President-elect Trump gave his first network TV interview since reelection to NBC’s Meet the Press. He reiterated many of his campaign promises on deportation, tariffs, health care and tax breaks.
Fall of Syria’s Bashar Assad is a strategic blow to Iran and Russia, experts say
The stunning collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria has sent shock waves throughout the region and beyond, marking a dramatic turning point after nearly 14 years of civil war. Assad’s rule, long sustained by Russia and Iran, has come to an end, leaving his former patrons scrambling to manage the fallout. The implications for these two powers, as well as for the broader regional and global landscape, are profound.
Russia’s involvement in Syria was never just about Assad, experts say. Securing a foothold in the Middle East was a cornerstone of Moscow’s strategy, with the Khmeimim Air Base and Tartus naval facility serving as vital assets for projecting power. However, with Assad now gone, Russia’s assets in Syria are at risk.
Rebekah Koffler, strategic military intelligence analyst and author of “Putin’s Playbook,” emphasized the significance. “Syria has been a key theater in the broader proxy conflict between Russia and the U.S. losing Assad represents a strategic defeat for Russia, costing them critical bases in the Middle East and further stretching their military resources as they continue fighting in Ukraine.”
TRUMP RESPONDS AFTER REBELS OVERTAKE SYRIA, OUSTING LONGTIME DICTATOR: ‘ASSAD IS GONE’
Syrian opposition fighters remove a Syrian flag from an official building in Salamiyah, east of Hama, Syria, on Saturday Dec. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
Ksenia Svetlova, a senior non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council, described the fallout as, “Russia has been exposed for what it really is- a power that overpromises but underdelivers. They came to Syria with grand ambitions, but apart from helping Assad survive through joint efforts with Iran and Hezbollah, they achieved little. The post-war reconstruction never began, and with Russia now focused on Ukraine, Syria became a secondary priority. Now, Russia has abandoned Assad, revealing itself as an unreliable partner.”
She said this failure sends a message to Moscow’s allies. “In the Middle East, Russia now looks weak compared to the United States. Syrians are stunned that Moscow left ‘Baby Assad,’ as the regime opponents call him, to collapse, while the U.S. has demonstrated strength by standing firmly with Israel in its time of need.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad visit the Hmeymim Air Base in Latakia Province, Syria, on Dec. 11, 2017. (RUSSIA-FLIGHTS/ Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/ via REUTERS/File Photo)
The fall of Assad highlights Syria’s role as a battleground in the U.S.- Russia proxy war, as Koffler explained. “Before Assad’s fall, President Trump reportedly called Putin to de-escalate tensions, but instead, Putin doubled down by escalating his nuclear doctrine, signaling a refusal to back down. Now that Assad, one of Putin’s key allies, has lost Syria, the balance of power shifts dramatically. With this loss, Trump may have newfound leverage over Putin, as losing Syria undermines Russia’s influence in the region and strains its already overstretched resources. This could open a path for Trump to negotiate the end of the war in Ukraine from a stronger position, leveraging Putin’s setbacks in Syria.”
IRAN
Iran’s religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, right, meets Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad in Tehran, Iran, on Feb. 25, 2019. (IRANIAN LEADER PRESS OFFICE / HANDOUT/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
For Iran, Assad’s fall deals a devastating blow to its long-term regional strategy. Syria was a crucial link in Tehran’s “Axis of Resistance,” connecting Iran to Hezbollah in Lebanon and enabling the smuggling of weapons across the region via a corridor stretching from Iran through Iraq and Syria into Lebanon.
“This is an unprecedented, historic moment,” Svetlova said. “The Iranian ‘Ring of Fire,’ meticulously built by Qassem Soleimani, has been shattered. If Soleimani was still alive, he would be horrified to see the collapse of his life’s work.”
The weakening of Hezbollah during its war with Israel further exacerbated Assad’s vulnerability, leaving the regime without critical support on the ground. Hezbollah had been a key force assisting Assad’s army during the civil war, but after sustaining heavy losses to Israeli forces, it could no longer provide sufficient support. Meanwhile, Iran refrained from sending additional troops to bolster Assad.
