Dan Bongino Announces Departure From FBI Deputy Director Role

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FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino announced Wednesday night that he will step down from his position in January, ending a tenure that lasted less than one year.

“I will be leaving my position with the FBI in January,” Bongino wrote in a social media post. He thanked President Donald Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and FBI Director Kash Patel for the opportunity to serve, adding that it was a privilege to serve the American public.

The announcement followed a day of mounting speculation about Bongino’s future at the bureau. Multiple sources said his departure had been expected, with some indicating he had already begun packing up his office and saying farewell to colleagues.

President Trump later confirmed Bongino’s exit, praising his work while suggesting the former media personality may return to broadcasting.
“Dan did a great job,” Trump said. “I think he wants to go back to his show.”

Bongino, 51, joined the Trump administration in March and served under Director Patel. One source said Bongino had planned from the outset to serve only a limited term, potentially just one year.

His time at the FBI was not without internal tension. In July, Bongino reportedly considered resigning after a heated exchange with Attorney General Bondi regarding the handling of documents connected to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. Bondi had issued a memo stating that no further disclosure was warranted and that there was no evidence to justify investigations into uncharged third parties.

Despite the dispute, Bongino remained in his role until announcing his departure this week.

While Bongino has not publicly outlined his next move, multiple sources believe he is likely to return to political commentary, a role he held prior to joining the administration.

With Bongino’s exit, co-Deputy Director Andrew Bailey is expected to assume the full responsibilities of the position. Bailey, who previously served as Missouri’s attorney general, joined the FBI leadership in September. He played a key role in a Supreme Court challenge related to government pressure on social media companies, though the case ultimately failed.

The FBI deputy director position traditionally oversees day-to-day bureau operations. In previous administrations, the role has carried significant influence within the agency.

Before entering government service, Bongino had publicly questioned the circumstances surrounding Epstein’s 2019 death, at times suggesting foul play. Earlier this year, however, he stated he accepted the official determination that Epstein died by suicide.

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

China’s AI Strategy Could Turn Americans Into Data Mines

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“The future of AI will either be ruled by American values or by China.”

That warning came last month from Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.), chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. It may sound abstract. It is not.

The Chinese Communist Party already appalled the world with its industrial-scale harvesting of organs from living human beings. Now it is pursuing something even more invasive: the exploitation of the human brain itself to power artificial intelligence and enforce political control.

This year, President Trump’s team prepared a national plan to secure American dominance in AI. At the same time, Guthrie and his colleagues — Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.) and Rep. John Joyce (R-Pa.) — have been pressing government agencies and private firms with urgent questions about China’s activities and the risks to U.S. national security.

The evidence is alarming.

The CCP has harvested brain-wave data from some of the world’s highest-performing athletes, including a Formula 1 driver and elite alpine skiers. It has built systems to collect brain-wave data from Chinese schoolchildren at scale. Now concerns are mounting that it may be harvesting the brain-wave data of unsuspecting Americans through wearable headband devices sold openly on Amazon. (Read more from “China’s AI Strategy Could Turn Americans Into Data Mines” HERE)

Trump Slams Door on Five More Countries in Major Immigration Crackdown

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President Donald Trump on Tuesday expanded a travel ban by adding five more countries and imposing limits on others.

The move came as the Trump administration continues to tighten U.S. entry requirements and immigration standards.

“The restrictions and limitations imposed by the Proclamation are necessary to prevent the entry of foreign nationals about whom the United States lacks sufficient information to assess the risks they pose, garner cooperation from foreign governments, enforce our immigration laws, and advance other important foreign policy, national security, and counterterrorism objectives,” the proclamation states.

Through his actions on Tuesday, citizens from five countries – Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan and Syria, as well as individuals holding Palestinian-Authority-issued travel documents – will face a ban on travel to the United States, the White House said. In addition, existing partial bans on Laos and Sierra Leone were expanded into full suspensions of entry.

Another 15 countries – Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia and Zimbabwe – will face partial restrictions.

The proclamation also “narrows broad family-based immigrant visa carve-outs that carry demonstrated fraud risks, while preserving case-by-case waivers,” the White House said. (Read more from “Trump Slams Door on Five More Countries in Major Immigration Crackdown” HERE)

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Schumer Won’t Rule Out Another Government Shutdown

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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer declined Tuesday to rule out triggering another government shutdown as Democrats press Republicans to extend enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies.

