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Wednesday, January 8, 2025

House Passes Laken Riley Act With 159 Democrats Voting Against It

Townhall: The House has voted to pass the Laken Riley Act, a critical piece of immigration law inspired by the tragic murder of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student who was murdered by an illegal immigrant in Georgia. The vote came on Tuesday, with 216 Republicans voting in favor of the measure and 48 Democrats supporting it. The only opposition came from 159 Democrats who voted against the bill. The bill would mandate the detention of migrants charged with theft-related crimes while residing in the country (Townhall). America: U.S. House of Representatives has passed The Laken Riley Act, which requires the detention of illegal aliens who commit theft related crimes with 159 Democrats voting against it (X).

Meta Announces Changes to Allow More Free Speech on Platforms

Massive victory for first amendment. Townhall: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced a number of changes at the company on Tuesday regarding moderation policies and free speech. “We’re going to get back to our roots and focus on reducing mistakes, simplifying our policies and restoring free expression on our platforms,” Zuckerberg said. In a video statement, Zuckerberg said its fact-checking program will end in its current form and be replaced with a system similar to X’s Community Notes. “The fact checkers have just been too politically biased and have destroyed more trust than they’ve created,” he said. Secondly, Meta will simplify its content policies and remove a number of restrictions on topics such like immigration and gender that Zuckerberg said are “just out of touch with mainstream discourse.” He noted they’ve been used to shut down differing opinions and it has “gone too far” (Townhall). National Review: Lastly, Meta will work closely with the incoming Trump administration to restore free expression worldwide as numerous countries censor online content. Zuckerberg said this will be an easier problem to tackle with the support of the U.S. government now that a free speech-friendly president will enter office. He noted this was impossible to do over the past four years during the Biden administration, which pushed for censorship itself (National Review).

Biden Releases 11 Terrorists Responsible for 9/11 from Guantanamo Bay

Libs of TikTok: Joe Biden has released 11 Yemeni terrorists from Guantánamo Bay who were captured in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. He’s trying to cause as much damage as possible on his way out (X). National Review: The Biden administration has transferred eleven Yemeni prisoners with suspected al-Qaeda ties at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp to Oman in the Middle East, the Department of Defense announced Monday, as part of an effort to reduce the controversial military facility’s prisoner population. As part of its diplomatic efforts with the U.S., Oman agreed to help resettle the eleven detainees. With 15 detainees left, Guantanamo Bay’s inmate population was shrunk by nearly half. There were 40 detainees at the start of the Democratic administration, which revived an Obama-era effort to close the prison (National Review).

Federal Judge Prevents Jack Smith from Publishing Report on Trump

Washington Post: The federal judge in Florida who dismissed Donald Trump’s indictment for allegedly mishandling classified documents has temporarily blocked the Justice Department from releasing special counsel Jack Smith’s report detailing the findings of that investigation. U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon barred Smith and Attorney General Merrick Garland from “releasing, sharing, or transmitting” the report or any drafts or conclusions from it while a federal appeals court in Atlanta weighs an emergency motion from two of the president-elect’s former co-defendants. The co-defendants said releasing the report would unfairly prejudice them. Their motion cited a letter from Trump’s attorneys that also argued the release of Smith’s findings was not in the public interest and would interfere with his presidency and his presidential transition (Washington Post). Daily Caller: Cannon previously found that Smith’s appointment was unconstitutional under the appointments clause of the Constitution in a 93-page ruling released in July that dismissed the charges against Trump in the classified documents case (Daily Caller).

CNN Analyst States Below 40 Percent of Democrats Say Trump is Responsible for Jan 6

Townhall: The CNN data guru and elections analyst decided to delve into one of liberal America’s top issues: the January 6 riot. And to the shock of no one, the Democrats overreached. Most don’t even blame President-elect Donald Trump for sparking that day’s chaotic events, which have been beyond overblown by the liberal media (Townhall). Reporter Harry Enten: Jan. 6 just didn’t have the lasting impression many Dems hoped. Just 5% of voters say it’s their #1 memory of Trump’s 1st term. Also, a much lower share now say (below 40%) say Trump holds a great deal of responsibility for the Capitol attack (X).