SYRIAN DICTATOR BASHAR ASSAD FLEES INTO EXILE AS ISLAMIST REBELS CONQUER COUNTRY
Rebel fighters stand near the Iranian embassy with a torn poster of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and late Iran’s Revolutionary Guards’ top commander Qassem Soleimani after Syrian rebels announced that they have ousted President Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, Dec. 8, 2024. (REUTERS/Firas Makdesi)
An Iranian journalist, speaking anonymously to Fox News Digital from Iran, shed light on the internal reaction in Iran. “The majority of Iranians are celebrating Assad’s downfall. For years, Khamenei and the Revolutionary Guard funneled resources into preserving the Axis of Resistance, draining the Iranian people’s wealth. Now, with Assad gone, there is hope that Iran’s oppressive influence in the region will weaken. This is a moment of joy for those who have long opposed the regime’s policies.”
“The Iranian people and the regime are worlds apart in their perspectives,” said another Iranian dissident who spoke anonymously to Fox News Digital from the country. “While the regime has largely watched Assad’s downfall from the sidelines, likely due to its own internal weaknesses or strategic agreements, the Iranian people are celebrating. There’s a wave of hope and joy spreading across social media, fueled by the idea that revolutions in countries aligned with the Islamic Republic – past or present – could spark a domino effect. For many, Assad’s collapse represents the weakening of the resistance axis and a glimmer of possibility for change within Iran itself.”
ISLAMIST REBELS IN SYRIA CATCH ASSAD, PUTIN, IRAN REGIMES OFF GUARD GIVING US NEW MIDEAST HEADACHE
Rebels in northwest Syria seized military vehicles belonging to the regime along the route toward Kweris Airport in the eastern countryside of Aleppo on Dec. 2, 2024. (Rami Alsayed/NurPhoto via APRami Alsayed/NurPhoto via AP)
While Assad’s fall creates opportunities for a new order in the Middle East, it also presents significant risks. The surprise attack on Assad’s forces, led by the Salafi-jihadist organization Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) under the command of Abu Mohammed al-Golani, underscores the complexity of the situation. HTS, Syria’s most powerful rebel faction, evolved from the al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front but claimed to sever ties with the group in 2016. It remains designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. and other nations.
“Who will fill the void?” Koffler warned. “The rebels aren’t good people – they’re the same extremists we’ve seen before. While they may appear on Western media wearing a green T-shirt and giving polished interviews, the reality is different. Removing one dictator often leads to even worse outcomes, as we saw in Iraq and Libya.”
Avner Golov, former senior director of Israel’s National Security Council and vice president at Mind Israel, believes there is a potential upside for both the U.S. and Israel.
Fighters enter the Rashidin district on the outskirts of Aleppo on their motorbikes with smoke billowing in the background during fighting on Nov. 29, 2024, as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham jihadists and allied factions continue their offensive in the Aleppo province against government forces. (Photo by BAKR ALKASEM/AFP via Getty Images)
“The collapse of Assad’s regime underscores the failures of Russia and Iran as powers in the region. Meanwhile, the U.S. has shown its strength by standing with Israel and choosing the winning side. This is a critical opportunity for Washington to leverage its position and build a coalition of moderate Arab states – Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan, and Egypt – with Israel, to counter both Sunni and Shia Islamist forces. This coalition could provide a stabilizing force in the region and counter the growing influence of extremist groups.”
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Golov said there are ramifications for Beijing. “China has been largely absent in the Middle East conflicts, focusing instead on its global economic goals. In contrast, Russia has proven itself unreliable in Syria, retreating while the U.S. supported its allies. This presents a unique opportunity for America to strengthen its position in the Middle East amid the collapse of the Iranian axis.”
South Korea’s imposes travel ban on President Yoon : NPR
Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions shout slogans as they hold signs carrying the names of the ruling party’s lawmakers who didn’t vote at the impeachment motion last week, during a rally in front of the ruling People Power Party’s head office in Seoul, South Korea on Monday.
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SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s Justice Ministry on Monday imposed an overseas travel ban on President Yoon Suk Yeol as authorities investigate allegations of rebellion and other charges in connection with his short-lived declaration of martial law last week.
Yoon’s martial law decree last Tuesday, which brought special forces troops into Seoul streets, plunged South Korea into political turmoil and caused worry among its key diplomatic partners and neighbors. On Saturday, Yoon avoided an opposition-led bid to impeach him, with most governing party lawmakers boycotting a parliamentary vote. But the opposition parties vowed to submit a new impeachment motion against him this week.
Bae Sang-up, a Justice Ministry official, told a parliamentary hearing that it banned Yoon from leaving the country following requests by police, prosecutors and an anti-corruption agency as they expand their probes into the circumstances surrounding Yoon’s power grab.
Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions throw torn papers carrying the names of the ruling party’s lawmakers who didn’t vote at the impeachment motion last week, during a rally in front of the ruling People Power Party’s head office in Seoul, South Korea on Monday.
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On Monday, a senior National Police Agency officer told local reporters in a background briefing that police can also detain Yoon if conditions are met. The contents of the briefing were shared with The Associated Press.
While a sitting South Korean president has immunity from prosecution while in office, that does not extend to allegations of rebellion or treason. This means that Yoon can be questioned and detained by police over his martial law decree, but many observers doubt that police will forcefully detain him or search his office because of the potential for clashes with his presidential security service.
In the case of former President Park Geun-hye, who was thrown out of office in 2017 after being impeached by parliament over a corruption scandal, prosecutors failed to search her office and ended up receiving documents outside the compound because presidential officials turned them away.
After refusing to meet with prosecutors while in office, Park underwent questioning by them and was arrested after the Constitutional Court approved her impeachment and ruled to dismiss her as president in March 2017.
The main opposition Democratic Party called Yoon’s martial law imposition “unconstitutional, illegal rebellion or a coup.” It has filed complaints with police against at least nine people, including Yoon and his former defense minister, over the rebellion allegations.
A caricature depicting South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is seen near the ruling People Power Party’s head office in Seoul, South Korea on Monday.
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South Korean prosecutors on Sunday detained former Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun, who allegedly recommended that Yoon declare martial law. He became the first person detained in the martial law case.
The Defense Ministry last week separately suspended three top military commanders over their alleged involvement in imposing martial law. They were among those facing the opposition-raised rebellion allegations.
On Saturday, Yoon issued an apology over the martial law decree, saying he won’t shirk legal or political responsibility for the declaration. He said he would leave it to his party to chart a course through the country’s political turmoil, “including matters related to my term in office.”
Since taking office in 2022 for a single five-year term, Yoon, a conservative, has been on a near-constant collision course with his liberal rivals who control parliament. The liberals have introduced a slew of motions seeking to impeach some of his top officials and launched a fierce political offensive against Yoon over a spate of scandals involving him and his wife.
In his martial law announcement on Tuesday night, Yoon called parliament a “den of criminals” bogging down state affairs and vowed to eliminate “shameless North Korea followers and anti-state forces.”
Yoon’s martial law decree lasted only six hours because the National Assembly voted it down, forcing Yoon’s Cabinet to lift it before daybreak Wednesday. Some members of Yoon’s governing People Power Party cast ballots against Yoon’s decree, but the party later decided to oppose his impeachment.
Experts say Yoon’s party fears losing the presidency to liberals in a by-election if he is impeached and ousted, as they did after Park was removed from office.
PPP leader Han Dong-hun said Sunday his party will push for Yoon’s early and orderly exit from office in a way that minimizes social confusion, but he didn’t say when that would happen. He also said Yoon will not be involved in state affairs, including foreign policy.
Critics say Han likely wants to buy time to help his party restore public confidence. His comments on sidelining Yoon from state affairs have also sparked widespread concern and criticism that it violates the constitution.
During a Monday briefing, the Defense Ministry said Yoon maintains control of the military, a power the constitution explicitly reserves for the president.
Biden’s three biggest lies about his family’s shady business dealings
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President Joe Biden lied from start to finish about his family’s influence-peddling racket. He recently issued a sweeping pardon to his son, Hunter Biden, contradicting his repeated assurances that he would not interfere. This pardon may be one of the most comprehensive in U.S. history, encompassing over a decade of corruption. While some have drawn parallels between this pardon and President Gerald Ford’s pardon of former President Richard Nixon, the comparison falls short. Ford aimed to heal a divided nation; Biden is shielding himself and his family from accountability.
Unlike the corporate media and Democrats, who sought to shield Biden until his political future was doomed, observers of the Biden crime family’s corrupt practices are unsurprised by this latest contradiction. Biden’s claim that he would not pardon Hunter Biden is part of a broader pattern of deception regarding his family’s business dealings in order to conceal his involvement.
At the start of this Congress, the House Oversight and Accountability Committee launched an investigation into Joe Biden’s involvement in his family’s business dealings. Despite stonewalling from the Biden administration, we followed the Bidens’ money trail, exposing the 20 shell companies they set up to hide the shady foreign payments they received, all with Joe Biden at the center of the family business.
