Comment on House, Senate negotiators reach deal on defense policy bill

Fox & Friends hosts Rachel Campos-Duffy and Joe Concha were none too happy with President Biden awarding Hillary Clinton and George Soros the Presidential Medal of Freedom: President Joe Biden will hold a star-studded ceremony at the White House Saturday for the latest batch of Medal of Freedom recipients -- which will include Bono, José Andres, Lionel Messi, Hillary Clinton, Jane Goodall and many more. The medal is the nation's highest civilian honor, presented to people who have made "exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values or security of the United States, world peace or other significant societal, public or private endeavors," according to the White House. Biden on Saturday named 19 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Here's Duffy and Concha's anti-Semitic rant against Clinton and Soros, and Liz Cheney as well who, much to Trump's angst, was awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal by Biden earlier this week. CAMPOS-DUFFY: Today Biden is going to present, get this, Joe.

A petty Republican county executive on Long Island has refused to lower flags to half-staff to honor the late President Jimmy Carter. Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman has declined to comment on his divisive decision as Americans mourn the passing of a former President. CBS News reports: A Republican official who oversees Nassau County on New York's Long Island has seemingly refused to lower flags to half-staff in memory of the late Democratic President Jimmy Carter, who died last weekend at the age of 100. Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, a Republican, has not publicly explained his reason for not lowering flags at Nassau County-operated buildings.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) would not commit to voting against Kash Patel, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for FBI director, despite his vow to conduct a revenge tour against MAGA opponents. During a Sunday interview on NBC, host Kristen Welker noted that Patel had written about getting retribution for several federal prosecutions of Trump. "The expectation is, and as the leader of the Senate, that we're going to get the president his people as quickly as possible in the key positions where he wants them," Thune promised. "Let me ask you about Kash Patel and his book," Welker said.

Alicublog: Roy Edroso breaks it down. Press Watch: Trump coverage needs to change, and here’s how. The Psy of Life: A guide to influencing your member of Congress and other government officials. Open Windows: Why I'm quitting The Washington Post, and the role of editorial cartooning in a free press. annieasksyou…: Ringing in the new year. This installment by Batocchio.

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Sunday plans to sign into law a measure that boosts Social Security payments for current and former public employees, affecting nearly 3 million people who receive pensions from their time as teachers, firefighters, police officers and in other public service jobs. Advocates say the Social Security Fairness Act rights a decades-old disparity, though it will also put strain on Social Security Trust Funds, which face a looming insolvency crisis. The bill rescinds two provisions — the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset — that limit Social Security benefits for recipients if they get retirement payments from other sources, including public retirement programs from a state or local government. The Congressional Research Service estimated that in December 2023, there were 745,679 people, about 1% of all Social Security beneficiaries, who had their benefits reduced by the Government Pension Offset.

Why should Justice Merchan sentence Trump to jail when he can