the United States has tremendously increased with his victory,” Son said. “President Trump is a double down president. I’m going to have to double down.”

 

SoftBank’s Son and Trump made a similar announcement in 2016 after Trump was elected president for the first time, with the Japanese firm agreeing to invest $50 billion in the U.S. with the aim to create 50,000 jobs.

 

“He’s doing this because he feels very optimistic about our country since the election,” Trump said. “This historic investment is a monumental demonstration confidence in America’s future, and it will help ensure that artificial intelligence, emerging technologies, and other industries of tomorrow are being created and grown right here in the USA.”

 

The funding could come from various sources controlled by SoftBank, including the Vision Fund, capital projects or chipmaker Arm Holdings

, where the firm is majority owner. Some of the money will not necessarily be newly raised, but could include some funding already announced such as SoftBank’s recent $1.5 billion investment in OpenAI, the tech firm behind chatbot ChatGPT.

 

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/12/16/softbank-ceo-to-announce-100-billion-investment-in-us-during-visit-with-trump.html

Anonymous ID: e6cd74 Dec. 16, 2024, 8:27 p.m. No.22178844   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>8916 >>9124 >>9129 >>9134 >>9231

Elon Musk

@elonmusk

It was an honor to pay my respects to Akie Abe, widow of PM Abe, upon her visit to Mar-a-Lago to have dinner with @realDonaldTrump and @MELANIATRUMP.

 

My condolences to the people of Japan for their loss.

 

https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1868548140808409533

Anonymous ID: e6cd74 Dec. 16, 2024, 8:31 p.m. No.22178861   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>8872 >>8916 >>9124 >>9129 >>9134 >>9231

Giorgia Meloni steps down as ECR president

 

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is stepping down as president of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), the right-wing group in the European Parliament that is increasingly calling the shots in Brussels.

 

“When I was asked to extend my term until the [EU] elections, I agreed,” Meloni on Sunday told an annual festival organized by her party, Brothers of Italy, which accounts for the biggest delegation in the ECR with 24 lawmakers, as reported by news agency ANSA.

 

“Now that the elections have taken place, I think I have fulfilled my duty and I want to announce that I am going to resign as president of the European Conservatives,” Meloni said, stressing that the group now “deserves to have a president who can deal with it full time.”

 

Poland’s former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has been vying for the leadership of the ECR, with his Law and Justice (PiS) party holding 20 MEPs.

 

Meloni, who has held the position since 2020, said she expected Morawiecki to run and would back him.

 

https://www.politico.eu/article/giorgia-meloni-steps-down-ecr-president-european-parliament/