TV News LIES

President-elect Donald Trump selected Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) to serve as his Attorney General Wednesday in a surprising pick.

“It is my Great Honor to announce that Congressman Matt Gaetz, of Florida, is hereby nominated to be The Attorney General of the United States,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social announcement.

It will be an honor to serve as President Trump’s Attorney General!” Gaetz responded on X.

Gaetz, 42, had not been reported as in contention for the powerful administration spot, but has been a loyal supporter of the 45th president and has been trying to influence the administration choices being made at Mar-a-Lago.

The Florida congressman had earned a reputation for being a thorn in the collective side of his House colleagues for his hard-right stances and opposition to former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, leading to the Californian’s removal from power in October 2023.

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Special counsel Jack Smith and his team plan to resign before President-elect Donald Trump takes office, a source familiar with the matter said.

Smith’s office has been evaluating the best path for winding down its work on the two outstanding federal criminal cases against Trump, as the Justice Department’s longstanding position is that it cannot charge a sitting president with a crime.

The New York Times first reported Smith will step down.

The looming question in the weeks ahead is whether Smith's final report, detailing his charging decisions, will be made public before Inauguration Day. The special counsel's office is required under Justice Department regulations to provide a confidential report to Attorney General Merrick Garland, who can choose to make it public.

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President-elect Donald Trump’s choice of Army veteran and Fox News host Pete Hegseth for Defense secretary breaks longstanding tradition of Pentagon chiefs with long careers in government, industry and the military.

That appears to be Trump’s aim: a Washington outsider who will shake up what he considers a hidebound institution that didn’t always do what he wanted in his first administration, according to military experts and current and former Defense officials. Hegseth has laid down markers on his agenda for running the Pentagon: firing generals who promote “woke” military policies, eliminating combat roles for women, and loosening reins on troops conduct in combat.

The U.S. will not change its policy on arms transfers to Israel even though the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip remains dire, the State Department said Tuesday, the deadline the White House set for Israel to ramp up access to aid in the besieged Palestinian enclave.

State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters the decision came as "Israel has taken a number of steps" outlined in a letter from Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to Israeli counterparts last month. "We continue to be in discussion with Israel about the steps they took and other steps they need to take," he said.

Russia has suffered record losses for a second consecutive day, Ukraine has claimed, as Vladimir Putin’s forces seek to advance in Donbas and repel Kyiv’s incursion into Kursk.

Just 24 hours after Ukraine claimed Russia had suffered a record 1,770 losses, Kyiv’s military claimed this grim total had been surpassed by 1,950 casualties on Monday – which would mark Russia’s worst single day since launching its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Exxon Mobil Chair and CEO Darren Woods urged the incoming Trump administration to avoid making turbulent climate policy swings — and he pushed the president-elect to reject carbon border taxes favored by some GOP lawmakers.

In an interview with POLITICO, Woods signaled that one of the most powerful players in the energy industry might serve as a moderating influence in Washington, even as Republicans seek to dismantle Biden-era climate policies. The future of the Inflation Reduction Act and other clean-energy programs is one of the most important questions hanging over the incoming administration.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, spiritual leader of the Anglican Communion, has resigned over his handling of a sex abuse scandal.

An investigation found that Justin Welby failed to inform authorities about serial physical and sexual abuse.

Welby said that he was first informed of abuse allegations in 2013, when he was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury, the most senior leader of the Church of England. Welby said he was told the police had been notified.

A U.S. jury on Tuesday awarded $42 million to three former detainees of Iraq's notorious Abu Ghraib prison, holding a Virginia-based military contractor responsible for contributing to their torture and mistreatment two decades ago.

The decision from the eight-person jury came after a different jury earlier this year couldn't agree on whether Reston, Virginia-based CACI should be held liable for the work of its civilian interrogators who worked alongside the U.S. Army at Abu Ghraib in 2003 and 2004.

The jury awarded plaintiffs Suhail Al Shimari, Salah Al-Ejaili and Asa'ad Al-Zubae $3 million each in compensatory damages and $11 million each in punitive damages.

The three testified that they were subjected to beatings, sexual abuse, forced nudity and other cruel treatment at the prison.

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