Author: Michael Johnes

Who is attending Former Vice President Cheney’s Funeral?

Former Vice President Dick Cheney’s funeral will take place on Thursday in Washington, DC. It will bring together former presidents and politicians from both parties to honor a key figure in the Republican Party before the MAGA movement. Notably, neither former President Donald Trump nor current Vice President JD Vance received invitations to the funeral, according to a source familiar with the situation.

Cheney will receive full military honors at the memorial service, which is expected to feature a notable gathering of Washington dignitaries from both sides of the aisle. More than 1,000 guests are anticipated at the invitation-only ceremony, scheduled for Thursday morning at the National Cathedral in Washington. This includes four living former vice presidents and two former presidents.

Former Presidents George W. Bush and Joe Biden are attending to pay their respects, along with former Vice Presidents Kamala Harris, Mike Pence, Al Gore, and Dan Quayle. Many Supreme Court Justices will be there, including Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Elena Kagan. A large number of current and former Cabinet members from both Republican and Democratic administrations will also attend, along with congressional leaders from both parties.

Speaker Pelosi is Attending the Funeral

Speaker Emeritus Nancy Pelosi is attending, as are Senate Majority Leader John Thune and former leader Mitch McConnell. The funeral guest list is a nod to a time when Washington was less polarized, with politicians from both parties paying their respects when a dignitary passed away. Cheney’s funeral is scheduled for 11 a.m. ET. Speakers will include former President George W. Bush, Cheney’s daughter Liz Cheney, and some of his grandchildren.

Cheney, who served as Bush’s vice president from 2001 to 2009, died on November 3 at the age of 84. Before his vice presidency, he held positions as defense secretary, White House chief of staff, and congressman representing Wyoming. He is regarded as one of the most powerful and influential vice presidents in U.S. history, but his role as the architect of the Iraq War left him deeply unpopular as he left office, contributing to a polarizing legacy.

While official funerals in Washington typically include invitations to the White House, the exclusion of Trump from this one is not surprising. Cheney was a lifelong conservative who initially supported Trump’s 2016 campaign. However, he later criticized him publicly. This criticism grew stronger after his daughter, Liz Cheney, became a public opponent of Trump because of her role in investigating the January 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection.

Chenny’s Remarks About President Trump

In 2022, Cheney called Trump a coward and said he posed the greatest threat to the country. So far, Trump has not offered condolences or mentioned Cheney’s death. Before the funeral, Vance remembered Cheney as someone who served his country and wished his family well during this difficult time.

Former Vice President Mike Pence, who also broke ranks with Trump over efforts to overturn the 2020 election, recalled that Cheney gave him two important pieces of advice shortly after Pence was elected vice president in 2016. Cheney urged Pence to spend “a lot of time on Capitol Hill” and to review the president’s daily briefing each morning before attending any meetings with the president. According to Pence, Cheney believed this would equip him to better advise the president by knowing in advance what issues were on the agenda and filtering them through the president’s priorities.

The White House issued a muted reaction following Cheney’s death, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt stating that Trump was aware of Cheney’s passing and noting that flags had been lowered to half-staff.

Honorary pallbearers at Cheney’s funeral will include members of his Secret Service detail, his former chiefs of staff David Addington and Scooter Libby, and photographer David Hume Kennerly. Included on one of the last pages of the service leaflet is a quote from the writer and naturalist John Muir: “The mountains are calling, and I must go.”

November 20, 2025
Trump Announces New Pardons for Jan 6 Defendants

President Donald Trump has recently granted pardons to two defendants connected to the January 6 incident, who are also facing charges on unrelated matters. One of these defendants, Suzanne Kaye, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for allegedly threatening to shoot FBI agents in her social media posts.

According to the Department of Justice under the Biden administration, on January 31, 2021, the day before Kaye was scheduled to meet with FBI agents regarding a tip about her presence at the U.S. Capitol during the January 6 riot, she posted videos on social media claiming that she would “shoot” FBI agents if they came to her home. The FBI became aware of Kaye’s social media posts on February 8, 2021, and she was arrested at her home in Florida on February 17, 2021.

