Trump says he approved the making of Japanese 'tiny cars' to be sold in the US

Source: The Independent

“Tiny cars” which are popular in Japan will be allowed to be built in U.S. factories, Presdient Donald Trump has announced.

“I have just approved TINY CARS to be built in America,” the president wrote on Truth Social Friday, having previously described the vehicles as “very cute.”

“Manufacturers have long wanted to do this, just like they are so successfully built in other countries. They can be propelled by gasoline, electric, or hybrid. These cars of the very near future are inexpensive, safe, fuel efficient and, quite simply, AMAZING!!! START BUILDING THEM NOW!... ENJOY!!!”

The so-called “Kei trucks” typically measure about 11 feet long, 5 feet wide and 6.5 feet tall, according to Japan’s Interac Network, and now make up about a third of Japan’s car market due to their easily maneuverable size and cheap cost.

Read more: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-japanese-tiny-cars-kei-b2879150.html

Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, 'Mortal Kombat' and 'Pearl Harbor' actor, dies at 75

Source: USA Today

"Mortal Kombat" star Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa has died from complications from a stroke. He was 75.

The actor and producer died in Santa Barbara on Thursday, Dec. 4, his spokesperson Penny Vizcarra confirmed to USA TODAY.

The Tokoyo-born performer was best known for his role as Shang Tsung in multiple "Mortal Kombat" projects, including the 1995 movie, as well as on TV and video games. He also played roles in films including "Pearl Harbor," "Planet of the Apes," "47 Ronin," "Elektra" and "Memoirs of a Geisha."

After moving to the United States at a young age, Tagawa attended the University of Southern California, where he studied traditional Japanese karate.

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2025/12/04/cary-hiroyuki-tagawa-dead-stroke/87615819007/

Hakeem Jeffries Praises Trump's Pardon of 'Beloved' Democrat: 'Exactly the Right Outcome'

Source: Mediaite

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) found a rare point of agreement with President Donald Trump on Wednesday, backing the president’s pardon of “beloved” Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX).

“One of the clearest examples of this was when Crooked Joe used the FBI and DOJ to “take out” a member of his own Party after Highly Respected Congressman Henry Cuellar bravely spoke out against Open Borders, and the Biden Border ‘Catastrophe,'” Trump wrote.

Cuellar was indicted in March 2024 for allegedly accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in foreign bribes. Cuellar’s wife was also indicted at the time.

“Congressman Cuellar is a beloved member of the House of Representatives, loved in his community, particularly in Laredo. I’ve had the opportunity to spend time with him down in Laredo in South Texas,” Jeffries said on Wednesday. “I look forward to that moving forward. Listen, the reality is this indictment was very thin to begin with, in my view. The charges were eventually going to be dismissed, if not at the trial court level then by the Supreme Court, as they’ve repeatedly done in instances just like this.”

Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/hakeem-jeffries-praises-trump-pardon-171507006.html

Trump-backed Republican Matt Van Epps wins US House special election in Tennessee

Source: Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Republican Matt Van Epps won a nationally watched special election in Tennessee for a seat in the U.S. House on Tuesday, maintaining his party's grip on the district with help from President Donald Trump.

A military veteran and former state general services commissioner from Nashville, Van Epps defeated Democratic state Rep. Aftyn Behn to represent the 7th Congressional District.

Behn made it a relatively close race in an overwhelmingly Republican district that Trump carried by 22 percentage points in 2024. Behn ran up a huge margin in Davidson County, which is the most Democratic county in the district and home to Nashville. But Van Epps carried the rest of the district, including many deep-red counties throughout central Tennessee.

With about 95% of votes counted, Van Epps' lead was in the high single digits. The previous Republican who held the seat won by 21 points last

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/tennessee-special-election-congress-van-epps-behn-246e101692e3dd002d43a4cdb467164b

US Senate confirms 2 Trump-picked judges in North Carolina, including former Thomas clerk

Source: Reuters

Dec 2 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Tuesday voted in favor of two federal prosecutors in North Carolina joining the federal bench as trial judges, including a former clerk to conservative U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas whose views on abortion and the death penalty have spurred Democratic opposition.

