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Trump Picks Banking Executive to Lead Social Security Administration

(New York Times) President-elect Trump announced on Wednesday night that he had chosen Frank Bisignano, the chairman of the payment processing behemoth Fiserv, to be the commissioner of the Social Security Administration, a sizable federal agency with more than 1,200 field offices and almost 60,000 employees. Mr. Bisignano vaulted into one of the most coveted positions in the New York finance world in his late 20s as a senior vice president of what was then known as Shearson Lehman Brothers, the investment bank whose collapse in 2008 helped set off a global recession.

riversedge

Hegseth promises to stop drinking if confirmed, GOP senators say

(ABC) Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's pick for defense secretary, said on Wednesday he would not "back down" as new misconduct allegations cause growing concern among Republican senators tasked with whether to confirm him. Going public in his own defense, Hegseth also directly addressed several of the accusations for the first time in an interview with Megyn Kelly. He denied many of the claims he mistreated women and pushed back on reports he was forced out from two veterans' nonprofit groups. He's also promised senators he's stopped drinking and won't drink if confirmed, according to Missouri Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt. Some of the misconduct accusations included claims he has been drunk in public.

Eugene

Lindsey Graham Rapidly Reverses His Take on the Hegseth Allegations: 'None of It Counts'

(Daily Beast) Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) pulled off a flip-flop in near-record time Wednesday, dismissing a litany of misconduct allegations against Pete Hegseth that just a day earlier he called “very disturbing.” Hegseth, who President-elect Donald Trump says he intends to nominate for defense secretary, was accused of sexually assaulting a woman in a hotel room in 2017, which he denies.

Dennis Donovan

Trump team considers 'illegal' workaround to speed up key campaign promise: report

(Raw Story) Donald Trump's incoming administration intends to deport migrants to countries they've never visited if their home countries refuse to accept them, according to a new report. Three sources familiar with the plans say administration officials are preparing a list of countries – including but limited to Turks and Caicos, the Bahamas, Panama and Grenada – where they would send undocumented migrants as part of planned mass deportations, although it's not clear they would be allowed to legally work or live in those nations, reported NBC News.

KS Toronado

Thursday carTOONS

Dennis Donovan

Effort to cut federal workforce takes aim at key US jobs engine

(Financial Times) Elon Musk’s plan to slash the federal workforce under Donald Trump is poised to upend one of the strongest engines of the US labour market: the government. Government and healthcare jobs have been the biggest source of employment in the past year, particularly for knowledge workers, data shows. US job recruiters, economists and labour leaders fear the plan to cut the workforce could crimp the number of good available jobs at a time of declining private-sector employment, compounding already-stiff competition for white-collar jobs.

applegrove

Jeffries Stays Out of the Way as Democrats Mutiny

(Political Wire) “House Democrats are poised to unseat several senior committee leaders, and Hakeem Jeffries is letting it happen,” Politico reports. “It’s akin to a mutiny, especially given Democrats’ typical deference to seniority in who leads panels. But party lawmakers are increasingly anxious about the incoming Trump administration and full GOP control of Congress. Many feel it’s crucial to have leaders who are proven fighters and can effectively push back on Republican priorities like harsh limits on legal immigration.”

BumRushDaShow

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez expected to run for top Oversight Committee role

(Axios) Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is expected to enter the race for ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, four House Democrats with knowledge of her plans told Axios. The 35-year-old lawmaker would easily be House Democrats' youngest committee leader at a time when some of their oldest are facing insurgent challenges. "It's going to happen soon," said one of the House Democrats. A senior House Democrat said "she has talked to" colleagues saying she is running. Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) is already running for the role, with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) also expressing interest in a run as well.

orleans

46 Senators Call on Biden to Certify Equal Rights Amendment as GOP Control Looms

(Common Dreams) Emphasizing that the Equal Rights Amendment is the only proposed constitutional amendment that has yet to be certified, 46 U.S. senators have joined the growing national call for President Joe Biden to ensure the proposed statute is part of the Constitution when he leaves office in January. Reporting on the letter on Tuesday, the Virginia-based publication Style Weekly noted that the state's two Democratic senators—Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine—joined almost the entire Democratic caucus in sending the letter to Biden on November 22.

Dulcinea

Trump's transition was supposed to be a show of force. What happened?

(Politico) Over the last 24 hours, Donald Trump lost his pick to lead the Drug Enforcement Administration. His choice for Defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, is struggling to gain support from Senate Republicans. The president-elect is now even considering his onetime rival, Gov. Ron DeSantis, to lead the Pentagon. And these shake-ups to his not-yet-formed administration come after former Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew from consideration as Trump’s choice for attorney general.

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OPEC+ members to delay oil production increases

8 min ago - Published Thu, Dec 5 2024 7:34 AM EST Updated 2 Hours Ago The OPEC+ oil producers’ alliance has postponed plans to unwind several formal and voluntary crude production cuts into 2026 amid a lukewarm outlook for global demand, according to delega ... (CNBC)

Words found on shell casings where UnitedHealthcare CEO was shot dead, senior law enforcement official says

1 hr ago - Dec. 5, 2024, 6:37 AM EST / Updated Dec. 5, 2024, 9:11 AM EST Shell casings found at the scene where the UnitedHealthcare CEO was shot dead by a masked gunman in front of a busy New York City hotel had the words “deny,” “defend” a ... (NBC News)

Lindsey Graham Rapidly Reverses His Take on the Hegseth Allegations: 'None of It Counts'

1 hr ago - Sean Craig Thu, December 5, 2024 at 3:57 AM CST .................... He [Hegseth] was also said to have overseen a sexist workplace at a veterans organization he ran, where the top staff sexually pursued female employees, according to a whistleblow ... (yahoo.com)