A White House official told Fox News Digital that Kaye is prone to stress-induced seizures and experienced one while the jury read its verdict in 2023. The official noted that this case involved disfavored political speech, which is protected under the First Amendment.

U.S. Special Attorney Ed Martin posted about the recent pardon on Saturday, expressing gratitude to Trump in a post on X. He stated, “The Biden DOJ targeted Suzanne Kaye for her social media posts, resulting in an 18-month federal prison sentence. President Trump is undoing the damage caused by Biden’s DOJ weaponization, allowing the healing process to begin.”

Wilson – January 6 Defendant Continued to Serve Time for the Firearms

Daniel Wilson, a defendant from January 6, remains imprisoned despite Trump’s pardons for several convicted rioters. This is because he had pleaded guilty to firearms charges. A White House official told Fox News Digital that President Trump decided to grant Wilson an additional pardon due to the firearms being discovered during a search of Wilson’s home in relation to the Capitol riot.

Although Wilson was included in the broad pardon granted to January 6 defendants by Trump on January 20, 2025, he continued to serve time for the firearms charge, set to be released in 2028. Before his sentencing on January 6-related charges, for which he received a five-year prison term, Wilson pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a banned person and possession of an unregistered firearm.

Initially, the Trump administration’s Justice Department said the firearms charge wouldn’t be part of the January 6 pardon. They later reversed this decision, citing “further clarity,” but did not explain the change.

In his original pardon, Trump stated that under his authority granted by Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution, he was commuting the sentences of individuals “convicted of offenses related to events that happened at or near the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.” This pardon included Wilson’s charges from January 6, but did not cover those related to firearms.

A U.S. Judge Condemned the Phrase “Related to” in Trump’s Original Pardon

U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich, a Trump appointee involved in Wilson’s case, rejected the broad interpretation of what Trump was pardoning. She argued that it extended the bounds of the order too far. In her opinion, Friedrich criticized the use of the phrase “related to” in Trump’s original pardon, stating that it should indicate a specific factual link between the conduct underlying a particular offense and the events of January 6, 2021.

An appeals court later upheld her objections, requiring Wilson to remain in custody during the appeal process. Wilson has previously identified himself as a member of the Oath Keepers and the Gray Ghost Partisan Rangers militia, according to Politico.

“Dan Wilson is a good man. After being unjustly imprisoned for more than seven months, he is happy to be back home with his family,” said Wilson’s attorneys, George Pallas and Carol Stewart, in a statement to Politico. “This act of mercy restores his freedom and highlights the problems that have divided our nation.”

November 16, 2025
Will the Trump Administration Start Military Operations in Venezuela?

According to some CNN sources, U.S. President Donald Trump was briefed this week on options for military operations in Venezuela to pave the way in the country. Trump has not yet decided on how to proceed, and he is carefully weighing the risks and benefits of launching a more extensive campaign. The president has previously expressed concerns about the effectiveness of taking military action to remove Nicolas Maduro.

During Wednesday’s briefing, the president received an updated set of options to consider, but there were no indications that he is any closer to making a decision, according to one source. Another individual familiar with the briefing noted that the options presented were similar to those discussed at the Pentagon and some that have been made public in recent weeks.

The target options for a new operation called “SOUTHERN SPEAR” have been developed by the United States Southern Command, which has established planning cells for this purpose. This information comes from a senior U.S. official familiar with the planning. Top officials from Trump’s national security team, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Caine, presented these options.

Hegseth announced the operation on X Thursday night but did not provide specific details. He stated, “Led by Joint Task Force Southern Spear and @SOUTHCOM, this mission defends our homeland, removes narco-terrorists from our hemisphere, and secures our homeland from the drugs that are killing our people. The Western Hemisphere is America’s neighborhood – and we will protect it.”

