[guest post by Dana]

Let’s go!

First news item

Congratulations to Liz Cheney (and Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, who chaired the House Jan. 6 Committee and is also being honored):

President Joe Biden plans on Thursday to announce 20 recipients of the Presidential Citizens Medal.

According to the White House press release, this award is given out to Americans who “have performed exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens.”

“The country is better because of their dedication and sacrifice,” the press release added.

One of the most notable recipients is former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney for her actions as the vice chair of the committee that investigated the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. The press release said that she used her voice and reached across the aisle to defend American ideals of freedom, dignity and decency. The move comes as Cheney has faced attacks from President-elect Trump, a member of her own party, for her role in the Jan. 6 committee.

FYI:

When her name was called, the public address announcer said she was being honored “for putting the American people over party.” Cheney received a standing ovation from those in the East Room as she stood with Biden.

Trump not taking it well:

Biden gave Liz Cheney a Medal yesterday, even though she has proven to be totally corrupt. She, “Bennie” Thompson, and the rest of the Unselect Committee, destroyed and deleted all evidence from their crooked investigation of January 6th. Cheney has the distinction of losing her Congressional seat by the largest margin in History! The people of Wyoming understood how bad for our Country she was, but Biden rewarded her only because she hated “TRUMP.” She’s a Warmonger of low intelligence. All she wants to do is kill people in “Endless Wars,” with no gain other than to defense companies. Liz Cheney, Cryin’ Adam Kinzinger, Bennie Thompson, and the rest of these dishonest Thugs have gotten away with horrible things under the pretense of January 6th. Nancy Pelosi refused to accept the help which was offered for security. She is responsible, and admitted as much, for all to see, on her daughter’s tape. They have destroyed the lives of many people, and are rewarded by getting Biden Fake Medals. This is not America. January 20th cannot come fast enough. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!

However, Liz Cheney was happy to correct him and set the record straight:

Donald, this is not the Soviet Union. You can’t change the truth and you cannot silence us. Remember all your lies about the voting machines, the election workers, your countless allegations of fraud that never happened? Many of your lawyers have been sanctioned, disciplined or disbarred, the courts ruled against you, and dozens of your own White House, administration, and campaign aides testified against you. Remember how you sent a mob to our Capitol and then watched the violence on television and refused for hours to instruct the mob to leave? Remember how your former Vice President prevented you from overturning our Republic? We remember. And now, as you take office again, the American people need to reject your latest malicious falsehoods and stand as the guardrails of our Constitutional Republic — to protect the America we love from you.

Second news item

Uh-oh:

With less than 24 hours left until the start of the 119th Congress, Mike Johnson doesn’t have the votes yet to remain speaker.

The Louisiana Republican has been working diligently over the past few days to lock down the 218 votes he needs, even after spending the holidays working the phones and meeting with incoming President-elect Donald Trump. But even the incoming president’s repeated endorsement earlier this week doesn’t mean Johnson is guaranteed a victory. Roughly a dozen Republicans are still on the fence, as some of them try to get concessions on the rules or commitments from Johnson on spending.

Here’s one Republican who says he will not be voting for Trump:

Rep Massie says he will vote for a sitting member of congress “that could do the job” tomorrow

“You can pull all my fingernails off, you can shove bamboo up them, you can start cutting off my fingers, I am not voting for Mike Johnson tomorrow. And you can take that to the bank”

Trump wishes Mike Johnson success in today’s vote (but doesn’t push those Republicans resistant to Johnson, to vote for him.):

Good luck today for Speaker Mike Johnson, a fine man of great ability, who is very close to having 100% support. A win for Mike today will be a big win for the Republican Party, and yet another acknowledgment of our 129 year most consequential Presidential Election!! – A BIG AFFIRMATION, INDEED. MAGA!

Third news item

Sweden comes up with illegal immigration plan:

The European Union could submit a proposal as soon as March on the creation of so-called ‘return hubs’ to expedite the removal of illegal migrants, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Thursday.

Kristersson sketched out the potential timetable during a meeting in Vienna with Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, a fellow conservative, in which both men urged the European Union to step up efforts to counter illegal immigration.

Fourth news item

About the horror in New Orleans:

A U.S. Army veteran who rammed a truck into a crowd of revelers on Bourbon Street in New Orleans on New Year’s Day, leaving at least 14 people dead and dozens injured, proclaimed his support for ISIS in the hours before the attack, according to the FBI.

The suspect — identified by the FBI as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old U.S. citizen from Texas and an Army vet — was killed in a shoot-out with police early on Wednesday.

Investigators initially said they believed Jabbar worked with others to pull off the attack and were searching for other suspects. But on Thursday, the FBI said it now believed that Jabbar acted alone.

“This was an act of terrorism,” FBI Deputy Assistant Director Christopher Raia told reporters, adding Jabbar was “100% inspired by ISIS.”

Fifth news item

Vladimir Putin to the Russian people:

Vladimir Putin assured Russia he was “certain that everything will be fine” in his New Year’s Eve address on Tuesday, as the nation heads toward its fourth year of war in Ukraine in 2025.

In his speech, the Russian president said the nation was overcoming various challenges and would continue to move on. He also referred to 2025 as the “year of the Defender of the Motherland,” and gave respect to Russia’s “fighters and commanders,” The New York Times reported.

Sure thing, Vlad.

Sixth news item

Heh:

On my way to Washington, DC to proudly represent the people of San Francisco and share our San Francisco values in the Congress of the United States. Thank you for giving me that honor! -NP pic.twitter.com/Ay8pGsNgDb

— Nancy Pelosi (@TeamPelosi) January 2, 2025

Have a good weekend.

—Dana