Trump calls for execution of Democratic lawmakers
President Trump has called for the execution of six Democratic lawmakers for what he calls seditious behavior. The six are Senators Elissa Slotkin, and Mark Kelly and Representatives Chris DeLuzio, Maggie Goodlander, Chrissy Houlahan and Jason Crow. The six made a video in which they reminded members of the U.S. military that their oath and training allows them to not obey illegal orders. That principle is taught at the nation’s military academies, such as West Point. Trump has threatened to issue illegal orders to the military and federal judges have already overturned Trump’s orders that sent send military units into Los Angeles and Portland. The U.S. military’s Code of Justice says that members of the military can refuse to follow illegal orders such as those that would cause them to commit a crime.
Some Trump supporters lie about what Democrats said
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt left out the word illegal when criticizing the six Democrats who put out a video reminding members of the military that they can defy illegal orders. Leavitt said they were encouraging members of the military to defy orders, when they specifically referred only to illegal orders. Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Republican Senator Lindsay Graham did the same thing. However, both Johnson and Graham criticized Trump for calling for death for the six Democrats.
Epstein’s brother talks about Trump
Mark Epstein, brother of the sex predator Jeffrey Epstein, on CNN’s Erin Burnett program last night said that the reason Donald Trump has been delaying the release of the Epstein files is obvious to him. He said it’s because there are things in the files Trump doesn’t want people to see. Mark Epstein also said that Trump and Jeffrey Epstein took trips together on both Epstein’s or Trump’s airplanes. He said that investigators should examine the flight logs for both. Mark Epstein also said that it was his brother who cut ties with Trump, not the other way around.
Mamdani meeting
President Donald Trump was scheduled to meet with New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani in the Oval Office today — their first face-to-face meeting since Mamdani was elected on Nov. 4. The meeting follows months of acrimony between the two New Yorkers, who have traded barbs since Mamdani’s primary victory in June. Trump has repeatedly mocked him, calling him “my little communist,” and also threatened to cut federal funding from New York City if Mamdani won. Mamdani said in an interview that his team reached out to the White House “because of a commitment that I made to New Yorkers, that I would be willing to meet with anyone and everyone, so long as it was to the benefit of 8.5 million people who call the city home and their struggle to afford the most expensive city in the United States of America.”
RFK Jr.’s CDC replaces science with false claims
Scientific information on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) website was replaced this week with anti-vaccine talking points, including false claims that link to autism and vaccines. It’s the latest move by the Trump administration to alter longstanding U.S. vaccine policy and cast doubt on vaccinations. Health and Human Services spokesperson Andrew Nixon claimed what they posted does constitute science. Abundant evidence has shown that there is no connection between vaccines and autism. In a CNN interview, a former top CDC official called the website changes “a national embarrassment” that could leave parents confused.
Concerns for Gaza ceasefire
Concerns are growing over the stability of the Gaza ceasefire as a new surge in violence threatens to unravel the U.S.-brokered agreement. Qatar, one of the countries that helped mediate the truce, has accused Israel of violating the deal, saying its attacks are making the enclave “unliveable.” Israeli strikes across Gaza killed at least 32 Palestinians from Wednesday into Thursday, with more than 80 others wounded, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Israeli forces said they carried out the strikes on Hamas targets after “several terrorists” fired on Israeli soldiers operating in Khan Younis in southern Gaza. It marked the third major escalation since the ceasefire took effect in October, each triggered by an attack on Israeli forces.