Operation Southern Spear

Earlier in January, Southern Command had already announced an operation named “Operation Southern Spear,” which will employ “long-dwell robotic surface vessels, vertical take-off and landing robotic air vessels, and small robotic interceptor boats” to assist in counternarcotics efforts.

The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, described by the U.S. Navy as “the most capable, adaptable, and lethal combat platform in the world,” arrived in the Caribbean this week as part of a significant increase in U.S. military resources.

Trump has several options for dealing with Venezuela. These include airstrikes on military or government sites, targeting drug routes, and attempts to remove Maduro directly. CNN reported that the president is considering plans to attack cocaine production facilities and drug trafficking routes in Venezuela.

However, it is also possible that he may choose to take no action at all. Administration officials informed lawmakers last week that the U.S. did not have a legal justification to support attacks against land targets, although they noted it might be possible to create one. Recently, Trump told CBS’s “60 Minutes” that he was not considering strikes inside Venezuela, despite having expressed openness to the idea earlier.

US Has No Legal Justification for Attacking Venezuela

Last Week, officials from the Trump administration informed lawmakers that the U.S. is not currently planning to conduct strikes inside Venezuela and lacks a legal justification for attacking any land targets at this time. This information was shared during a briefing by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and an official from the White House’s Office of Legal Counsel.

During the classified session, lawmakers were informed that the opinion provided by the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, which was previously reported by CNN, does not authorize strikes within Venezuela or in any other territories. Additionally, the “execute order” that initiated the U.S. military campaign against suspected drug boats in September does not apply to land targets, according to the briefers. In meetings, the president has appeared cautious about ordering actions that could lead to failure or endanger U.S. troops, according to sources familiar with the situation.

November 16, 2025
Americans Are Hurting as Shutdown Disrupts Airports and Grocery Stores

Millions of Americans are in limbo as a result of the longest federal government shutdown in US history, which is causing worries about an impending economic crisis. Travelers were frustrated as thousands of flights were delayed and over a thousand were canceled on Friday. As President Donald Trump’s administration continues to fight in federal court to refuse to pay full benefits for November, many who depend on food stamps were left in a precarious situation.

Federal employees who have been unpaid for weeks claimed they had run out of alternatives and that their bills were due. There is no end in sight to the shutdown because Congress is at a standstill, with minority Democrats adhering to their demands for health insurance financing and majority Republicans still lacking the 60 votes required to pass a government funding plan in the Senate.

The “wheels came off” in compromise negotiations with Democrats, South Dakota Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters on Friday. He instructed senators to stay in Washington so they could cast ballots this weekend. In an effort to put more pressure on the GOP to reach a compromise, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer stated that Democrats would consent to end the shutdown in exchange for an additional year of increased Affordable Care Act subsidies.

One of Trump’s senior economic officials raised the alarm on Friday due to growing worries about the potential harm the closure may have to the economy as a whole. Kevin Hassett, the director of the National Economic Council, stated on Fox Business that the shutdown’s economic effects are “far worse” than first anticipated “because it’s gone on for so long.”

Travelers Face Widespread Flight Cancellations and Delays

Hassett remarked, “Who knows how bad the economy could be this quarter if we go another month or so.” More than a thousand flights were canceled at 40 major airports as a result of the Federal Aviation Administration’s 4% domestic flight restriction, which went into effect on Friday. Additional cuts are planned for the weekend owing to staffing shortages for air traffic controllers.

Major airports, such as those in Washington, Atlanta, San Francisco, and Newark, were seeing significant delays as a result of understaffed control towers in addition to the cancellations. CNN was informed by travelers nationwide that they were afraid their plans will be disrupted.

US People Are Hurting as Shutdown Disrupts Airports, Grocery Stores Source: Web

On Saturday, Alicia Leva was scheduled to tie the knot in South Florida. However, Leva said she witnessed travel arrangements quickly falling apart because over half of her visitors were from all over the nation. “I was just really nervous when I learnt about the flight delays,” she remarked. Leva was still grieving her initial vision of the couple’s special day, but she didn’t want to compare her wedding problems to those of others who have been severely impacted by the government shutdown.