Fani Willis Required to Cover $21,000 in Legal Fees for Judicial Watch

Judicial Watch: Judicial Watch announced today that the Superior Court in Fulton County, GA, issued an order granting $21,578 “attorney’s fees and costs” in the open records lawsuit for communications Willis had with Special Counsel Jack Smith and the House January 6 Committee. The order followed a previous order finding that Willis was in default in the lawsuit (Judicial Watch). George: A judge in Georgia just ordered Fani Willis to pay over $21,000 to Judicial Watch to cover their legal fees in the lawsuit they brought against her to expose her collusion with the Biden DOJ to “get Trump.” The walls have fully closed in on Fani, and I bet she fully regrets ever going after President Trump. This is the biggest backfire in world history (X).

Sen. Elizabeth Warren Pushes Falsehoods to Tarnish Pete Hegseth’s Reputation

Townhall: Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA.) is once again peddling a discredited smear against Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Secretary of Defense, despite the allegations having no concrete evidence to stand on. In a desperate attempt to undermine a prominent Trump ally, Warren continues to repeat false claims, ignoring the facts and focusing on attacking Hegseth’s character rather than addressing the issues that matter most to Americans. Her actions are yet another example of the left’s attempt to silence those who challenge their narrative and push back against their radical agenda (Townhall). Greg Price: Elizabeth Warren has sent a letter to Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth in which she claims that having a Deus Vult tattoo, Latin for “God’s will” and a Christian motto that dates back to the First Crusade, makes him a “potential insider threat” (X).

Iran Withdrawals Forces Out of Syria

Wall Street Journal: Iranian forces have largely withdrawn from Syria following the Assad regime’s December collapse, according to U.S., European and Arab officials, in a significant blow to Tehran’s strategy for projecting power in the Middle East. The Iranian withdrawal marks the demise of a yearslong effort in which Tehran used Syria as a hub in its broader regional strategy of partnering with regimes and allied militias to spread influence and wage proxy war against the U.S. and Israel. Iranian-backed armed groups in Syria have launched attacks on U.S. forces and aided in attacks on Israel. Members of Iran’s elite Quds Force have now fled to Iran and the militia groups have disbanded, a senior U.S. official said. The Islamic Republic spent billions of dollars and sent thousands of military personnel and allied fighters to Syria after the Arab Spring uprising in 2011, to prop up the regime of Bashar al-Assad. Syria was Iran’s main state ally in the Middle East and a critical land bridge to Hezbollah—the most powerful militia in Tehran’s self-labeled “axis of resistance” alliance. Iran, already reeling from Israeli airstrikes on its assets and partners in the region, began withdrawing personnel during the dramatic 11-day collapse of the Assad regime’s military late last year (Wall Street Journal). Business Insider: For decades, Iran has pursued its core goals of damaging US influence, challenging Saudi Arabian power, and encircling Israel by building a network of militias and allies across the region. These groups, which also include the Houthi militia in Yemen and Shia militias in Iraq, were dubbed by Iran the “Axis of Resistance” (Business Insider).

Major Earthquake in Tibet Region Kills at Least 126 People, Injures 150

Wall Street Journal: A major earthquake struck near a holy city in China’s Tibet region on Tuesday, killing at least 126 people and injuring more than 150 while damaging thousands of buildings, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported. The U.S. Geological Survey measured the quake at 7.1 magnitude. Tremors were felt hundreds of miles away in neighboring Bhutan, India and Nepal. Chinese state media showed images of buildings with caved-in roofs and cars and streets smashed by rubble. About 6,900 people live within 12 miles of the quake’s epicenter, which is about 100 miles southwest of Shigatse, according to the reports. Several aftershocks were recorded, including one measured at magnitude 4.4. Xinhua cited local authorities as saying that more than 3,000 houses had collapsed and that 407 trapped people had been rescued. It said some 30,000 people had been evacuated (Wall Street Journal).

10.

Trump Announces Change to Gulf of Mexico

Townhall: In remarks on Tuesday, President-elect Donald Trump revealed that he plans to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America when he takes office (Townhall). Ryan Saavedra: Trump says that the drug cartels run Mexico and that the country is in deep trouble. He also announces that he is changing the name of the “Gulf of Mexico” to the “Gulf of America” (X).