Hegseth signed NDA, received six-figure severance payment after leaving veterans' group, sources say

2 hrs ago - Updated on: December 4, 2024 / 9:20 PM EST Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's embattled pick for secretary of defense, received a six-figure severance payment and signed a non-disclosure agreement when he exited the organization Concerned V ... (CBS News)

Honda to recall over 205,000 US SUVs over fuel leak concern, NHTSA says

2 hrs ago - The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Thursday that Honda would recall about 205,760 SUVs in the United States over a fuel leak issue. The recall includes some Passport and Pilot vehicles from model years 2023-2025. The filler ne ... (Reuters via Yahoo News)

Rebel army seizes one of Syria's biggest cities as government forces retreat

2 hrs ago - Rebel forces entered the Syrian city of Hama and forced out government troops Thursday, in a development that may have significant consequences in the country's 14-year-long civil war. Both the Syrian Defense Ministry and an official from the militan ... (NBC News)

Trump Taps Fiserv CEO Bisignano for Social Security Chief

2 hrs ago - Wed, December 4, 2024 at 9:35 PM EST (Bloomberg) -- President-elect Donald Trump is nominating Frank Bisignano, the chief executive officer of fintech and payments company Fiserv Inc., to be the commissioner of the Social Security Administration. ... (Yahoo! News/Bloomberg)

Judge considers first lawsuit to overturn Missouri's near-total abortion ban

3 hrs ago - Updated 7:44 PM EST, December 4, 2024 KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Abortion-rights advocates on Wednesday asked a judge to overturn Missouri’s near-total ban on the procedure, less than a month after voters backed an abortion-rights constitution ... (AP)

Guardian Journalists Strike Over Planned Sale of Sister Publication

3 hrs ago - Workers have begun a 48-hour walkout, the first in 50 years for the outlet, over a proposal to sell The Observer to Tortoise Media, a digital media start-up. By Eshe Nelson Reporting from London Dec. 4, 2024 Journalists at the Guardian and the Observ ... (NYT)

Tina Peters appeals contempt conviction in iPad recording case related to unauthorized voting machine access prosecution

3 hrs ago - Dec 4th, 2024, 7:17 pm The first election official convicted of a felony over 2020 election conspiracy theories promulgated by followers of Donald Trump is appealing an earlier contempt of court ruling in a related case. Tina Peters, 68, is the form ... (Law & Crime)

Austin endorses women in combat jobs and exhorts West Point cadets to defend the Constitution

4 hrs ago - Wed, December 4, 2024 at 7:00 PM EST WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin used a speech at West Point Wednesday to forcefully endorse having women in combat roles and emphasize the military's obligation to defend the U.S. Constitutio ... (Yahoo! News/AP)

Obama Democracy Forum will convene to focus on tools for bipartisan dialogue

4 hrs ago - Posted 6:52 PM, Dec 04, 2024 The Obama Democracy Forum kicks off Thursday in Chicago. The goal is to bridge the political divide and get people talking about issues together. The former president, along with actor Ryan Reynolds and country music sing ... (Scripps News)

Democrats Want Republicans to Confirm Donald Trump Can't Serve Third Term

4 hrs ago - Published Dec 04, 2024 at 6:49 PM EST | Updated Dec 04, 2024 at 6:52 PM EST Democrats in Congress are pressing their Republican colleagues to unequivocally confirm that President-elect Donald Trump is constitutionally barred from serving a third term ... (Newsweek)

Bitcoin Hits a Milestone: $100,000

4 hrs ago - In May 2010, Laszlo Hanyecz, an early cryptocurrency enthusiast, used Bitcoin to buy two pizzas from Papa John’s. He spent 10,000 Bitcoins, or roughly $40 at the time, in one of the first purchases ever made with the digital currency. It has tur ... (The New York Times)

Scoop: AOC expected to run for top Oversight Committee role

5 hrs ago - Updated 11 hours ago Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is expected to enter the race for ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, four House Democrats with knowledge of her plans told Axios. Why it matters: The 35-year-old lawmaker would ... (Axios)

Hegseth promises to stop drinking if confirmed, GOP senators say

5 hrs ago - Hegseth said Donald Trump told him to "keep going, keep fighting." By Oren Oppenheim, Katherine Faulders, Soo Rin Kim, Kelsey Walsh, and Lalee Ibssa December 4, 2024, 7:04 PM Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's pick for defense secretary, sa ... (abc)

Chinese hackers stole large amounts of Americans' phone data from eight telecoms, officials say

5 hrs ago - Dec. 4, 2024, 5:53 PM EST A Chinese hacking campaign that has spied on the texts and calls of U.S. citizens by hacking telecommunications companies is significantly larger than previously known to the public, a top White House official said Wednesday ... (NBC News)

Biden bars new 'forever chemicals' from expedited approval

6 hrs ago - 12/04/24 5:20 PM ET The Biden administration on Wednesday took a step toward preventing dangerous “forever chemicals” from being released onto the market after a less rigorous review process. It issued a new regulation preventing a family o ... (The Hill)

Trump selects a former soldier and Iraq War veteran to serve as Army secretary

6 hrs ago - Updated 5:04 PM EST, December 4, 2024 WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump said Wednesday that he has selected a former soldier and Iraq War veteran to serve as his secretary of the Army. Daniel P. Driscoll, who is from North Carolina, ... (AP)

Biden White House Is Discussing Preemptive Pardons for Those in Trump's Crosshairs

7 hrs ago - 12/04/2024 04:03 PM EST President Joe Biden’s senior aides are conducting a vigorous internal debate over whether to issue preemptive pardons to a range of current and former public officials who could be targeted with President-elect Donald Tru ... (Politico)