Mounting Pressure on Federal Workers Sparks Concerns

Lisa Morales, a nurse who works at a military post in El Paso, Texas, stated that while she was able to pay her rent in October and November, she is now unable to continue working for free. She stated that without a monthly cheque, she is unsure of how she will pay for her car and insurance, petrol, groceries, dog food and utilities this month.

She claimed that if the closure doesn’t end soon, she doesn’t know where she will live and that her landlord won’t cooperate. “Because we continue to report to work, we are not eligible for unemployment benefits,” Morales stated, adding, “If the government stays closed this month, I will have to look for another job.”

November 8, 2025
OpenAI Partners with Amazon in Landmark $38 billion Cloud Computing Deal

As the startup continues to form significant alliances to obtain processing capacity, OpenAI has inked a $38 billion deal with Amazon to utilize its cloud computing infrastructure. The ChatGPT manufacturer inked agreements for over $1 trillion with Oracle, Broadcom, AMD, and the massive chip manufacturer Nvidia in 2025. Its most recent agreement lessens its dependence on Microsoft.

OpenAI will have access to Nvidia graphics processors to train its AI models as part of the seven-year deal. The agreement comes after OpenAI underwent a comprehensive reorganization last week, moving away from non-profit status and altering its partnership with Microsoft to provide OpenAI greater operational and financial autonomy.

Sam Altman, CEO and co-founder of OpenAI, stated, “Scaling frontier AI requires massive, reliable compute.” Altman added “Our partnership with AWS [Amazon Web Services] strengthens the broad compute ecosystem that will power this next era and bring advanced AI to everyone.”

OpenAI Partners with Amazon in Landmark $38 billion Cloud Computing Deal Source: Web

The agreement illustrates both OpenAI’s haste to obtain the power it requires and the enormous demand for computer power resulting from the increased interest in AI. With the introduction of ChatGPT in 2022, OpenAI introduced AI to the general public, but for years it was dependent on Microsoft for processing power. Before their partnership loosened in January of this year, the two companies had an exclusive cloud deal.

The AI startup’s initial contract with Amazon’s AWS represents its most recent move away from Microsoft and toward a variety of processing power sources. According to Kim Forrest, chief investment officer of Bokeh Capital Partners, “the deal with AWS shows that OpenAI considers that its path to leadership is paved with getting access to as much computing power as it can get its hands on.”

Growing Revenue Fast

Microsoft’s “taking less of a control stake in the company has allowed relationships with near competitors to OpenAI’s funders possible,” she stated. However, because it invests a lot of money to advance AI technology, OpenAI has not been successful. OpenAI lost $12 billion in just the most recent quarter, according to Microsoft’s quarterly earnings released last week.

AWS is “uniquely positioned to support OpenAI’s vast AI workloads,” according to a statement from AWS CEO Matt Garman. Prominent AI companies have begun making investments in each other, resulting in a complex web of transactions that has drawn attention. The hub of such web is OpenAI.

Furthermore, there has been some conjecture that an AI bubble might be imminent in response to OpenAI’s acquisition binge. “Yes, the investment loans are unprecedented,” Sam Altman remarked in an interview with the BBC last month, but he also noted that “it’s also unprecedented for companies to be growing revenue this fast.”

November 7, 2025
Mamdani’s ‘Trump-Proofing NYC’ Campaign Sparks Political Clash With White House

After winning New York City’s mayoral election, Zohran Mamdani didn’t take long to confront the guy who had threatened to jail and deport him in addition to defunding the city. Mamdani, a Democrat, addressed the Republican president from the stage of his Brooklyn victory party, saying, “Donald Trump, since I know you’re watching, I have four words for you: Turn the volume up.”

Additionally, he challenged the president directly. “The city that gave rise to Donald Trump is the one who can show a nation betrayed by him how to defeat him,” he declared. As Mamdani went from being a little-known state lawmaker to a national Democratic star, and as Trump portrayed the modern Democratic Party as extreme and disconnected from common voters, the announcement served as an example of how both men have taken advantage of each other as politically useful foils.