President Donald Trump ended the longest government shutdown in U.S. history on Nov. 12 by signing a spending package that funded the government through the end of January and restored pay to affected federal workers. During an exchange with reporters, Schumer repeatedly declined to give a direct answer when reporters asked whether Democrats would again risk a government shutdown by tying federal funding to their health care demands ahead of the Jan. 30 deadline.

“Mr. Chairman, you mentioned January 1. There is also a January 30 deadline to fund the government. Do you have any expectation that Democrats might tie back to ACA like you did last time to try to get a result?” one reporter asked.

“Look, just as I said, it’s on the Republicans that we haven’t had health care done after January 1. It’s very, very hard to put it back in the bottom,” Schumer said.

When asked explicitly whether Democrats would vote to shut down the government on Jan. 30 if they fail to secure an extension, Schumer again avoided a clear commitment. (Read more from “Schumer Won’t Rule Out Another Government Shutdown” HERE)

Trump Stands by Chief of Staff Susie Wiles After Bombshell Vanity Fair Interviews — Admits He Has ‘Alcoholic’s Personality’

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President Trump defended White House chief of staff Susie Wiles in an exclusive interview with The Post Tuesday — saying she was right to tell Vanity Fair he has an “alcoholic’s personality” and that he has confidence in Wiles to continue in her role.

In an afternoon phone call, Trump said that he wasn’t offended by his subordinate’s word choice.

“No, she meant that I’m — you see, I don’t drink alcohol. So everybody knows that — but I’ve often said that if I did, I’d have a very good chance of being an alcoholic. I have said that many times about myself, I do. It’s a very possessive personality,” Trump said, a teetotaler who has frequently cited the 1981 death of his older brother Fred at age 42 of an alcohol-induced heart attack as the main impetus for his abstinence.

“I’ve said that many times about myself. I’m fortunate I’m not a drinker. If I did, I could very well, because I’ve said that — what’s the word? Not possessive — possessive and addictive type personality. Oh, I’ve said it many times, many times before.”

In the profile, Wiles — the daughter of late NFL player and broadcaster Pat Summerall, who underwent his own public struggles with the bottle — told author Chris Whipple: “High-functioning alcoholics or alcoholics in general, their personalities are exaggerated when they drink. And so I’m a little bit of an expert in big personalities.” (Read more from “Trump Stands by Chief of Staff Susie Wiles After Bombshell Vanity Fair Interviews — Admits He Has ‘Alcoholic’s Personality’” HERE)

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Trump Thinks Russia’s Putin Wants All of Ukraine: WH Staff Chief Susie Wiles

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President Trump thinks Russian dictator Vladimir Putin wants much more than what’s on the table in talks to end the Russia-Ukraine war, according to White House chief of staff Susie Wiles.

“The experts think that if he could get the rest of Donetsk, then he [Putin] would be happy,” Wiles told Vanity Fair in August, according to a report published Tuesday. “Donald Trump thinks he wants the whole country.”

Trump’s team has been pushing Ukraine to give up some of the Donbas region, a key sticking point in the talks, and they’re now trying to sell Russia on the peace plan. Moscow has not yet agreed to these terms and Ukraine is loath to cede any territory without security guarantees from the United States.

Trump for months has been convinced Putin is hellbent on taking over the entirety of Ukraine with his nearly four-year-old war there — disagreeing with advisers who felt that giving him Ukraine’s easternmost region would be enough, Wiles signaled.

A senior US official told The Post the same late last month as the latest US peace plan push was just kicking off. When asked what concessions Russia would have to make in a peace deal, the person said it was simply getting Russia to accept that it can’t take over all of Ukraine. (Read more from “Trump Thinks Russia’s Putin Wants All of Ukraine: WH Staff Chief Susie Wiles” HERE)

Christmas Day Gas Prices Expected to Drop to Lowest Level in 5 Years

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President Donald Trump’s energy policies are delivering what is expected to be the lowest national average Christmas Day gas price for Americans since 2020, his last full year in office.

GasBuddy projects that on Christmas Day, the average gas price nationally will be $2.79 per gallon, down from $2.95 per gallon last year under former President Joe Biden, who deployed America’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve during his administration when prices soared.

“Thanks to President Trump, gas prices have hit a five-year low and Christmas Day gas prices are projected to fall to the lowest level since 2020,” White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers told Breitbart News. “Lowering energy prices for American families and businesses will continue to be a top priority for President Trump in the new year.”

Per GasBuddy, Americans are set to save “over half a billion dollars during the Christmas week compared to last year” on gas.