Our investigation has exposed how Joe Biden lied repeatedly about his involvement in these schemes that enriched the Bidens to the tune of tens of millions of dollars. Here are some of the biggest lies that we exposed during our investigation.
President Joe Biden previously said he wouldn’t pardon his son, Hunter Biden, but did it anyway. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
1. Hunter Biden laptop as Russian disinformation
In October 2020, days before the presidential election, the Biden campaign and now Secretary of State Antony Blinken, orchestrated a misinformation campaign to discredit the contents of Hunter Biden’s abandoned laptop, including evidence of Joe Biden’s involvement in his influence-peddling schemes.
These disgraced 51 former intelligence officials claimed the laptop contained all the hallmarks of Russian disinformation, and Joe Biden parroted their claim during the 2020 presidential debate. Twitter removed the New York Post’s article about the laptop, even though former Twitter executives admitted before our committee that it did not violate the platform’s policies.
We now know from the testimony of IRS whistleblower, Gary Shapley, that the FBI verified the authenticity of Hunter Biden’s laptop in November 2019. Special Counsel David Weiss, who led the federal criminal investigation into Hunter Biden, also used the laptop as evidence in court.
2. ‘I have never spoken to my son about his overseas business dealings’
Biden repeatedly claimed he never discussed his son’s business dealings. However, evidence uncovered during our investigation contradicts this assertion. Evidence obtained by our committee reveals then-Vice President Biden spoke, dined or had coffee with nearly all of Hunter Biden’s foreign business associates.
Devon Archer, a Biden family associate, confirmed during a transcribed interview that when Joe Biden was Vice President, Joe Biden variously dined with Russian oligarch Yelena Baturina, Kazakhstani oligarch Kenes Rakishev, and Burisma’s corporate secretary Vadym Pozharsky at Café Milano in Washington, D.C.
These dinners occurred as the foreign nationals or their affiliated entities were collectively paying Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, millions of dollars. Then-Vice President Joe Biden also met with Jonathan Li, a Chinese national who was Hunter Biden’s associate, and wrote a college letter of recommendation for his daughter. Even when presented with this evidence, President Biden continued to lie to the American people.
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Rob Walker, a Biden family associate who was involved in the Biden’s dealings with Chinese and Romanian entities, confirmed during a transcribed interview that Joe Biden met with the now-missing Chairman of CEFC Ye Jianming as Hunter Biden and his associates received $3 million from a Chinese entity CEFC controlled.
Jason Galanis, another Biden family business associate, testified that Hunter Biden put his father on speakerphone with Yelena Baturina. Joe Biden ended the call by stating, “Ok then, you be good to my boy.” A few days later, Baturina committed to a “hard order” of $10-20 million to an entity benefitting Hunter Biden.
Biden repeatedly claimed he never discussed his son’s business dealings. However, evidence uncovered during our investigation contradicts this assertion. Evidence obtained by our committee reveals then-Vice President Biden spoke, dined or had coffee with nearly all of Hunter Biden’s foreign business associates.
3. “My son has not made money … in China”
During the 2020 presidential election, President Biden told the American people that his son did not make money in China. However, our investigation has uncovered that Hunter Biden and other Biden family members received millions from China for unknown services.
Additionally, we traced how $40,000 in Chinese money landed in Joe Biden’s personal bank account. When confronted with the fact that his family did indeed receive money from China, President Biden lied again and said it was not true that his family received money from China.
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As the truth came out during our investigation, the Biden camp tried to move the goalposts from Joe “never spoke” with his son about his business dealings to “the president was never in business with his son.” All these lies have been committed to hide the fact that Joe Biden was the family business. At a hearing, where former Biden family associates were under oath, they confirmed Joe Biden’s involvement in his family’s business and that he was “the brand.”
IRS whistleblowers, Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler, confirmed under oath that the Department of Justice prohibited them from following evidence that would have led to Joe Biden. Joe Biden has long prided himself on his integrity, yet his legacy will be defined by his repeated falsehoods. Joe Biden has lied for a living.
Why the Republican Party gained ground with Latino voters
NPR’s Steve Inskeep speaks with Eric Rodriguez of UnidosUS about Democrat and Republican strategies to galvanize new coalitions of Latino voters.
Democrat Ritchie Torres’ torrent of attacks against own party fuels primary showdown buzz in New York
Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., is considering a run for New York governor – and he’s raising his national profile with a tidal wave of criticism against leaders in his own party.