Speaking at a business conference in Miami the day after the election, Trump frequently brought up Mamdani, portraying the incoming mayor as a nightmare that he swore to combat while widely associating other Democratic politicians with their party’s new political hero.

Trump declared, “Just look at the outcome of yesterday’s election in New York, where their party installed a communist as mayor of the largest city in the country, if you want to see what congressional Democrats wish to do to America.”

Mamdani’s ‘Trump-Proofing NYC’ Campaign Sparks Political Clash With White House Source: Web

Mamdani, who was born in Uganda and obtained U.S. citizenship after completing his undergraduate education, portrayed himself as the leader of the opposition to the president’s strong, anti-immigrant policies during his second term. In his statement on election night, he declared, “New York will remain a city of immigrants, a city built by immigrants, powered by immigrants, and, as of tonight, led by an immigrant.”

The statement continued, “So hear me,” President Donald J. Trump, “when I say this: To get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us.” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later confirmed that Trump, who has been disparaging Mamdani for months and threatening to destroy the city if he won, was present at the address. “AND SO IT BEGINS!” he said on social media as Mamdani was speaking.

Nevertheless, it’s anticipated that Mamdani, a democratic socialist who ran on a platform of far-left progressive policies and upbeat optimism that contrasts sharply with Trump’s darker and more extreme strategies, will continue to face the president’s relentless political criticism as well as a federal government that might attempt to obstruct his agenda. However, it’s still unclear how Trump intends to react and whether the courts will intervene.

Mamdani Vows to Shield the City from Future ‘Trump-style’ Politics

Mamdani made it apparent during his first press conference as mayor-elect on Wednesday that one of the biggest obstacles he will have in his new position is the city’s most influential former resident. “An authoritarian government and an affordability crisis are the twin crises that New Yorkers are currently facing,” he stated. “And it will be my responsibility to fulfill both.”

According to Mamdani, “Trump-proofing” New York City, entails “protecting those with the least from the consequences of a man with the most power in this country.” However, Mamdani repeatedly stated that if anyone could assist New Yorkers, he would be open to working with them, including Trump. He claimed that since his victory, neither the president nor the White House had contacted him.

November 6, 2025
Early Voting Insights for Upcoming Elections in New York, New Jersey, Virginia

The electorate is typically substantially smaller because the New York City’s mayoral elections are held in off-years, meaning there isn’t a presidential race on the ballot. Additionally, because older voters tend to be more politically active, it tends to skew older than presidential elections. Furthermore, early voters are typically older than those who cast ballots on election day.

The older demographic of those who cast ballots during the initial days of early voting was therefore not surprising. However, there was a significant increase in younger voters on the last day of early voting. This made the last wave of early voters even younger than those who cast ballots in the general election of 2024.

Though it’s also important to note that both candidates have a sizable portion of support in older age groups, Zohran Mamdani’s supporters are typically younger, while former Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has greater support among older voters. With likely voters under 30, Mr. Mamdani topped Mr. Cuomo 73 percent to 10 percent in a September New York Times/Siena survey. They were deadlocked among voters aged 65 and over.

New Yorkers Voted by Age & New Jerseyans Voted by Party

According to more recent surveys, voters in their 50s, 60s, and older give Mr. Cuomo a tiny edge. Why not make a comparison between this election and the 2021 mayoral race? For starters, there was little competition in that election; Eric Adams received more than twice as many votes as Mr. Sliwa, his nearest rival.

Such a comparison wouldn’t reveal much because there was less suspense, which meant that fewer individuals of all ages showed up to vote early. Since its implementation in 2019, early voting has also gradually increased in popularity in New York. It’s difficult to predict precisely how early and election day voting will ultimately be distributed given the overall trend toward early voting.

New York City does not disclose the number of mail-in ballots returned prior to the election, so the early votes displayed here for 2025 do not include mail-in votes. Like it’s obvious that the number of mail-in ballots returned thus far is tabulated for Virginia and New Jersey below.