America saw gas prices rocket rapidly under Biden. On December 25, 2020, when Trump was president, prices nationwide averaged $2.26 on Christmas. On December 25, 2021–just 10 months into the Biden administration–the average cost of a gallon of gas rose by a whole dollar nationally, to $3.26 per gallon, according to GasBuddy. (Read more from “Christmas Day Gas Prices Expected to Drop to Lowest Level in 5 Years” HERE)

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U.S. Won’t Release Full, Unedited Boat Strike Video to Public, Hegseth Says

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U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday there are no plans to release the full unedited video of September 2 strikes on a suspected drug trafficking boat in the Caribbean that fueled concerns about the Trump administration’s plans for Venezuela.

Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio conducted briefings on Tuesday for every member of the Senate, responding to lawmakers’ demands for more information about a 3-1/2-month-long campaign of more than 20 strikes against boats in the Caribbean and Pacific that have killed more than 80 people.

On Monday, the U.S. military struck three vessels in the Pacific, killing eight people.

“In keeping with long-standing Department of War policy, Department of Defense policy, of course, we’re not going to release a top-secret full unedited video of that to the general public,” Hegseth told reporters at Capitol Hill.

The two cabinet secretaries held a similar briefing for the full House of Representatives.

Concerns about the strikes increased after it became public that the commander overseeing the operation ordered a second strike that killed two survivors on September 2. (Read more from “U.S. Won’t Release Full, Unedited Boat Strike Video to Public, Hegseth Says” HERE)

Bombshell Files Reveal FBI Doubted It Had Probable Cause to Raid Mar-a-Lago for Classified Documents

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The FBI did not believe agents had probable cause to execute a search warrant at President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in August 2022, according to internal records released Tuesday by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa).

The FBI’s Washington Field Office said it “does not believe (and has articulated to DOJ [counterintelligence]) that we have established probable cause for the search warrant for classified records at Mar-a-Lago,” according to one of the records authored by an unidentified assistant special agent.

“DOJ has opined that they do have probable cause,” the document continues, “requesting a wide scope including residence, office, storage space.”

The FBI official noted that agents had spent six weeks trying to establish probable cause that were “counterproductive.”

“We haven’t generated any new facts, but keep being given draft after draft after draft,” one official in the bureau’s Washington Field Office groused in a July 13, 2022, email. “Absent a witness coming forward with recent information about classified on site, at what point is it fair to table this?” (Read more from “Bombshell Files Reveal FBI Doubted It Had Probable Cause to Raid Mar-a-Lago for Classified Documents” HERE)

Trump Stands by Blunt Response Following Rob Reiner’s Death

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President Donald Trump on Monday defended a controversial social media post he made following the death of actor and director Rob Reiner, doubling down on his criticism while acknowledging he had never been a supporter of the outspoken Hollywood figure.

Trump’s remarks came after reporters questioned him about a Truth Social post in which he said Reiner suffered from what he described as “Trump Derangement Syndrome.” The post followed news that Reiner and his wife, Michele, were found dead inside their Brentwood, California, home.

Asked whether he stood by the statement amid criticism from some Republicans, Trump did not back away.

“Well, I wasn’t a fan of his at all,” Trump told reporters. “He was a deranged person, as far as Trump is concerned. He said — he knew it was false, in fact it’s the exact opposite — that I was a friend of Russia, controlled by Russia. The Russia Hoax — he was one of the people behind it.”

Trump argued that Reiner’s years-long public attacks, particularly his promotion of claims tying Trump’s 2016 campaign to Russia, justified his response. The president said those allegations were knowingly false and contributed to what he called lasting damage to Reiner’s public credibility.

“I think he hurt himself career-wise,” Trump added.

Reiner was a prominent and vocal critic of Trump and played a visible role in efforts to keep the Russia collusion narrative alive well after it failed to produce evidence of criminal wrongdoing by Trump. In 2017, Reiner helped launch the Committee to Investigate Russia, a group formed alongside Obama-era officials, left-leaning journalists, and political activists. The organization promoted claims that Russia had compromised Trump, allegations that were later undercut by multiple investigations.

At the same time, the president’s sharp rhetoric in the immediate aftermath of Reiner’s death has raised concerns among some allies about tone and timing. Even critics of Reiner have questioned whether the moment called for restraint, given the circumstances surrounding his death and the impact on his family.

Still, Trump made clear that he sees no obligation to soften his views toward figures he believes played an active role in advancing false narratives about him.

“He knew it was false,” Trump said, reiterating that Reiner’s accusations were part of a broader effort to discredit his presidency.