Torres has been vocally opposed to the blue stronghold’s progressive criminal justice policies and has criticized how Gov. Kathy Hochul has managed the Empire State, raising eyebrows about a potentially bruising primary in 2026.
“Hochul has a history of coded stereotyping, falsely claiming that young black Bronxites have never heard of the word ‘computer.’ She knows as much about me and communities of color as she knows about governing effectively. Absolutely nothing,” he wrote on X last week.
He was also one of the first Democrats to come out and blame the progressive left for Vice President Kamala Harris’ loss to President-elect Trump, saying at the time, “Donald Trump has no greater friend than the far left, which has managed to alienate historic numbers of Latinos, Blacks, Asians, and Jews from the Democratic Party.”
MIKE JOHNSON WINS REPUBLICAN SUPPORT TO BE HOUSE SPEAKER AGAIN AFTER TRUMP ENDORSEMENT
Rep. Ritchie Torres speaks during a House Financial Services Committee hearing investigating the collapse of FTX in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 13, 2022. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
When reached for comment, Torres’ spokesperson told Fox News Digital that he is weighing a gubernatorial bid “and plans to make a final decision by mid-2025.”
The congressman himself gave insight into his thinking when he recently went after New York City Mayor Eric Adams for employing a staffer who had been accused of ripping down posters of Israelis held hostage by Hamas.
“If I were at the helm of NYS or NYC government, antisemites need not apply. Tearing down posters of the hostages is completely unacceptable and would not be tolerated,” Torres wrote on social media.
In late November, he accused both Adams and Hochul of being “complicit” in a stabbing spree that left three New Yorkers dead.
That same month, he lambasted New York’s policies as bad for business.
DANIEL PENNY TO BE TAPPED FOR CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL BY HOUSE GOP LAWMAKER
Torres has been targeting Gov. Kathy Hochul with criticism. (Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
“There are regulations in place that make it impossible to do business… and have made it impossible to build,” Torres said during a Citizens Budget Commission meeting, according to the New York Post.
Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y., who chaired the New York State Republican Party for over a decade, said it was not shocking to see Torres attacking Hochul while mulling his own gubernatorial bid.
“Richie Torres is vocalizing many of the same criticisms Republicans have raised about the dysfunction in Albany. So it’s not surprising that she’s facing a challenge from her own party,” Langworthy said.
However, he dismissed Torres’ critiques of progressivism as “posturing in the face of Hochul’s failures and the undeniable success” of Trump’s platform.
REPUBLICANS GIVE DETAILS FROM CLOSED-DOOR MEETINGS WITH DOGE’S MUSK, RAMASWAMY
Rep. Nick Langworthy, the former New York State GOP chair, said Torres was echoing criticisms espoused by Republicans. (Getty Images)
Torres had been a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) until earlier this year, when he left over disagreements about Israel.
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When asked about Torres’ criticism, Hochul said at a recent press conference that she was “a little busy” doing her job.
“Those who have government jobs who aren’t focused on their jobs, and are focused on an election almost two years off, I would think their constituents would have a problem with that,” she said.
‘We Came Here Gloating’: Syrians Loot Assad’s Palace
Thrilled by the fall of President Bashar al-Assad, Syrians took furniture and appliances from his official residence. Some posed for photos.
Mysterious drone sightings continue to be reported in New Jersey without answers
Mysterious drones continue to be reported flying overhead in New Jersey, as residents remain without answers as to why there have been so many drone sightings.
The drones were reportedly first seen over Morris County, New Jersey, in mid-November. Drones have since been observed regularly across the Garden State, including a recent uptick in Middlesex County and other areas in the state.
State officials have said they are taking the mystery drone sightings seriously, and Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, said Thursday that there is no known threat to the public at this time.
NEW JERSEY SEES MORE DRONES OVERHEAD, AS GOV CANDIDATE FLOATS THEORY ON UNSOLVED MYSTERY
Murphy said he had held a briefing with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, senior officials from the Department of Homeland Security, the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness and New Jersey State Police to discuss the drone sightings.
The FBI is investigating the sightings and have urged the public to report any drones they see.
NEW JERSEY LEADERS SPEAK TO DHS AS UNUSUAL DRONE SIGHTINGS NOW ALSO REPORTED OVER NEW YORK
A drone was seen over North Jersey on Tuesday. (Nicholas Lordi)
“The FBI Newark, NJ State Police, and NJ Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness are asking for the public to report any information related to the recent sightings of possible drones flying in several areas along the Raritan River,” the FBI said in a statement on Dec. 3.