Voters in New Jersey register according to their political party. Accordingly, we may determine whether one party is especially energized or depressed based on the early voting results.

Early Voting Insights for Upcoming Elections in New York, New Jersey, Virginia Source: Web

Compared to Republicans, Democrats are more likely to cast early ballots. Democrats accounted for over half of the early vote this year. Furthermore, it is difficult to forecast exactly what will occur on election day due to the added percentage of unaffiliated voters and the fact that voters do not necessarily choose the candidate of their party.

For instance, Democrats in New Jersey had a 12-percentage-point lead over Republicans in 2024 when it came to the party registration of all voters. However, the Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris won the state by a mere six points.

In the years since the pandemic, people have been forming new preferences for how they cast their ballots, just like in other countries. Many more voters from both parties now cast their ballots early, either in person or by mail. Comparisons to the previous governor’s contest in 2021 are therefore less useful.

November 4, 2025
Disney Removes ABC, ESPN from YouTube TV After Negotiations Fall Apart

Disney channels, including ABC and ESPN, are no longer available to YouTube TV users after the parties were unable to reach an agreement on a new content distribution agreement. The Disney Channel, FX, and Nat Geo are among the other networks that have disappeared from Google’s subscription TV service.

In a blog post published late Thursday, Google’s premium TV service announced that Disney had acted on its promise to halt its programming while the talks were ongoing. The collapse might affect Saturday’s NBA, NFL, and NHL games as well as several college football games.

With over 9 million users, YouTube is the biggest online TV provider in the United States. Disney’s Hulu comes in second with almost half as many customers.

Warnings scrolling across their screens in recent weeks have made viewers aware of the disagreement. Disney, according to YouTube, used the threat of a blackout as a negotiation tool to get its members to pay more. According to YouTube, Disney’s decision to remove its material also helps its own streaming services, Hulu + Live TV and Fubo.

Frustration & Disappointment for Subscribers

It stated, “We continue to urge Disney to work with us constructively to reach a fair agreement that restores their networks to YouTube TV, as we know this is a frustrating and disappointing outcome for our subscribers.”

According to YouTube, if Disney material is inaccessible “for an extended period of time,” members will receive a $20 credit. The basic membership option for YouTube TV costs $82.99 a month.

Talks Fail Between Disney and YouTube TV, Leading to Channel Removal Source: Web

Disney cited the number of Top 25 teams competing this weekend to claim that YouTube TV is refusing to pay fair rates for its channels and has decided to “deny their subscribers the content they value most.”

Furthermore, “Google is using its market dominance to eliminate competition and undercut the industry-standard terms we’ve successfully negotiated with every other distributor,” Disney stated, highlighting the company’s $3 trillion market capitalization. The business stated that it was dedicated to finding a solution as soon as possible.

November 1, 2025
US Treasury’s Bessent Confirms China’s Approval of TikTok Transfer Agreement

The United States Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced Thursday that China had authorized the transfer agreement for the TikTok app, which allows users to record short videos. He said he expected the deal to proceed in the upcoming weeks and months, but he did not provide any other information.

“In Kuala Lumpur, we finalized the TikTok agreement in terms of getting Chinese approval, and I would expect that would go forward in the coming weeks and months, and we’ll finally see a resolution to that,” he said on “Mornings with Maria” on Fox Business Network after President Donald Trump met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

The meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping was praised as “amazing” and “12” on a 10-point scale. However, the deal that the two leaders achieved seems to be little more than a tenuous truce in a trade war that has yet to tackle its underlying reasons.

The agreement unveiled Thursday, which calls for China to resume buying soybeans, halt its export restrictions on rare earths for a year, and reduce U.S. tariffs on China by 10%, essentially restores relations to the pre-tit-for-tat escalation period that preceded Trump’s “Liberation Day” offensive.