The Republican-led Senate voted 53-45 to confirm David Bragdon to serve as a life-tenured judge in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina and 60-39 in favor of Lindsey Ann Freeman who was appointed to the same court.

The votes increased the number of judges confirmed during President Donald Trump's second term to 21, building on the 234 appointments he made in his first term that helped shift the judiciary to the right.

Bragdon had been the appellate chief at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina, while Freeman most recently served as second-in-command at the Middle District's U.S. Attorney's Office.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-senate-confirms-2-trump-picked-judges-north-carolina-including-former-thomas-2025-12-02/

Pope removes shoes but doesn't pray on visit to Istanbul's Blue Mosque

Source: Reuters

ISTANBUL, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Pope Leo visited Istanbul's Blue Mosque on Saturday, removing his shoes in a sign of respect but not appearing to pray in his first visit as leader of the Catholic Church to a Muslim place of worship during his four-day visit to Turkey.

The first U.S. pope bowed slightly before entering the mosque and was led on a tour of the expansive complex, able to hold 10,000 worshippers, by its imam and the mufti of Istanbul.

Leo, walking in white socks, smiled during the 20-minute visit and joked with one of his guides, the mosque's lead muezzin - the official who leads the daily calls to prayer.

The Vatican appeared surprised that Leo had not stopped to pray during the visit and that he had not been welcomed to the mosque by the head of Turkey's state-run religious organisation, known as the diyanet, as had been planned.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/pope-removes-shoes-doesnt-pray-visit-istanbuls-blue-mosque-2025-11-29/

House votes to denounce 'horrors' of socialism ahead of Mamdani-Trump meeting

Source: Politico

The House voted 285-98 to approve a resolution condemning the “horrors of socialism” Friday morning, just hours before President Donald Trump is set to meet with New York’s incoming democratic socialist mayor Zohran Mamdani.

Eighty-six Democrats joined with Republicans to approve the measure. Two others voted present. No Republican voted to oppose it.

Speaker Mike Johnson and House GOP leaders have decried Mamdani’s election as the next mayor of the country’s largest city, citing his far-left politics and arguing he is the new, radical face of the Democratic Party. They’ve vowed to make him a centerpiece of their attacks against Democrats ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

They did not, however, formally recommend a no vote. A swath of moderate Democrats, especially from New York, are uncomfortable with Mamdani’s rise in their party.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/11/21/congress/house-denounces-horrors-of-socialism-00664412

Democrat Who Caved on Shutdown Says Chuck Schumer Knew All Along

Source: The New Republic

Senator Jeanne Shaheen revealed that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer knew the entire time about the plan for a few Democrats to capitulate to Republicans on the government shutdown.

Shaheen, one of the seven Democrats (and one independent) who dropped their demand for a guaranteed extension of Obamacare subsidies, spoke to Fox News’s Brian Kilmeade on Monday morning.

“Senator Chuck Schumer, your leader in the Senate, said ‘I cannot support a continuing resolution that fails to address health care, I am voting no.’ Did you do this outside leadership, and was there a big push for you not to join the others and break the 60 threshold?” Kilmeade asked.

“No, we kept leadership informed throughout,” Shaheen responded. “And I think it’s important to remember who’s responsible for why we got into this shutdown. We are here because we are concerned about the health care costs rising significantly on millions of Americans, and we didn’t have any indication before the shutdown started that our Republican colleagues were willing to address it.”

Read more: https://newrepublic.com/post/202942/democrat-caved-shutdown-chuck-schumer-knew-shaheen

It's official in the Senate, Cornyn just arrived and voted Yes

60-40.

https://www.senate.gov/legislative/floor_activity_pail.htm

Live Senate vote: 59-40 as of this second