“Witnesses have spotted the cluster of what look to be drones and a possible fixed wing aircraft,” the statement continued. “We have reports from the public and law enforcement dating back several weeks.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to the FBI and FAA for additional information.
The FBI is investigating the drone sightings. (Richard Sheinwald/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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The drones have been seen nightly in some areas, and have been at times spotted traveling in groups.
Drone sightings were also recently reported on Staten Island in New York.
Fox News’ Pilar Arias contributed to this report.
Lara Trump announces she is stepping down as RNC co-chair amidst talk she may be up for Florida Senate seat
Lara Trump announced via X that she would be stepping down as co-chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC) citing that during her time the RNC had three distinct goals, and they had all been accomplished.
She started her journey as co-chair of the RNC in March 2024, but it has been widely discussed that she is considering her potential options as father-in-law, President-elect Donald Trump once again takes the reins at the White House.
“With that big win, I kind of feel like my time is up,” she said. “What I intended to do has been done.”
LARA TRUMP SAYS SHE’D ‘LOVE TO CONSIDER’ FILLING RUBIO’S SENATE SEAT IF ASKED BY DESANTIS
Republican presidential candidate, former U.S. President Donald Trump and Republican National Committee co-chair Lara Trump look on during the fourth day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum on July 18, 2024, in Milwaukee, Wisc. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Trump only began her journey as co-chair in March and was pivotal in Republicans retaking control of the Senate while maintaining a narrow House majority.
There has been talk that she may be considered as a replacement for Florida Sen. Marco Rubio as Trump has said he will be tapped to be the next Secretary of State.
Last month she told Fox News’ Sean Hannity that she “would love to serve the people of Florida” and “would love to consider” filling the seat if asked.
Lara Trump speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at Gaylord National Resort Hotel And Convention Center on February 22, 2024, in National Harbor, Maryland. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
On Sunday, Trump discussed with Howard Kurtz how much of an honor it would be to even be considered.
“Certainly, we’ve all had the opportunity over the past nine years to fully involve ourselves in politics, to understand the American people, what they want, and we’ve all been residents of the state of Florida now for over three years,” she said. “If that’s something that’s put in front of me, it would be a true honor.”
Lara Trump, daughter-in-law to former President Donald Trump and candidate for RNC co-chair, fires up a crowd of supporters in North Charleston, South Carolina on February 21, 2024. (Brandon Gillespie/Fox News)
Maye Musk, mother of Tesla CEO Elon Musk, is one of many pushing for her to replace Rubio.
“The Senate is an old man’s club. We desperately need a smart, young, outspoken woman who will reveal their secrets,” she posted on X. Lara Trump is 42.
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Elon Musk seemingly agrees with his mother’s sentiments as he responded to her X post saying, “Lara Trump is genuinely great.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said on “Hannity” that he “would be like over-the-top excited” and that Republicans “could not do better … than Lara Trump.”
Ultimately, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is reportedly being considered to replace Pete Hegseth, will choose Rubio’s replacement.
Michael Whatley will remain RNC chairman.
Fox News Digital’s Alex Nitzberg and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
U.S. Navy veteran suing CNN lands key legal victories ahead of high-stakes defamation trial
A Florida judge on Friday sided with U.S. Navy veteran Zachary Young, who is suing CNN for defamation, on several critical issues as the high-stakes trial is set to begin next month.
Young alleges that CNN smeared him by implying he illegally profited via a “black market” when helping people flee Afghanistan during the Biden administration’s military withdrawal from the country in 2021. Young believes CNN “destroyed his reputation and business” during a segment that year on Jake Tapper’s program “The Lead,” which was shared on social media and also repackaged for CNN’s website.
Judge William Henry denied CNN’s motion for summary judgment, allowing Young to “proceed with his claim for punitive damages” and declaring the court found he “did not take money from Afghans.”
CNN FACES DEFAMATION SUIT OVER AFGHANISTAN WITHDRAWAL STORY: ‘EVIDENCE OF ACTUAL MALICE’
Plaintiff Zachary Young’s photo was aired by CNN during the segment in question. (CNN/Screenshot)
“Despite claiming it did ‘three weeks of newsgathering’ and ‘spoke with more than a dozen sources,’ Defendant’s representatives acknowledged it had no evidence that Young did anything criminal or illegal. Yet, Defendant used the Black Market Chyron. This is sufficient evidence upon which a reasonable jury could find with convincing clarity that Defendant acted with actual malice to survive summary judgment on this issue,” Judge Henry ruled in court documents obtained by Fox News Digital.