So, China will appropriately resolve TikTok-related concerns with the United States, the Commerce Ministry of China stated in a statement earlier Thursday. According to a Chinese official, “the Chinese side will work with U.S. side to properly address issues related to TikTok.” ByteDance, a Chinese company that owns TikTok, did not immediately respond.

Bytedance Ownership Breakdown

After the U.S. Congress approved a bill in 2024 requiring TikTok’s Chinese owners to sell the service’s U.S. assets by January 2025, the status of the 170 million-user app has been unclear for more than 18 months. On September 25, Trump issued an executive order stating that the plan to sell TikTok’s U.S. business to a group of American and international investors satisfies the national security conditions outlined in the 2024 law. He also authorized the investors 120 days to finalize the deal.

Additionally, he postponed the law’s implementation until January 20, 2026. According to Trump’s order, the new joint venture will be in charge of the algorithm’s functioning and the U.S. company’s security partners will retrain and oversee it. As per the deal on TikTok’s U.S. operations, ByteDance has appointed one of the seven board members for the new company; the other six positions are occupied by Americans.

US Treasury Secretary Confirms China’s Approval of TikTok Transfer Deal Source: Web

Furthermore, if ByteDance didn’t sell its U.S. assets, it would possess less than 20% of TikTok U.S. in order to meet the legal requirements that mandated the company shut down by January 2025.

As part of ByteDance’s plan to sell U.S. assets of the short video app, U.S. Representative John Moolenaar, the Republican chair of the House Select Committee on China, stated this month that a license arrangement for the use of the TikTok algorithm would raise “serious concerns.”

October 31, 2025
Trump Govt. Excludes Democrats from Briefing on Recent U.S. Military Strikes

According to a prominent Senate Democrat and a person with direct knowledge of the matter, the Trump administration briefed Republicans on Wednesday regarding US military operations on suspected drug boats without informing Democratic senators of the briefing. When the Trump administration excluded Democratic members on Wednesday, Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner blasted the action as “a partisan stunt” that “is a slap in the face to Congress’ war powers responsibilities and to the men and women who serve this country.”

A classified Justice Department OLC memo detailing the administration’s legal rationale for the strikes – which CNN first reported on earlier this month – was presented to the Republicans by administration officials during the meeting. Warner said in a statement that it is “indefensible and dangerous to exclude Democrats from a briefing on U.S. military strikes and to withhold the legal justification for those strikes from half the Senate.”

“Decisions regarding the use of American military force are not the exclusive domain of one political party, nor are they the subject of campaign strategy sessions,” he stated. “Any administration that treats them in that manner undermines our national security and violates Congress’ constitutional duty to supervise matters of peace and war.”

The Virginia Democrat continued, “It also sets a reckless and deeply troubling precedent,” adding that the administration should immediately provide Democrats the same briefing and the OLC opinion. CNN has reached out to the White House for comment. Warner’s comments come as the Trump administration accelerates its attacks against boats that they allege are involved in drug trafficking.

Highly Misleading Briefings

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday that the US military conducted another strike against a vessel in the Pacific Ocean that day, killing four people. “This vessel, like all the others, was known by our intelligence to be involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, was transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and carrying narcotics,” Hegseth said in a post on X.

This is the 14th time that the US military has reportedly attacked a suspected drug-smuggling ship. On 15 boats in total, the activities had claimed the lives of 61 persons. Earlier this week, the Trump administration told CNN that it has given seven different secret briefings on US military operations on suspected drug boats.

President Trump Govt. Excludes Democrats from Briefing on Recent U.S. Military Raid Source: Web

However, other politicians claim they haven’t gotten the information they’re looking for. The administration “appears to be counting the same briefing given multiple times to certain staff or members (including in small groups),” a Democratic Senate official told CNN. Therefore, seven briefings are incredibly deceptive.

According to two sources who spoke to CNN earlier Wednesday, Pentagon officials are scheduled to provide members of the House Armed Services Committee with a classified briefing on Thursday regarding the recent US military strikes on vessels suspected of being involved in drug trafficking.

October 30, 2025