“Defendant had no evidence of illegality and Young said he was not contracting with or taking money from individuals. Despite this, Defendant published his name and photograph as the poster child bad actor preying on Afghans,” he continued. “Accordingly, the record evidence could support a conclusion that Defendant aired and posted the Pieces knowing the gist was false or with reckless disregard as to whether the gist was false or not.”
CNN’s legal team had argued that Young’s actions violated the Taliban’s Sharia law, but Judge Henry slapped down the notion he violated a law.
“Framing these circumstances as a ‘debate’ between the Taliban rulers and the rest of the free world would be akin to saying it was debatable whether the Nazi extermination of the Jews at Auschwitz was wrong,” Judge Henry wrote.
U.S. Navy veteran Zachary Young believes CNN “destroyed his reputation and business by branding him an illegal profiteer who exploited desperate Afghans” during a Nov. 11, 2021, segment on CNN’s “The Lead with Jake Tapper.” (CNN/Screenshot)
Judge Henry also called out CNN’s legal team for failing to nail down how Young operated in an unregulated “black market.”
“The fundamental problem with Defendant’s arguments is that they rely on its own proffered definition of ‘black market,’ which has been a moving target throughout this litigation, and ignore the potential that “black market” connotes illegality or criminality,” Judge Henry wrote.
It wasn’t a complete shutout for CNN’s legal team. Judge Henry agreed that Young’s company, Nemex Enterprises, Inc. would not be considered for damages.
The CNN segment at the center of the suit began with Tapper informing viewers that CNN correspondent Alex Marquardt found “Afghans trying to get out of the country face a black market full of promises, demands of exorbitant fees, and no guarantee of safety or success.”
CNN’s legal team argued that Young “thrust himself into this controversy by reaching out to” CNN reporter Katie Bo Lillis initially. However, Judge Henry wrote that “a brief review of this communication does not demonstrate, at least on its face, that Young was seeking to thrust himself into the media spotlight concerning Afghanistan. Rather, his initial communication was a ‘business call.’ He reached out to see if Lillis needed someone to provide evacuation services.”
“One could say Marquardt had his narrative that he wanted to portray (‘bad people preying on Afghans’). In fact, Marquardt’s initial pitches for the story between October 26-28, 2021, included the explosive phrases ‘price gouging,’ ‘extortion of desperate Afghans,’ ‘shadowy black market’ and then concluded that he wanted ‘to examine to what extent this is extortion or fraud.’ Then, fortuitously, a door was opened to obtain information for the piece when Young reached out to Lillis. Lillis cultivated this relationship, albeit in an underhanded manner by not disclosing Defendant’s reporters’ motivations or that they were going to use his identity,” Judge Henry wrote.
“Once Young stopped cooperating with the investigative reporters, Marquardt found his ‘fall guy’ – Young, despite the fact that Young did not check all the boxes. Nonetheless, Marquardt had the “face” of the bad guys to put on screen. Defendant had no evidence Young did anything illegal, yet it chose the Black Market Chyron and only highlighted him in the Segment,” he added. “They had information that Young was not working directly with or taking money from individual Afghans, but he could be the bad guy preying on Afghans. And collectively they put together a narrative that despite having holes, would paint Young in the worst light knowingly using false information or at least in a reckless manner.”
CNN ACCUSED OF WITHHOLDING CRITICAL DOCUMENTS NEEDED TO DETERMINE VALUE AHEAD OF DEFAMATION TRIAL
CNN host Jake Tapper and correspondent Alex Marquardt during the segment at the center of a defamation lawsuit. (CNN/Screenshot)
Judge Henry also found sufficient evidence of actual malice and found that Young never took money from Afghans.
“There are several examples of statements made by Defendant’s reporters during the course of putting together the pieces from which a jury may infer either actual malice or express malice,” he wrote.
The civil trial is scheduled to begin on Jan. 6 in front of Judge Henry in the Circuit Court for Bay County, Florida.
“The Court grants Plaintiffs’ Second Motion for Summary Judgment and finds that Plaintiffs did not take money from Afghans,” Judge Henry ruled.
The court previously ruled that Young “did not do anything criminal or illegal.”
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